Phase 3. Control the “total market” delivery.
To control the different deliveries, I created an interface that would do the following:
- Join local channels and/or networks in coherent groups (to average audiences)
- Disgregate individual dayparts
- Calculate all media metrics
- Use real Nielsen data (not “estimates”)
This allowed media people to decide on the correct media weights to deliver the budget assigned to each group.
The interface is controlled by a series of sliders that assign media weights.
Audience delivery is shown as follows:
1. By ethnic group by daypart
2. By target rating in total and across dayparts
3. If planning rates are incorporated, by media spend by daypart
4. Finally, a summary containing Gross Impressions, TRP’s, CPM and CPP. If R/F curves are added (as they were in this case) or estimated (using, for example, Sainsbury’s Random Distribution), the R/F for the entire plan is also calculated.
Phase 4: Determine What can you do and if you can do it?
This is probably the hardest, most contentious question. I don’t think any AGENCY can do it for a business unless they worked very closely and took the business’s lead. I do think a determined group of people could easily do it. For this to happen, I think three things would need to happen.
- First, that the right group of people get together. I don’t believe in “agencies”; I believe in the group of people who work at that agency. If it is a bright group, determined and professional, yes, they can bring to bear the three basic elements one needs to achieve a total market strategy: focused insights, customized messaging and multi-level media.
- Second, that the group (client and agency) have absolutely no preconceived ideas. Rather, the group should look at the data, analyze the sales potential, costs and ROI of each sub-segment and only then decide on the marketing and persuasion platform.
- Third, that the group be totally integrated. If consumer insights, media platform and messaging are siloed and separate, one would have the inevitable infighting for budgets, posturing, and land grabs. For true integration to happen, one then needs two conditions to happen:
o First, a client who will compensate the agency, agencies or people based on the success of the entire project, not just a subset of the the project (e.g., media), thereby forcing everyone in the team to really work together.
o Second, a client who is willing to measure results at frequent intervals (e.g., quarterly) and is willing to change course, strategy and tactics based on real results.
“Total Market” is not a new idea, good clients have been practicing it forever, but we now have the tools to make the concept much more real. To make the ‘Total Market’ approach work you need three key elements:
- Focused insights
- Customized messaging
- Multi-level media
The essence of “Total Market” is delivering the right message to each subgroup on a consistent, highly segmented basis. The only way that is going to happen is by achieving true integration of insights, media and messaging, which require a different compensation structure; constant results measurement and a willingness to change
Related articles:
Part 1: Lessons in Small Business Marketing
Mapping Out Your Start Up Strategy
