The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

this is more fucking like it campbell. dont get too happy its still shit but its ever so slightly less shit than the bollocks youve been producing so far this week. the day clients understand that reach and frequency doesnt automatically equal sales and profits the day fucking media bastards start having to start telling the fucking truth and working hard to keep their overinflated egos

If a marketing tactic succeeds but nobody can measure it, did it happen?

I think Andy and John nailed it with their comments but this is a great post and a return to the form you teased us with last week.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the multinationals are launching new “tools” that claim to represent effectiveness because they know if this issue was debated in the open, they would suffer the most.

Maybe we should do a campaign to shareholders and inform them their money is being wasted? Then with the stockmarket falls, they are unlikely to have any money left to complain about. 🙂

A few months ago I was invited to a private presentation by some execs at one of Australia’s leading TV networks. They wanted to show me and my boss some new technologies and subsequent research results they had achieved. In short, they were tracking people’s brainwaves (measuring actual engagement) during television programs and studying what happens in the lead up to, during and at the conclusion of ad breaks.

It was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever seen. Their argument for this research was that they were beginning to question the effectiveness of some of the media planning done by media agencies. Example: Just cause your ad runs 1st to break during Ugly Betty, does that actually have the same impact if it were first to break during Bold & The Beautiful? The results were really interesting because it showed that it all comes down to how engaged viewers are to the show at that very instant. Some of the lowest ratings shows (read: cheaper for clients to buy space on) actually had much higher rates of brand engagement and recall.

I guess the point I’m making is that it just goes to show how fucked up the system is – to your point Rob – where media agencies and clients will go for the big hard number to justify their actions and spending instead of thinking about how better to positively engage their consumer. I think awareness is the most bullshit measure there is… I’m aware of U2, doesn’t mean I think favorably of them.

Excellent post Robert though there are reasons for effectiveness blurring that go beyond just corporation job and income protection.

Success or failure can rarely be attributed to one discipline which is why companies seek out metrics that allow them to demonstrate their specific involvement in a clients campaign.

I am not saying this is right, however if you define success or failure purely by client sales, then the success of your organisations is as much in other parties hands as your own.

Of course if communication companies worked together and looked at the bigger picture as well as their own micro involvement this would not be such a problem, but we know packs of wolves are more accomodating than most advetising companies in this regard.

And Age, I believe Robert went to a similar demonstration a few years ago and a very humouress outcome came from it. You should ask him what brainwaves said about the companies who were the biggest users of television advertising.

Are you sitting on the fence Lee? 🙂

Great post Rob. Lee raises good points but I still think there’s a lot of people in the communication industry who hide behind ambiguous data to try and look good to people who are not good or simply don’t care.

Top point Mr Dodds, though there is probably some research that shows that there is a certain amount of brainwave activity that relates to ‘interest levels’ though knowing adland, they were probably wrote the research, ha!

geez andy, 8 hours since rob’s last post and you’re worse than a 3 year-old with shit in his nappy… go find a rattle.

🙂

What about misused effectiveness? You know what I’m talking about Rob.

You have to promise me Billy that you’ll still come on this blog and give your macho backchat.

Jemma x

Macho 🙂

Good evening. It’s late, and Eva is sat over there, that’s right over there; doing a powerpoint presentation about something or whatever. It’s late, I’m tipsy (it’s what I do) and I’d thought I’d pop over and say hello.

Hello.

The end.

marcus for fucking president. finally someone on here who knows how to live. if watching someone doing a powerpoint pres if fucking living. no wonder he is getting pissed as a fart