We are excited to announce our involvement in the digital marketing course at the Claude Littner Business School (CLBS), University of West London (UWL).

Our CEO, David Sequeira along with the data & digital teams will be educating students on media business strategy, the role of a media and planning agency and working effectively to deliver for clients. We are also joined on the module by data technology solutions provider, Onepoint and Daniel Levine, Founder & CEO of Tryb with expertise in content creation and influencer marketing.

We’re privileged to have been asked to participate in something which gives our team the opportunity to share our specialist digital marketing knowledge, a keen focus area for our agency as we continue to push forwards with digital innovation. It is brilliant to have a hand in introducing exciting future talent to the industry who one day may end up being digital leaders themselves. We value the importance of giving back as a business as part of our corporate responsibility strategy .

The course is run by university tutor, Colin Webb who has had an influential and entrepreneurial career in media, holding various Non-Exec, CEO and MD roles building businesses in media across FMCG, Healthcare, B2B and Financial Services sectors globally, among other ventures.

Other members of the MI team will be joining David to deliver specific sessions and workshops across a range of specialistic topics. The course will go into depth on improving reach via digital channels; optimisation, selection and integration of digital channels and developing data-driven digital channel optimisation plans. The aim is to provide students with real life experience to build their career profiles.

David comments “Being involved in this new digital marketing module at UWL is valuable for MI. It reminds us why we do what we do and it gives me and the agency the opportunity to give back by sharing our knowledge and experience. It’s going to be exciting to see students engage, hear their ideas and see the journey they’ll go on throughout.”

A month in and there’s already a dynamic outlook for the year ahead in the ad industry. As an agency we have forecast some interesting themes which will shape the work we are doing with clients and the journeys we choose to take new clients on. Here’s three trends which have caught our attention over the month of January that we think will have some influence this year.

Private equity interest in media and advertising businesses

In the current economic climate with high interest rates and ongoing inflation, we’re seeing a potential shift in investor focus towards our sector. The media industry is known for being low in capital requirements but high in cash generation, making it attractive to private equity investors.

But why the sudden interest from private equity? Well, it’s pretty simple. Businesses that generate cash consistently and don’t need a lot of capital are particularly appealing when borrowing costs are high. Private equity firms are recognising this and are actively acquiring companies in our sector to create larger, more competitive entities.

The appeal of cash-generative businesses becomes even more apparent in a high-interest-rate environment, where leveraging debt is a common investment strategy. Private equity firms typically bid for companies, borrow the rest of the money, and then aim to quickly repay the debt to maximise returns. And to do that successfully, you need a business that generates reliable cash flow.

So, it’s no surprise that private equity firms are becoming increasingly interested in what we have to offer. Our sector’s adaptability to digital trends and innovative solutions in content creation, distribution and advertising technology make it an attractive investment opportunity. However, there are challenges such as regulatory scrutiny and competition from tech giants that investors need to consider. Overall, the media and advertising sectors are seen as lucrative investment opportunities for private equity firms looking for high returns.

Brand experiences – what’s sparking interest

There’s been attention drawn to some compelling trends in consumer brand experiences, in a recent report shaped by market intelligence tools, social listening and AI audience profiling.  There are themes to draw out from some of the findings which range from being fun or useful to being human and playing into what the industry has been talking about early in the year at various predictions events.

One brand experience trend is referred to as “Kidulting rules”. It’s an experience that allows adults to indulge their inner child and access a state of mind that takes them back to their childhood, offering fun, nostalgia and prompting an emotional connection. It’s quite an interesting advertising technique given the pressures on people in today’s tough climate and allows a sense of escapism.

Then there’s “The age of AI”. We hear AI mentioned daily and it’s impossible not to talk about how it could revolutionise many things in our industry, one of which is brand experience. There’s risk involved of course and advertisers need to act with caution, but there’s also many benefits to be had, particularly when defining yourself against a competitive market using data and measurement to access key insights.

Additionally and very importantly, “Bringing ‘human’ to B2B” encompasses a shift towards B2B advertising becoming more relatable. We know emotion is important in the storytelling of a campaign and B2B brands are now recognising that this strategy can work well for them. It’s helps build trust, relatability and it makes something which could be quite cold and corporate, personal. On the theme of bringing emotion to a campaign, connecting with audiences and feeling human, MI recently  for our client Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) with Good Agency, shedding light on Motor Neurone Disease and the effect it has on lives and families. Titled “The Love Inside,” it’s a campaign we’re immensely proud of.

The evolving AV landscape

The digitisation of traditional TV poses a significant challenge in planning, buying, and measuring AV campaigns, requiring media experts to adapt to changing consumer behaviours.

It’s apparent that TV advertising is changing as more people use CTV, live and on-demand platforms. These platforms are transforming how ads are delivered, offering more personalised and interactive experiences. Streaming services allow advertisers to target specific audiences better using data, and they can now incorporate interactive elements like QR codes and second-screen experiences to engage viewers. This shift from traditional TV methods to more tailored approaches mirrors strategies seen in digital advertising. It’s a topic at MI we’re plugged into and have provided thoughts on recently.

However, linear TV remains important, especially for certain advertisers. At MI, we recognise the value in traditional TV and use it to client’s advantage when it’s the most effective choice for their strategy. Linear TV still offers broad reach and diverse demographics, making it suitable for brand awareness campaigns aimed at a wide audience. Linear TV combined strategically with digital campaigns will increase overall reach and frequency across platforms, a strategy we excel in executing for our clients. Also, advanced analytics are increasingly used to measure the impact of linear TV ads and refine targeting strategies. Advertisers leverage these insights to create more relevant and effective TV ads, ensuring that linear TV remains relevant and effective in the digital age.

Sources:

The Media Leader – PE Article  

Campaign – Top 10 brand experience trends 2024

The 2024 Advertising Landscape: Key Trends and Strategies for Media Buyers | LinkedIn

Appointment comes alongside two promotions within the data team.

As featured in Campaign’s Movers & Shakers update today, MI Media has appointed Jack Glover to the new role of senior data analyst to support the increasing volume of data analytics and modelling work the agency is undertaking for clients including The Children’s Society and Kindred.

Alongside this appointment, MI Media has made two internal promotions. George Hobday has been promoted to Head of Digital and Data, taking the lead on the strategic direction of MI Media’s data solutions for its clients. Femi Allen has been promoted to Data Analyst in recognition of the work he has done in integrating clients’ first party data into MI’s measurement solutions to improve insights into the impact of marketing activity on clients’ businesses.

Reporting into George Hobday, Glover will lead MI’s development of improved data architecture, bolstering the existing team’s modelling capabilities to improve efficiencies in data analysis.

Glover joins MI Media from OMD UK where he was responsible for delivering insight from marketing mix models to brands such as McDonalds, to aid strategic planning around marketing budget allocation and resource distribution.

David Sequeira, CEO, MI Media said, “Robust data analytics has long been integral to clients’ marketing strategies. Jack joins the team with a proven track record of translating complex data sets into actionable insights to drive reactive and strategic marketing decisions. Together with George, Femi and the rest of the team, we’re perfectly positioned to evaluate media activity’s impact on business-critical metrics and empower marketing teams to make better-informed media decisions faster.” 

Glover said, “I’m hugely excited to join the team at MI Media. I believe in the power of leveraging data analytics and machine learning for marketing purposes, something MI has placed at the heart of its strategy for 2024. Already I have seen the effects of the great employee recognition and supportive team environment that MI prides itself on and look forward to continuing the hard work of the team here.” 

In ​a UK​ first, MI Media secured a partnership for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association with much-loved TV soap, Coronation Street, for the first ever ‘Coronation Street Presents…’ As storyline research partner with the soap, MNDA will utilise this exclusive format to showcase the charity’s new advert. 

At MI we care about Accelerating Growth. It’s an objective we strive to achieve for every client, both sustainably over time as well as by delivering immediate impact on campaigns and projects. Whether it’s by using our sharp marketing insight, smart media innovation or real time management intelligence (the three key pillars of MI Media), Accelerating Growth is where we want to take our clients by truly understanding their business and their goals. But it goes further than this; it’s not only about what we do for our clients, but also the growth of our people, investing in them to be the best they can.  

Supporting us with our Accelerate Growth journey is the learning we absorb from other innovators and specialists in the industry. Whether its brands, creatives, specialist agencies or media owners, we are constantly inspired by the people around us who are finding new and exciting ways to engage consumers. 

Coined at MI as “JanuAVry”, this month we focused on drilling down into this ever-evolving AV landscape by welcoming key media owners Sky, Channel 4 and ITV in to speak to our teams. We wanted to understand what they are doing to reach existing and new audiences both via traditional linear TV and creatively across their digital streaming channels. We also had the team at Thinkbox in to present their research around how audiences behave in this ‘evolving world’, helping us to connect the dots.

Key insights from some of the UK’s leading media owners 

The major TV companies were slow off the mark with digital innovation. Thankfully that is now changing, driven by audience diversification and traditional TV audiences dwindling, especially in the under 45’s.  

Sky is centred around audiences and measurement, meaning it’s better for targeting across its AV solutions, connecting the dots to create fully rounded campaigns. Sky knows its target audiences based on Sky analytics and the vast amount of data it captures. The team highlighted that categories such as sport are undeniably bigger than ever and Sky has invested heavily in supercharging women’s sport as it continues to gain great popularity. It measured that nearly half of adults watch Sky VOD, with 89% of VOD being watched on the big screen. When delivering for clients, Sky’s measurement is based on viewers seeing at least 75% of the TV spot before it’s measured as being delivered, which shows a level of transparency and ensures accurate and effective results for clients. 

ITV has really put emphasis on creativity, for example its Planet V booking platform is opening up a more sophisticated understanding around audience habits and lifestyle. The adoption of AI technology has assisted in producing interesting and useful data so that ITV can be smarter with targeting, such as matching ads to viewer emotions linked to shows. Similar to the trends we saw with Sky, ITV’s VOD service “ITVX” is dominated by the big screen. The ITV Adlab team is focused on driving innovative ideas for marketers and is always looking to see if it can offer something different. With the launch of the ITVBe studio, it has opened up new avenues for brands looking for creativity and partnerships. 

Channel 4’s core focus on quality content helps to justify it on client plans. With smarter targeting options in the pipeline, we can start to make those smarter cross-media decisions. C4 has plenty of creative solutions to offer with Dynamic TV allowing ads to be tailored to anything from the weather to the time of day. Its Ad Pause functionality encourages audience engagement using interactive static images which occasionally include QR codes or competition initiatives. It has several interesting initiatives on the way including postcode targeting, 24 hour high priority campaign boosts for VOD as well as investment into its measurement and research team. 

Thinkbox naturally concentrated on the positives around TV. There is no doubt that good advertising encompasses more than one of our senses. Some of the videos they showed us highlighted the correlation between audio and visual cues in engaging audiences who are passively watching TV whilst doing something else (on their phones for example). That means that creative strategy is crucial. We are working very closely with our clients, in collaboration with their creative agencies, to understand the behaviour of their target audiences, to ensure media strategy and creative execution are pulling in the same direction. At MI we are also focused on testing Attention Metrics with Lumen as a consistent measurement that can be applied across a significant amount of channels on the media plan. 

It’s not just TV that’s been affected and influenced by changes in consumer behaviour. What’s clear is that being ahead of the curve from a data perspective is crucial to determining what works best for clients to make their media work hard and effectively. Look out for more to come from us on the topic of the changing AV landscape and cross channel media.