More Good Media Ideas

Earlier this week, Google announced some new offerings to their advertising options, including Google AdWords and Google Analytics. There was a lot about data and Machine Learning, but within the presentation there were many exciting things Google is doing to enhance measurement, attribution and the overall ad experience on both the consumer and advertiser side. And, of course, they plugged Google Assistant. You can view the hour-long presentation below:

We've been doing a series on the benefits of traditional media on the blog. You can catch up on earlier posts here and here. Why are we writing this? Because we are Luddites stuck in the dark ages, denying the existence of the internet? Not at all. It is because we are huge believers in media mix. No marketer should put all their eggs in one media channel basket. And with all the benefits that come through digital advertising - like trackability and measuring ROI - it also has its limitations and isn't the most trusted advertising medium. Yes, traditional channels still have value to reach your audience and enhance a digital advertising campaign. They all work together.

Earlier this week, a few of us attended an AMA lunch at SunTrust Park, the new home of the Atlanta Braves. Derek Schiller, President of Business at the Braves, shared the ins and outs of marketing the South's Favorite Baseball team. He shared some of the unique things about the Braves brand and their approach to the new ballpark. In a word, their focus is on "Experience." That's what fans want - and the new stadium has it. From different "neighborhoods" throughout the park, to Comcast-supported all-fiber internet, to new restaurants and better, closer seats throughout the ballpark, SunTrust Park looks to deliver a top-notch fan experience.

We've discussed utilizing weather to deliver advertising before on the blog. But this month's good media idea features a new take on weather-triggering involving Spotify. The North Face commissioned the band White Denim to write the song 'Rain Drop' to promote its new waterproof jacket, Apex Flex GTX. Although the song is on Spotify, it can only be 'unlocked' via custom landing page in locations where it is raining. The song was even played by the band last week at South by Southwest; and the jacket was prominently featured during the performance in which the band was pummeled by a virtual storm on stage!

We were thrilled to sponsor and attend the 60th annual American Marketing Association AMY awards last night at the College Football Hall of Fame. We were especially excited because one of our long-term clients, John Kovac of Cox Automotive, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. This relationship goes back to the late 90s when the partnership with this client first began. Our Media Director, Jeff Jones worked with John when he first started at what was then AutoConnect (now Autotrader). Now John is the EVP and CMO over all the Cox Automotive brands. This nearly 20 year partnership speaks to the strong relationships our agency develops, and more specifically our Media Director. Jeff is professional yet personable. He's thorough and leads the agency in consistently over-delivering for our clients while always acting with the utmost integrity. It's definitely a two-way street, though - and John is an insightful and top-notch client. We were honored that he referenced his valuable agency relationships in his acceptance speech last night.

We try on a semi-monthly basis to highlight on the blog some good media ideas we have seen lately. For example this tourism campaign in Australia that allows airport visitors to pet cheetahs and chase rat kangaroos via augmented reality. But this month I'd like to focus on a media planning fundamental: media mix. It's the whole "don't put all your eggs in one basket" concept, and it's still true in a digital world; maybe even more so.

Sometimes we do good in the world and it makes an immediate difference. That was the case with our contribution to help coordinate the wrapping of a trailer owned by the non-profit adapted sports team, Gwinnett Heat. The team used the trailer to transport the athletes' wheelchairs and equipment to games - until it was stolen over Christmas break. The trailer wasn't insured by the county.

This week I had the chance to participate on a live podcast hosted by our friends at North Fulton Business Radio. Each Tuesday they feature business leaders in our area and they had me on to share some marketing tips as well as insights from the advertising agency world. I also explained some of the benefits of partnering with a media agency like us. If you'd like to listen to the archived version, click here. 

This month's good media idea comes to us from Saks Fifth Avenue and features an innovative out-of-home tactic: Projection Advertising. For the unveiling of their 2010 holiday window display at their store in New York City, Saks ran a 6 week 3D projection on the side of their building. It's a 2+ minute story showing the epic struggle between bubbles and snowflakes all set to music. You can watch it all below.

As an advertising agency, we work hard to craft media plans that are not just noteworthy, but actually achieve the goals of our clients. We don't just want to see if click-through rates are above benchmark, but also if site engagement was achieved, did the leads generated result in sales? Were more widgets sold? This reality is especially important in the auto industry where gross margins for dealers are growing ever thinner and shoppers ever savvier. We understand car dealers are in the business to sell more cars, and we're in the business to help them do that.