A plea for a new ROI in media planning

MEDIA PLANNING Jan de Schepper, brandting Manager at McDonald's Switzerland, gives five reasons why a qualitative ROI is necessary in media planning One thing is certain: the media market is undergoing profound structural change. Print is in terminal decline, the Internet is a sprawling jungle and the television offering is becoming increasingly fragmented. Consumers are literally bombarded with advertising messages, from morning to night, on all possible platforms. His reaction to this is radical. They try to escape advertising as best they can with various strategies. These include classic ignoring, using a smartphone during commercial breaks, paid premium subscriptions, time-shifted television consumption and strategically scheduled toilet breaks. Consumers are tolerating commercial breaks less and less. What can be done? Increasing the communication budget is not an option. The media strategy must be questioned from the ground up. The following is a plea for the introduction of a new, qualitative ROI, the "Return On Involvement".1. the quality of the contact is more important than the numberWhat good are 15 million ad impressions if they are barely visible or are purchased without being targeted? What are five OTS worth if the targeted consumer cannot remember any of them? Quality must (once again) be given a higher priority. This applies to both the advertising environment and the advertising media. Interaction instead of disruption is required. Stories that are appropriately placed in terms of time, space and content and that amuse people or make them think are appreciated - even if the message is of a commercial nature.2. the context is more important than the mediumForget television, tablet or smartphone. What matters is the right screen size and, above all, the simplest, fastest and most unlimited Internet access possible. The context is crucial. Is the person looking for information or are they passing the time with a little game? Both activities can be done with the same device, at the same time and by people from the same demographic target group.3. the "why" is more important than the "what"A brand without values is a brand without value. The idea behind the idea is of central importance. Every communication should be designed on the foundation of the brand mission, which answers the question of why the brand exists. This "raison d'être" creates orientation, consistency, credibility and ultimately a high "return on involvement".4. the future is not a linear continuation of the pastIt is possible to use a model to determine the contribution of media investments in recent years to business turnover. Such ROI models can help to optimize media planning in terms of media selection and advertising pressure. However, they must be used with caution. Yesterday's success does not guarantee tomorrow's success. Media consumption is changing at an unprecedented speed. This requires new skills. Media agencies need to rethink their modus operandi. Key figures are not everything. With intuition and interpretation of the data, the right conclusions must be drawn for the future.5. the fee model must create the right incentivesMost media agencies today are still paid on a percentage basis. The only way to increase profitability is therefore to work more efficiently (i.e. to buy as standardized as possible). This is at odds with qualitative media planning. If context and content are prioritized over bare figures, this requires more brain power and often a higher production budget. It's time to put an end to this madness. Set the right incentives with a contemporary fee model. Take account of the complexity and reward your agency partners with a bonus if the set targets are achieved. Your customers will thank you with a high level of involvement.Author: Jan de Schepper, Marketing Manager McDonald's Switzerland