Commentary

Goldilocks and the Three Letters (ROI)

One of the best things about my job is being in an environment with full service creative (online and offline) being under one roof. One of the worst things about my job is dealing with other people's creative.

You know what I mean. Your company handles strategy, media planning and buying, and offline creative. The one piece of the business you don't have is online creative.

Sharing your "house" is not an easy task. But I, like many of you, have to deal with this all the time. And guess what, it’s where the good 'ole over-abused-catch-all word "integration" comes in.

Consider this scenario and you'll see what I mean: You are responsible for defining the target audience demographically, psychographically and technographically, mapping out an effective and efficient media plan, negotiating and placing the buy, trafficking and tagging the creative, driving overall campaign management, tracking, and optimization. In a nutshell, you are responsible for ROI.

Big deal, you say? Well how 'bout if you have to measure effectiveness and make optimization recommendations when your agency doesn’t develop the creative that is designed to support the media plan?

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Ahhhh yes, this is one of the realities that stupefy many of my sales rep friends. They constantly ask "how" it is possible and "why" this happens. I'm not here to try and answer this question. I'd like to offer tips on how I deal with it then throw a question or two your way, dear readers.

Here are some things to think about if you find yourself in a similar scenario:

  • Position yourself/your team as the "anchor" in the relationship.

  • Know that there are many moving parts.

  • Work with the creative agency before you place the buy.

  • Many media folks have an approved plan in hand prior to passing it off to the creatives. This should be a process in partnership to be effective.

  • Consider production costs when planning media; resizes can become mucho dinero.

  • Name gatekeepers on all sides: the client, the creative shop, and your group. Many things will need to be communicated on an ongoing basis.

  • Strong relationships yield strong results. If the client and creative team trust you, you will have a better ability to make creative optimization requests and changes.

  • ROI is ROI. You are responsible for results. Don't play an "us" and "them" game. Blame should not be placed. If something's not working, don't belabor the fact, change it.

  • Before placing the buy, outline the working relationships with your sales reps. They are experienced in this area, too. They may be able to do some of the heavy lifting for you or at least give you advice.

  • Time can be your worst enemy. Bake in extra days to test, launch, and flight creative in and out. Dealing with another agency isn't as quick as walking down the hallway to the producer on your account.

  • If you have account people budgeted, use 'em. Many moving pieces need synchronization.

  • Use an extranet. Creative assets should be easily accessible.

  • Get input from the creative team in regard to scheduled tracking reports. Both teams should have input and offer guidance/insight.

  • Make sure you think of every little thing prior to getting a statement of work (SOW) signed off. Too many cooks in the kitchen can blow through your allocated hours and kill your passion.

    Help me out. Are you seeing a lot of this or is it residual from a trend that occurred when pure-plays ran amuck? I'm still seeing RFIs that do not call out Interactive services. Are you?

    Let's face it, we all want the big kahuna. However, if faced with getting most of the big kahuna and sharing my "house,” I'll take it. Would you?

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