Why the current global ‘Mediapalooza’ could be a huge waste of time for everyone
With more than $200m of business in play in Australia due to global pitches. But David Angell asks whether swapping partners will achieve much for these multinationals.
Do you watch soap operas? Of course you don’t, you’re all busy executives with crippling workloads.
But I bet most of you can remember them from younger days.
Whatever the soap opera, for purposes of viewer entertainment and retention, obligatory partner-swapping always featured heavily in the storylines.
Well said, David. The greatest irony is that these companies will waste an awful amount of time on creating efficiencies, and get none…
Good article. Couldn’t agree more.
well said. but you have missed one factor in the equation. there are agency CEOs so desperate to land a big client win, they will drop their pants on fees and/or promise unachievable savings to land a big client.
And another irony is that the deeper the discount the client and media agency chases, the further up the ‘bump list’ they go when demand starts exceeding supply.
Just about every media agency has the ‘guarantee’ that their client’s spots won’t be bumped – but that simply can’t be happening when there is strong demand.
So if your TVC is a crucial part of your ad campaign, especially if it has to fit in with a retail calendar, then the ‘efficiency’ gained can be wiped out by the lack of ‘effectiveness’.
But show me a procurement office who cares about effectiveness and growing a brand over the long term.
@hjt – I couldn’t agree more that the agency approach to new business acquisition does not always help. But I felt that in the context of the article, if I’d covered that topic, I’d have written War and Peace. At the end of the day, Mediapalooza is being primarily driven by client-led decision making, so that’s where I chose to focus the angle. How the agencies then respond – well, that’s a whole other candle for a whole other cake, as they say!
Nice article. No matter what the agency structure is. No matter what the agency preaches. It will have very little impact on change unless the client changes there ways of working first.
An incremental saving in fee here and supposed increase in discount there evaporates and then some as soon as a poor channel choice is made or late approval decision is given.
It really is penny-wise, pound-stupid in so many instances.
In many reviews the expectation from the client side is champagne service and talent on a beer budget. And stupidly agencies serve it up and in crystal! It all gets a bit teary soon after when the cork is popped on what should be a great vintage from a celebrated house and out drips some browning, lightly fizzed vinegar.