Some would have you believe that advertising is dead, that digital is old hat. Even the digirati are heralding social media as the new online king. But such channel-based thinking assumes a model of one dominant media.
Advertising isn’t dead. It’s thriving. We’re watching more TV, and in new and interesting ways. The traditional ‘spot’ is morphing into short-film, often released episodically to encourage sharing. Outdoor has evolved to become interactive, and now even press can take the form of video.
Digital is very much alive. Social might still be in its infancy, but it’s maturing rapidly. But, with each new technology and experience comes exciting ways to realise the potential of connecting brands, consumers and communities.
Integration: a dirty word
However, brands and agencies are still pledging allegiance to just one or two of these disciplines. ‘Integrated’ appears to be a dirty word.
Why? Perhaps because being ‘integrated’ once meant advertising agencies simply buying new media shops or claiming they did everything anyway.
Back then ‘integrated’ actually meant ‘augmented advertising’: an ad campaign, matching luggage microsite and half-hearted banner ads featuring the campaign image. As long as everything carried the same strapline it ticked the integrated box.
Now broadband is ubiquitous, social networking is culturally assimilated and 3G mobile means we’re always connected. Digital is providing more opportunities to create, distribute, engage, share, entertain, participate and amplify. It has made advertising into a conversation opportunity.
The new integration is about digital enabling ideas, making them meaningful and participatory, taking ideas beyond the screen and into the real world. We don’t passively view or actively participate in silos. Mashing is second nature; we’ll happily listen to the radio while driving, or use the laptop or mobile while watching TV.
Increasingly we insist on more integrated experiences from brands, we expect them on-demand, yet at the same time expect relevant, meaningful experiences. Crucially for advertisers, we can filter out irrelevant content, so brands had better ensure their relevance.
We must jettison silos and create multi-layered, seamless experiences. Digital, social, advertising, media and analytics must be brought together so we can utilise each media in a way that is cohesive, that encourages deeper engagement, amplification and participation.
Integrated ideas
The new integration is about concepts that are born from strategic thinking that is curated from culturally interesting sources and utilises new technological possibilities. Ideas that don’t stop at launch, or after a six-week burst of media spend, but evolve through participation, active analytics and by absorbing content and engaged communities.
Concepts should challenge conventions, capture attention and harness the interactivity and social contagiousness of digital. They should capitalise on the possibilities of digital, social and mobile and draw on the analytical rigour of direct marketing.
The drive for new integration
Huge cultural shifts drive the need for this new integration: attention is moving to participation; information to inspiration; return on investment to return on involvement; impact to experience; campaign to multiple micro-interactions; awareness to infection and post campaign reporting to active analytics.
Just doing digital, advertising, or social isn’t enough. The new integration is about the seamless convergence of all, but especially digital media.
Examples
- My Starbuck’s Idea harnesses the collective intelligence of users to re-shape Starbucks.
- Nike’s Chalkbot allows you to program a robot to paint messages on the road during the Tour de France, connecting the digital and real-world together.
Nick Gill
Planning Director, DCH