'Media owners, like creative agencies, have vested interests'

Avinash Himatsinghani VP, adsales, National Geographic Channel Asia

Who's coming up with the best media  ideas these days?

I think it's the collaborative efforts of advertisers, their agencies and the selected media owners that make a media campaign stand out. The best ideas can come from anywhere and as long as each of the stakeholders is playing their part, not only will great ideas come about, but they will also be executed well.

How has collaboration between media owners and agencies changed?

The fast-evolving media landscape with fragmented audiences is driving advertisers to expect even more relevant, targeted and effective solutions for their media investment and that means more dialogue and better understanding between media owners and agencies.

How important is it for a media owner to have a creative department?

Most media owners already have in-house creative talent for self-packaging and promotion, and these people know their own media environment and audience best. Media owners need to tap into this resource for creative solutions to advertisers.

 

Do these teams really offer 'media neutral' solutions?

Not necessarily. More often than not, the solutions are geared towards adding value to a particular campaign within a specific media environment reaching a specific target audience. While these solutions can cut across platforms, they would typically need to utilise a similar environment targeting similar audiences.

Can media owners make money by developing creative solutions in-house?

Media owners monetise audiences. In-house creative solutions help media owners strengthen our position within a media selection mix for a particular campaign and also aim to serve a longer-term partnership perspective.

 

Do you believe the relationship between the media owner and advertiser is changing? 

Media campaigns today go beyond simple ad placements and, as a result, media owners need to have a better understanding of campaign objectives. Today the advertiser has a much better understanding of media platforms, their environment and audiences reached, resulting in a closer working relationship. Media agencies play a critical role in bringing us together.

 

Lyn Rogers Regional business director, Carat International, Asia-Pacific

Who's coming up with the best media  ideas these days?

Thought-leading communications planners who understand advertisers' business needs, gather key consumer insights, and convert them to implementable creative communications ideas.

How has collaboration between media owners and agencies changed?

Collaboration is essential. But it must be tripartite — involving the advertiser too. The starting point must be the advertisers' goals, be it brand or sales. Without this, all parties are planning in the dark. It is far more complex than a one-way, buy-sell transaction. Media owners have risen to the challenge by offering multi-channel solutions.

 

How important is it for a media owner to have a creative department?

Not essential. The brand guardian is still ultimately the advertiser itself. However, in the digital world, it is very difficult to separate content, creative, production and technology. They go hand-in-hand.

 

Do these teams really offer 'media neutral' solutions?

No. How can they? Media owners, like creative agencies, provide solutions with a vested interest to generate maximum revenue for themselves. The only truly media-neutral folks are those at an independent media agency, whose only vested interest is the success of their clients' business.  

Can media owners make money by developing creative solutions in-house?

Yes, I'm sure they currently do. But in the future their inter-department revenue-sharing models will be under scrutiny, as media agencies and advertisers alike demand greater transparency of actual media cost (based on delivered audience numbers) versus a basket cost of bundled added value items plus media cost.

 

Do you believe the relationship between the media owner and advertiser is changing?

Yes. Brands that connect best with their consumer offer relevant and interesting content. It may be delivered via media owners to reach a wider, yet relevant audience, but it is made available across multiple platforms, when and how the consumer wants to receive it.