Breaking unwritten laws
Implementing cross-media strategies requires rigorous brand management
The implementation of cross-media strategies requires stringent brand managementBy Carlos Friedrich* Communication strategies require an intelligent combination of different media in order to be successful. The launch of the potency pill Uprima, for example, was successful thanks to a clever cross-media strategy.
The term cross-media is used excessively in the marketing world. However, there is disagreement about its exact definition. To put it bluntly: There are as many uses as there are definitions. German expert Richard Crux defines cross-media as "the use of different and coordinated communication channels to promote a product or service". The aim of cross-media strategies is to optimize the impact of communication in order to exploit synergy potential. True to the motto of design psychologist Wolfgang Metzger: The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Cross-media strategies should not be confused with integrated communication. For Manfred Bruhn, Professor of Business Administration at the Center for Economics at the University of Basel, "integrated communication pursues a holistic goal that should have an effect both internally and externally". Cross-media strategies, on the other hand, are usually only developed for external target groups and do not pursue a holistic goal.
Why are there only a few successful examples of cross-media in practice? Firstly, not only our environment but also the marketing world is becoming more complex. On the one hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to define target groups because these are gradually disappearing in an individualized society. In addition, more and more consumers are seeing through the mechanisms of advertising and are no longer receptive to all messages. At the same time, more and more media are vying for our attention.
Secondly, cross-media strategies can neither be scientifically categorized nor systematically recorded. According to Colin McDonald, market and opinion research expert, advertising in all its forms is too heterogeneous for this. "Nevertheless, we have a large amount of knowledge and practical skills," says McDonald. This means that every cross-media strategy must be planned and implemented individually.
The third hurdle concerns both the conflict of interest between the various communication disciplines, which in many companies have a life of their own, and between the agencies involved. For example, a company's PR unit may pursue different interests than the advertising or sponsorship department. On the agency side, there is often a danger that each of the specialists involved (advertising agencies, web agencies, PR agencies, media agencies, DM agencies, event agencies, etc.) will want to secure the biggest slice of the communications pie.
Uprima is an example of how channels can be linked
A successful example of a successful cross-media strategy in Switzerland is the launch of Uprima, a prescription-only sexual enhancer. The communicative challenge here was that in Switzerland, first mover Viagra was already very well positioned as a potency pill. This gave Viagra an almost unassailable lead.
Jung von Matt/Limmat developed a two-stage cross-media strategy for Uprima: In the first phase, advertisements were placed in popular titles and a guerrilla measure (cards for free) was used in nightclubs to make the new sexual enhancer a topic of conversation. Traditional advertising media took over the function of publicizing the product. In addition, advertisements were used to draw attention to the Uprima website. As this is a high-involvement product and the news value of Uprima was high, the decision was made to use this discreet bait mechanism.
In the second phase, a suitable communication channel had to be found to provide detailed information and quench the thirst for knowledge that had been awakened. "We opted for the Internet because it is an excellent way of bringing the brand to life and providing information about the brand and the product," says Oliver Fennel from Jung von Matt/Frontend, explaining the strategy. The homepage www .wir-helfen-koennen.ch did not fail to have an impact: over 10,000 Swiss people visited the Uprima homepage. Demand for the drug was boosted. "In the first month, sales far exceeded the planned target. This made the Uprima launch in Switzerland the most successful in Europe," says Stefan Oechslin, Head of Marketing at Abbott.
Create different experience areas for the brand
The example of Uprima shows how various communication channels can be linked together so that the advertised brand can be experienced by the consumer in different media. The responsible consumer can decide for themselves at any time whether they want to continue communicating with the brand or not. It is therefore recommended that the media also function independently of each other.
Thanks to cross-media strategies - especially through the combination of offline and online media - brand fascination can be significantly increased (because the interested consumer is given the opportunity to experience the brand more intensively in other media). Cross-media strategies can therefore have a consistently positive impact on brand management. The prerequisite remains that the hurdles mentioned above are overcome and communication channels are cleverly linked.
*Carlos Friedrich, Planning Director and member of the Jung von Matt/Limmat management team until the end of 2002, has been a partner and Managing Director of Glamour Engineering since the beginning of the year.
Practical tips for cross-media strategies1. Identify the media habits of the target person and determine the appropriate communication channels.
2. development of a communication linkage plan. It ensures that the channels support and complement each other. The plan should include a time schedule and the financial weighting of the media.
3. throw out a link bait to persuade media-savvy consumers to switch communication channels. Make sure that the link to the next medium creates added value for the consumer so that they do not break off communication with the brand.
4 Idea is king! Define a basic idea that is brought to life in all channels. In saturated markets with interchangeable products, only creative excellence creates the necessary differentiation that makes brands desirable and attractive.
5. the idea must be implemented in a media-appropriate way, because only media-appropriate messages can develop their full effect.
6 The brand must be managed stringently. Use a defined set of values and a visual brand bracket to ensure that every communication always pays into the brand.
7. have the courage to break new ground. The openness to leave well-trodden paths and break unwritten industry laws is a prerequisite for developing new, intelligent cross-media strategies.
The term cross-media is used excessively in the marketing world. However, there is disagreement about its exact definition. To put it bluntly: There are as many uses as there are definitions. German expert Richard Crux defines cross-media as "the use of different and coordinated communication channels to promote a product or service". The aim of cross-media strategies is to optimize the impact of communication in order to exploit synergy potential. True to the motto of design psychologist Wolfgang Metzger: The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Cross-media strategies should not be confused with integrated communication. For Manfred Bruhn, Professor of Business Administration at the Center for Economics at the University of Basel, "integrated communication pursues a holistic goal that should have an effect both internally and externally". Cross-media strategies, on the other hand, are usually only developed for external target groups and do not pursue a holistic goal.
Why are there only a few successful examples of cross-media in practice? Firstly, not only our environment but also the marketing world is becoming more complex. On the one hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to define target groups because these are gradually disappearing in an individualized society. In addition, more and more consumers are seeing through the mechanisms of advertising and are no longer receptive to all messages. At the same time, more and more media are vying for our attention.
Secondly, cross-media strategies can neither be scientifically categorized nor systematically recorded. According to Colin McDonald, market and opinion research expert, advertising in all its forms is too heterogeneous for this. "Nevertheless, we have a large amount of knowledge and practical skills," says McDonald. This means that every cross-media strategy must be planned and implemented individually.
The third hurdle concerns both the conflict of interest between the various communication disciplines, which in many companies have a life of their own, and between the agencies involved. For example, a company's PR unit may pursue different interests than the advertising or sponsorship department. On the agency side, there is often a danger that each of the specialists involved (advertising agencies, web agencies, PR agencies, media agencies, DM agencies, event agencies, etc.) will want to secure the biggest slice of the communications pie.
Uprima is an example of how channels can be linked
A successful example of a successful cross-media strategy in Switzerland is the launch of Uprima, a prescription-only sexual enhancer. The communicative challenge here was that in Switzerland, first mover Viagra was already very well positioned as a potency pill. This gave Viagra an almost unassailable lead.
Jung von Matt/Limmat developed a two-stage cross-media strategy for Uprima: In the first phase, advertisements were placed in popular titles and a guerrilla measure (cards for free) was used in nightclubs to make the new sexual enhancer a topic of conversation. Traditional advertising media took over the function of publicizing the product. In addition, advertisements were used to draw attention to the Uprima website. As this is a high-involvement product and the news value of Uprima was high, the decision was made to use this discreet bait mechanism.
In the second phase, a suitable communication channel had to be found to provide detailed information and quench the thirst for knowledge that had been awakened. "We opted for the Internet because it is an excellent way of bringing the brand to life and providing information about the brand and the product," says Oliver Fennel from Jung von Matt/Frontend, explaining the strategy. The homepage www .wir-helfen-koennen.ch did not fail to have an impact: over 10,000 Swiss people visited the Uprima homepage. Demand for the drug was boosted. "In the first month, sales far exceeded the planned target. This made the Uprima launch in Switzerland the most successful in Europe," says Stefan Oechslin, Head of Marketing at Abbott.
Create different experience areas for the brand
The example of Uprima shows how various communication channels can be linked together so that the advertised brand can be experienced by the consumer in different media. The responsible consumer can decide for themselves at any time whether they want to continue communicating with the brand or not. It is therefore recommended that the media also function independently of each other.
Thanks to cross-media strategies - especially through the combination of offline and online media - brand fascination can be significantly increased (because the interested consumer is given the opportunity to experience the brand more intensively in other media). Cross-media strategies can therefore have a consistently positive impact on brand management. The prerequisite remains that the hurdles mentioned above are overcome and communication channels are cleverly linked.
*Carlos Friedrich, Planning Director and member of the Jung von Matt/Limmat management team until the end of 2002, has been a partner and Managing Director of Glamour Engineering since the beginning of the year.
Practical tips for cross-media strategies1. Identify the media habits of the target person and determine the appropriate communication channels.
2. development of a communication linkage plan. It ensures that the channels support and complement each other. The plan should include a time schedule and the financial weighting of the media.
3. throw out a link bait to persuade media-savvy consumers to switch communication channels. Make sure that the link to the next medium creates added value for the consumer so that they do not break off communication with the brand.
4 Idea is king! Define a basic idea that is brought to life in all channels. In saturated markets with interchangeable products, only creative excellence creates the necessary differentiation that makes brands desirable and attractive.
5. the idea must be implemented in a media-appropriate way, because only media-appropriate messages can develop their full effect.
6 The brand must be managed stringently. Use a defined set of values and a visual brand bracket to ensure that every communication always pays into the brand.
7. have the courage to break new ground. The openness to leave well-trodden paths and break unwritten industry laws is a prerequisite for developing new, intelligent cross-media strategies.
