For so many years, content has been an area mostly barred to advertisers. The sanctity of the editorial and the historical divide in the media houses between the editorial and the space selling teams has kept the boundaries intact for many years.
As, competition in media became stronger and as media brands survival and prosperity became tougher and tougher to sustain; the adversity eroded the boundaries a bit in the recent (last decade) past. Media opened up to some interventions in editorial for the benfit of brands.. of course! at a cost.
If, we look around there are examples of brand - content integrations in all media.. some good ones that have given back to the brand as well as to the media while some are an appaling abuse of the advertising brand as well as the media brand. A majority though are brand managers delight and a media planners delight and I am not sure how much do these give back to the advertising brand if at all. Smart media sellers have managed to sell innocuous innovations and integrations that give them their revenue without really giving up much in editorial.
Anyways, the idea here is not to criticise the quality of work done but to ask brand managers and media planners why "content" is not their first port of call. We all know the power of content and yes, while content was not available to advertising brands the advertising break and the advertising spaces were the default choice. But, now over the years brand-content integrations are certianly possible. So, then why are we still spending crores and crores of Rupees on conventional ad-spaces and not having the guts to invest siginificantly into content. Why is the investment pyramid not the other way around?
Is it because communication strategy is still ruled by conventional creative agencies who still are masters of only the TV and Print creatives? Is it because conventional advertising is a safe bet from the point of view of justifying decisions within organizations? Are brand managers giving vent to their own creative energies by taking part in the creation of the 30 second story? Is it that we are slave to data and measurement which is very ambiguous when it comes to branded content development or integration?
Whatever, the reasons that govern our behaviours at present. these have to change..... more and more investments will go towards producing brand funded content taking away from conventional ad-spaces. As digital media becomes more and more significant the line between content and brand will become even finer... Consumers of media have been threatening to move away from the 30-second ad-spot for very long.... as a start they are avoiding it desparately.. brands too will need to move their focus of communication away from the ad-space and align themselves to the power of content..
Of course, it means a new perspective to communication, new theories, new models, new skill sets, new tools and research.. another ecosystem to be built for brand communications..
As, competition in media became stronger and as media brands survival and prosperity became tougher and tougher to sustain; the adversity eroded the boundaries a bit in the recent (last decade) past. Media opened up to some interventions in editorial for the benfit of brands.. of course! at a cost.
If, we look around there are examples of brand - content integrations in all media.. some good ones that have given back to the brand as well as to the media while some are an appaling abuse of the advertising brand as well as the media brand. A majority though are brand managers delight and a media planners delight and I am not sure how much do these give back to the advertising brand if at all. Smart media sellers have managed to sell innocuous innovations and integrations that give them their revenue without really giving up much in editorial.
Anyways, the idea here is not to criticise the quality of work done but to ask brand managers and media planners why "content" is not their first port of call. We all know the power of content and yes, while content was not available to advertising brands the advertising break and the advertising spaces were the default choice. But, now over the years brand-content integrations are certianly possible. So, then why are we still spending crores and crores of Rupees on conventional ad-spaces and not having the guts to invest siginificantly into content. Why is the investment pyramid not the other way around?
Is it because communication strategy is still ruled by conventional creative agencies who still are masters of only the TV and Print creatives? Is it because conventional advertising is a safe bet from the point of view of justifying decisions within organizations? Are brand managers giving vent to their own creative energies by taking part in the creation of the 30 second story? Is it that we are slave to data and measurement which is very ambiguous when it comes to branded content development or integration?
Whatever, the reasons that govern our behaviours at present. these have to change..... more and more investments will go towards producing brand funded content taking away from conventional ad-spaces. As digital media becomes more and more significant the line between content and brand will become even finer... Consumers of media have been threatening to move away from the 30-second ad-spot for very long.... as a start they are avoiding it desparately.. brands too will need to move their focus of communication away from the ad-space and align themselves to the power of content..
Of course, it means a new perspective to communication, new theories, new models, new skill sets, new tools and research.. another ecosystem to be built for brand communications..
2 comments:
I had this argument even when I was working at an ad agency, and feel that the answer lies in two phenomena.
1. Agencies live the ATL life and though they contribute to the brand imagery in the large, the big chunk of the client's fee pie comes from the ATL work, and hence, the undivided concentration to the area.
2. Not all brands can go content specific. India, for whatever technological advancements, yet has a tremendous audience listening to radio, watching TV and reading magazines or newspaper and most of them, will not understand "content" over "creativity spoken in their language". Having said that, I think you are right that brand managers need to wake up, and prepare for the future, because, theoretically speaking, I believe it's the LOYAL consumers of a brand who want content, and most often, brands tend to ignore them by concentrating on mass media rather than having a dialogue with them.
Right Ravi, it is not really about overturning the investment pyramid overnight but introspecting why Ad-spends are the default choice and why everything else is then an add-on if possible. Thanks for your comment.
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