• by March 30, 2005

By Steve Farella and Audrey Siegel

Last month, we called off the war& the media war, that is. We proposed a more effective method of creating a media strategy, no longer targeting consumers by hitting them with a flurry of advertising at frequent intervals. Believing that no message is delivered unless it is received, we proposed the idea of developing a media strategy from the consumer's point of view. Calling it the media aperture, we identify those moments in which the consumer is most open to receiving a brand's message.

When we begin to unearth the truth behind actual consumers' behavior, we find that those communications vehicles building awareness are not necessarily the same as those driving consideration and trial. We have, as an industry, long hung our hats on reach and awareness; now we must shift that paradigm to place receptivity and action in full view.

How do we develop new strategies based on the media aperture? We begin each exercise with a "re-view" of syndicated research data, moving well beyond demographics into the study of behavior and action. The recent move by mri to provide the Roper LifeMatrix data as part of its service supports our need to more fully understand the lifestage and lifestyle of consumers. Understanding the media aperture for a consumer group (in a particular category) is based on knowing how consumers view messaging and the media through which they are delivered.

However, we need to speak directly with consumers to truly get that kind of information. While this practice is common in the research that precedes creative development, too often, media communication analysis is given short shrift. In fact, the same insights that inform creative development will help us place them in full view of consumers. It is during those moments when brand messaging meshes with consumer interest that consumers are more likely to invite the message in. While we can sometimes piggyback onto creative research, a more effective approach is to field independent studies to gain a full perspective on when, how, and why consumers engage with brand messaging.

Consumer targets are often made up of a number of segments. The challenge is to find media apertures common among these groups to maximize effective messaging, while identifying the unique opportunities for each group. Looking at the successful Mini Cooper communications campaign, the insight appears to be that the purchase of this vehicle is as much a car purchase as it is a signal of one's identity. To that end, the media mix targeted successful, educated, "creative" people. The media implementation, likewise, touched those people using creative media selections, units, and placements.

Countering traditional automotive "logic," the media mix was firmly rooted in print and out-of-home media. Driven by consumer behavior insights, we saw ads where consumers were most receptive to messaging. In addition to the core "car books," the mix included magazine titles like Playboy, The New Yorker, and Blender. Creative units that exploited those environments were deployed  the car running around the staple in the center of the folio and a "build your own Mini" cut-out insert engaged the readers in unique and creative ways. Out-of-home placements, in many ways, used the medium as the message.

During this year's Academy Awards broadcast, many of us were drawn to a well-placed ad for Oil of Olay. It caught us by surprise, featuring a group of women, aptly named Nicole, Gwyneth, Catherine, and Renée, coyly commenting on their namesake actresses as they walked the red carpet. At a moment when the viewer was completely tuned in to the fashion and beauty of this year's Oscar attendees, the ad's marriage of context and content was priceless.

Let's face it; if we can put a message on it, it is media. If we fundamentally believe that no message is delivered unless it's received, the next challenge is to find those communications vehicles that are most effective at getting the message to the consumer at that moment of receptivity. Remember, it's their aperture. Leverage it. Don't create another one.

Steve Farella, president-CEO, and Audrey Siegel, executive vice president and director of client services, are co-founders of TargetCast TCM. (steve-audrey@targetcast.com)