Media Strategy Should Be an Equal Partner to Investment — So Say We All

Interviewed by Starz director of consumer insights and analytics Dominique Batiste Moore was on stage to speak on using data in creative storytelling The interview got very real when Batiste asked Moore how he uses data and audience feedback in the creative writing process amp8220Creating a show is not a democracy Itamp8217s my tyranny We have to have a singular vision for the storyamp8221 he replied amp8220We are glad to hear what the audience thinks but itamp8217s rare that Iamp8217ll take that to the writeramp8217s roomamp8221Moore admitted that he enjoys hearing when the data turns into kudos but even that doesnamp8217t impact the storytelling processYou can imagine the nervous laughter in a room full of insights professionals hearing that their work is essentially irrelevant amp8212 at least in the eyes of a top Hollywood representative and highly successful member of the creative community Moore was respectful about data throughout the discussion noting that he completely understands the amount of effort put in generally good intentions and professionalism of data and insights leadersEven so Mooreamp8217s dismissal of data insights is a bit ironic In his version of Battlestar Galactica ultimately the Cylons robots whose AI has achieved a level of selfawareness and humans find a way to coexist and learn from each other Apparently Hollywood writers havenamp8217t evolved there yetArt and ScienceOver the past 10 years the focus of the advertising business has been on audience data efficiency and wonky issues such as reach attribution frequency capping optimization and risk minimization All of these are important Yet somewhere along the line many in our industry forgot or minimized the fact that advertising is a creative business amp8212 part science but for the most part artDuring the days leading up to the Super Bowl the creative part raises its head as the PR and social noise levels ramp up However after the big game weamp8217re back to hyperfocusing on shorttermism and turning every campaign execution into an exercise in direct response whether it should be or notMoore related two stories that likely influenced his ambivalent feelings about data and provided something for us media pros to consider The first Prior to being picked up as a fullfledged series Battlestar Galactica was a miniseries that the Syfy channel had fully committed to After screening the pilot the numbers that came back were terrible Moore looking on the bright side said that because the numbers were so poor the studio basically left them alone to finish the miniseries with full creative controlOnce the miniseries came out it drove great numbers and was picked up Had the studio just gone off the initial data and shelved the project prematurely we would have never been given the opportunity to view what is arguably one of the best television series scifi or otherwise of the past two decadesThe second story Moore shared relates to one of the early episodes There is a pivotal character development scene where the Cylon known as Six kills a baby not directly seen but heard The motivation for the character to do this per Moore was actually merciful but the network was very nervous about the scene It is a hard scene to watch and the numbers show that the episode caused some viewers to stop watching the series Yet over the years the scene has become iconic defining the paradox of the evolving nature of the Cylons and raising the quality of the showHad the network used the data to justify watering down the show the authenticity would have been lost and the longterm brand would have been damaged Instead allowing the creative vision to supersede a data learning increased the value of the show over the long term to the point where there is another Battlestar Galactica spinoff series from Mr Robot showrunner Sam Esmail launching on Peacock this yearI have no doubt that a number of you reading this are thinking to yourself amp8220OK thatamp8217s fine for creatives but I have savings goals and efficiencies to meet Not only that for the past 10 years I have been investing and completely restructuring my business to take advantage of petabytes of data that consumers create to which the digital era gives me accessamp8221All of that is true But the next few years will bring substantive change on how you use data the cost of using that data and the significantly greater risk in using that data without a wellexecuted and likely expensive compliance plan Additionally as 5G and the dawn of new immersive video ad types amp8212 which are capable of tremendous emotional impact amp8212 roll out overfocusing on shortterm efficiency could well do longterm brand damageThereamp8217s been a power pingpong between strategy and investment for years Compensation models that reward agencies for meeting cost savings goals drove the ascent of investment teams and the evolution of strategy teams to perform less like strategic partners and more like account managers Itamp8217s no wonder that quite a few marketers with exceptions view their agency as an execution arm not as a strategic partnerPart of the answer to all of this of course is more equitable compensation models for agencies by marketers who do not encourage alternate means of driving margin The race to the bottom is over Weamp8217ve hit itAs our society evolves its relationship with data as creative canvases evolve to bring much more intricate complex and emotional experiences to consumer and as the basic supply and demand curves of paid premium video ad impressions become inflationary rediscovering the importance of strategy as an equal partner to investment is the only solution to drive growth in the 2020sJust as a showrunner has a vision and roadmap for the twists and turns in their storytelling throughout a season so too can a good media strategist be the keeper of the macrolevel view without solely focusing on how much revenue a single impression delivers within hours or days of a view A good strategist will be able to identify not only the most efficient but also the more effective partners across the entire crosschannel ecosystem More importantly a good strategist will go out of their way to fit the creative the media and yes the data into the shortterm amp8220episodeamp8221 along with the longterm amp8220story arcamp8221 to create a truly effective campaignMarketers should demand and agencies should welcome the return of strategySo say we allClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Media Strategy Should Be an Equal Partner to Investment — So Say We All

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Jeff Minsky

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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Media Strategy Should Be an Equal Partner to Investment — So Say We All

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Jeff Minsky

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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