Wireless Carriers and My Experience - The Media Landscape

Driven by the dynamic dance between consumer media consumption and new media technologies, virually every medium in America is in constant flux-digital signage included. A generation ago, you could reach all of America with three television commercials. Today, due to the incredible fragmentation in the broadcast market, it takes a mimimum, 125 commercials to have the same impact. In print-same song and dance my friend-you could reach virually every american a generation ago with an ad in the two daily newspapers. Gone is that day, as time-starved consumers tune in- or tune out-the explosion of media alternatives swirls around them. Bottom line is that Sprint shareholders should be scared they will need to require new knowledge, tools, innovation and creativity of thier agencies! Here I write of a recent experiance which will lead into my next post about the greatest and latest Sprint campaign.

Insanity:
Repeating the same behavior over and over but expecting different results....Sprint. Referring to the recent Sprint advertising campaign and some insider views, judgements and predictions that will be discussed in the very next posting on New Media Mindfulness .

The Meeting:
In a meeting with Verizon Wireless's south area advertising team my company's digital signage network was well recieved, ending at a point ready for my next step upon returing to the office. The next day I had a scheduled appointment with the agency for Verizon as well-as requested per Verizon. The lunch meeting with the Verizon media director was not my favorite but it was needed. First off she was not one bit impressed with the fact that I met with Verizon Wireless directly, and she centered on on one picture of one screen location, the budget and lastly, the fact that the agency's job duty for sometime now, has been to reach mass numbers and my network did not reach them (just a very targeted quailfied consumer). Oh, the subtle mention, on more than one occasion that "we do have money for each market, for things like this-so that may be an option." Upon returing from my trip Verizon Wireless responded to my follow up phone call and contacted me via email about a week later and was prepared to move forward with the buy...I worked with Verizon as well as thier agency (the one I met with) whom provided creative. I know this agency is interested in new media outlets, per my conversations with the VP of Media and the clients they work with, but rightly or (understaffed) they appear reserved-plus no school yet teaches the young media account executive about all the new media channels and how to include them in the overall mix. I learned a lot that day of what needs to be provided during an introductory agency meeting, lunch and/or presentation by a digital signage network or other alternative media. Fast forward: the next meeting/presentation to this particular agency was to pitch for the Firehouse Subs account. It appears that they are begining to grasp this idea, especially when the boss is in the room asking the questions; until! It just so happens that the Media Director invited not only the Firehouse team but the Verizon team as well, whom I knew already. Turns out the agency's media department had no actual knowledge of the Verizon campign or buy-no reason for Verizon to tell them or is there; and it appears a lack of communication is taking place between creative and media with-in the agency....this is another topic in which I feel brands can really lose out on-when the creative and media is 100% separate...It appears there was a conferance call about 20 minutes after I left the building, I do not work in an agency, but from what I know, it is important to be in the know with your client and their actions, for the sake of the brand and the account!
Moving on to Suncom; a very traditional organzation recently decided that Bernstein Rein out of Kansas City would be its agency of record begining in Janurary 2007. My talks, many of them with BR, revealed how tough of a job they had in front of them. In terms of saving the brand from a "traditional death" slow and steady......the account team suggests the shaving of TV or print money in order to plan for new media outlets; keeping in mind the Suncom executives have given their past agency clear cut direction-tradional only. What I have heard about and seen to date from the new agency and media in the Raleigh market was a four week buy from a mobile billboard company, in which you could hardly see the creative due to the design-the billbaord company always explains what works best and prefers to work closely with clients for exactly this reason; not sure if BR had miscommunication or this was just the wrong campaign. I think it cost some where between 2k-7k, not really sure. This could have been a soft transistion for the client, who knows, I think it was a waste of time and money. The agency did recommend to Suncom that more non-traditional media be used. After speaking with the Charlotte office of Suncom, you can really see where the politics are and what a big truck (for a small company) you have to turn. I somehow got to the point of BR calling from nowhere to get details on our network-not suprising after further thought. The demogrpahic is one of high demand by most savvy advertisers.

The Wireless Budget and More:
At a panel discussion, titled, New Media, Now What? on April 19th, 2007 hosted by the Raleigh-Durham chapter of the American Advertising Federation the question of budget for new media channels was asked to Verizon Wirless. The answer is about 7% of the south area's budget is put towards new media channels. AT&T now listed 2nd in the Top 100 National Advertisers Ad Age Report, up from 5th last year has spent 3.3 billion in 2006 a 26% increase from last year.s 5th place mark. Sprint comes in at 15, up one place with a 3.5% total increase in speanding. Sprint's new campaign the subject of my next post, was the juice for this post....money is at play with carriers and the co-op manufacturers; if communication between agencies, clients and consumers continues to not exist, then your stock dollar is being wasted. I think it is also important to mention the forefront of this industry and the mobile advertising sub-industry; how strongly the carriers are pushing the industry. John Stratton of Verizon proclaimed that 25% - 30% of the 100 billion spent on brand advertising will soon be spent on the mobile screen. Full Story on Mobile; very interesting when the entire picture is being examined and to notice the making of a market...



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