opinion

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3 Things That Are Better When Marketers And Media Work Together

Today the line between media and marketer is blurring. We are all content creators who want to create engaging customer experiences, and we’re all trying to earn the fleeting attention of consumers across timelines, newsfeeds, chats and texts, among other things. Digital content companies like The New York Times, Bloomberg, ESPN and others rely on the complex relationship between their consumers and the marketing partners that want to reach them. Media and marketing are inexorably intertwined and it’s this relationship that often pays for the content we deliver.

With that in mind, there are three specific areas where closer collaboration between marketers and media will improve results and, through the improved experience we offer together, protect consumer trust – a vital component to the overall ecosystem.

1. Audience understanding. Today, we all have an opportunity to intimately know our customers. Through the ethical use of data and the listening-and-learning forum of social media, understanding our customers’ needs is easier than ever and we can gain much richer insights. Smart brands know what their customers value about their products and services, and successful media companies know what their readers want to watch, read and listen to. Together, we can paint a more complete picture of our audience and deliver increasingly meaningful experiences to them.

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2. Richer storytelling. Brand marketers are experts at creating concepts that attract and engage consumers and also sell goods or services. They deeply understand the value of storytelling in communicating value and creating genuine connections. And certainly, the lifeblood of media companies is their ability to tell moving stories that inform, and engage. Media companies possess a deep well of expertise in the fundamentals of building a story and also know how to deliver it in contexts that satisfy consumer demands and desires. Together, we can learn from each other and create compelling content experiences that exceed expectations and deliver ever more value to the consumer.

3. Measurement and attribution. Today’s brand marketers have developed a set of KPIs that demonstrate that they are achieving their objectives well beyond scale of reach and click-throughs. Their needs are complex, yet highly personal, like those of the customers they seek. Media companies have also evolved some traditional metrics to ones that demonstrate the higher impact measures of content -- such as engagement and contextual relevancy -- so that content reaches a reader when they need it and where they want it. Together, media and marketers can develop metrics that will not only demonstrate value to the consumer, but also deliver value to the bottom line.

Without a doubt, these three (and likely many more) areas of the media-marketing ecosystem will be stronger if we increase our collaboration. Ultimately, that collaboration needs to be built on a foundation of trust. Trust serves as the backbone of media and marketers’ relationships with their consumers. It’s also a critical factor when marketers decide where to spend their resources. At the Online Publishers Association, we’re working hard to elevate trust to the forefront of digital delivery discussions.

We are also working hard to increase collaboration between the media and marketing professionals who hold these values dear as they look forward to the future success of our industry. At our new Content All Stars event this fall, we are bringing together these media and marketing leaders to work together to create a content future that we can all be proud of. We look forward to increased media and marketer collaboration and a digital ecosystem fueled by quality content from trustworthy sources.

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