"Honey, I Screwed The Brand!"

Your Brand Is Not A Commodity So Don't Act Like One In Media Buying

By David Miranda

Disclaimer: The author has no financial interest or affiliation with any of the media properties in this article.

I have a good friend who prides himself in getting anything and everything on the cheap. I met him the other day for lunch. He was quick to tell me that his new haircut cost him only $9; his new suit cost him only $99; and his new cell phone service cost him only $15/month. So as I sat there in the cheap restaurant he proudly recommended looking at his bad haircut wearing his ill-fitting suit trying unsuccessfully to make an out-going call on his new cell phone, it gave me time to think. My friend, by the way, plans and buys media for a "bottom feeder".

There are media people (and companies) out there that pride themselves on getting you "something on the cheap". It's called "bottom feeding" by selling "remnant" inventory. These people (and firms) have little or no vested interest other than selling you anything and have little interest in your brand's best interest. Bean counters love this kind of media buy. They can tout their buying savvy and negotiating skills.

Let's put this into a different perspective.

Let's say you are looking for a surgeon, an auto mechanic, an architect, an electrician or a babysitter for your kids. Would you seek the cheapest provider to operate on you, fix your car, build your house, wire your home, or watch the kids? Chances are, not likely.

Now, let's be clear. Is it good business to get the best value for your dollar? Of course, but it is more likely you will get the best value for the dollar (and your brand) by dealing with media brands that empathize with your marketing objectives rather than just trying to sell you something.

Such is the case with iconic media brands. Time, for example, is such a brand. It understands and communicates integrity, trust, and credibility in the marketplace. An advertser is well served in aligning itself with the Time brand benefitting from the halo effect that Time provides. Is it cheap? No. Does a brand advertising in Time (or Time.com) benefit from the relationship? Yes. Is there a strong price/value return on investment? Yes. The advertisers in Time media properties benefit directly from its iconic brand equity. Time has a long history of working with advertisers and, therefore, understands the implied covenant to its brand advertisers. Advertisers in Time media properties understand that it is a respected media environment.

Although I have used Time in this example, the same case can be made for other media icons such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, National Geographic, Financial Times, etc. Advertising in iconic media properties is not cheap, but it is valuable in building and promoting a brand.

Bottom feeders that sell on the cheap have little empathy for the advertisers they sell to. It is only regarded as a transaction.

In a world of uber-media diversity (with new entrants, literally, coming on the scene every day), I beg you to think about your brand and the "company" it keeps.

My suggestions?

• work with iconic brands directly. They are professionals and know what the're doing.


• avoid the cheap. Go with the best price/value in planning and buying media.
  
• appreciate the difference between buying "quality" impressions versus "gross" impressions.

In summary, don't let your brand get a "bad haircut" in media buying.

Media Spam - "Give A Hoot, Don't Pollute"

Stop Buying Media From "Purchasing Agents"

By David Miranda

I was watching the film, "The Family Man" the other night on NBC. Actually, I was watching ads and promos interrupted periodically by "The Family Man". I thought it was just my imagination that after, literally, every ten minutes of the film (edited for television to fit the time slot), I was exposed to roughly six ads and two promos over the course of the film. How do I know that? I decided to keep a log. It went something like this - 10 minutes of the movie-ad-ad-ad-ad-ad-ad-promo-promo-ten minutes of the movie-ad-ad-ad-promo-promo-ad-ad-ad, etc, etc.

What media planner/buyer in their right mind or advertiser in their right mind thinks that this is a smart way to engage a viewer? Sure NBC and the local affiliate got their dough, but only because the people placing the media buy and their accomplices in this stupidity, the advertiser, never thought about the viewer experience and the dilution of the message in the clutter.

This example is a great value proposition for Tivo. Is there any wonder why audiences are eroding. What person in their right mind is going to sit through six to eight ads and promos - every 10 to 12 minutes? How effective could these ads and promos be?

Here is the problem. Media planning and buying pros are negotiating "efficient" buys and networks and their affiliates are slicing the programming pie in more and more pieces to accommodate. The only people winning in this mad, mad world are the media buying people and the media properties themselves. Neither the advertiser nor the audience is well-served.

It's sheer madness and it's not just television - media pollution is everywhere.

Consumers need a "media environmental protection agency" to stop this pollution and we are almost at that point. Think Tivo, do-not-call lists, spam blockers, pop-up ad filters, iPods, etc. All are tools to help consumers "tune out and tune off" the media pollution. Is it any wonder that consumers today are harder to reach than ever before?

The solution lies in advertisers using common sense. They should not be "pied-pipered" by media planners/buyers or media companies into just getting "the most efficient media buy". How about the most effective media buy that showcases effective and compelling creative? Creative that is not shoe-horned in a media slot like sardines.

If your media planner/buyer touts the cheapness of the buy, like a purchasing agent of commodities, over the effectiveness of the buy, do yourself a favor - dump him or her. Find someone who considers the experience of your audience first.

To borrow from a wise old owl - "Give a hoot, don't pollute".