I was asked by Campaign Brief magazine to write an article for the Feb / March addition to discuss the changes all agencies are experiencing because of the growth of digital . Below is the story that was published.

Last year in the advertising industry, we saw more change in twelve months than we had in the previous five years. The frightening financial environment played its part certainly, but it was the media fragmentation caused by social networks and the increasing importance of the conversation economy that caused a tipping point in ad-land.

Interactive thinking was in hot demand in 2009 and the push was to create ideas that had value exchange and encouraged customer participation. This meant agency Creative Directors and Managing Directors started to review their creative output and their agency approach to meet the new marketing demands of clients.

Everything was up for discussion within agencies. What talent they needed, what approach suited this new environment best and what structure would allow them to meet these new challenges in a sustainable and profitable way.

My advice to you is simple: embrace it because we’re only at the beginning of what will be a period of dramatic change in the agency offer. The next 10 years promise to be the most exciting, hectic and challenging in our industry’s history and a shake-up of epic proportions is ahead of us.

I’m certainly not going to debate which is better: a pure play digital agency structure or digital silos within a traditional advertising agency group. It’s been my opinion for some time that digital will drive every agency approach and this will ultimately mean every agency will end up in the same place over this decade. No-one owns digital any longer. The best online work last year consistently came from traditional agencies. Digital specialists, the writing is on the wall. Stay as digital specialists and you will soon become little more than a production house. What I do believe is that pure play digital and more traditional agency models do give us a path to where we are heading as a creative industry.

I see agency leaders this year needing, or if they don’t already have then acquiring, an interactive mindset. This means grasping that the Internet is NOT just another way to engage people. It is the central hub in which communication will happen this decade and it is TV, radio, print, experiential and every other channel that will be the spokes of that hub. Without this Interactive mindset, today’s agency leaders will not, and cannot, make the right decisions in 2010 on how best to shift and evolve.

It’s never been more important to get your structure, your talent and most importantly your services and solutions in alignment so you can create and manage brands for clients in this volatile media landscape.

Today most agencies have the typical functions in place, i.e. Account Management, Creative, Planning and Production. If an agency has their interactive digital departments sitting as a silo discipline, or worse a separate agency, then they have a long road ahead.

Digital professionals should be integrated throughout an agency into key leadership positions. Advertising is no longer just about the display ad or the TV commercial or the banner; it’s about creating meaningful tools and architecting user experiences. This means digital professionals being full partners in the campaign development process and contributing to the Big Idea with clients. They can’t be an executional afterthought, buried in the basement. Digital professionals must be integrated across all agency disciplines and functions. Digital skills such as data, measurement and customer experience planning must also be raised into the briefing stage of client’s business problems.

If you put your Interactive mindset at the centre of everything in the agency it means your thinking goes from just producing one big idea and expressing in a one-message-fits-all fashion across all channels, to actually developing interactive participation ideas which are interlinked coherently by useful applications and customer tools, which do not necessarily start and end in the same place, i.e. a move from campaign thinking to programme solution thinking.

While production departments have seen great change, the entire agency needs to live and breathe digital innovation, not just see digital as a production requirement. Successful marketing programmes are now being conceived in both the online and real world to take our client’s customers on a journey of brand touch points. It means with more digital channels, the agency communication programme has become real-time and data driven. Ultimately, this means it can be tracked and is accountable. It also means the ideas and strategies you create for clients are getting much closer to something that is useful to customers and part of a consumer’s daily routine and habit, rather than just producing a series of advertising messages.

If you have a true interactive mindset in place in 2010, it is in the creative department where you will see the biggest changes, especially in how they are structured. In most advertising agencies today, the art director and copywriter team rule, but in a pure play digital agency world that is very different. Here strategy and planning, information architecture, user experience and technology are the kings. Most agency managers see how amorphous advertising is becoming but are in thrall to large numbers of people they employ with specific craft skills. Outsourcing and crowd sourcing are on the increase. Getting the right agency creative structure with all the varied skills and disciplines working together will be the real focus of Creative Directors this decade. They will act more like conductors managing the groupthink and always pushing for big business solution ideas for clients that are memorable and measurable.

The agency production department is the one area that has changed the most in the past two years. Production people now have to create films for TV, web and mobile; develop console games plus video- and game-driven micro sites; and let’s not forget the need for merchandise and e-commerce capabilities.

Agencies now have to know how to create and roll out Facebook applications, iPhone and mobile applications and all sorts of varied interactive animation content. Production teams have to link offline experiential events, festivals, art installations, interactive billboards, QR-code-based posters and print ads so that they drive people to online digital engagement environments that move the customer closer to a product and sale.

It has become very clear to me that an agency cannot just push digital production out of the building. For creative people to conceive unique and challenging interactive ideas and material, they need to be able to talk freely with technologists. The less barriers (real and imagined) means better client solutions.

Agencies need to find a passion for digital production and get involved in the nitty-gritty. The secret to this is having a creative leader who has a heart-felt commitment to the interactive mindset and is prepared to live it, not just talk it.

The new agency creative models that will evolve this decade will be grounded on a strong understanding of brand marketing functions, as well as operational dynamics that can affect a company’s ability to reach audiences and drive sales.

I see the true evolving agencies in 2010 being focused on translating client and boardroom business needs into multi-disciplinary marketing outputs that operate in bought, owned and earned media platforms. All three of these media channels are data-driven and this means we need to have more focus on accountability right at the early stages of developing ideas.

Isn’t it results that company board of directors talk about? Shouldn’t we bring them solutions that let them see customer interaction with their brands?

The digital revolution that started last decade is helping create an opportunity for agencies to move up the food chain with business leaders. There has never been a better time for brand owners and creative agencies to work together to create an interactive mindset that will lead to ideas, services and products that are not only focused on both board room objectives but also on a style of brand communication that is truly useful to consumers, more engaging and relevant to their day-to-day life. It’s always hard to figure out the balance between where interactive is now and the major shift to digital that all agencies are on and must take. But rest assured it’s upon us so in 2010 raise your digital leaders into key leadership, management and culture roles to stimulate those interactive minds and you will see agency change happen very quickly and enjoy the results it will bring.

Adam Good appointed to role of CEO and retains role of Executive Director of Digital Innovation for Clemenger Group Australasia

Adam Good, one of Australasia’s leading digital experts has been appointed CEO of AIM Proximity. A pioneering executive in the digital media, content, advertising and communication industry, Adam brings to the role more than 20 years experience in Asia Pacific including the last two with the Clemenger Group.

Commenting on the appointment, Jim Moser, Clemenger Group New Zealand CEO says,
“Over the past couple of months we have done a lot of work to define where AIM Proximity needs to change and evolve – in order to continue its direct leadership in the Australasian and global marketplace.

“Adam was closely involved in this process and it soon became clear that he was the ideal candidate to lead the next exciting era of AIM Proximity. He knows the business, the clients and understands exactly where AIM needs to concentrate to evolve its offer. We couldn’t find anyone better, anywhere.

“AIM Proximity has always been about innovation, challenging the expected and producing powerful creative ideas that get brilliant results in market. Adam has spearheaded AIM’s digital development over the past two years in his role as Director of Digital Innovation across AIM Proximity and Colenso BBDO. He will now take that to a new level for the future,” says Moser.

“Adam joined Clemenger in late 2007, and spent 2008 growing the Interactive offering for an array of communication agencies in the group. This resulted in Clemenger Group, led by AIM Proximity, receiving more digital and innovation awards locally and internationally than any other agency in the Australasian region.”

Earlier this year, Adam was given the added responsibility of Australasian Director of Digital Innovation across Melbourne and Sydney predominantly. Adam will continue in that role as it is critical to the Clemenger Group’s continued dominance in all things digital. However, his priority will be AIM Proximity where he will focus the majority of his time and effort.”

Adam says he is delighted to have the opportunity to lead New Zealand’s largest and most awarded direct marketing agency.

“AIM Proximity has made the transition from a paper-based direct agency to one of the world’s leading direct and digital agencies, and to remain best-in-class it is vital we continue to evolve.”

“New Zealand marketing is adapting from air bombing a large group of people with a few ad messages to engaging lots of smaller audiences with targeted messages and useful applications. This is a fundamental shift from basic integration – which is simply the same idea and message executed in a different channel – to saying different things to different people depending on the data held about them.”

“Tomorrow’s most successful companies will be those that use data to their customer’s advantage, as opposed to their own. Really understanding customer behaviour means going beyond what people say to what they actually do and over the past year I have been working closely with the team at AIM Proximity to develop tools, such as Seventh Sense, so we know who is doing what, where they’re doing it and what they are saying about it.”

One of Adam’s initial tasks will be searching for a new Creative Director and Strategic Director / Channel Planner, all part of engineering the agency for the future. He will begin his duties immediately.

END

15th June, 2009

I was asked by Campaign Brief to write an article for the June addition. Below is the story that was published.

‘CREATING VALUE EXCHANGE IDEAS’

I’m convinced that digital thinking has found a true home and place in the advertising agency world. Digital has now become the preferred toolkit to help create and deliver compelling involving brand stories. I’m now seeing blade running creative’s, looking deeper into what digital offers, exploring the outer limits and always running risks into things they don’t understand.

Creative’s are finding that using digital platforms and channels at the heart of their campaigns enables the opportunity to create ideas that have participation and conversations with consumers. I call this a value exchange.

A value exchange is the added components and features of the idea or to the idea that allows for involvement with the brand. Ideas that have a value exchange can use and embrace digital technology and use the connected network to give consumers and their social communities a message, a conversation, an experience that can influence how the brand is accepted and adapted into consumers lives.

Campaign Brief – June Edition

Why create ideas with a value exchange I hear you ask. Technology devices combined with varies digital platforms, broadband and wireless is driving audience change as they drift away from just viewing fixed media channels into spending considerable time in networked channels. This means people are now connected to media and actually become the media itself. It would seem people are truly embodying digital technology, giving it structure in their lives and becoming co-dependent on it. Before you think I have jumped into the Matrix, stay with me. Because of this consumer embodiment of digital technology it is now offers brand’s their biggest opportunity. Advertising is no longer the intruder it once was asking for your time. Brands can now be relevant, timely and personalized. They can be introduced to you via your trusted circle. Brands can jump past and through thirty seconds of introduction into what is in its raw form can be described as a digital advertising program that is an immersive personalized television like experience enhanced with interactivity.

While digital gives creative’s a no rules creative canvas to play on, it is a complex environment. Creativity involves a large number of people from different disciplines working effectively together to solve many problems to get to a true interactive program. Great digital innovation marketing usually contains thousands of ideas and techniques to come off the big value exchange idea. It requires extra layers of content and at the Clemenger Group of agencies we have found that sprinkling our digital experts throughout the planning and creative agency teams focused on three key areas of digital storytelling helps create ideas that have participation and a value exchange with the audience.

The first thing we look at is the mechanics, and in digital planning terms this describes nourishing the idea with particular components to the digital experience. It might mean telling the pre story, the back story. It might mean going deeper into one component, element or character or place. Telling what happens next or before. Maybe we develop the idea or story a completely different way in a different channel or platform. I always ask the question why do I care about this idea and what is the value exchange on this idea for me.

The second is the dynamics, in technology terms this describes the run-time behavior of the agreed mechanics you have crafted acting on consumer inputs and each other’s outputs over time. Sorry if I have lost you but I mean what is the input and output you expect the consumer to have with your idea in digital channels, how much involvement, what do they do now and next. How do you want your audience to be involved and how often?

The last key area we look at is the aesthetics, in digital creative terms this describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the consumer, when they interact with the program experience across multiple digital devices and channels. So often the look and feel is done too early when you use digital. Concentrate on what feeling you want to create in the people using the digital experience.

So as you use these value exchange techniques it becomes clear the advertising communication moves from storytelling to story supplying. With more digital innovation in ideas I can see some changes in the advertising agency structure will be required to produce the best programs.

Creative agencies will move away from a produce and deploy advertising campaign approach, to a structure much closer aligned to the content world of create, manage, monitor and respond. I also believe it will also move to a real time delivery. With this I see the new successful advertising mangers and leaders as people who can manage large collaborative groups focused to deliver ideas with value exchange and then program audience involvement. Great creative agencies will be the ones to build brands with many more layers to create conversation points. They will craft programs that build intrigue, interest and deliver personalities across multiply digital devices and access channels that is managed and monitored daily.

Monitoring communication daily offers suits and clients some great benefits. It gives the addressability and accountability of advertising that is difficult to deliver in the traditional world of marketing. It enables the targeting of individuals, the ability to personalize messages, track each event of value and give much more accurate measurement of an advertisement’s impact. So while the creative’s are going to be busy developing value exchange ideas, agency planning groups will require a supporting data strategy to monitor and learn from each customer interaction. It will be important to plan a brand’s data strategy up front to measure what success looks like as the results will be there in real time to evaluate.

In closing brands will always be about big ideas, but it’s important to note with more digital programs being created with value exchange and deployed to a connected audience it means agencies will need to make some adjustments to how they are structured. The accountable creative idea that lives and breath’s based on the daily audience ratings will dictate brand communication direction. It’s certainly is the most exciting time to be a creative in the advertising agency business.

I was asked by Marketing Magazine Australia to write an article for the June addition. Below is the story that was published.

‘DON’T LOSE YOUR ROOTS’

Executive Director of digital innovation Clemenger Group, Adam Good, implores direct marketers not to lose their hard working discipline when thinking digital.

With the dramatic rise of digital in marketing both as a standalone communication idea and as the central plank of an integrated campaign, it’s important that hard working direct discipline is not lost out to the flirtatious marketing planning called engagement. Direct marketers please stand up and listen your clients need you.

Direct marketing is defined as marketing that is focused on driving purchases that can be attributed to a specific call to action. This marketing discipline includes any medium that allows you to communicate directly with customers via a variety of channels both online and off.

Engagement marketing on the other hand is a strategy that invites and encourages consumers to participate in the evolution of a brand. Rather than looking at consumers as passive receivers of messages, engagement thinking is that consumers should be actively involved in the production and co-creation of marketing programs.

Marketing Magazine Australia June Edition

Ultimately, engagement marketing attempts to connect more strongly consumers with brands by "engaging" them in a dialogue and two-way, cooperative interaction. While you could say, and direct marketers do, that direct requires engagement planning. I on the other think it’s important that the main focus of any good direct marketer is to increase the number of customers that respond to your client’s marketing campaign or "response rate". If engagement planning helps to do this than fine, but don’t let it cloud your primary objectives or your discipline, or your clients might wonder what you are doing on their business as part of an integrated agency team. While digital has now become the preferred toolkit to help create and deliver compelling involving marketing programs at both brand and direct agencies. It has caused some confusion with clients on who owns digital thinking when working with both direct or brand focused agencies?

In my mind digital is now becoming disciplined and by that I mean it has stopped being owned by any particular agency and is absorbed into and applied for engagement (brand), customer experience (events both online and off), relationship management (direct) retail (ecommerce/point of sale) reputation management (PR) and so on.

With this digital trend I have seen blade running innovative direct marketers, looking much deeper into what digital offers, exploring the outer limits of finding ways to move messages to sales. Good direct marketers are finding that expanding their digital channel usage beyond email and web sites it has enabled the opportunity to create ideas that have conversations with consumers that lead to a sale. Is this engagement, no it’s good direct thinking.

Creative direct market professional are now adding components and features to the idea that embrace digital technology and use the connected network to give consumers and their social communities a message, a conversation, an experience that can influence how the brand is accepted and adapted into consumer’s lives and then lead them to a sale or an event of value that is measured.

While digital gives marketers a no rules creative canvas to play on, it is a complex environment. So it’s best to have some creative people focused on direct and data thinking, and other creative people focused on engagement and experience thinking. If you try to have a brand or direct agency do both more often than not something becomes unstuck in the crafting or worse dropped as key piece of a successful marketing program.

I personally feel designing a successful direct marketing campaign means developing a marketing campaign that speaks directly to your potential customer’s wants and needs will mean the difference between creating quality sales leads for your client’s business or utter frustration at a lack of customer responsiveness. Client’s want someone in an integrated team to understand this and be accountable for the sale.

Direct agencies are best positioned to deliver sales and to continue the growth of digital data as marketing moves away from a produce and deploy campaign approach, to a structure much closer aligned to a world of create, manage, monitor and respond. I also believe it will also move to a real time delivery within the next five years so again direct agencies need to work out how this can be done.

With this I see the new successful direct mangers and leaders as people who can manage audience involvement to get to a sale. Great direct agencies of the future will be the ones to create more layers and conversation points. They will craft programs that build intrigue, interest and deliver targeted messages across multiply digital devices and access channels that is managed and monitored daily.

Monitoring communication daily offers clients some great benefits that give’s the addressability and accountability of marketing all key discipline traits that direct agencies need to focus on with clients. It enables the targeting of individuals, the ability to personalize messages, track each event of value and give much more accurate measurement of an advertisement’s impact.

Brands will always be about big ideas, but it’s important to note with more digital programs being created and deployed to a connected audience requires focus. It means direct agencies will need to make some adjustments to how they are structured and what parts of the digital pie they focus on in the marketing mix. It’s certainly the most exciting time to be a direct marketing professional so stay firm to the direct discipline and you will become extremely important to your clients.

MEDIA RELEASE

DIGITAL INNOVATION KEY TO DEVELOPING ENGAGING CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

Leading digital experts speak at Summit in Auckland

1 May, 2009

Digital creative innovation offers brands their biggest marketing opportunities as a result of the internet dramatically changing the way consumers receive and consume content, the audience at a Clemenger Group Digital Summit was told this week.

The Summit – Embracing Digital Innovation in New Zealand – was hosted by the Clemenger Group which owns advertising agencies Colenso BBDO, .99 and BrandWorld, direct marketing firm Aim Proximity, PR agency Porter Novelli and media buying agency OMD – among others.

Key note speaker, digital expert Adam Good, told the full house of 400 people that since the year 2000, digital media consumption had grown by over 40% year on year with weekly media consumption worldwide expected to reach 90 hours per week by 2020.

Mr Good is the Executive Director of Digital Innovation for the Clemenger Group Australasia and a pioneering executive in the digital media, content, advertising industry with over 20 years experience.

He said as a result of the extraordinary growth in digital media consumption, marketers need to completely change their thinking about media and advertising.

“Digital innovation is the new – or everlasting- Holy Grail for nations, economies, businesses and brands across the globe. It allows businesses to create an immersive brand experience to pull a consumer in, lean forward and participate.

“We are in the business of connecting with consumers. Big ideas are essential to connect to people. It is critical we put digital innovation at the centre of our thinking and use it as the glue to craft a 360 extraordinary consumer brand experience.

“Advertising is no longer just about the display ad or the TV commercial or the banner; it’s about creating meaningful tools and architecting user experiences

Mr Good told the audience that the web was only going to get smarter, more personalised and more ubiquitous and that marketers needed to “believe the impossible”.

“As advertising evolves it will need to provide real answers to real questions, not canned information. It must create communities that actually speak to one another, that are not just content with aspirations.”

He said technology had enabled consumers to become involved in the content and participate alongside it.

“We are all connected to each other via multitude of channels. Therefore creative agencies, technology groups, media and publishers all need to collaborate with each other and within themselves to develop outstanding communications products,” said Mr Good.

He said media like social networks and personal web properties were a highly important and measurable component of the communications ecosystem demanding the same kind of message management and optimisation as other channels.

“Today we have to find a home for messaging in channels which consumers use in anything but a passive fashion and work out how to drive engagement that moves them through the purchase funnel.

“Equally we have to consider that the empowered consumer can be either the most powerful advocate or enemy of a brand and to find roles for commercial engagement in those channels of advocacy recognizing the high risks and rewards that this entails,” he said.

Speakers at the summit were;

For full summit presentations visit http://www.clemengerdigitalsummit.co.nz/