By Carey Finn. Katherine Madley, vice president of group marketing at Massmart, has seen firsthand how things have shifted in media buying and strategy over the last two decades.
“Frankly, the model of media buying inside the creative agency of record was more effective, in my opinion, but that changed very early in my career,” Madley says. “As a marketer, my ideal is a channel-agnostic media planner and strategist that can apply media strategy to my brand offensive work and the retail brand defensive strategies I carry out within the budget we can afford.”
Unfortunately, an “extreme deficit in media strategists” makes this combination tough to find. “The problem that we have with media buying in analogue, digital and PR is that commissions drive the thinking, and very few people are skilled in all three areas,” says Madley. “This means that marketers need to become skilled at media, understanding it so deeply that they can prescribe the channels best themselves.”
Creative & media under the same roof
“More than half of marketers want their agency to be fully integrated, with creative and media under one roof,” says Johanna McDowell, founder and chief executive officer at Independent Agency Selection, and managing partner at Scopen Africa. This is based on the findings of the latest Agency Scope study, which takes place in 12 countries.
According to McDowell, other wishlist items for marketers include: interpretation of consumer and media data, and alignment thereof so that media buys are accurate; the ability to integrate and optimise above-the-line and digital; well-informed teams with strong strategic thinking; accurate budget management and the ability to make each rand work harder; close relationships with media owners, so that these can be leveraged for the benefit of clients; innovative thinking; and the ability to make social and paid media work together for greater impact. “Negotiating skills are a hygiene factor,” she adds. “It’s a given.”
A partner that can think 360 degrees
“What I’ve always wanted is someone who really wants to partner with me,” says Heidi Brauer, chief marketing officer at Modern Marketing Association. “Sometimes, we’ve separated buying from the strategy part, which can be useful. But from my media strategy agency, I want them to be my partners. I want them to understand the business of my business — the same as any of my other agencies would do. Because the better they understand my business, the better they can create inventive media solutions.”
Brauer adds that she’s after a media agency that can “think 360 degrees” because consumers are 360. “I don’t want to have to separate digital and analogue,” she explains. “I need people to think about my brands 360, and I want the technical competency from my media agency to be able to think about all of that — not only some of it. Coupled with that, I want more than anything for an agency not to come to me with a laundry list with all of the media options on it, telling me that they’re all important — that means they don’t understand the importance of my business.”
Two big Rs
“ROAS, ROAS!” says Dashni Vilakazi, managing director at The MediaShop. “Clients want to see results from their investment in campaigns. They appreciate an agency that can present clear metrics and analytics to show effectiveness.” But there’s another incredibly important R-word — and that’s relationships, she adds.
“Ethical engagement is what retains client relationships,” she says. “Clients are seeking transparency in communication. Consistency and regular updates on campaign performance is a feedback loop they value. Clients prefer agencies that value relationships and not just transactional services. They want to collaborate throughout the process.”
Creativity may be another component of the media agency dream team, but strong strategic abilities are also in demand. “Clients want partners that can comprehend their business objectives and come up with tailored strategies to support achieving success in the media landscape,” says Vilakazi.
Greater transparency
“I think what marketers are looking for is transparency,” adds Shaune Jordaan, group CEO at Hoorah. “Often, agencies have owned the tech relationships with Facebook and Google. This has created some grey areas — both from the spend perspective and data ownership.”
Though clients may have a direct relationship with large media businesses like Google, nowadays, there are still advantages to working with agencies. “They can enjoy the benefits from a skill perspective on the buying side while having full transparency and ownership of their own data,” he says. “It increases the richness of the first-party audience data, which ultimately drives the personalisation of content experiences and better-performing creative content.”
