The word ‘holistic’ makes us think of alternative therapies. Incense burning, retreats featuring juice cleanses and yoga. Generally looking after your body, and more fashionably these days, your mind. If you look at it as a dictionary definition, the Oxford University Press describes it in medical terms as “the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.”
Makes sense when you think about it, you’re not going to put all your time and energy into looking after your left hand (I mean you might, but if you do, you should probably talk to somebody about that). Your left hand relies on a lot of other parts of your body to work: blood, skin, muscles, tendons, bones… I could go on. Anyway, bottom line, the left hand needs lots of other body parts to function, which is why you need to look after your whole body to get the best results from your left hand.
Someone give me a medical degree.
Since moving back to the North East, through conversations I’ve had with clients and publishers, it has become painfully apparent that the term “holistic” is not being applied to marketing campaigns as a rule. Something that has me baffled, as going back to the body, nothing really works on its own, there have to be a few different bits involved to ensure the best results. You’d think that was basic instinct. When it comes to the body? Yeah absolutely. Not so much when it comes to marketing.
Imagine your phone rings offering you a fantastic deal on your home internet as a one off; it would normally be double the price. Most people wouldn’t immediately sign up for this new provider just because of the spiel they’re given in the course of one cold call. They’d go away, check it out, and do a bit of research into whether this new provider is for them.
Why is it any different in marketing? Think of the questions you should be asking:
Why should I advertise in this magazine/on this website/outdoor space?
Is it the right target audience for my business?
Am I trying to promote a product or am I just going to panic and put in a “branding ad” and justify it to myself as ok as it was “last minute and I didn’t have time to get anything ready”?
Does it harmonise with the rest of my campaign or is it a totally random ad?
When applying the holistic approach, it is important to think about how you might add depth to your campaign, rather than doing a handful of token print adverts because that is what you’ve always done. If you’re clever about it, a holistic campaign doesn’t have to cost a fortune and can reap rewards in terms of sales, leads, and brand awareness. Going to hand over to a friend of mine for a pop culture explanation.
Shrek 2001 - Credit Dreamworks
“Get out ma swamp…!!!” - Nope, wrong quote, that’s me on a Monday morning.
”There’s a lot more to Ogres than people think...Ogres are like onions...LAYERS! Onions have layers, Ogres have layers...you get it, we both have layers”.
Like a good media plan.
Layers you should consider:
Newspapers, trade press, lifestyle magazines, brochures, leaflets and pamphlets. All fall under the print umbrella and are a regular feature on many a media plan. Good for targeting an engaged subscriber base, especially in the trade press and lifestyle magazines.
Emails reach a committed audience, especially since the GDPR which came into effect in 2018. Email lists are now on an opt-in basis, so we’re getting far less wastage than previously, as everyone on a client email database has opted to receive updates and newsletters on relevant topics.
Online
Over the past ten years I’ve seen media plans evolve from tentative forays into online with 30% of the overall budget being allocated to online in 2010, to around 80% being allocated in 2020. Online has grown tentacles as well and no longer involves sticking a couple of banners on a website and tracking clicks. It now includes social media and some really clever behavioural targeting to ensure you’re hitting the right audience every time.
Outdoor / Out-Of-Home (OOH)
Traditionally, you think of a poster at a train station or on the side of a bus. Less traditionally your guess is as good as mine, anything that isn’t “in the home”. I was once asked by a client “do you think we’d get into trouble if we broadcast a short animation onto The Elizabeth Tower?” (The Clock Tower, St Stephen’s Tower if you’re a Victorian journalist, or Big Ben if you’re incorrectly giving the tower the same name as the bell). Whatever you call it, I wouldn’t recommend rocking up in parliament square with your projector and popping something on the side of it, unless you want to end up in the other tower…
This is by no means an exhaustive list of what to include on your media plans, but it’s a starting point. I’ve spent the past 10 years planning and buying campaigns of all shapes and sizes. There is no “one size fits all”, you cannot simply copy and paste, each plan needs careful consideration and evaluation to ensure minimal wastage and maximum results.
At Moment, we can take your brief and your budget and put together a holistic media plan ensuring you get your audience, on the right platforms, on your budget. Plus we get to have fun with our favourite bit of the buying process, negotiating prices down, and added value. If you’d like to have a chat or give us a brief, please get in touch.
modernmarketing@momentagencies.com
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