My first "real job" was chasing ambulances. Sort of. I did PR and marketing for an air ambulance service. The coolest part of my job was directing photo shoots inside medical helicopters while hovering over the city. That was the 90s, and in my opinion, media was pretty simple. There was print. The oldest form of media. Anyone who took a "Marketing 101" course in college learned that print had been around since the 1500s. There was radio and TV, also around for decades. And a few others including grassroots or "non-traditional" media.
I feel ancient for saying this, but around that time the internet was just emerging. I'm not certain that anyone had a full grasp on what it was, what it could do, or where it would take us. Cell phones sort of existed--we had a "bag phone" at the company where I worked. It required that the user lug around a big black leather satchel that housed the guts of the phone, and the hand held receiver was tucked away inside. I refused to use it because the bag never complimented any of my outfits.
My second position was in broadcast media where I found my niche. A job behind the scenes at a radio station was by far the best way to learn how media works. While there may have been some science to it, most often we took what was successful for our advertisers and made it work for us. We used promotional inventory (separate from paid advertising inventory) and told listeners why they should keep listening. Everyone had A.D.D. Everyone loved to channel surf. Messages needed to stand out and be memorable.
But we didn't just use radio to promote radio, we relied on all traditional forms of media. And guerrilla marketing. It was possibly the most aggressive form of grassroots marketing. We would park our vans outside of various events and venues, hand out bumper stickers, can coolers and T-shirts, and blast music. We would show up and crash competitor's events with armies of interns, and give away CDs and concert tickets. We would put up banners on any unadorned wall or fence. We would use high powered projectors to flash logos on the sides of buildings. We would broadcast live from beaches, parking lots, nightclubs. The guerrilla marketing code: "Ask forgiveness, not permission."
What was great about working in media was that we were usually the first to recognize and test new forms of media. The digital media age had taken off and we were in the thick of it. We had in-house programmers who developed our own websites, and designed client sites too. We hosted online contests and advertiser promotions. We shared pictures. We streamed audio and video. We interacted directly with our listeners. And during my last year in radio, we added text message marketing to the mix, to promote exclusive contests and create cutting edge campaigns for our advertisers. Oh, and there was a little thing called social media. On-air personalities created profiles on MySpace, and looked for a way to get on Facebook, which was only open to students.
After more than a decade, I left radio, but I walked away a Media Guru. I took my vast and inside knowledge of media and went on to do PR and marketing for the nation's largest traveling museum exhibition. Naturally, social media was part of the plan. We infiltrated Facebook's then private student network with a team of college interns who posted messages about how the exhibit was a must-see attraction. Cameras were prohibited in the exhibit, but our student crew shared their "insider" photos on Flickr and it went viral.
There's a reason I don't refer to myself as a Social Media Guru, and it's not because I don't understand the power of social media. I'll be among the first to acknowledge that it has changed the way we communicate--especially how we relay information, and what goes public. But hasn't every form of media done exactly that in its own time? I also agree that any great marketing plan should include social media. Without it, the museum exhibit would likely not have had the "buzz" that it did. It certainly didn't hurt that our intern team had something buzz-worthy to share. People were curious about real human bodies that had been turned to plastic. But it definitely would not have happened if the exhibit hadn't spent millions of dollars on advertising--mostly in traditional media.
Being the self-proclaimed Media Guru that I am, I have to say this. It makes me cringe when organizations put all of their eggs in the social media basket. I get it. Times are tough, and funds are limited. Who has 10-digit marketing budgets these days? But without the foundation of traditional media, your marketing plan is doomed to fail. IMHO. There are ways to stretch your budget and achieve your marketing goals. Ask any Media Guru and they will likely provide you with dozens of options. But seriously, social media is not your savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment