Nigel Clarkson

It's been a busy few weeks here at OMC/Diversiffi Media..... .. with global DOOH progression,& market maturity top of the agenda. Data reveals that not only is OOH media holding its ground, but projections report it will outpace the UK advertising market growth in 2024/25. Not unexpectedly, this is propelled by DOOH, the convergence of technological advancements, the demands of advertisers, evolving consumer behaviours, & innovative approaches to creativity. The digitisation of assets, enabling dynamic content capabilities & programmatic trading options, redefines brand engagement. It is interesting to explore what opportunities these advancements present for clients/brands navigating audience attention in a cluttered media environment.  Will the flexibility of real-time, contextually relevant messaging extend brand resonance & increase budgetary investment? The integration of data-driven insights & analytics into campaign planning & execution is reshaping the OOH ecosystem. With advancements in technology enabling precision targeting & measurement, clients/brands have access to unlocking new levels of campaign performance and ROI.  Creativity also continues to flourish across both traditional & digital OOH, as clients/brands leverage more immersive experiences to captivate audiences & nurture lasting connections. The changes in consumer movements and infrastructure development are presenting significant opportunities for OOH. Capitalising on the growth of urban environments will broaden reach & campaign impact. As talked about frequently here, the integration of OOH into omnichannel marketing strategies is a pivotal driver of growth. Deliver consistency across multiple touchpoints, OOH is a critical component of the media mix. As long as clients/brands demand it, & their 3rd party agencies structure planning to fully integrate OOH into their omnichannel strategies, advertisers should witness an amplification of brand visibility & engagement The growth potential of OOH media is not to be underestimated. It's a multifaceted opportunity driven by digital transformation, data-driven insights, creative innovation, urbanisation, & integration with omnichannel strategies. Looking inwardly, which I rarely do, the key question is, will these opportunities start to impact OOH market share or are we yet to identify the barrier to progress? Diversiffi Media is a global independent commercialisation and business development agency, recognised for building & monetising assets through digital OOH networks, digital transformation, dynamic content & brokering commercial partnerships In partnership with The Out of Home Media Consultancy #assetmanagement #landlords #commercialproperty #municipalities #retail #inhousing #realestate #adtech #mallowners #revenues #dooh#doohadvertising #business #creativity #sustainable #globaladvertising #sustainability #data #OOHMedia #Sustainability#Commercialisation #DataDriven #DigitalTransformation Image: WOW LA

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Today's Q1 2024 @IPA Bellwether report showcases a resilient UK marketing landscape, with events and experiences remaining the standout performers with a record expansion. This resilience demonstrates businesses' strong desire to connect with customers, recognising the power of experiences to enable them to achieve this, as well as being a powerful tool to drive their bottom line. Long-term brand building should remain at the forefront amid rising promotional spending. Aligning brand experiences across the different touchpoints with core values and harnessing authentic content created from experiences fosters trust and engagement, and is crucial for navigating the dynamic marketing environment. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eGTDPyN4 #ImaginationGLBL #IPABellwether #UKmarketing #brandexperience #experientialagency #creativeagency

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Good morning today spent with one of our clients at 44 Communications Ltd talking through the results of recent research into one of their core channels. In the past (read: pre-covid) we used to run semi-regular Focus Groups to find out what employees were interested in for the channel. Whilst they were valuable, they took a lot of time to organise and pulled hard-pressed workers off the job for an extended period of time. Not easy to do when there are deadlines and priorities competing for attention. So, this time we worked with the client on a programme of 'Speed focus groups' - fast conversations with employees asking a set of questions and quickly exploring themes. No more than a few minutes of time but some great insights and ideas raised. Added to survey results, these give some flavour and life to the numbers, helping us work with the client to frame an action plan. It's not the first time we've done these. It can be hard getting opinions from front line workers whose priority is service delivery on tight schedules and with limited resources. So, it's important we take time to design measurement approaches that fit their world rather than demand they fit into ours. Just goes to show, research and insight can be done even when operating circumstances may make it seem difficult. It's always worth asking the question "what do you think about...". #internalcommunications #research #engagement #measurement #channels

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There is both a democratic and business benefit for advertisers to support news brands in the lead up to a general election. When accuracy and fact-checked information is an absolute necessity, such as with a general election, news brands really come into their own, and it’s really important that advertisers support that. This is a cornerstone of democracy, and it costs money to provide it - can you imagine a world where deepfakes and influencers tell us how we should vote!? 👀 Not only is there a democratic need for advertisers to support trusted news brands, but there is also a huge business benefit as well in the shape of more attention. For example, The Spectator sees a 30% increase in audience numbers as we approach a general election, and the dwell time on an article pertaining to the election is also increased. In short, more people spend more time on our content, and I am sure other premium news brands see a similar trend. On top of that increase in audience and dwell time, there is a higher share of voice because the UK government, one of the biggest advertisers, stop activity in the run up to the election. I think that’s what they call a win-win? #ukelection #news #advertising

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As ever an insightful article in The Media Leader regarding the GB News and Ofcom situation from Ray Snoddy There is a possibility that GB News are actively undermining the right wing vote by adding to the split between the Conservatives and Reform, thus helping Labour. The presence on GB News of Nigel Farage, a vocal critic of the Conservatives, will reinforce this rift. If so, the losses that Ray refers to in the article will have been even less well-spent.

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Will the next government bring increased regulation for the UK advertising industry? The UK general election falls on the last day of MAD//FEST LONDON, so by the time Grace Carter gets on stage to start the party in E1, many of the votes for the political parties will have already been cast. One change that the new government could oversee is increased external regulation and governance of the advertising industry - would that be a good thing or a bad thing for you? Let's take AI for example. Katherine Viner, editor of the Guardian, recently called for AI regulation. She said, "Without quality journalism to train and ground large language models, these technologies would struggle to make sense of the world around them." Without quality, trusted data to train the AI models on, it is easy to see how we could get into a vicious circle of AI choking on its own exhaust fumes: 1 - Incorrect content published 2 - AI reads that incorrect content 3 - AI therefore writes incorrect content Crap in, crap out, as they say in the trade! ;-) I would also add that digital advertising relies on quality content that consumers spend time with, so that the advertising has a chance of having an impact. For example: The difference in dwell time on an MFA site, which uses GenAI to create the content and click-bait to get somebody there, to a page with 10 ads, is a world away from the experience of a subscriber to a premium publisher site, who logs on to consume the content they pay for and only sees a single ad next to that valued content. 💬 - What do you think - more government regulation or not? #ai #regulation #advertising

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Really grateful to two market-leading Editors of subscription-led businesses and terrific ex-colleagues of mine, Catrin Griffiths and Alastair McLellan, for spending time with me last week on B2B content strategy. If you want to watch on-demand there is a link below. Highlights for me included: Impact on content strategy of the move to a paid subscription business model 17min46 Building a high value B2B content proposition 14min02, 23min05, & 31min29 How to motivate editors & editorial teams 29min42 & 50min47 Removing Print as a platform 45min02: https://lnkd.in/gbwftfwR

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Don't know where to start or what are the benefits of 'CTV' ... your not alone! Our latest report helps demystify and offers practical guidance. Please drop me or the team a line if you want to chat but definitely download the report! 👇

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Two of the largest #retailmedia players are now reaping the Attention 👁️👁️Advantage of #directmail as part of their offsite options for CPG clients. Come and join this fantastic webinar with JICMAIL to understand why …

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Impact is our output. We talk about modern marketing being able to deliver two types of impact - cultural and commercial. How do we move beyond the brand purpose debate and into a more grown up and nuanced conversation about the different types of impact we all create as marketers every day? Come and join us to find out.

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What happens when retail media overtakes TV advertising? Last week, George Nott at The Grocer published a really comprehensive article on the current state of Retail Media in the UK. Here's some of the highlights: - Supermarkets have long worked with brands on ‘shopper marketing’, and since the launch of loyalty schemes in the 1990s have been sharing data insights. So, if that's the case, where is retail media up to in its evolution? According to Nick Ashley of Tesco Media & Insights Platform, retail media is only now “coming of age“ - it’s not the toddler some talk about. But it’s not an adult yet either - it's in its teenage years. I like this way of thinking about it. - Retail media innovation is at its fastest pace yet & this is presenting challenges and opportunities for advertisers, and their agencies. To assess each, Marketing Directors should be making sure they have a retail media measurement strategy in place, to compare activations across platforms consistently and quickly to allow them to redirect investment to the most effective places. It’s a good time now to be intentional about experimentation. - The IAB is working towards standardised metrics to enable “consistent comparisons” across retail media investments for buyers, initially covering online media but eventually in-store. Tools are emerging, too, to help advertisers assess retail media opportunities – among them Plan-Apps, which is used by the likes of PepsiCo, Diageo, AB InBev, Mondelez and CCEP. - Retail Media is sparking a wave of creative collaboration. Supermarkets are open-eared to ambitious campaigns. As Matt McLellan, Asda VP customer planning & propositions, leading its new LS Eleven Media Services, told suppliers recently: “If you’re a brand that wants to do something different, we are really up for it.” Some brilliant industry voices featured across the article, which you can find below. Nick Ashley Steve Gray Catherine McGarry Marie-Clare Puffett David Sables #retailmedia #retailmedianetworks SMG Plan-Apps {Capture} Samuel Knights Emma Dean Lee LeFeuvre David Bromfield Mark Sweatman David Moore Georgina Evenden

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You can hear my audio description (written for eps 2, 4, 6 and 8) in the latest season of Clarkson's Farm!

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Looking forward to exploring the future of magazines in today's ever-evolving media landscape at the PPA 2024 Festival with industry leaders Katie Vanneck from #Hearst and Phillip Swinden from #Haymarket. 📚✨ Key issues we will look at include: 🔹 Consumer brands have some of the deepest connections to their readers around. How do you sustain this amidst the rise of creators and influencers? 🤝 🔹 The challenges and realities of consumer media venturing into B2B verticals. Is this shift as seamless as it appears? 🔄 Let me know what your key questions are. #MediaInnovation #PPAFestival2024 #PublishingFuture #DigitalTransformation

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Talk about a trifecta ... talking about a trifecta ... 🎺 Rory Sadler, CEO at trumpet 🎺 Gareth Hughes, AE at Seven20 Harry Hindess, Account Director at SalesScreen Join them next week to learn about how managers can use data, personalization and motivation to get their teams to end of quarter goal!

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Digital advertising spend is becoming more diverse. Podcast ads, social video and connected TV have made gains according to the 2023 IAB/PwC Digital Adspend report - though Search remains the bedrock. #IABUK #Digital #adspend

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How's it feeling in the Insight world at the moment? I was happy to contribute to AURA's Working Well Together charter recently (guidance for clients to follow in working with agencies). Huge thanks to Suzanne Lugthart for her initiative and drive to create this work. My lovely clients, I am lucky to have you and you're all great. We're really fortunate in my team to have had a good year, though I don't take for granted that next year will follow the same pattern. In speaking with friends across agencies I hear depressing stories of a dearth of work, minimal briefs flowing in, getting squeezed on price, getting ghosted. I've been approached recently by more freelancers than ever before, and I am aware there's lots of good candidates on the market for permanent roles. There's various factors at play undoubtedly. My concern is that we're going to start losing great talent soon. We permanently lost talent from the industry during the tough days of Covid. And I think it's difficult in some consistent but new ways now. I spoke a few days ago to a brilliant friend who's seriously reappraising her future. The people we lose from the industry could well be some of the best - the ones who are forward-looking, and prepared to jump before forced. So my ask to client-siders is to think about who you want to retain in the industry (individuals, preferred agencies). Think about how it feels to be ghosted, to lose on price when you've cut to the bare minimum at rates that haven't increased in years when the cost of living has massively gone up in the UK at least. It feels a bit like how we're encouraged to think about our high streets. Shop from them or the shops will go.

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Understanding the nuances of #OOHadvertising effectiveness is crucial for maximizing impact. Talon OOH UK's research unveils key insights: simplicity and central placement are paramount, with brand logos noticed only 42% of the time. Understanding viewer behavior and optimizing creatives pre-campaign or mid-flight ensures a stronger impact for brands. 🗣 #OOHAdvertising #CreativeEffectiveness #TalonOOHUK

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Massive changes afoot (potentially) at Royal Mail. The 'agreed' takeover will no doubt face some scrutiny especially as we face into a General Election and potential change of Government. There is no doubt that parcel delivery has been profitable and universal service poses challenges, however whoever takes on this British Institution needs to ensure they see the growth potential in advertising across the channel. Of course transactional mail items need to be sent out as part of a brands overall service offering, whereas sending something relevant and personalised to reward a customers interest doesn't land in home every day. With that in mind relevant discounts for delivery (admail) and a guaranteed regular delivery schedule (regardless of postage class) need to continue to be supported to ensure the long-term growth of the channel #royalmail #paperplanes #directmail https://lnkd.in/eBCFAZFh

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Budgets are short term, OS bosses looking after big scale markets and new budgets could well be financial year so lets just see what the back end of the year provides..... #adspend #businessoutcomes #digitaladspend

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