Modern times call for more intricate lives; wow, that’s a pretty sweeping statement.
The theory goes, because we’ve made technology mobile, we are always in the loop, always available and always on (line).
When starting this post I was reminded that Winston Churchill once envisaged a four- or even three-day working week. Churchill’s theory was that because of accelerated technologies working faster and smarter, we would be able to rest more and work less.
Think about it.
A microwave warms food quicker than a traditional oven. Email technology sends documents faster than a courier.
If you get to do something with increased efficiency, then, in essence, you should have more time to do something else.
But this is exactly where the problem with Churchill’s theory comes in.
What exactly is it that you can do if you finish your current task faster? Today it’s pretty clear: You take on more work, more tasks and ultimately more responsibility. You’re busy and switched on for longer and longer periods of time – much more than ever before.
Strategy And Time
So with this in mind how would a media strategist take advantage?
Clay Shirkey, speaking about internet culture, once said: “Media is the connective tissue of society…Media is how you know what’s happening in Tehran, who’s in charge in Tegucigalpa, or the price of tea in China. Media is how you know what your colleague named her baby…. Media is how you know about anything more than ten yards away. All these things used to be separated into public media (like visual or print communications made by a small group of professionals) and personal media (like letters and phone calls made by ordinary citizens). Now those two modes have fused.”
More media touch points ultimately mean target market ‘boxes’ have blurred as we evolve to cope with our intricate, modern schedules. Users are on Facebook one minute and on Reuters Business, the next. They’re impatient and ‘bounce’ from one site to another. And as their thoughts lead them with similar erraticism, they may think about a business problem the one second and what to cook for dinner the next.
The Internet, Ideas And Strategy
Internet surfing habits mimic your ideas.
Traditionally one would have a boxed strategy: an entertainment product advertised on entertainment platforms, financial products on financially orientated platforms. I know you may think this seems obvious, and you’re right, it is, but it’s because it’s a great way to deliver the product to the correct market.
Time Transcends Vocation, Use It!
Today not all people interested in movies watch or make movies all the time. Accountants and stockbrokers are not only kept busy by balancing books or selling/buying stock. They may do some of this sometime, but they are more than what they do for a living.
Finances, relaxation, time with spouses, hobbies, kids, friends, school, helping with homework, cleaning, preparing meals, work, functions, taking care of parents, charity work etc, the list goes on.
All of these areas are touch points that a media strategist can use to communicate to the target market, who will potentially buy that product for themselves.
The strategist has to thread the product through each facet of a person’s life. Show them that this is for them, make them yearn for it. Make them desire it.
A few key points to remember:
- A target market is a human being, there’s more to them than a LSM rating
- Make use of multi touch points to introduce and communicate the product and brand
- Track everything on your campaign
- Optimise against results
- Be adventurous (test)
The campaign results should soon show exactly where people take most of their ‘action’. This is the sweet spot, with the quantity of sale the product and brand deserves. It might be in line with what you expect; but then again, people may take it somewhere else entirely. It’s part of the fun, part of the strategy.
