Commentary

In Search of the Hybrid Media Exec

Whether you call it integrated marketing, 360 communications or media-neutral planning, the need to systematically adopt processes that objectively and consistently reflect the media landscape and how consumers interact with it has gone largely un-met.

Although we’ve talked of integrated marketing for more years than many Mediapost readers will have been in the business (or been born for that matter!), the media and marketing industries remain heavily siloed.  The media landscape may have changed, but many industry practices and characteristics have not kept pace.

Individuals have whole careers centered around one marketing discipline; companies are structured around units defined by specific media and many facets of the industry’s underlying infrastructure -– measurement, planning and buying systems -– are based on approaches that are past their sell-by date. 

This is to say nothing of how the industry rewards and remunerates those in different roles.

This is not to say there hasn't been progress. Measurement systems designed to inform cross-platform planning and buying have emerged. (I should declare an interest here as USA TouchPoints was conceived in part for this purpose.) Planning software has evolved to keep pace with the emergence of new platforms and so on, but even as vendors tackle the challenges of providing reliable data on new platforms and behaviors, the greater challenge is a human one.

Now, with the modern media ecosystem significantly more diverse and multifaceted than ever before, there is a need to not only re-examine how different marketing functions should be aligned to establish an evolving model of best practice, but also to assess exactly what kind of person is needed to deliver this more integrated approach.

In a cross-platform world of media-neutral consumers, the person that will rise to the top within agencies, media owners and within advertisers themselves will be the hybrid thinkers. Those who intuitively cross the chasm between traditional media and digital media; paid, owned and earned media. Those who can recognize how the strengths of different channels and disciplines can best be leveraged in tandem for maximum ROI against the brand objectives.

Whether selling or buying, this approach is inevitably going to be the one that wins out as it boils down to simply making the most of the resources available. There will, of course, always be the need for operational specialists who focus more in one area than in others. But the project leaders and senior management will increasingly be hybrids and organizational structures will morph to accommodate the fact.

In the short term, the challenge will be finding this talent. Some of these skills already exist, and they’re probably most readily found among the planning and strategy communities.  Some creative will also fit the bill.  But the rate at which more hybrids are being bred is almost certainly too slow to meet the growing need. 

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Some might think that universities would be a good source of such thinkers -- after all, students are already living the life of media disruptors (or so the mantra goes).  But in reality, there are very few if any courses that teach an applied approach to cross-platform media studies and most textbooks on media are hopelessly out of date.

The solution lies within the hands of the industry -- not only with regard to the training and remuneration of people already in place, but also the structuring of organizations and the collaboration with the country’s top 10 communication schools to help shape the future of curriculum.

We need to ensure that tomorrow’s graduates can deliver against the challenges of integration that continue to grow as each year passes.

6 comments about "In Search of the Hybrid Media Exec".
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  1. Gary Klein from GKlein&associates, August 15, 2012 at 8:47 a.m.

    We at GKlein&associates are often retained to find this most elusive executive. Depending upon the specific nature of the client, that being either an early-on pure digital play or a larger traditional company that has now integrated digital into the multi-platform mix, we would travel one of two different roads. An ideal source of candidates would be a midsized media business that has grown up with no other world than a combined digital/traditional function. Another attractive model is an individual who has a somewhat briefish stint at a broad based traditional play and then moved into an emerging multi-platformed second or third stage digital company. They would have grown up with an inate understanding of everything digital. Regardless of the approach, this strategic/creative executive is readily identifiable.

  2. Ron Stitt from Fox Television Stations, August 15, 2012 at 11:02 a.m.

    You might look to the ranks of media companies (publishers). Most of us as managers charged with distributing content and engaging audiences have had to embrace a multi-platform approach to strategy and operations. Many traditional outlets now have big online/mobile/social footprints, and in many cases this cross-platform activity/synergy is not driven by siloed staff. In the sales channel, the difficulty of engaging advertisers in a way that would mirror this evolution we've undergone is a source of frustration for many.

  3. Stephanie Padgett from True Media, August 15, 2012 at 11:26 a.m.

    We are aggressively trying to address this at the Missouri School of Journalism. Through Mojo Ad, YAYA Connection and AdZou our students and faculty parnter with businesses, alumni, and media outlets in order to provide our students with real life assignments which benefit all parties. These projects usually involve the current challenges of planning and creating compelling campaigns in the digital age. We find that the digital natives intuition with the guidance of faculty and professionals can produce powerful results. Updating university curriculum is difficult but with a concerted effort by all parties we can meet student and industry needs.

    Stephanie Padgett, University of Missouri
    www.Mojo-Ad.com
    www.YAYAConnection.com

  4. Mike Bloxham from Magid, August 15, 2012 at 7:42 p.m.

    Ron - I suspect you're right. The pressure on media and content owners is increasingly to follow nd monetize the audience wherever they are, and the need to do so from the point where content is conceived or commissioned is a natural consequence of that.

  5. Mike Bloxham from Magid, August 15, 2012 at 7:45 p.m.

    Stephanie - Missouri School of Journalism has long been regarded as a leader in its field and rightly so. Others - including Ball State where I used to work - also deserve credit for their efforts. But on the whole, it's my view that both academia and the communications industry need to do a better job of understanding and accommodating each other to mutual benefit - and to that of the students. Meanwhile, keep on bearing the the torch.

  6. James Alexander from New Media Visions, August 18, 2012 at 2:11 a.m.

    Terrific article and correct from the perspective of media publishers, media buyers, and advertisers alike. As someone exploring opportunities with this combination of skills and experience I find that there is not a shortage of talent. In fact even the companies that benefit from both disciplines continue to write job descriptions looking for digital or tradition media but not often both. I see long-time executives hire specialists to make up for the experience they don't have but these executive positions aren't opening up in this economy.

    Jim
    www.TV2020LLC.com
    www.linkedin.com/in/jamesaalexander

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