Media buying in today’s complex world of integration

Media buying isn’t what it used to be

It wasn’t that long ago that there weren’t many media buying choices. There were print, broadcast, direct mail and outdoor. Today, there are so many that marketers are like kids in a candy store, grabbing up everything in sight. All the available choices make it tempting to buy too much. That can turn out to be a disaster.

I recently read something on the subject of media buying in today’s complex world of integration that caught my attention. It pointed out that just implementing all of the new media choices won’t ensure success. What you need is a team of folks within and outside of your company who are committed and knowledgeable in all of the new ways of creating and delivering content. Because if you simply throw money at what everyone else is buying, your marketing campaign is destined to fail.

Team members, each with specific skills

Your team needs to be comprised of members who know their part of the media buying equation really well. No one person can be an expert on every type of medium out there. There just are too many. I know from experience that it often makes sense to add email and other digital media to tried and true offline media choices such as direct mail. In fact, not long ago the Direct Marketing Association conducted a study looking at what forms of media marketers were integrating into their campaigns. It found that nearly four out of five respondents said email. The study also found that more than three out of four companies also use direct mail.

Perhaps the most interesting finding of the study was that with so many media buying choices, over 80 percent of the businesses surveyed said they relied on integrated marketing. This last number has grown over the past several years with marketers turning to more digital media solutions such as email, online video and search engine marketing. As for the future, a large percentage who were queried said that they would use more integration by increasing the use of digital media in the aforementioned forms as well as others like URL/PURLs, banner/popup ads, and mobile apps. Yes, the world is moving at a rapid rate, but why get off when you can enjoy and profit from the ride?

The best media buying team can make the difference between success and failure

With all of the integrated media choices out there comes an increased risk of failure. That’s why it’s so important to put together a team of inside and/or outside experts to help ensure proper integration and, along with it, greater success!

Best of Days to You,

Audrey Ferrante
Ferrante & Associates, Inc.