Media specialism remains largely ignored by the Philippine
advertising industry.
This is even though a growing number of Asia-Pacific markets now have
well-entrenched media agencies, just a few years after they formally
rolled out their operations.
While more advanced markets like Hong Kong and Singapore have been quick
on the uptake, even nations like Thailand and China have seen a rapid
growth in media agencies.
The result is that media specialists in the Philippines have found
themselves in a steep uphill battle to gain recognition and acceptance
from not only their peers in the whole industry but more importantly
from the client side.
MindShare Philippines managing director Jocelyn Mendoza-Galera said that
in all aspects of the media process - strategic thinking and planning,
buying, negotiations and implementation - there is a need for
innovation.
Predictability is more the norm than the exception and that there
appears to be little desire to make a difference.
"For example, the industry's investment in media talent is appallingly
behind its investment in creative people.
"We seldom, if ever, think of upgrading media personnel's knowledge and
skills, sending them abroad for instance, to learn new approaches and
media ideas that will soar in this market.
"The general thinking is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. A pity
really, because media involves actual budgets that underwrite the
realisation of the creative and brand impact," Ms Mendoza-Galera
said.
When it comes to being savvy in technology and software know-how, the
media in the Philippines as a whole is still in a catch-up mode with the
rest of Asia-Pacific and the developed world, she added.
These days, the top media agencies are investing significantly in
software tools that help empower the communications planner and
buyer.
This in-house proprietary software takes over a lot of the tedious
manual work, allowing planners and buyers much more time for strategic
thinking, the gathering of strategic insights, and the negotiation of
smart buys, Ms Mendoza-Galera said.
However, she noted that despite the seeming resistance to change, all
was not lost.
"More and more, we see innovations in media executions: teasers,
programme portions, segment buys, programme merchandising, out of home
media, for example, supermarket carts, mall signages, soda cups, (all of
which represent) small but emerging media innovations that veer away
from the crowd".
Traditional spot buys was also dead, she added, and replaced by cluster
offers, representing smart buys - package buys, interstitials, programme
merchandising and multi-platform approaches.
But the impetus for these changes was more to soften the blow of rate
increases than anything else, she added.
In order to stay ahead of the game, she said that it should be made
clear to all staff at all agencies that their commitment to a client's
business must be nothing less than total.
When that happens, results normally reflect their commitment.
That is, the thinking is well-grounded on client's realities and
concerns and solutions open up to greater visibility or impact for the
brand.
Ms Mendoza-Galera stressed, however, that clients tended to stay away
from controversy or crises in a media marketplace.
"How do you make them see the possibility of an opportunity in times
like these?"
Clients nowadays are no longer content with merely waiting for solutions
to be offered by the agency; they are even trying to be more
proactive.
"They have gotten in on the act. They now ask, some even insist, on
being a part of the process.
They are quite involved in the media task - all for a common goal - to
ensure brand ubiquity, which translates into brand awareness, and in the
long run, brand equity."
