WHAT ABOUT IRRELEVANCE?
April Thayer
Every now and then, we get a chance to see a new client’s prior media buys – which for us, in a geek-y kind of way, is a lot of fun. And every now and then, we’re speechless.
Not so long ago, I got to tear apart an executed plan to try and unearth the strategy. (Of course, there was no strategy document, no verbiage to help orient the observer – you always wonder what they tell the new planner or buyer on the account? “Let ‘er rip! Buy low and book now!”)
So here I am, poring over flowcharts and spreadsheets looking for the secret sauce. And what do I find? Household ratings. Huh?
Another case in point: trying to unearth the strategy for an account last year, looking at old buysheets and what do I see? Daytime television for 18-34 year olds. Huh?
Media Matters, Media Dynamic’s bi-weekly e-bulletin about all things media, had an interesting article last week about the myth of demographic targeting. Their point was that, if you watch daytime television, you will consistently see advertising for products that have a target audience of middle demographics. So why do they run during programs that would be considered “out of demo?”
MDI appropriately suggested that this is a classic case of irrelevance for the large majority of viewers to those programs except the ones who are “in demo” and yet, here we are, approaching the media ratings collision with ENGAGEMENT. That would mean that older-skewing television fare couldn’t be as engaging to younger viewers as something more target to them. Can’t wait for the engagement clarification. Will it make any difference at all?
It will make media costs higher. It will make historical data irrelevant. It will make research harder to understand and more obtuse than ever. It will make advertisers angry with their media planners and buyers. And it will make media planners and buyers crazy.
And guess what? We’ll still have irrelevant advertising running in “out of demo” programming.
Guess why? Talk to those advertisers and they will all tell you the same thing: “It works.” “Sales have never been better.” “I know it doesn’t make any sense, but we’re way up year over year.”
So unravel that for me, would you? I have my suspicions but they’re too goofy to share.