Media partnerships. When you think back to when you’ve run one does your heart sing or sink?
They’re occasionally tricky, often hard work and definitely time-consuming, but when a media partnership goes right, it really can be a beautiful thing – and results can be brilliant. So…how to make it work from the start?
Brief right, brief once
Once you’ve settled on the right media owner and are happy with the package offered and the audience targeted, it’s down to business.
Communication is everything at this stage and the initial briefing session is probably the most important conversation there will be. At SWC, we love it when our clients come along to these kick-off sessions as it allows us to ensure that everyone is on the same page. However, we appreciate that businesses are busy, so we’d recommend that if you can’t attend, you check who will be there. At a minimum we would suggest your agency account team, the media owner rep, project managers from both sides, and any creatives that will be needed too.
And now the brief. Make sure you’ve seen it before this meeting. Make it tight. Make sure everyone is clear on what’s expected from who. Talk timings. If you’re there, thrash out process. Ensure all parties are on the same page. Keep it friendly and amicable – a good relationship with the media owner can reap rewards in the future.
And after the meeting, make sure you request an email documenting discussion, assigning who is doing what, action points and timing. It’s always better when it’s written down – plus any discrepancies can be ironed out upfront too.
The best laid plans and making them work
Everyone knows nothing runs like clockwork though, so be prepared for some flexibility when the project gets going. We like to check in with our clients and give them regular updates on the activity – be it good or bad. We’re also great lovers of picking up the phone, and find that if there is an issue that needs addressing, it can often be done far more efficiently on a call.
However. Let’s visit the dark side for a moment, say the worst is happening. Copy is badly written. Design is sloppy. Adverts are being underserved. Your guaranteed leads aren’t where they should be. You’re just not happy and you can’t understand why the media title (and your agency) isn’t trying harder to make your project perfect.
But here’s the thing. That media rep really does want your campaign to work. They want it to work so much that you come back and buy more off them. And your agency wants you to be happy too. Often there can be things at play that aren’t always seen, such as web traffic being down, meaning adverts aren’t serving as they should. The human error of sending a V1 proof rather than the correct V2. An editorial team ‘bumping’ a commercial slot for an editorial story, something that most advertisers – or media reps – have no control over.
So, despite your annoyance, it’s again worth taking a deep breath having a conversation. Trying to come up with a solution together with your agency to make things better is usually a more constructive plan that simply having a big angry row.
Happy together
And so you work things out. The activity is back on track and you’re happy again. The results are super good. What now? Well, it’s now that we’d expect your agency to step in and see if there’s anything else you can do with the title. If somethings going good then it’s always worth seeing if it can be even better, right? So…is there something that editorial can be approached with? An article or an interview? Is there something else that could be of interest – special features, webinars, events? Can the assets the title has created be reused, so you further the campaign reach and save some marketing budget…? So many ideas….so many more media partnerships to enjoy….
SWC Partnership can help you with media partnerships across a range of media channels, from press to radio to TV. If you’re keen to learn more, click here to chat to us further.
