Some media companies do have the luxury of having someone who acts as a researcher into profitable markets and who also takes a close look at the competition. However, this is usually the exception to the rule, so you’ll probably have to give this task to someone who is already well versed on your current advertising sales set up.
Let’s take cinema media as an example and create a scenario for a potential advertiser:
A cinema advertising chain comes up with a new idea on how to offer advertisers an involved interactive strategy to increase their branding and direct response.
The cinema company brings in a new service where the advertiser can offer a free item of confectionary every time a consumer mentions the relevant promotion to a member of staff at the food and drinks counter.
The consumer sees an advert on the big screen and is given a keyword. They can then go to the shop and mention this keyword to a staff member. This keyword will in some way be associated with the product advertised and the consumer must remember the exact keyword or phrase. The consumer is then given the free confectionary and is asked to fill out a quick card to enter a prize draw. Finally, they can then opt-in to receive future mailings from the advertiser.
So, what are the real unique opportunities here for the advertiser?
They produce a ‘call to action’
They get branding
They get customer reaction
They embed a relevant keyword in the mind of their potential customer
They get a unique referral message
So, what does the cinema chain get out of it?
A unique service, which the advertiser will love
More sales at the food and drinks counter
The cinema chain would probably even pay for the free confectionary as part of the deal to the advertiser and they might insist that the advert would run at a time when it wouldn’t detract away from other ads – or could cause disruption during the movie. They would also put a time limit on the offer and consumers would be asked to collect a card before going to the counter.
Something of added value would also be to strategically place a display board close to the exit of the cinema, so people had a last chance to act on the promotion.
This kind of idea is something that should be part of your brain storming sessions. Keep your finger on the pulse and your flowing ideas will create a whole host of opportunities for your advertisers.
