Find out what this director of online marketing thinks could seriously impact the industry.
Maria DiSanto is the director of online marketing for Interval International. In this position, DiSanto is responsible for all decisions related to online marketing, content development and personalization for new business initiatives.
DiSanto has worked in interactive marketing and communications for eight years and was previously responsible for all marketing and communications for an online (ecommerce) trading firm in Fort Lauderdale. Prior to that, she owned an interactive consulting agency where she created and implemented interactive marketing plans for a wide array of clients, including Barbizon International Modeling, JM Lexus and the National Cancer Institute among others. DiSanto is the president-elect for the South Florida Interactive Marketing Association.
iMedia: With P&G's recent announcement that it's pulling some dollars from network TV, and ZenithOptimedia's new predictions showing internet advertising increasing, it seems "spray and pray" is starting to feel some pressure. Is this a good thing for interactive marketers? Has it opened some budget for you?
Mario Disanto: I think it's particularly interesting for interactive marketers. The reality is that the internet, through better reporting and analysis tools, can truly deliver on many of the promises made in the late '90s that, at the time, were challenging. But today, there is no reason for the CPGs not to be online. They can measure both direct response and brand lift. This is a very positive thing for interactive marketers, but I would caution that as companies shift their budgets to interactive, they should communicate a clear plan to senior management, have agreement on success metrics for their interactive campaigns, and define periodic intervals for reports to executives. Agreement on the success metrics is probably one of the most important steps they can take to ensure that the entire team understands the goals of the campaigns.
iMedia: How has the media mix changed for you over the last few years?
Disanto: We've always had an interactive budget.
iMedia: What do you think is the greatest benefit of online advertising? The ability to measure? Precisely target? Gather data? Something else?
Disanto: All of the above, plus the more targeted we can be by using technology to drive our ads directly to site visitors that have been to our site in the past. This type of recontact technology ensures that our dollars are spent to talk to people who already have us in their consideration set.
iMedia: What still frustrates you most about online advertising? What can be done to improve the situation?
Disanto: User deletion of cookies. As an industry, we need to do more to communicate to the general public that we're not using cookies to 'spy' on anyone. Legitimate marketers are using them to ultimately give users a better and more relevant experience. Cookie deletion could potentially have significant impact on direct marketing campaigns ROI.
iMedia: What's the key for having a successful relationship with agencies?
Disanto: People, people, people. Your agency is only as good as your team. Most agencies today understand best practices but if you don't have the right team members to execute for you, you're lost. I also maintain that any agency is only as good as the client side partner that is managing the agency.
iMedia: Have you done much with wireless, iTV or other emerging mediums?
Disanto: No