Be Careful What You Ask For
Originally published at iMedia Connection
Depending on who you believe, ad spending in 2009 will drop anywhere from 3% (GroupM) to 6.2% (Publicis). The Internet, however, stands tall, with expectations hovering at an increase of 5% – strong growth in this market. Google “online spending,” the returns are overwhelming.
The continued growth of online ad spending is surely driven by the channel’s ability to produce measurable ROI. This, combined with the ongoing migration of consumers to the channel as a whole, is a winning formula for online destinations that, for a long time, have cried foul as it pertains to their share of marketing budgets. Well my friends, the time has come. Step up or step off.
With increased spend will come increased pressure. Words like “viral” and “buzz” could give way to words like “lift measurement” and “response.” Each dollar that an advertiser puts on the web comes with it high expectations. They believe that one dollar can – and will – work harder for them than any other dollar they place.
As an industry, agencies, publishers and marketers alike must realize that this is not the Internet of 1999. Search has grown astronomically, yes, but more importantly are the strides the medium has made in creative execution. Go back to my last post on the message versus the medium – emotion, influence, authenticity and relevance drive the message. As you look to manage expectations, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. It’s measurement, not magic. Work hard to define success metrics right off the bat so that you can manage expectations. Do your best not to measure online programs through some formula that equates anything to a GRP. Jeremiah Owyang wrote a great post on social success metrics that could be applied to all Internet campaigns.
2. Push content, not just context. It takes more to get a consumer’s attention so the content has to be relevant. Align client goals against the audience and how that audience consumes.
3. The environment IS different. Don’t just repurpose the offline creative for digital. It’s a different environment. Treat it differently and ensure your client and/or agency understand that.
In a down market, the first reaction is to always cut the marketing budget. So far, the Internet is exempt from that rule. Let’s make sure that is a good decision.
Last 5 posts by Scott Shamberg
- The Digital Quarterback – February 5th, 2010
- Facebook Is Not the Milk Carton of the Internet – November 18th, 2009
- Is Time the New Luxury? – October 15th, 2009
- Meet Your New Consumer… The Wanderer – August 20th, 2009
- The Revolution Will Be Digitized – May 7th, 2009