I attended the Financial Services Forum annual conference this Monday and found it really inspiring. A lot of what was said, although aimed at financial services clients, can be applied to most businesses.
Dave Trott creative legend who brought us the brilliant Hello Tosh campaign in the 80s talked about making things simple. To him this means talking in the language of the “punter” not the marketer. He is right when he says it’s a mark of a really clever person to take complex ideas and make them simple.
Even those who work in the world of data and analytics can learn a lot from this. This is not dumbing down but helping to formulate effective/workable communication plans based on walking in the audience’s shoes.
The next point to remember is that the marketing communication process is simple. Get noticed (impact) ask for something (communicate) and give reasons why (persuade). In these days where people receive 1,000 to 10,000 messages a day, being noticed is a massive challenge. In media planning circles coverage, frequency and continuity tend to take priority, especially for direct response products, over impact.
So, even the biggest advertiser’s share of voice in the great scheme of things is tiny. Try remembering two advertising messages from yesterday without thinking too long. It isn’t that easy is it? So let’s hear it for Dave the voice of reason in a frantic world.
Ian Prager, Planning Director
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Overhauling the DM Industry
It was announced last week that the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has agreed, with government body DEFRA, to implement a range of measures aimed at cutting down on the amount of waste produced by direct mail.
The main change will be to the way in which people are able to opt-out of receiving advertising through their letterboxes. The current system offers consumers three options – the Mail Preference Service, the DMA’s door to door initiative and the Royal Mail equivalent – all of which will be consolidated into one website (although consumers will still need to register twice to stop both addressed and unaddressed advertising mail).
Other commitments include:
• DMA members being asked to produce all direct mail from recyclable paper that has originated from a certified sustainable source, or made from recycled paper
• The development of a carbon calculator for paper direct marketing material by the end of 2013 so that businesses can see the carbon footprint of the DM they produce
• 40% of all DM produced will have to conform to the requirements of a new industry environmental standard that will replace the BSI-endorsed waste standard PAS 2020
The commitments are in the wake of a “responsibility” deal agreed with DEFRA, following increased criticism of so-called “junk-mail” by environmental groups and will be intended by the DMA to stave off the threat of statutory regulation, which could have a highly damaging affect on mail volumes.
In our opinion, measures that will improve the perception of advertising mail in the public’s eye are to be welcomed. They should also lead to improvements in the accuracy of targeting - after all, it is in advertisers’ interest to target just those who are potential customers, rather than opting for blanket coverage. By not dropping to uninterested or actively-opposed households, we should be cutting down on wastage, saving on costs and improving ROI. We already work closely with our clients to make sure we are doing this, using up-to-date and relevant data to target just those most likely to respond. Any further improvements in targeting accuracy created by the opt-out website can only be a good thing for our clients and the industry as a whole.
Kyle Seeley
Senior Planner Buyer
The main change will be to the way in which people are able to opt-out of receiving advertising through their letterboxes. The current system offers consumers three options – the Mail Preference Service, the DMA’s door to door initiative and the Royal Mail equivalent – all of which will be consolidated into one website (although consumers will still need to register twice to stop both addressed and unaddressed advertising mail).
Other commitments include:
• DMA members being asked to produce all direct mail from recyclable paper that has originated from a certified sustainable source, or made from recycled paper
• The development of a carbon calculator for paper direct marketing material by the end of 2013 so that businesses can see the carbon footprint of the DM they produce
• 40% of all DM produced will have to conform to the requirements of a new industry environmental standard that will replace the BSI-endorsed waste standard PAS 2020
The commitments are in the wake of a “responsibility” deal agreed with DEFRA, following increased criticism of so-called “junk-mail” by environmental groups and will be intended by the DMA to stave off the threat of statutory regulation, which could have a highly damaging affect on mail volumes.
In our opinion, measures that will improve the perception of advertising mail in the public’s eye are to be welcomed. They should also lead to improvements in the accuracy of targeting - after all, it is in advertisers’ interest to target just those who are potential customers, rather than opting for blanket coverage. By not dropping to uninterested or actively-opposed households, we should be cutting down on wastage, saving on costs and improving ROI. We already work closely with our clients to make sure we are doing this, using up-to-date and relevant data to target just those most likely to respond. Any further improvements in targeting accuracy created by the opt-out website can only be a good thing for our clients and the industry as a whole.
Kyle Seeley
Senior Planner Buyer
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Media Down Under
I’ve spent the last year living and working in Sydney, Australia, but returned to London a few weeks ago and into the open arms of MC&C. When I tell people that I wasn’t forcibly removed from the Land Down Under and actually wanted to come back to England, their reaction is usually along the lines of a high pitched ‘REALLY?!’, followed by the incredulous raising of at least one eyebrow. It’s true though, I really did miss this city, and having now experienced working in direct response media on both sides of the globe, I have also developed a deeper appreciation of how we do things over here.
After arriving in Sydney I was fortunate enough to find work quickly, and joined MediaCom on two new pieces of business they’d won. One of my clients was Australia’s largest insurer, the other a new mobile telecoms start-up, lead by a group of entrepreneurs who had been there and done it in several European countries including Germany and Spain. Joining such a renowned agency and knowing I would be working on clients with extensive budgets, I was, perhaps naively, expecting to slot in to a large, well-established team, working with clients who were well prepared for the demands of creating successful DR campaigns.
This isn’t quite how it panned out. The insurer, despite being Australia’s largest, had only started using DR advertising a few months earlier, and it soon became apparent that to them DR was the ‘black sheep’ of the marketing family. Targets were set in a very inflexible manner, with their data department struggling to supply us with accurate numbers on which to report. The telecoms client was well versed in online media, but when it came to offline found it difficult to distinguish between measuring success on DR as opposed to brand metrics, when our strategy called for a careful mix of both.
Even within the agency, the amount of work needed to make DR successful for our clients was underestimated by senior management, although this was rectified later on, with additional recruits joining from their London office. Most difficult of all though was dealing with media owners, most of whom just did not seem to fully understand that we weren’t just trying to screw them down on price (not all the time, anyway) but that we really did have cost per response and ROI targets that we needed to achieve.
By the time I left, I was exhausted, having experienced what felt like uphill battles on all fronts in the name of direct response during my time there. I would like to think I won a few of those battles, if not the war, and I expect Australia will continue to look to the UK as it wakes up to the potential power of DR.
Kyle Seeley
After arriving in Sydney I was fortunate enough to find work quickly, and joined MediaCom on two new pieces of business they’d won. One of my clients was Australia’s largest insurer, the other a new mobile telecoms start-up, lead by a group of entrepreneurs who had been there and done it in several European countries including Germany and Spain. Joining such a renowned agency and knowing I would be working on clients with extensive budgets, I was, perhaps naively, expecting to slot in to a large, well-established team, working with clients who were well prepared for the demands of creating successful DR campaigns.
This isn’t quite how it panned out. The insurer, despite being Australia’s largest, had only started using DR advertising a few months earlier, and it soon became apparent that to them DR was the ‘black sheep’ of the marketing family. Targets were set in a very inflexible manner, with their data department struggling to supply us with accurate numbers on which to report. The telecoms client was well versed in online media, but when it came to offline found it difficult to distinguish between measuring success on DR as opposed to brand metrics, when our strategy called for a careful mix of both.
Even within the agency, the amount of work needed to make DR successful for our clients was underestimated by senior management, although this was rectified later on, with additional recruits joining from their London office. Most difficult of all though was dealing with media owners, most of whom just did not seem to fully understand that we weren’t just trying to screw them down on price (not all the time, anyway) but that we really did have cost per response and ROI targets that we needed to achieve.
By the time I left, I was exhausted, having experienced what felt like uphill battles on all fronts in the name of direct response during my time there. I would like to think I won a few of those battles, if not the war, and I expect Australia will continue to look to the UK as it wakes up to the potential power of DR.
Kyle Seeley
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Google Adwords - The Process to Achieving Google Certification Status
Did you know that the sponsored ads that appear when you make a search on Google are called Pay Per Click. This paid advertising on Google is managed by Google Adwords and at Mike Colling and Company we use Adwords to manage the PPC activity for a number of our clients. For our PPC clients, the fact that we are a Google Certified Partner is an important sign of credibility but what does the process involve and how hard is it to achieve? As the newest recruit to the digital team at MC&C, I’m the latest to have been through the process.
The Google Adwords Certification Program is a test accrediting PPC experts. It proves that certified professionals can handle a PPC account. The exam is in two parts. The first one, called “Advertising Fundamentals”, asks general questions about the Google Network, PPC, the bidding system etc. The second part of the exam is a specialisation in one of the four following areas: Reporting, Display, Search and Analysis. My specialisation was in Search.
Questions are about optimising the rank of a sponsored ad, getting the best quality score for an ad, the lowest bid etc, but also about other aspects of PPC that we don’t use every day such as the billing payments and account management.
For starters, as a non-native English person, the exam is particularly challenging! And if that wasn’t enough Google pose the questions in a complicated way. Sometimes all the four answers appear to be right, but only one really is. I found that the best way to prepare for it was to study, like any exam. And to help, Google Learning Centre recommends several articles about all aspects of Adwords and provides quizzes to test your knowledge. It might just be me but for my money, the quizzes were simpler than the actual exam!
The exams take two hours to complete and with more than 100 questions per exam, that’s approximately 1 minute per question – phew! And to ensure security, the test is done on a separate browser to prevent having other windows open at the same time.
But the revision and time taken has paid off. I’m delighted to say that passed both the fundamentals and the specialisation and am now officially qualified.
If you’d like to find out more about Google Adwords and how it could help your business please get in touch at melanie@mcand.co.uk.
Melanie Houget
Online Planner/Buyer
The Google Adwords Certification Program is a test accrediting PPC experts. It proves that certified professionals can handle a PPC account. The exam is in two parts. The first one, called “Advertising Fundamentals”, asks general questions about the Google Network, PPC, the bidding system etc. The second part of the exam is a specialisation in one of the four following areas: Reporting, Display, Search and Analysis. My specialisation was in Search.
Questions are about optimising the rank of a sponsored ad, getting the best quality score for an ad, the lowest bid etc, but also about other aspects of PPC that we don’t use every day such as the billing payments and account management.
For starters, as a non-native English person, the exam is particularly challenging! And if that wasn’t enough Google pose the questions in a complicated way. Sometimes all the four answers appear to be right, but only one really is. I found that the best way to prepare for it was to study, like any exam. And to help, Google Learning Centre recommends several articles about all aspects of Adwords and provides quizzes to test your knowledge. It might just be me but for my money, the quizzes were simpler than the actual exam!
The exams take two hours to complete and with more than 100 questions per exam, that’s approximately 1 minute per question – phew! And to ensure security, the test is done on a separate browser to prevent having other windows open at the same time.
But the revision and time taken has paid off. I’m delighted to say that passed both the fundamentals and the specialisation and am now officially qualified.
If you’d like to find out more about Google Adwords and how it could help your business please get in touch at melanie@mcand.co.uk.
Melanie Houget
Online Planner/Buyer
Friday, 7 October 2011
Using New Initiatives to Launch the RSPCA’s ‘Sponsor a Safe Little Place’
As we all know the RSPCA works really hard at preventing animal cruelty, encouraging animal welfare and rescues thousands of abused and neglected animals every year. It is this message that has been conveyed in their recent advertising campaigns.
Last week the RSPCA launched a new campaign, which is focusing on neglected cats and dogs. The campaign is called “Sponsor a safe little place”, to sponsor a kennel or a cat pod. The money raised through this campaign will go towards veterinary care, food, shelter, warm blankets and the love and attention they so desperately need.
For this campaign we planned the use of traditional media, DRTV, Direct Mail, Door Drop, Radio and Online along with some ‘new’ media activity, to target younger affluent females.
Concentrating within the vicinity of the branch that is the focus of this test, we had a stand within Bluewater shopping centre to kick start the launch of this new product, and to engage with potential donors and sign them up on the spot. This proved to be a really successful exercise: in fact, the number of sponsors who signed up was 37% above our target! Great news, not only did we beat our target but the feedback from the shoppers was that the stand gave a lot of information, and in most instances, people had learnt something they didn’t know about the RSPCA. They also liked the fact that they were speaking to someone face to face, to whom they could ask questions, but who wasn’t ‘pushing’ them to sign up in return.
The other event we organised was a dog walk – “Bark on the Beach” on the Isle of Wight and “ Bark in the Park” in Salisbury to raise awareness of the campaign launch. The dog walks took place last weekend, on the 1st October, the week leading up to the dog walks, each local radio station promoted the walk, with live reads and promotional trails. We picked the presenters for the promotion, who were avid dog lovers and who had dogs themselves. This gave additional support as the presenters were really passionate when they read the live reads, confirming that they themselves care about this cause.
During the actual walks, each station had live feeds back to the radio station, interviewing the participants who had signed up for sponsorship and stating why it was a good cause, in their opinion. This in itself was a great endorsement for the RSPCA, to have actual supporters giving heartfelt reasons why they support the charity and, in some cases, they had rescued a dog from their local RSPCA centre.
So the campaign is in its initial stages, but it’s certainly had a great start, by using these new initiatives, along with the traditional media , and making it personal to the sponsor.
If you would like to sponsor a kennel or cat pod please go to www.rspca.org.uk/safe
Vicky Nunn
TV Group Head
Last week the RSPCA launched a new campaign, which is focusing on neglected cats and dogs. The campaign is called “Sponsor a safe little place”, to sponsor a kennel or a cat pod. The money raised through this campaign will go towards veterinary care, food, shelter, warm blankets and the love and attention they so desperately need.
For this campaign we planned the use of traditional media, DRTV, Direct Mail, Door Drop, Radio and Online along with some ‘new’ media activity, to target younger affluent females.
Concentrating within the vicinity of the branch that is the focus of this test, we had a stand within Bluewater shopping centre to kick start the launch of this new product, and to engage with potential donors and sign them up on the spot. This proved to be a really successful exercise: in fact, the number of sponsors who signed up was 37% above our target! Great news, not only did we beat our target but the feedback from the shoppers was that the stand gave a lot of information, and in most instances, people had learnt something they didn’t know about the RSPCA. They also liked the fact that they were speaking to someone face to face, to whom they could ask questions, but who wasn’t ‘pushing’ them to sign up in return.
The other event we organised was a dog walk – “Bark on the Beach” on the Isle of Wight and “ Bark in the Park” in Salisbury to raise awareness of the campaign launch. The dog walks took place last weekend, on the 1st October, the week leading up to the dog walks, each local radio station promoted the walk, with live reads and promotional trails. We picked the presenters for the promotion, who were avid dog lovers and who had dogs themselves. This gave additional support as the presenters were really passionate when they read the live reads, confirming that they themselves care about this cause.
During the actual walks, each station had live feeds back to the radio station, interviewing the participants who had signed up for sponsorship and stating why it was a good cause, in their opinion. This in itself was a great endorsement for the RSPCA, to have actual supporters giving heartfelt reasons why they support the charity and, in some cases, they had rescued a dog from their local RSPCA centre.
So the campaign is in its initial stages, but it’s certainly had a great start, by using these new initiatives, along with the traditional media , and making it personal to the sponsor.
If you would like to sponsor a kennel or cat pod please go to www.rspca.org.uk/safe
Vicky Nunn
TV Group Head
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
The Future’s Bright, the Future’s TV!
Last week MC&C hosted a seminar on Integration, in conjunction with creative agency Targetbase Claydon Heeley. In addition to presentations on the benefits of integration from both a media and creative perspective, we were also lucky enough to have a session from Tess Alps from ‘Thinkbox’ on the future of television and in particular how well it performs with other channels as part of an integrated campaign.
With the average person seemingly having less free time on their hands and new technologies that allow people to watch what they want and when they want, you would be forgiven for becoming worried about traditional television advertising. However, 2010 proved to be an extremely strong year for television with record linear viewing, an increase in advertising and reports confirming that television viewing makes up 50% of an adult’s media day. And Video on Demand (VoD) looks as though it will only boost television as a medium.
In a survey carried out by Thinkbox, families were given a host of new equipment for their homes, everything from high definition televisions to iPads; they were also given a number of ways to use VoD via X-box and TV enabled laptops. At the end of the process they were questioned on how they had found the new technologies and how they compared to traditional TV. Their findings showed that TV still incited a very positive response. The enhanced viewing that came with the high definition television meant that people still preferred the overall viewing experience that came with watching their favourite programming on the television rather than on a laptop. People cited the major use for VoD as being for ‘catch-up’ to enable them to continue with the linear programming on the television. This means that not only is VoD another platform to advertise to viewers but it also provides a service in driving viewers to the linear television schedule.
Another result of the enlargement of technology in the home is the increase in ‘two screening’ where viewers are using one platform at the same time. So, for example, using a smart phone or laptop while watching the television. Again, Thinkbox found this to have a positive result making the viewer more receptive to an advertiser and providing the opportunity for an instant reaction to what is on television via a few clicks on their phone or laptop.
So far from being a dying channel to the consumer, as technology has moved on, so has the television. Bigger and better quality viewing is the Holy Grail for both the manufacturers and the consumers. Advertisers can be more creative in how they connect with this more receptive audience, and for DRTV and MC&C better technology and two screening can only be a good thing!
Peter Bradley
With the average person seemingly having less free time on their hands and new technologies that allow people to watch what they want and when they want, you would be forgiven for becoming worried about traditional television advertising. However, 2010 proved to be an extremely strong year for television with record linear viewing, an increase in advertising and reports confirming that television viewing makes up 50% of an adult’s media day. And Video on Demand (VoD) looks as though it will only boost television as a medium.
In a survey carried out by Thinkbox, families were given a host of new equipment for their homes, everything from high definition televisions to iPads; they were also given a number of ways to use VoD via X-box and TV enabled laptops. At the end of the process they were questioned on how they had found the new technologies and how they compared to traditional TV. Their findings showed that TV still incited a very positive response. The enhanced viewing that came with the high definition television meant that people still preferred the overall viewing experience that came with watching their favourite programming on the television rather than on a laptop. People cited the major use for VoD as being for ‘catch-up’ to enable them to continue with the linear programming on the television. This means that not only is VoD another platform to advertise to viewers but it also provides a service in driving viewers to the linear television schedule.
Another result of the enlargement of technology in the home is the increase in ‘two screening’ where viewers are using one platform at the same time. So, for example, using a smart phone or laptop while watching the television. Again, Thinkbox found this to have a positive result making the viewer more receptive to an advertiser and providing the opportunity for an instant reaction to what is on television via a few clicks on their phone or laptop.
So far from being a dying channel to the consumer, as technology has moved on, so has the television. Bigger and better quality viewing is the Holy Grail for both the manufacturers and the consumers. Advertisers can be more creative in how they connect with this more receptive audience, and for DRTV and MC&C better technology and two screening can only be a good thing!
Peter Bradley
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Adpoints – Where advertisers pay you to watch their commercials
Ian and I met with a start-up company a couple of weeks back, who are aiming to revolutionise the incentivised segment of the online advertising environment. The Adpoints offering is simple – consumers are rewarded for watching video advertisements online. Their processes are a deal more complex though, which will result in the advertiser being able to profile the customers generated through the channel in great detail.
Research indicates that 69% of adults would watch more advertising if the advertiser paid them, and it is this level of incentive and engagement that Adpoints are looking to capitalise upon. By effectively paying people to watch their ads, marketers can increase levels of interaction with their brand, offering opportunities for the consumers to learn more about the ads which they are watching, sign up for further information from the advertiser or even to get their hands on special brand offers.
Alongside increasing the levels of interaction, Adpoints are able to build up demographic and behavioural profiles of the users of their site, which then allows them to target future advertisements to more relevant audiences. They do this by incorporating incentivised surveys which appear alongside the ads as they play, asking for the consumers’ vital details and attitudes to relevant issues.
All in all, their aim is to build up a base of highly responsive consumers, who are happy to view and interact with the ads that they see. This will in turn enhance the positivity the users experience when viewing the ads on site, increasing the chances that they go on to actually engage with the advertisers and purchase their offering.
Adpoints are planning to begin their pilot in late 2011, with a mind to rolling out
towards the spring of 2012. If you’d like to know any more then please contact a member of the MC&C team.
Alex Prout
Senior Digital Planner Buyer
Research indicates that 69% of adults would watch more advertising if the advertiser paid them, and it is this level of incentive and engagement that Adpoints are looking to capitalise upon. By effectively paying people to watch their ads, marketers can increase levels of interaction with their brand, offering opportunities for the consumers to learn more about the ads which they are watching, sign up for further information from the advertiser or even to get their hands on special brand offers.
Alongside increasing the levels of interaction, Adpoints are able to build up demographic and behavioural profiles of the users of their site, which then allows them to target future advertisements to more relevant audiences. They do this by incorporating incentivised surveys which appear alongside the ads as they play, asking for the consumers’ vital details and attitudes to relevant issues.
All in all, their aim is to build up a base of highly responsive consumers, who are happy to view and interact with the ads that they see. This will in turn enhance the positivity the users experience when viewing the ads on site, increasing the chances that they go on to actually engage with the advertisers and purchase their offering.
Adpoints are planning to begin their pilot in late 2011, with a mind to rolling out
towards the spring of 2012. If you’d like to know any more then please contact a member of the MC&C team.
Alex Prout
Senior Digital Planner Buyer
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