BLOG

Total Media has been awarded a platinum accreditation for its Continuous Professional Development (CPA) programme by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).

The IPA introduced the new category for member agencies who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to their development programmes for four consecutive years.

Total Media is the only independent media agency to receive the IPA's platinum award and the new status means the agency's CPD programme sits in the top three per cent of the advertising industry. 

The IPA’s Continuous Professional Development (CPD) panel praised Total Media’s “incredibly organised” and “fun” programme saying: “The panel were very impressed by the long term CPD ethos at Total Media: the management believe that if you give people responsibility, it is the agency’s duty to help provide additional training and development, not just for tomorrow but throughout their career.

“And that help is provided in spades – from a good welcome, to forward looking appraisals to huge learning opportunities appropriate to career development and business success. A well organised CPD strategy and plan, with nice little fun touches and some flare.”

Nigel Potter, Total Media’s Learning and Development Director said of the agency’s new platinum status: “Although it takes a considerable amount of effort to continually keep updating and refreshing our staff learning and development programmes, it is incredibly worthwhile for the agency. 

“We can see the success of our training in our excellent client retention rates, our excellence business conversion and the positive feedback from both staff and the clients we service. We’re absolutely delighted to receive the IPA’s highest accolade.”

The IPA is the professional body for advertising, media and marketing communications agencies in the UK. The IPA’s CPD programme is tailored to the requirements of the advertising industry and provides in-depth professional training to ensure staff skillsets match agency objectives and client needs. 

For more information about the new platinum CPD award, check out the IPA’s news blog. 

There’s no doubt about it, SEO is a highly analytical area that needs a good look at various sets of data before, during and after campaign activities to see if we are getting the best possible ROI.

We need to know how much traffic has been coming to the site, where it has come from and what devices they have been using. As Internet-connected media consumption devices continue to fragment and move on from from simple laptops and computers through to phones, tablets and even games consoles, studying the results of an SEO campaign has become increasingly difficult as there are now many roads to an online experience.

Taking Data to the Next Level

Luckily for the Digital team, Google is launching their Universal Analytics service which will help to bring all data sources into one handy interface. Google’s aim for this is to help analyse the effectiveness of a campaign across a number of devices, as well as having more sets of data to examine over longer time periods. By being able to analyse how users interact with a brand through different touchpoints, businesses will be able to see which areas drive the best results.

From an SEO point of view, this helps us to see which areas need to be improved on to increase the number of websites visitors, as well as seeing how certain devices and user interact with organic search. It also lets us spot certain trends and upcoming opportunities to get the best out of our data to grab those all-important natural rankings.

Of course, the benefits of this are not just limited to SEO, in fact all channels will benefit from knowing how their campaigns are performing on an integrated level. 

According to Google, the benefits include:

• Understanding how customers interact with your businesses across many devices
• Insights into the performance of your mobile apps
• Improvements of lead generation and ROI by incorporating offline and online interactions so you can understand which channels drive the best results
• Improved latency on your site by reducing client-side demands.

It’s Still Early Days

The current version of Universal Analytics is still in beta and it’s too early to see if this really is the best tool for data aggregation. Although we are confident that it will become a well-used tool of SEOs everywhere, the final version is still in the works and may unveil more features as it receives feedback from those who choose to use the Beta.  The SEO team here at Total Media are looking forward to getting their hands on the tool and putting it through its paces, so stay tuned to see our thoughts!

Having logged in to a number of Advertising Week Europe’s talks and seminars, one that stood out for me amongst a ream of brilliant discussions was the ‘How to reach today's modern Mothers’.

The panel consisted of:  

• Sarah Cawood Blogger
• Nicola Kemp Features Editor, MARKETING UK
• Sasha Miller International Manager Editor, BABYCENTRE
• Rachel Swift Marketing Head, Fashion & Nursery, JOHN LEWIS

The basis of discussion was around both how modern mothers are coping in a world where they have so many resources to turn too that the Mother/Mother-in-Law are no longer the only option and therefore from the advertisers perspective, what is the best way to converse with them.

Whilst the debate covered a multitude of issues, concerns and ideas, I wanted to outline a few that I found particularly interesting all of which cantered around the modern mothers online consumption habits

Today, 68% of Mums purchase more goods online than offline. It was agreed by the panel that anecdotally most Mums hate shopping and will therefore look for the most efficient way of doing it whether it is clothes or groceries even if they enjoyed it prior to children. However it is not just shopping that draws mothers and mother-to-be online. For example, friends , family and support groups have always been a key area of support for Mums both in terms of asking questions but also wider emotional support. The online space is increasingly a space that Mums turn to whether it be asking  Google what temperature bottled milk should be or going on Social Network platforms for discussions, further questions and general support. It is in these areas that Mums are beginning to put increasing trust in. A couple of stats that stood out for me were: 

• 35% of Mums spend more time online than the average in the UK (46 hours a month)
• 47% of Mums are more likely to consume Social Media than the average.
• 88% say internet is the key source of information.
• Social Media is the new NCT class. Gives support, answers questions and share issues. Feel less alone.

Mobile is another area that is key to the modern Mum and indeed advertisers looking to reach them. Mobile is such a great platform for Mothers as it enables them to get online quickly whilst on the move or when they have a couple of spare minutes. It has become such a useful accessary for Mums that 28% increase mobile usage when they become a Mum. They going on Social Network sites, use Apps and even make purchases, something many other groups are still nervous about.

Following on from the points that both online and mobile were key to reaching mothers, the debate turned to when the best time to reach them is (time targeting being a luxury that online and mobile advertising has brought with them). It was unanimously understood that to reach Mums and be effective you need to be very opportunistic with your marketing. One needs to think like a Mum, when will they have time? When are they most relaxed?  They have precious few spare minutes in a day and therefore can no longer do things like browsing magazines for long time periods and picking out their favourite fashion items.

Not just when but also how mothers experience the brand is key. They no longer have time for poor user journeys or shop experiences so anything that the advertiser/website/store can do to smooth this experience out and make it “mother-friendly” immediately strikes the right cord. Rachel Swift was giving the example  of the John Lewis stores which  have crèches aimed at making the experience less stressful for Mums meaning a) they come into the shop and b) they spend longer once they get there.

Finally, like advertising in general, conversational v’s broadcast comms is key. Mothers want to be talked to and helped through the process at whatever stage they are at. They want what is best for their kids and therefore don’t just want to be sold to but they want a discussion about why it is the best product for them and their child. As such the notions of trust and community are key. Throughout history Mums have looked to those they trust for support and therefore if the brand can occupy this space by providing advocacy, relevant content and value exchange then Mums will grow to trust the brand and the key to this is they will tell others about it either online of off.

The discussion finished with the conclusion that the resources, touchpoints and information available to the modern Mother is like nothing seen before. There are a multitude of platforms, communities and spaces for the Mothers to use which brings with it vast opportunities for the advertiser  however they need to do it properly. They need to select the right platform, use the right tone and create trust. Only then will a proper conversation happen with the tech savvy, time poor Mother of the modern world.

In the final instalment of our series on the changing landscape of Out of Home, we tackle the industry’s hot topic: data.

In the final instalment of our series on the changing landscape of Out of Home, we tackle the industry’s hot topic: data.

Throughout the series, we’ve addressed the ‘traditional’ label of OOH - and nowhere has this been more prevalent than in the planning of an outdoor campaign. Broadly approximated ‘cover and frequency’ projections, as well as the fact that somebody is counted as being ‘in the audience’ if their average daily habits mean that they have an opportunity to see, make efficiency questionable when you consider what is possible in the online space.

What doesn’t help is that the average British consumer is exposed to over 40 out-of-home ads each day (nearly double this at 74 in London). Not only do advertisers need to deliver creative that can cut through the clutter, placement also needs to be bang on so as not to quite literally become wallpaper. 

Fast-forward to last weeks’ release of the new Route research project (such was the contrast to the survey that the well-known POSTAR name has been replaced) and OOH is bang up to date. Or, if you take the project’s Managing Director James Whitmore’s word, ahead of the curve.

With £19m worth of investment and 4 years in development, a now quarterly survey of 28,000 has allowed for the mapping of GPS records of over 3 million roadlinks and 100,000 roadside poster sites. The first survey roll-out covers bus, underground and roadside but all other outdoor environments (including rail, airports and retail locations) will be covered going forward. The regular, changeable nature of the survey is specifically designed to incorporate new OOH environments as and when they are introduced. As the world’s biggest ever GPS survey, Whitmore describes it as ‘revolution, not evolution’ and for the first time in out of home planning, the start point is audience, not inventory.

So what can over 250 questions on everything from shopping habits to media consumption tell us that we didn’t already know? Sure, people in rural areas travel further and for longer by car – no surprises there. But did you know that Londoners walk nearly 25% slower than Glaswegians? Or even that 50-54 year olds are actually the fastest walking age group on average? A new understanding of journey patterns means that we can now determine not just who sees which panel, but when, at what speed and in what order.

Targeting can be built around standard social demographics and geo- or retailer locations but also around mobile, location-based search.  The system also claims to offer accountability on coverage and frequency over combined OOH campaigns, not just individual bursts.

But let’s be honest - we wouldn’t be talking data unless we covered real-time marketing. While the advert Oreo broadcast during the Super Bowl blackout fits firmly into online social territory, surely it’s only a matter of time before digital OOH becomes an automated platform? Route makes it possible to trade on audience rather than panel, so real-time trading is the next logical step. 

Technologies like laser motion detectors and eye tracking already exist. Overhead heat maps can detect the number of people passing through a set location and camera-feed set-ups can distinguish the approximate split of males to female (thus serving the most appropriate ad creative within a loop). It’s not a perfect science at the moment but it will get better.

What if, once you’d interacted with an OOH ad, your smartphone device shared enough about you for the engagement experience to be entirely tailored? In reality, it’s likely that the real barrier won’t be the technology but the data protection laws. 

This week we look at the Value of Creativity, namely the value of cross-media integration and the importance of media and creative agencies working collaboratively towards a common goal.

When we consider ‘integration’ across today’s media platforms, it is apparent that the concept itself is somewhat confused. For a start, the boundaries between out of home media, experiential, social, mobile and digital are blurred making it difficult to separate them in some cases. Long gone are the days when advertisers could only use these channels in isolation, instead they can now create larger, more impactful and engaging user experiences. One particular campaign that explored these boundaries was CBS’s very own Look for Longer campaign which was activated in October 2012.

The campaign was launched on 50 x LU 48 sheets (rate card value £85,750) from which consumers were prompted to complete a challenge online by submitting the various LU tube station names from which they could see in the image. They were also prompted to share the campaign and clues with others via #lookforlonger. 

A question was raised – ‘can an outdoor campaign really integrate social media in a measurably successful way?’ The results were impressive. The site received just under 300,000 unique visitors, 30% of which accessed the site from a mobile device, with over 12 million answers submitted. When asked where they had heard about the campaign, just 24% stated that it was from an Underground ad – 30% discovered it via social media and 34% via word of mouth. There were 97 forums created and it was mentioned on 46 blogs, resulting in £238,619 social earned media and £65,657 PR coverage value. The conclusion, get your campaign in front of the right audience and your message travels further.

Onto the importance of agency collaboration - is there now more of a need than ever for media agencies to be directly involved in creative strategy? In order to make the best of new Out of Home platform technologies and pick‘n’mix targeting opportunities, digital panel creative requirements are surely more complex than static images or rotating executions – or at least, they could be. 

One media owner already hinting at the value of this collaboration is JCDecaux, who have devised a relatively new initiative known as ‘Hack Day’. This allows creative agencies, and more recently encouraged media planning agencies, to test the way advertisers can use digital to its full advantage. Essentially, JCDecaux would give the agencies access to a full or half days’ worth of digital inventory to test what they can do. 

One example of this was Spotify who ran a localised campaign last year off the back of the initiative.

The campaign went live across handpicked National transvision screens, broadcasting localised updates of musical highlights that were trending for each city/station. While the creative differences were fairly minor, it certainly opens doors to what could be achieved more visually when media planners and creatives work together. 

Taking into consideration the potential for creative ideas, innovative use of formats and insightful business strategy, it is up to us as an agency to utilise these to the full by integrating, where relevant, the ‘full spectrum’ of agency services.

The idea of ‘packaging’ campaign proposals by strategy (rather than separable lines on a media schedule that can be selected like a shopping list) would enable agencies to incorporate various channels and specialisms to demonstrate their ability to manage all areas of a campaign in unison, not to mention getting the best insight and imaginative ideas from various specialist teams.

The Huffington Post outdoor campaign, which won the Clear Channel Outdoor Planning Awards in 2012, had the potential to integrate Total Media services but, as the idea of using a live Twitter feed within digital out of home was in its infancy (this was in fact a media first), there were reasons as to why this wasn’t achievable on this occasion.

These stumbling blocks will more than likely occur when building a similar package of this calibre but by taking learning’s from The Huffington Post campaign, we could look to bring our social team to the forefront in the managing the social feeds and service integration for future social/out of home campaigns.

When planning an ‘outdoor campaign’ going forward, the question should now be:  how can we utilise our other specialist services to make this better?