What led you to a career in media? 

I would say that I am both creative and numerical, so once I completed my economics degree, I decided to focus on the latter. I secured a job at Arcadia HQ in merchandising and, whilst it did have some creative aspects, it was heavily analytical in the sales forecasting element. After doing this role for a while, I realised that it wasn’t a passion of mine. I flew off to Australia for two years and when I returned, I decided to career change and go into media.

I always had a spark for marketing and advertising and after doing a deep dive into the world of media, I realised that it was very analytical which suited me down to a T. Having come back from sunny Australia and landing home to a global pandemic and the country in lockdown, the job hunt began, I spotted an MI job advert, applied Thursday, had two interviews in quick succession, had a job offer on the Monday and here we are!

What does a typical day look like for you? 

The nature of my role means that no two days are the same. There are of course certain tasks that are done each and every day, but usually my days are varied across the running of campaigns and also strategy prospecting. My daily focus is divided between looking into current activity and looking ahead to decide what the next best steps will be for our clients.

What is your proudest and most memorable moment at MI?

Firstly, I feel like I did take to media like a duck to water. I  put this down to the fact that I had a team member who would always be available to offer me guidance and support. This combined with my own efforts meant I was promoted after just six months at MI.

In terms of client and campaign success, 2021 was the year that MSF had invested into its Christmas press campaign. I planned & managed the whole process and, after a lot of negotiation, I managed to wrangle some great deals to ensure that MSF’s money went that much further. This hard work paid off as we were able to deliver a 125% increase in ROI with triple the investment from MSF’s previous Christmas campaign.

Following the campaign, we were invited to MSF’s all agency presentation. While I was still quite new to MI and the industry, I was able to stand up and speak about how we worked with MSF and what we achieved, and I think it’s fair to say they were very happy.

What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the world of media? 

What I would say to someone wanting to get into the industry is to figure out what aspect you are actually interested in. Marketing and advertising is so vast and there are so many elements to it: creative, strategy, media – the list goes on. So, do your research, suss out the industry and figure out what you want your chosen niche to be. That is sometimes the hardest part, once you have established that you can then grab hold of any opportunities that will lead you down the path best suited to you.

What mistake have you learnt the most from?  

Not checking my work! Over time I have now become super vigilant, as I have learnt from my ‘not reading emails before sending’ mistakes. Oh also, don’t p*ss off finance, get on their good side (I’m still working on that). That will be a work in progress process for 2024!

Do you have a dream client or an ad campaign you particularly love? 

Anywhere that will give some good freebies! No, in all seriousness, there are so many dream clients and great campaigns of 2023.

Looking back at 2023, the Barbie campaign that sparked a worldwide buzz would have been insane to work on. Not only was it clever, but it really took over the advertising space, it was everywhere – you couldn’t escape it!

Off the back of Christmas, working on a John Lewis Christmas campaign would also be such fun, but I think a campaign that I really rated this year was BrewDog’s anti Qatar World Cup activity which included experiential along with super witty OOH.

Who’s your role model and why? 

Most people say celebs, right? But I am actually going to say my Dad. He started his own advertising agency 30 years ago and it’s still going strong to this day, maybe that is where the interest in media stemmed from?! Now that I work for an agency myself, I can fully relate and appreciate how difficult and challenging running the show must be.

The year ahead for brands 

Whilst it’s fair to say that the market has faced tough times lately, the panellists challenged us to consider how unpredictability can keep us all on our toes.  If we surround ourselves with brilliant people, it will make facing challenges just that bit easier.  

So what challenges might 2024 pose?  

2023 witnessed some big brand campaigns that took over the advertising space. You only have to think pink before one comes to mind,  Toby Horry, global marketing director, TUI highlighted how so many clients want their very own big Barbie brand moment, but reminded us that it is crucial for brands to establish a bedrock of sustained marketing along with those firework moments. Brands also need to determine whether their product is strong enough to execute a Barbie approach as it requires a lot of thought and a huge level of creativity. Marketers need to tap back into effective creativity, bad creative simply won’t work. With user generated content on the rise, Nishma Patell Robb, president, WACL reminds the more risk averse marketeers that taking risks is a must if we want to cut through the noise and stand out. Ultimately, those brands that pay close attention to their consumers’ behaviours will be the brands that come out on top and win.  

Creativity continued to be a theme throughout the event, with Zoe Eagle, co chief, Accenture Song UK highlighting the importance of making people really care about brands. There is no set approach to increasing brand relevancy, creativity can be used in so many different ways, as Ryan Fisher, president, Wieden+Kennedy London, pointed out, there is no cookie cutter creativity method. We must be nimble and brave. 

The year ahead for creativity  

Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director, Channel 4 reminded us of the vast amount of media space that is available to us to tell different stories., By being cultural sponges and consuming more ‘stuff’, we can better understand the opportunities. Atkins’ fellow panellists agreed that it goes beyond simply following trends, it’s about doing what is right for the brand. Whilst we live through these turbulent times, we need to stray away from creatively playing it safe. It’s time we got comfortable with being uncomfortable. As Atkin so rightly put it, we need to display hope and optimism by showing swagger through our big brands. 

The year ahead for media  

Despite there being a shift in commerce, and accessible edutainment, Kris Boger, general manager, TikTok, warned us not be too hasty and avoid rushing into novelties. Doing so can put brands at risk of creating missteps.  With brands and clients always wanting to do the new next best thing it’s important to test and learn before rushing into the ‘next big thing’. 

For this project to help us track the carbon emissions of our internal operations we used a variety of tools and data points to work out our overall output. Business Climate Challenge  helped us measure energy emissions, we worked with Microsoft for the server and web data and staff travel (commuting and business travel) was measured and calculated internally based on the emissions from the longest commute made twice a week by everyone for a year. The travel element is an over-estimation so we’re effectively offsetting more carbon than that which has been produced by our travel. 

Driving better ESG outcomes as an agency is a core part of our strategy, with identifying our own impact being a key pillar in our objectives. Alongside our commitment to reduce our emissions, we are pushing forward with an ESG strategy across our business, our clients and our people. We are getting stuck into projects that focus on working sustainably with current clients as well as new clients that we bring into the business. We are also currently engaging with a number of knowledgeable and reputable industry leaders in this space on some exciting content coming very soon.  

What led you to a career in media? 

To be honest, I completely fell into it! I left university wanting to go into teaching but that didn’t play out (which I am very glad about now!). Instead, I found myself doing a three-month data entry job at PlayStation which saw me move to London and fast forward four years, I was still there. At the end of the job, and before I left to go travelling, the role introduced me to different parts of marketing which I really enjoyed and gave me something to look into when I got back.

Luckily, I found MI Media! I’ve enjoyed the variety of clients I’ve had over the years, each with their own unique challenges. Diving into the profiling of target audiences, understanding their behaviours and working out media solutions with unique nuggets of wisdom (it does happen!) that we can run with is hugely rewarding. Beyond that, I think we’re in a pretty relaxed industry where you get to work with a great mix of sociable people… who doesn’t want that? I never wanted to be suited and booted. It’s great as I can wear silly clothes and loud socks! (Craig has an array of very loud socks).

What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the world of media? 

When I joined MI, we were so small and being an Account Executive just starting out, I was probably exposed to more things than I would have been had I been at a big network agency where roles are a lot more defined. For me that worked wonders in for my development, I just wanted to take in as much as possible

What I would say to those wanting to get into media is to go to every meeting you can and take in as much as possible. I would go to high profile meetings and not ask questions in the meeting itself, as most of the time topics discussed would go straight over my head, but afterwards I would pull my manager aside and ask all the questions I wanted. In short, do as much as you possibly can and just ask when you don’t know something.

There is a reluctance early on in people’s careers where people want to be spoon fed tasks as they may feel slightly scared. Just f**king do it! You will figure stuff out for yourself. I am a big advocate of sink or swim, people mostly swim. So, go and sit with someone senior, listen to their ideas & how they speak and eventually you will work it all out.

What mistake have you learnt the most from?  

I remember being junior and sending a client a plan which had the cost of print at a tenth of what it should have been. I tried to rectify this by casually sending him an updated plan without drawing attention to it and got an absolute rollicking. I think looking round at my senior colleagues who seemed completely infallible, I just wanting to impress. As I’ve learnt, everyone makes mistakes and it’s better to own up to it quickly to sort it out rather than not own up. Clients are generally very reasonable people, and everyone eventually laughs about the silly mistakes they’ve made. 

What’s your favourite ad campaign you’ve worked on?

There’s a couple that stand out. UNISON in recent years has been campaigning for better pay and conditions for public sector workers with bigger brand campaigns. But probably my favourite campaigns are those I’ve worked on with MSF given the emergency response nature of them. From getting a COVID campaign live within 10 days after lockdown started, to a campaign that ran earlier this year to raise income to send medical assistance out to Turkey and Syria after the earthquake hit. These campaigns always leave me feeling proud to have helped such a brilliant organisation.

Do you have a dream client or an ad campaign you particularly love? 

Without a doubt Guinness. The ad campaigns always look absolutely amazing – who can forget the horses coming out of the sea? Plus, I reckon if I worked for them, they’d give me a load of Guinness merch… including socks!

Who’s your role model and why? 

*Craig panicking, looking stage left, then stage right*  

Can I say Dr Seuss? Yeah, I will go with Dr Suess as he encourages the most grown up of grown-ups to retain a sense of childlike wonder. “I like nonsense It wakes up the brain cells” – Dr Seuss

Unravelling the Themes 

Understanding the Complexity of Attention Metrics: 

Marc Guldimann, CEO of Adelaide, emphasised the diversity of solutions available in the market. He argued that this diversity prevents suppliers from manipulating their supply chains, reminiscent of the challenges faced with viewability metrics in the past. His advice was clear: measure attention metrics without giving in to the temptation of optimisation. Marc’s reminder not to let perfection hinder progress seemed to resonate with the audience and definitely did with my own experience in digital media.  

The Need for Unified Solutions: 

Chloe Nicholls, Head of Ad Tech at IAB UK, pointed out the industry’s craving for a single, seamless solution for easy migration between suppliers. This demand, as she highlighted, could be a response to concerns about a lack of clarity in measurement. She noted that publishers are beginning to appreciate the advantages of attentive ads, leading to potentially higher CPMs. Nicholls urged industry players to leverage this technology now, emphasising that highly attentive formats are undervalued but effective. 

Proving the Value of Attention: 

Debbie Rosenthal-Davies, Head of Solutions, UK at MIQ revealed that MIQ collaborates with various attention suppliers and has a strategic partnership with Adelaide. Debbie stressed the importance of proving the value of attention metrics by aligning them with desired outcomes. This approach ensures that attention becomes a valuable alternative for success, rather than an isolated metric.

Facing the Challenges: Industry Concerns Unveiled 

However, the open forum discussion that followed the panel session revealed a different side of the story. Attendees expressed their concerns and reservations, pointing out several roadblocks hindering the widespread adoption of attention metrics.  

Some attendees highlighted the dominance of major clients in the industry, who are primarily judged by auditors based on price alone. For them, paying a premium for attention metrics seems impractical, despite the potential benefits. This perspective raises crucial questions about the industry’s fixation on immediate cost savings versus long-term value. 

Several independent agencies were hesitant to embrace attention metrics until major holding companies adopted them. This cautious approach highlights a reluctance to innovate and a preference for a ‘wait and see’ attitude, which might hold up progress in the long run. 

One notable concern revolved around the cost of optimising for attention metrics. Despite MIQ’s offer to absorb some of these costs, some agencies remained hesitant, citing financial constraints as a barrier to adoption. 

Introducing our inaugural monthly trends and hot topics article, our newly launched regular series that zooms in on compelling commercial insights from recent press in a concise monthly roundup. This month’s spotlight features three key topics: ESG accountability in the industry on the back of the recent open letter backed by a large number of media giants, consumer trends poised for 2024 and the ongoing momentum of retail media.

ESG accountability, under the microscope

With COP28 now underway in Dubai and drawing substantial media attention, the recent open letter signed by 131 influential companies in the advertising sector holds particular significance. The letter was deliberately aimed at steering and influencing the media conversation at this conference to provoke actionable outcomes. In the lead up, signatories including industry giants like Unilever, Vodafone, BT Group, Ebay, Volvo, Curry’s Danone and Ikea, directed a plea to government officials, urging immediate action to combat fossil fuel usage.

While initial perceptions might suggest it’s another PR move or greenwashing attempt to show change is happening, many senior executives and higher ups are vocalising the importance of this letter, allowing themselves to be exposed and held to account. It may be the first collective power move that places real ownership on the companies involved to “do their bit” as energy users and producers, not only calling out the government, financial institutions and fossil fuel producers who undoubtedly need to share the ownership. Brands seem to understand ESG needs to come earlier on in the commercial process, embedded into strategy and process from the outset, even if it affects certain factors of a project. Above anything else though, this letter demonstrates ESG is higher on advertisers’ priority list, potentially leapfrogging those who haven’t made it a focal point. It will be interesting to hear what comes out of COP28 and see how the letter stands up.

Consumer trends 2024 – human and relationships

It’s always front of mind as Q4 draws to a close, what does the next 6-12 months look like? Speculation over consumer behaviour is meandering its way through the press given it impacts heavily on media decisions throughout the whole industry. Two interconnected trends which seem significant are the revival of relationship-based marketing and the element of a human approach in an AI moving world.

There’s a desire amongst consumers for real world connection and relationships. This doesn’t and won’t mean consumers will move away from online or social purchasing, but it demonstrates they don’t want to leave behind the physical “experience” based purchasing either. Brands need to be thinking about striking the right balance to satisfy more consumers. The “being human” trend is more directly linked to the anxieties of the consumer around AI technology and enhancements it can and will make, but the risk and concern that comes with it. It’s apparent that brands need to ensure they are using technology to enhance their creativity, products and marketing but also ensure its use doesn’t alienate customers. There’s a risk of going too far and taking a one size fits all approach which won’t work with a varied customer base. We have seen good examples of how AI or even smarter technology can make a real impact. There have been the iconic faux OOH campaigns, from Maybelline NY’s false eyelashes on the London tube to the recent ad campaigns from Heinz ketchup which used AI to engage and resonate its brand story with a younger demographic. If collectively we use tech smartly, we can enhance and innovate, not replace.

Retail media acceleration

Retail media feels like a buzzword at the moment as it’s causing a fair bit of excitement and optimism in the industry. This is due to the continual measured growth specifically in relation to marketing effectiveness as well as the innovation and opportunity there is for retailers to invest in their own platforms to monetise their shopping data and advertise space.

The expansion of retail media networks is seen as a pivotal trend, with retailers recognising the value of leveraging their customer insights to offer targeted advertising solutions to brands. As retail media gains prominence, there’s a need for brands to adapt their strategies to this evolving landscape by exploring partnerships and investing in technology that enables better data utilisation and personalised advertising. What’s particularly interesting is how the convergence of shopping and advertising within the retail space is creating new opportunities for brands to engage with consumers directly and efficiently. Smart brands can leverage the rich data available from these retail platforms to tailor advertising content.

Retail has been deemed an effective sector in a recent report by the DMA. Standing up against rival sectors, providing fruitful effectiveness for marketing and media campaigns with positive signs of continuing on an upward trajectory. In a recent article, we discussed some of the interesting takeaways from the DMA Retail Effectiveness in Marketing Report which looks at effectiveness metrics over the past couple of years and onward to 2024. The key message that resonated was that campaign response effectiveness has proven often to be high in retail, but it’s the campaign brand effectiveness which is growing and is most important for brands to grow long-term.

Sources:

Over 130 Companies Plead With Cop28 To Ditch Fossil Fuels – Progress Or PR Move?

Five consumer trends heading into 2024

Retail media is going nowhere but up in 2024 – here’s why

Consumers are becoming more price savvy but it’s brand loyalty that must prevail: Price promotions and discounts attract but they don’t allow for customer loyalty. Deals may instantly attract customers but without loyalty they will flock elsewhere as soon as they see another deal, which is bad for customer retention. Brands that want to succeed in the long term need to work to wean off this model and implement price promotion exit strategies. The focus instead needs to shift to brand building and customer experience, something Grant Baillie, Head of CRM and Customer Marketing at Boots, acknowledged the retail brand is continuing to do. Antonio Silano, Interim Head of CRM at Screwfix, mentioned that, rather than heavily focusing on discounts and offers, Screwfix introduces loyalty discounts depending on orders, products and consumption in basket as this produces higher margins and greater loyalty. 

Effectiveness metrics: The report categorises effectiveness metrics into business effects, brand effects, direct response effects and campaign effects, all of which can be measured independently. Retail had its best year for effectiveness in 2022 with response effects being measured as the highest of the metrics. But with a push towards brand, this metric has also grown in 2023 with Ian Gibbs, Insight and Planning Director at the DMA, highlighting that it is vital that the right balance between brand and response activity is met for successful marketing. Data reveals that ultimately loyalty campaigns amplify response effects, meaning that it is essential for brands to focus on both brand and response activity. Whilst ad placement is key in targeting audiences, with data highlighting that Ad mail, radio and email along with TV and print are key response drivers for retail, it is crucial that the creative sparks interest in the target consumer. Highly creative campaigns within the retail sector are responsible for driving five times the number of positive brand effects.

2024 – the key trends to anticipate as we go into the new year: The panellists gave their take on some of the key trends for 2024, AI tech personalisation will enable marketing to be more tailored and bespoke for loyal customer bases as well as being a tool to attract new customers. The panel referred to this behaviour as “showing up for more customers” rewarding loyalty which will ultimately have a greater impact on marketing effectiveness. By contrast, belief in bricks and mortar was another key trend, as customers still value in store experiences and experiential activations. There’s clearly an undeniable shift towards online but from a brand perspective, in store experience is still important for many, especially for notable household names such as Boots which rely on a varied demographic of shoppers.

Grant Baille at Boots ended the morning on a valuable quote, particularly in the retail “offers and discounts” cycle so many brands are fighting to move away from, saying, – “Reward people for behaviour you want to see – lifetime value never lies”.