Media agencies however, sing a differt tune, lamenting a general lack of expertise and effectiveness — with just a handful of exceptions — in both the creativity of cross-media buys offered by publishers, and technical expertise. So who’s right?
1 Integration, experts argue, needs to be much more than a one-way street, or if you like, an online platform which simply contains elements of the media owner’s brand and editorial sections. It should, they say, complement the print version by offering distinctly different content, new tools and greater depth. It needs to be truly integrated, directing and engaging readers and advertisers between the platforms.
2 In Hong Kong, the revamped South China Morning Post print version has pointers directing consumers to its online version, and secondary tools reinforcing the move online. But time will tell whether it will work the other way. “We already highlight what will be in the newspaper the next day with SMS alerts, and online, we offer podcasts and videocasts to supplement the print edition,” says Scmp.com publisher, Chris Axberg. “On the marketing and advertising side, we have a merged sales force to offer integrated buys for advertisers.”
3 Around the region, The Straits Times in Singapore, which last year launched its ‘Stomp’ platform, is shooting for the youth demographic as a channel to build its print edition, while the Wall Street Journal is pitching itself at the high-end business demographic. Phu Trong, director of international sales, Dow Jones Online, says: “I don’t think agencies are set up properly for integrated buys. A lot of the time in agencies, you have separate teams.”
4 But one regional media agency executive, who wished to remain anonymous, notes that there’s just a handful of media owners who are doing it well — The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and Time Warner leave the rest well behind. “Either through a lack of resources or skills, there are very few people who can sell across online and print. They’ve really been a bit dinosaur-like by keeping them separate, when they really do need to be hand-in-hand.”
5 Angela Mackay, regional advertising director for The Financial Times, is quick to point out many brands are taking their time in coming on board, too. Traditionally, most of the interest tends to come from those brands which are more familiar with online because of the nature of their business — airlines, hotels and the financial and technology sectors. The former client notes it will take a much greater interest from the largest global brands to create something of a tipping point for true integration to occur.
6 Rosemary Lising, MEC Interaction director for Asia-Pacific, says one of the biggest hurdles to integration is measuring cross-platform ROI. Many brands, she points out, see the value of investing in one or the other, and there is plenty of data to back this up. But how do you measure returns on combined exposure in a cross-platform environment? “There’s no research that shows the two and, as an industry, it’s something we really do need to do,” she says.
7 Internal issues are proving another hurdle, with many long-established media owners, slow to react to a changing landscape. “They have internal challenges, meaning does everyone actually want to reach consumers through any means possible, or do they see print as something they have been doing on its own, and keep doing it?” says OgilvyOne Hong Kong MD Sean Rach.
8 So what does the future hold? It seems clear that until the disparity in revenue between the two platforms is addressed, true integration will continue to be difficult to achieve. “It will be a delicate balance for the print industry to nurture the print product while promoting online. Print still far outstrips the revenue for online, but you’re going to increasingly need twin revenue streams,” explains the FT’s Mackay.
What it means for advertisers...
Integration presents brands with greater scale, reach and potential cost efficiencies, but only if media owners and media agencies are on the same page in terms of selling and buying.
Expect slow progress. Most media owners claim they’re ‘integrated’, but it’s much more than a simple online presence. The best bet is to approach it carefully.
What it means for media owners...
Develop your in-house sales teams. It’s one thing to claim the sales force is equally adept at selling traditional print slots along with highly technical online, it’s another thing to do it well
Incentivise sales staff to really begin selling online effectively. When this happens, the revenue will more rapidly close the gap with print.
A reliable system of measurement is fundamental to the continued growth of off- and online media in tandem, meaning media owners, along with agencies, have plenty more work to do.
