Most media planners in the advertising industry were trained to develop plans utilizing tools that involved one-way communication: TV, radio, print or out-of-home. While advertisers could talk to the consumer through these mediums, the consumer could not talk back or engage in any dialogue with that advertiser’s brand besides changing the channel or station.

With the recent transformation in technology, there has been a shift in the consumer mindset and how they interact with both traditional and emerging media – and in turn, how they interact with advertisers. The Internet, and in particular, social media, has given rise to consumer empowerment. We’re connecting with each other in ways we never had before, sharing experiences and offering opinions and advice in real time. While we in the advertising industry have always given lip service to the old adage “consumer is king,” it has never been truer.

This recent trend toward consumer engagement and the growing importance of social media in the marketing equation got us thinking: with this shift in the fundamental way consumers engage with media, we must in turn shift the way we approach media planning at Merrick Towle Communications. It’s no longer about reaching the masses with a message once and hoping they actually (1) see or hear your message and (2) take some sort of action. The very nature and intensity of the engagement needs to determine when and where we enter the conversation. We must become smarter and more creative in how we choose to engage that consumer in conversation, as well as in when we initiate that interaction through media planning.

by Donna Hodge, Media Director, dhodge@merricktowle.com