Media 101 – part 2
What does ‘media’ mean anyway?
In describing what we do, and what I do specifically, it is difficult to describe what exactly media is, and where the boundaries lie. Most people think media is newspaper, television, radio, magazines etc. But in reality, it is much more than that. It is because of this ‘grey area’, that at Jack in the box we have our own definition of ‘ media‘.
Basically, the mantra we follow is:
Media is a collection of media vehicles.
Media vehicles are the tools we use to communicate a marketing message.
The standard ‘tools’ are those we all know; press; television, radio; outdoor; cinema and online. Most people connect ‘ marketing campaign’ with these standard ‘tools’. However, the toolbox is bursting at the seams with other tools to use. What about SMS marketing? A banner pulled behind a plane? An email campaign? Sponsoring a football team? Most wouldn’t put these tools in the same box as those traditional ones mentioned above, but in reality, they are all ‘tools utilised to communicate a marketing message‘.
Marketing Magazine just released their Digital Media Survival Guide special edition; a whole magazine full of tools that don’t fit into the traditional mould!
In saying this however, I need to introduce another mantra we follow:
Integrated Marketing is the only way.
I remember learning about Integrated Marketing at Uni; the newest trend in marketing. I even studied a unit dedicated just to Integrated Marketing. Now I think back, is there really any other way to market effectively? In our opinion, no. No message should exist in isolation; it is all about mixing your tools and selecting a combination that meets your strategic brief and communicates to all the right people. This concept relates to the marketing trade-off blog entry I wrote last week. Integrated Marketing means trading these ‘tools’ off each other to meet budget restraints whilst achieving the right balance.
So when we say we look after media for our clients, we don’t just mean buying television advertising for them. The boundaries really are endless. Check out our media tools section to read more.