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Scott Christopher

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How to be a Good Client

Posted by Scott Christopher on Thu, Aug 16, 2018 @ 17:08 PM

A client asked me a very refreshing question recently: "How can we be a better client for you?" I had never been asked that before, but was happy to provide an answer. Don't get me wrong - we understand that we are in the service business, and making our clients happy is always our goal. We are always looking to improve our service. And there are tons of articles out there on this subject, including this excellent one from HighTail. But there's not much on what makes a good client. It's a relationship that must be built on respect and trust. I think the internet could stand a bit more advice on this vendor/client relationship, whether in the advertising realm or others. So here goes:

1. Be Open. The best client-agency relationships we have are those that understand it is a partnership. They are forthcoming with sales data, traffic reports, customer research - any and all information that can help us develop effective media plans that will achieve their goals.  "Help us, help you" as the saying goes. We're on your side, and the more data you can share, the better. 

We start every client relationship with a thorough discovery process where we play 20+ questions, get all advertising history, seasonality and any other pertinent info. Our best client relationships begin here with a comprehensive download; then armed with as much information as possible, we move forward to create a custom media strategy for them.

2. Be Responsive. You're busy - we get it. You have loads of meetings and are drowning in email. That's why you hired us, after all - to offload some of this work and provide some strategic perspective. But if we're asking for information or a decision, we need it to be able to move forward with your marketing strategy.  Otherwise, we're stuck in a holding pattern and not executing your campaigns... and you could be missing out on sales.

3. Be Decisive. This goes hand-in-hand with the above, but you've done a thorough search and selected us as your agency because of our expertise. At McCulloch+Company, we pride ourselves in providing recommendations to our clients that are vetted, simple to understand and on strategy. We try to make it easy for you to make a quick decision, but are always available if further explanation is needed. And of course, we're open to adjusting our recommendations based on your feedback - no one knows your business as well as you do. Our best clients make quick decisions so we can execute their media strategy effectively.

4. Trust Us. We're working for you, negotiating on your behalf with media vendors to get the most value and make your advertising budget work harder. Your success is our success, so trust us when we provide feedback or have a different recommendation for your media campaign. Simply put, you are paying us to give you good media ideas and you can trust that we will do that. 

That's enough for now, but you can read here some other tips on how to be a good client. I especially like the 5th point - one point of contact does make it easier for us to serve you. What other advice do you have on being a good client?

McCulloch+Company is an advertising media services company that integrates the innovation of digital media with the strengths of traditional paths. Founded in 1984 and located in historic Roswell, Georgia, McCulloch+Company is regarded as one of the Southeast's preeminent media agencies. The agency is skilled at managing B2B and B2C clients in a multitude of industry categories. Click here to contact us for a free media plan evaluation. 

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Topics: good media ideas, best media agency, media success, media strategy, client success

Client Success Story: B2B Programmatic Campaign results in Real Sales

Posted by Scott Christopher on Tue, May 8, 2018 @ 16:05 PM

From time to time, we like to highlight on the blog recent successes we've had with client campaigns. This one we worked on last year highlights the challenges that come with very narrow B2B sectors, especially when it comes to digital advertising.

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Topics: programmatic advertising, B2B media planning, B2B marketing strategy, media strategy, client success

"We'll be right Back" - Unsold Inventory or Technical Glitch?

Posted by Scott Christopher on Thu, Apr 19, 2018 @ 16:04 PM

We've all seen it. That commercial break screen on ESPN, CNN or other apps when streaming TV via your Over-the-Top (OTT) device of choice (Roku, Apple TV, etc.). It appears during a break that's supposed to show you 30 second commercials. Maybe it does show one or two - but for the majority of the commercial pod it's just that screen with the graphic and annoying music.

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Topics: digital advertising, online video, good media idea, Atlanta TV buying agencies, ott, TV streaming, broadcast tv buying, media strategy

What's lost when you don't have a media strategy

Posted by Scott Christopher on Fri, Nov 17, 2017 @ 15:11 PM

If you've never had a media strategy, you may wonder what the benefits are for going that route. It's just buying ads, right? How strategic can you really get? Well, the clients we work with at McCulloch + Company have come to know the benefits of goal alignment and developing a comprehensive media strategy with tactics to reach prospects at every stage of the buyer's journey. They've seen how helpful it is to develop a strategy based on their marketing goals, target demographic, geography, creative asset availability, budget and many other factors. If you're not there yet, perhaps it's helpful to see what you're missing out on by not having a media strategy.

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Topics: media planning, Atlanta media buying agancy, media strategy

What's your Brand's Story?

Posted by Scott Christopher on Thu, Oct 26, 2017 @ 16:10 PM

Good marketers tell good stories - concise, compelling, and engaging stories. They have done the hard work of distilling down their mission and value proposition into a simple story that can be easily understood by prospects. When told well, the story engages customers on an emotional level (yes, even B2B brands) and eliminates all the guesswork for them in understanding "What's in it for me?" Strong brands also have alignment company-wide on this story. From the C-Suite to sales, from PR to HR - all are bought in. This belief company-wide doesn't just impact marketing and creative, but customer service, product packaging, operations and more. This is why we--strategists at a media-only agency--care about our clients' stories. Our media plans can either help enhance that story, or detract from it.

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Topics: good media ideas, outdoor advertising, Rock City

3 Trends in Paid Social

Posted by Scott Christopher on Thu, Aug 3, 2017 @ 15:08 PM

When developing a media plan, we leave no stone unturned to help our client-partners reach their goals. Increasingly paid social is an important tactic to consider, especially as a platform's audience grows and/or they innovate with new advertising offerings. Lately there are more and more options in which to advertise to reach your audience without growing the duopoly. In this post, I'll highlight a few trends observed in paid social lately and their possible applications in a media strategy. 

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Topics: media buying atlanta, paid social advertising, media planning, social media, digital strategy

The State of Retail in the Age of Amazon

Posted by Scott Christopher on Mon, Jul 10, 2017 @ 12:07 PM

We like following the retail sector, working with several clients in the space. And I--as a shopper--enjoy seeing brands innovate to surprise and delight me to earn my business in this current era of e- and m-commerce. It has certainly been a tumultuous year for retail, though with weekly announcements of store closings by stalwart industry brands like Macy's and Sears. The evolution to online shopping by the average American consumer has been especially swift in recent months, led by e-commerce giant Amazon. Prime membership is now estimated to be up to 80 million in the US, most of them in affluent households; and Amazon has shown no signs of slowing its aggressive stance in retail, with announcements late last month aimed at disrupting both grocery (Whole Foods Market purchase) and clothing stores (Prime Wardrobe). The stakes for retailers couldn't be higher and the demand to adapt couldn't be greater. But does all this mean brick-and-mortar storefronts are dead? That all successful retail brands will be 100% online? I don't think so. Here's why....

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Topics: digital marketing, retail, amazon, whole foods

McCulloch+Company Doing Good

Posted by Scott Christopher on Wed, Jun 21, 2017 @ 16:06 PM

Doing good is a value at our agency beyond the services we provide to our clients. We enjoy volunteering at charities and donating time and money to good causes. For example, our controller volunteers monthly at SafeHouse playing the drums and feeding folks there. Our digital media manager helped found a charity, HoPe, which helps Hispanics further their education. Helping others is part of our DNA.

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Topics: top Atlanta media buying advertising agency, doing good, charity

Using Programmatic for B2B Digital Campaigns

Posted by Scott Christopher on Mon, Jun 12, 2017 @ 12:06 PM

Programmatic has taken the advertising industry by storm the last few years, even impacting traditional media like TV and OOH. By programmatic, we mean the process by which data and technology is utilized in a more automated way for smarter and more efficient targeted advertising. As a media agency, we have fully immersed ourselves in this space, meeting with countless vendors and even recently on-boarding a self-serve DSP to create an in-house trading desk to better serve our clients. 

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Topics: B2B advertising, digital advertising, Atlanta digital advertising agency, programmatic advertising

May Good Media Idea: Media and Creative That Work Together

Posted by Scott Christopher on Wed, May 31, 2017 @ 11:05 AM

Monday was Memorial Day, the official kick-off to summer. You likely consumed a frothy beverage or two, spent some time on a lake and/or grilled out with family and friends. This month's good media idea features a brand that is hoping to be imbibed greatly during those summer gatherings, especially by millennials - Mike's Hard Lemonade. To do that, they launched a new brand positioning, "Drink on the Bright Side." The creative is a playful, comedic approach to appeal to millennials and combat the negativity the brand says is currently on the internet. Below is one of the 15 second videos - Jackpot - in which a tanked dude wins a Mike's and a trip to a water park.

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Topics: creative agency, good media ideas, top Atlanta media buying advertising agency, summer, mikes hard lemonade

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