MC&Co: a day in the life of direct response media

Well, very, very overdue blog here. Thought I had better brief you on last week's training as it is Thursday and we had our final lecture last night. So I have two training sessions to tell you about.

Last week was on Newspapers. The lecture involved a) a very cool "who wants to be a millionaire type thing, quiz handset" and b) 2 speakers engaging in a debate - one arguing the case for using TV over Newspapers as a medium of advertising and the other using Newspapers over TV. All through the presentation, there were random questions regarding newspaper readership and circulations. The evening was enjoyable, although as this was week 9 of training, much of what we were hearing was now simply common sense. There is no one medium that is "the best". It merely depends on the target audience you wish to reach, how you wish to do so and how much you wish to spend. I think the most interesting part of the evening was that whilst new media, such as the Internet are growing rapidly, the old schoolers (such as Newspapers) are still standing their ground. For our client that is great news, as it opens up more and more opportunities to target an audience. Moreover, it can reduce wastage - by that I mean, that if you do have a niche audience, with the world of media today, you can target that niche audience easily without wasting money on people who are never going to be interested in you product.

Last night’s lecture was very different to the previous weeks. We had comprehensively ploughed through a variety of media: press, radio, cinema, outdoor etc. and now it was the turn of “customer services” to take to the platform. Our speaker was well informed and had much to offer. He emphasised the importance of maintaining good client relationships and how the status of a client relationship can either make your working life pleasant or hellish! We were given some basic guidelines to help us achieve a good working relationship with clients – understand your client, make them look good and find something to like about them. We put these rules to practice through various exercises with the “person sat next to you”. Most of what was said boiled down to common sense, but it did help to understand the crucial nature of a client relationship within the world of media. After ten weeks of training, I have gained an overall idea of how media works and how to work in media. The question that remains is “will everything I have learnt, work in practice?”

To many, the business of direct marketing may seem very number-centric. A company mantra of ours is "we grow our bottom line by growing yours" and if the sums don't (and won't ever) add up then there is no point in starting a project. But behind this unforgiving mathematical straitjacket there lies the X factor - the consumer. We can predict what we think they will do, what our experience tells us they will do, but what if, on the day, no-one responds to an ad? There is no telling what the man on the street will do.

Or is there? For a fascinating insight into how concepts take off and why people make the decisions that they do, you should read two books by Malcolm Gladwell - The Tipping Point and Blink!.

The Tipping Point deals with how products, movements, attitudes etc. develop in terms of growth. Why did NY hipsters suddenly all start wearing Hush Puppies, rescuing the brand in the process? Why should the Kevin Bacon Game be easier if it was the Rod Steiger game? And why the hell does everyone yawn if one person does?

Blink! on the other hand tells us how people come to make decisions. I always knew that going with my instinctive answer in a pub quiz was better than listen to pub bore's long and reasoned argument, but now i know why. Even scarier - at one point Gladwell meets a man who can tell how long a couple will stay together by observing them in conversation for 15 seconds. Scarier still - he has always been right.

If I knew some way of tying this into our work here - what will make people respond to media, in large volumes and instantaneously - well, put it this way, I'd have a lot more time to blog...

These books are a really good read. My copies are floating around the office somewhere - feel free to borrow them!

Tim P

Not me - Malcolm Gladwell (he has considerably more hair!)

Another Thursday, another write up on our training session last night. (Sumitra here again) So last night was good, very good. There were two presentations, one on Magazines and another on Outdoor media. Despite the known pitfalls of having two presentations in one night – overrunning, the last one being boring in comparison, etc; - last night, both presentations were good. The first presentation on Magazines, involved two speakers, two different styles of speaking but they coordinated well. First we were told about the intimate relationship that a magazine can have with its reader. The idea is that the reader chooses to engage with a magazine, quite unlike any other media, they trust what they read, view the magazine as a friend. But what does this mean when it comes to how a reader will view a magazine ad? Well, the reader views the ad first and then can either choose to ignore it or investigate further. This means that there is a definite moment that an advertiser can have with a reader. Very different to a TV ad where the watcher immediately turns the channel when the adverts begin. So in this definite moment, this tiny time, the advertiser can really make an impact on the reader. So it gradually becomes clear how important a creative can be to an ad and I will pick up this idea later when it comes to Outdoor advertising. Once we had established why Magazines can be an effective medium within which to advertise, we went on to look at the history of the Magazine. Particularly interesting for a history student and also effective at consolidating the notion that Magazines hold a special place in the general public’s heart. Further to this, the speakers flashed through a do’s and don’ts list on selling, planning and buying space in magazines. Although much of the advice was common sense, it is always good to hammer such disciplines home!

So Outdoor…
The magazine speakers had relied on the intimate relationship a reader has with a magazine as the linchpin to their argument on why to use magazines. Consequently, the Outdoor speakers had to find a way to explain why Outdoor media, so remote to the individual, can be an effective medium. They did so well. Outdoor Media, exists out of the home; for instance, on the tube, at a bus stop, on the huge billboards at major road junctions and so forth. In a way it is so in your face, it is difficult to avoid. However, one can look away or not take it in. So here we are, back again to the importance of a good creative. If an outdoor ad has a stand out creative, people will take notice and it will not be forgotten. For instance, the Easyjet ads or the O2 ads are instantly recognisable and portray a simple message. What I liked best about the outdoor presentation was the willingness of the speakers to recognise their weaknesses, the fact that there is no intimacy with the audience, or that it is very difficult to use Outdoor for Direct Response Campaigns, given the difficulty in responding to certain outdoor ads. By this, I mean if a driver sees a huge ad for O2 on a roadside billboard, they can’t call instantly. Whilst they may well call when they get home, it remains difficult to measure the response achieved as you can’t be sure of where the ad was seen originally. Nevertheless, whilst outdoor media might not be good for Direct Response campaigns, it can be excellent at building a brand. Think of the massive FCUK campaign – now that relied massively on Outdoor media.

All in all, a good evening, won a prize to see a tv show! Finally I won, this is the first time I have ever won anything in my whole life. It’s a big deal to me. Anyway, must get back to work! Hope everyone is well, chat soon. X

Wow,
It seems like a lifetime since I last blogged (Sumitra here). So much has happened in such little time! I have had my first client meeting! This has allowed me to understand how a client brief develops and where we go once we’ve got the brief.
So, The Brief – where it all begins…
Through a meeting with a client, we are able to understand their needs and concerns and a time frame within which we should begin to tackle these issues. Whether this takes five hours to five minutes, this is a crucial process. Once we’ve worked out what problems our client would like to solve and what areas our client would like us to develop we are good to go.
This does not mean we can come up with a whole new media plan to tackle the outlined problems. This means that we must decipher through the client’s previous media results and work out why problems have occurred and it is only having done this that we can work out how to solve such problems. This is a long process - the answers do not just jump out immediately, but when we eventually find the root cause to a client’s problems it is incredibly satisfying!
So having identified the cause, or rather the causes to a client’s problem, we must work out how to fix it. But it is important to note that we only come up with suggestions. Nothing will happen without the client’s agreement, and nothing will happen unless the client has fully understood the entire process we have undertook in order to form our media suggestions. The client does not suddenly leave the picture having given us a brief.
So basically, we get our brief, we work on it, we go back with suggestions, we work through those and it is with the client that we work out any concrete solutions. The client is integral to every process of media planning. I love this aspect of our company as it seems so fair handed and objective. So here we are on a Monday, beyond the initial briefing and initial planning and I fear I better go as I have a feeling there will be a mass to do. I hope this blog has given you an insight into the initial stages of media planning and I will fill you in as the process continues. Happy Halloween!!!

It has been a rather colourful day in the office as today (28th October) is the official ‘wear it pink’ day for Breast Cancer Research. Everyone has rallied to the cause, although not without a few complaints such as; ‘Pink clashes with my hair!’ ‘Im Polish, we don’t wear pink’ and ‘Real men don’t wear pink’ (although us females in the office beg to differ)

We have had some interesting alternatives to pink items of clothing, Tim, one of our resident gingers offered to go on a sunbathing session in order to achieve the appropriate colour. Whilst our ‘long-lost’ team member Chevy, who has just returned from a round the world trip, used a pink post-it in his suit (he was offered a pink scarf to use as a bandana by Cathy but respectfully declined as he and Louisa, who is wearing pink polka-dot shoes, had an important client meeting.)

All in all it’s been a very successful day for a great cause. We’ve had all shades of pink in the office, from fuchsia to baby, salmon to dark, accompanied by pom-poms, stripes, cheques and of course… sequins.

A big thank you to everyone for being great sports!

Bring on next year….

Becks
x

Hello,

Becks here reporting on training (held on Tuesday due to the Media Week awards last night). In our fifth week of the course, having already formed opinions on the use of the internet, cinema and radio as viable advertising mediums, our attentions were turned to the use of TV. The presentation opened with the assertion that TV is the most effective advertising medium, for a few reasons, firstly the combination of sound, colour and movement engages the viewer in a way that other mediums can’t (something that we covered last week in our cinema presentation). Secondly, we Brits watch a phenomenal amount of TV, the average being 25 hours and 53 minutes each week, that’s over 1/7th of your time! This figure doesn’t seem quite that bad when you consider passive viewing whilst cooking, talking, drying your hair etc… or the collective hours of hangover TV watched by millions every weekend. However, if you take this figure that equates to just over 3 hours of TV viewing a day, with a few handy calculations, you can work out the number of ad’s that people should see (if they watch the ad breaks), 30 each day in case you were wondering (based on 30 second ad’s). Then came the really astounding fact, the average Britain will watch… wait for it… over 300 DAYS of ad’s in their lifetime! Being 65 days shy of a year, it’s a horrible thought from a consumers point of view, but great for us Ad Agencies! Then came the question that the presenters were dreading… what about PVR’s (Personal Video Recorders) that allow you to fast-forward through the adverts, surely that’s the end of TV advertising? Apparently not

I personally found the ideas that were explained to us about the future of TV advertising very interesting, when the analogue signal is switched off in 2012, it truly will be the digital age. This opens up whole new avenues for advertisers to explore, from tailoring ad breaks to fit the consumer that you know from previous viewing habits is sitting on the other side of the TV, to downloadable promotions with ‘chip’ cards (such as the Boots advantage cards) that can be inserted into your digibox. It really is quite amazing the direction that media is moving in, interactivity is set to boom in the next few years as we move into the truly digital age. Sky has just launched the Sky Gnome, a cunning and very cute little pyramid that picks up the signal from your digibox so you can listen to your favourite programmes around the house (or even in the garden, hence the name). High Definition TV is also going to be huge when it is introduced in 2006, the picture quality is set to be four times clearer than current levels, but it will only work through Sky and with a compatible TV. Still, its something to think about!

After the lecture we had a task to complete downstairs, lured by the promise of free champagne for the winners everyone happily obliged! The task was to plan a schedule of adverts for a fictional low fat chocolate bar that targeted an audience of 16-35 year old women, we were provided with a brief, budget and outline of all the possible programmes that we could advertise around (an opportunity too good to miss was putting an ad after Fat Friends) Our group was lucky to have a member that had experience in TV advertising, her expertise allowed us to devise a campaign that started in a strong position (Corrie on a Monday evening) made use of all the day-parts and ended with an extra push on Saturday and Sunday morning. We avoided programmes such as Xtreme Wrestling and The World At War that, although cheaper, did not directly appeal to our target audience. Perhaps this was a mistake as we sadly didn’t win, but it was definitely a good exercise to do, especially in a group.
The lecture was the first to receive a round of applause at the end, quite rightly I would say. It hit just the right tone in its delivery, the content was engaging and thought provoking and we got first hand experience of planning a TV campaign. Next week has got a tough act to follow!

Until next time

Becks
x

Hi,

My name is Piotr and I work as a Media Assistant for Mike Colling and Company. It’s been almost 3 months since I joined the company and must admit it’s made my time.

It all started back in Poland. I had just finished university, having gained my Master’s Degree I thought a lot about which way I should go. I have always been a challenger type who likes to explore new things and most of all make things happen.
It was just a moment, a quick decision – I decided to make London my next destination.
The accession of Poland and 9 others states into European Union in 2004 opened innumerable opportunities for cultural and professional exchange. I realized it would be very precious to learn more from a country that has been so strong and doing so well for many years. I knew that new experiences gained in England would give me a broader understanding of English culture and its market place and they’d enable me to spread the horizons and face something new.

I started from the very beginning. Came to London with one piece of luggage, without family or friends accompanying me and totally unaware of what will happen. Sounds like a challenging thing and in many ways it was.
With a help of my great friends living in London, I had a place to stay and time to find a job.

I chose media and marketing for a number of reasons. I have always perceived people working in media as a group of friendly, open minded, and creative individuals. The environment of work seemed to give a lot of flexibility with a space for growth, personal development and constant self-improvement.

I will never forget the day of MC&C interview. It was very interesting as I had a chance to find out a lot more about company’s activity. There was an opportunity to meet a few employees and talk a bit more about their work and daily activities. Everything was very unique and remarkable – it sounded very exciting. I realized there was a lot more to learn and discover and got the impression MC&C was great place to work for.

What happened when I got the job, I’ll tell you next week…

Thursday morning, so of course it’s training overview time! And it’s Sumitra again! Last night’s talk covered two areas of media, radio and cinema. So 4 speakers in total! We began with radio and it was perhaps an example of what makes a good presentation. As I had said last week, each lecture aims to teach us about a medium; why it is effective, how it works and how to plan, buy and sell it. This week I learnt all of the aforementioned. Furthermore, it wasn’t a biased presentation we were told about both the pro’s and con’s of radio as a medium. For instance, radio listening is mainly habitual and often consumed in an environment where the listener is physically doing something else. Consequently, a person might not necessarily concentrate or even remember an ad they hear on the radio. In light of this, radio should not be used alone. But, if it used in coordination with another medium, the results can be astounding.

Take BA, that music they use in their TV ads (very hard to describe a tune in words, but I think you’ll know the one, you know that kind of sleepy tune) this tune is also used on the radio ads. Together, TV and radio have stuck the BA tune in our heads. And now, whenever you hear that tune, you think of BA, without even to have a visual aid. So I think the idea is, you use radio together with another medium to start with to get all the visual and audio connections running through people’s minds and once that’s achieved you can cut the costs and rely more on radio to sustain awareness of a brand (ie hearing the tune and remembering its about BA). Does any of this make sense to you? I hope so, because I just couldn’t come up with a better way of explaining!

Ok, so we were beginning to understand the power of radio through a variety of campaigns, from BA to the world cup ads. But after last week, the burning question was whether we would learn how to plan and buy radio. Fortunately we did. It became clear that in order to plan a radio campaign, you have to first clearly define what you want to achieve and who you want to target. Then, sticking to the budget, you begin to work out which are the best times to advertise and which are the best radio stations to use. Bearing in mind that ever since digital radio there has been an increase in listening opportunities. The lecture then proceeded to explain to us how to buy radio in the most cost effective manner. By the end of the first presentation I was certainly more aware of radio; how it works, why it is and isn’t effective, how to plan using radio and how to buy radio spots. All in all very informative, although I guess only half the mountain has been climbed and we’ll have to wait and see how all this excellent theory works in practice.

Oh and did I mention that at the end of the talk there was a small quiz, “guess the intro” to 27 songs. I got 10, didn’t realised they were all mixed in together! Concert tickets as prizes as well! Gutting!

The next talk was on Cinema. Felt slightly sorry for the next speakers as they not only had the worst job of going second, but also had to speed through the presentation so that everyone could go and watch the football. Consequently, we had to rush through everything. Despite the hurried pace, the talk was both informative and interesting. Again, the speaker detailed why cinema is an effective advertising medium; cinema is the only medium to offer a captive audience and it is a shared medium. We were then given the lowdown on planning a cinema campaign; from working out the cost (very expensive) to targeting the right people. i.e. not wasting money on a Lynx ad at the beginning of Love Actually (this has not happened, it was just an example from my imagination, as I can’t remember the one from last night!). You can also advertise through cinema beyond the use of the big screen. You can advertise in the foyer or on popcorn boxes or with mirror stickers. There appears to be a wealth of opportunity at the cinema. However, when it comes to direct response media and cinema there is a slight problem. You can’t put an ad on the big screen that says “call this number now” as everyone has their phones switched off! There are ways to get round this, such as ads on the backs of tickets that people can take home. But I’m not convinced that cinema is the best medium for Direct Response Media given the delay in the “direct response”. 3 question quiz at the end, free cinema tickets - I lost again!

All in all: enjoyed the evening, sold on Radio, not sure about Cinema.

Ohhhh, I think Sumitra may have been a bit harsh there! I personally enjoyed last night, most of the presentation may have been common sense but I did learn a lot, like the fact that 83% of all advertising spend goes to just 10 media owners, astonishing really! We also learnt how online banners actually get on to each site and how cookies can be used to track the effectiveness of this kind of advertising. The personalisation of websites was also very interesting. All in all, the presentation was designed to convince the audience that online advertising is the way to go, fortunately they had the facts to back their assertions up. Even though they didn’t know the presentation inside out or talk to us in the 'normal' lecturing style, they sold me on the idea of online media spend.

Oh (and this probably helped a little) we managed to bag free stuff; mugs, glasses, T-shirts, DVD’s, books and Jelly babies! It was like Christmas! Definitely one of the perks of the job (see Sumitra’s blog below!)

Well, i had better get back to my research!

Until next time…

Becks
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Sumitra, again. So here we are, Wednesday morning, the day after training. Following Last week’s comprehensive insight into Communications Strategy, this week’s lecture had a hard act to follow! Last night was supposed to be an opportunity to learn about the Internet as a medium, how to plan, buy and sell it. Unfortunately it achieved little of the above. Whilst last week’s speaker was able to understand his audience and approach them with subtlety, thus gaining their trust and confidence, this week’s two speakers appeared to by trying too hard to win us over; guessing the right figures to win beer commanded much of the evening! We flashed through a ten point presentation, learning very little on how to use the medium of the internet and more on why to choose the internet as a medium of advertising.

So why should we use the internet as a medium of advertising? The thrust of this week’s presentation argued that as the internet is rapidly expanding and its use becoming ever more frequent across the world this is reason enough to spend more money on internet advertising.

But how does it work? We were told that internet advertising might reinforce a brand name but not necessarily increase a product’s sales. But would this persuade you to place the majority of your budget on a medium that will only reinforce your brand and not increase your profit? I was not persuaded.

Nevertheless, the speed of the presentation certainly matched the speed at which digital media is growing. The “funky” approach of the talk correlated well with the modernity of the internet. And guys just so you know, soon you’ll be able to watch TV from your mobiles. I wonder, will we ever have a conversation with the person sat by our side again!

Oh and aside from training, yesterday I went for a very nice cup of coffee and not very nice orange and cranberry muffin with Adam from one of the nationals. One of the perks of the job! Lunches and Coffees certainly appeal! especially when the company is good too!