Why a traditional advertising strategy doesn’t work for digital

I have been thinking a lot lately about strategic planning within the traditional advertising sense. Having worked at a couple of ‘traditional’ agencies in my time, it has become obvious to me that the vast number of planning tools, strategy-wheels, comms matrix thing-a-me-jigs, and customer touchpoint & engagement model doovalackies that these agencies developed over the years are often lacking in something that makes them relevant in today’s digital world. These tools are often geared towards developing a campaign or series of campaigns, with an execution often lead through traditional media such as TV, & Print. Given the advent of social media, this methodology doesn’t work for digital. Here is why…

In traditional media, the advertiser controls the message. They set a campaign window in which a message is ‘shouted out‘ from advertiser to consumer. When the media budget runs out, the ads stop, and the message stops. There is a start and there is a finish. Simple. (Yes I know this is overly simplistic, and there are other things that come into play, but bare with me).

With digital, the message may be started by the advertiser, but could equally be started by an unknown individual. For example someone may tweet about a movie they have just watched, or their favorite new song they just heard on the radio. Once the message (initiated from the advertiser or an individual) is out there, it can also be echoed online by others at a very rapid rate. It can be commented on, forwarded, blogged about, tweeted, posted, etc. People can then start to comment, blog, tweet, post, about what other people have said about original communication. It spreads and evolves at a rapid rate from person to person and becomes an entity in itself in a somewhat uncontrollable way. A viral is not just a funny video on YouTube. It could be a tweet, an online conversation, a comment on a Facebook wall. A ‘traditional’ media strategy does not factor this in. It does not acknowledge that non-advertiser communication/promotion exists. It’s often just fixed on ensuring that the TVC to be produced has some sort of wow factor that will make it memorable, or that it shouts loud enough so that consumers will take notice.

The role of a digital strategy should be to try to influence, direct, and leverage this non-advertiser communication as it comes to life online, it must also try to predict how the message will evolve. As things are constantly changing and evolving, a linear process does not cut the mustard. With digital it MUST be a cycle of constant engagement, measurement, learning, refinement, and reengagement.

An effective digital strategy needs to factor in three spheres of communication, that are often overlooked by traditional comms planning:

• Campaign Message: This includes the core campaign message we want to control and broadcast ourselves. This can be done via a variety of digital channels, and covers all communication that drives product consideration by consumer. The message will be wrapped into a creative theme and may have a specific window in which it is “active”. Traditional strategy planning usually covers this one off pretty well. This has been the mainstay of advertising since advertising was invented.
• Managing Influencers: In the age of the social web, managing what others say about us online is just as important as what we say ourselves. An effective digital strategy will consider these influencers and provide them with targeted communication that will ensure they are leveraged to the benefit of the brand. Initiatives such as blogger outreach programs may be effective in educating some of these influencers.
• Corporate/Brand Presence This is the permanent online presence for the brand. Its purpose is to house the communication that about the product/brand that falls outside of campaign messaging. This could be in the form of: – Corporate “website” (doesn’t have to be a site. Eg could be a generic brand page on facebook) – Transactional messaging (ecommerce, data, CRM) – Brand protection & reputation management communications (online monitoring, product information, press releases, consumer guidance) – Search engine optimisation

In summary, traditional advertising strategy doesn’t work for digital because it doesn’t consider the “permanent and evolving presence” a brand can have though online channels. It also neglects to consider that the carefully planned campaign message being broadcast, can then be hijacked, manipulated, and distributed in uncontrollable ways though social media. A digital strategy sets out to manage and balance this ongoing communication as best as possible, whilst acknowledging that brand perception online is a constantly moving target. I am keen to see how agencies adapt to this challenge. So far, it seems to be a slow process. This has opened up opportunities for smaller, more nimble specialist agencies who understand digital comms better, to capture market share.

What do you think about traditional strategic planning processes? Know an agency who does integrated and digital strategy & comms well? Post a comment below and tell me about it.

Facebook is a website, not a social-media marketing strategy!

I love it when a client gets really excited about something. (Especially when it is about one of my ideas.) A close second to that is when they get excited about taking a risk and trying something new with a campaign. 

Take the social web for example. There are some clients and businesses that will take that great leap of faith and embrace social media. When done right, they truly benefit from it.

A great example of this is IBM who asked their employees to blog about their passions for technology, the IT industry, their personal interests, and the company’s products. IBM then built a website around this which they call “A menu of expertise and insight from a passionate crowd“

 

As a result, IBM gained some real credibility by demonstrating that they are transparent and open. They allow their staff to have their own opinions rather than expecting they will tow the company line. I think it also shows that IBM listen to customers (and staff) and embrace new ideas. A great marketing initiative hands-down!

At the other end of the spectrum are those businesses who have drafted and published strict (anti-)social-media policies. This usually comes about from an internal legal boffin worried about communication from the company becoming publicly available, without passing his or her desk for approval. Whether they do this for the good of the company, or for justifying their own self importance, I will leave it for you to decide.

These (anti-social-media) businesses attract marketing people who work well within these confines. To their credit, they sometimes also produce great campaigns, albeit using traditional media. However, they are usually not receptive to brilliant new ideas, or experimenting with new technologies and tools to help them achieve their marketing objectives. After all, corporate policy dictates that blogs are banned,  Facebook is blocked at the firewall, and Twitter is something that geeks do to pretend they are cool.

They prefer to take the “safe” road. Any other option for them is unknown and therefore a very scary prospect.  

What is even more scary than the unknown, is when an organisation puts a marketing manger in chargewho thinks they know everything – but they don’t. “Make sure you include Facebook in this campaign” is often their most loved phrase. They are not exactly sure what purpose Facebook will serve to meet the campaign objectives. They just think that they must be there. If you peered into the mind of these marketers you would see the following thoughts: 

“I will not be a good marketer if I forget Facebook”

“It won’t not a true integrated campaign without Facebook”

“No awards at Cannes if we don’t use Facebook in this campaign!”

This is the worst client to have. They just don’t get it.

Firstly, Facebook is a website, not a social-media marketing strategy. Just because Facebook gets a lot of press, and has a large user base, that doesn’t mean it is the right option for your brand.

Facebook is just one website. Online social media is diverse and spans a number of different tools, each with their own purpose, and more importantly, their own niche audience. Some of these audiences are relevant to your business, others are not. Facebook may not be right for this campaign. A blog may do a better job and getting customers onside, or perhaps a photo-sharing application, pod-cast, mash-up, the point is: Facebook is not the be all and end all of online social-media!

Secondly, pushing your brand into the land of the social web means that you are also opening up a conversation with the online community. This is different to other traditional marketing tactics where the “conversation” flows in only one direction. i.e  ”I am a brand – hear me roar!”.  With the social web, customers want to be a part of the conversation, rather than being shouted at. They may love your product, or want to criticise your product. In the online social world it doesn’t matter if the feedback is good or bad. What is important is that people have the opportunity to say how they feel. What is also vital is that the company is listening and responding directly to this feedback, and actively participating in the conversation.

If your organisation is not ready to respond to customers in this way, then your entry into Facebook (or any other online social medium) is doomed for failure. 

Finally, the marketer must ask the question -

How does using Facebook in this campaign add value to the customer or audience?

With online social media, more than any other form of marketing, this is the most important question. Your marketing message must be relevant to the audience. The audience must find your message interesting enough to grab their attention, useful to them, or at the very least – entertaining in some way. If your brand is going to enter their online social world, and be accepted there, then you must provide a benefit. If not, then you risk a backlash from the online community that could be much more damaging to your brand. 

So if you have read this far then you are probably wondering where I am going with all this?

Well as I said at the start, “I love when a client gets excited about taking a risk and trying something new with a campaign”. If you are a marketing manager thinking about experimenting with social media, then “hurrah! ” for you. You are the dream client. Please keep embracing new ideas, challenge your agencies, experiment with new tools, and remain realistic about your campaigns.

If you just want to put your next campaign on “Facebook” but not really sure why, then don’t waste your time and hire a decent person that understands social media to help you develop a proper social-media strategy that has a better chance of being a success.

If you don’t beleive online social media can benefit your organisation or brand then fair-enough….you’ll come ’round eventually.