3 ways to support your marketing messages Three marketers share their ideas on how having a consumer-first mindset, choosing the right medium and channel, and clever measurement can help support a businesss marketing communications Nicole Lonsdale, chief planning officer, WPP outof-home media agency Kinetic UK 1 Katherine Munford, managing director, marketing effectiveness consultancy Data2Decisions 2 Nick McCarthy, SVP EMEA data solutions, performance marketing agency Merkle 3 Short-term comms typically deliver shortterm results The challenge is in gaining a holistic understanding of consumer response Marketers must adopt a consumer-first mentality In a cluttered media environment, and with pressure on marketers to stretch tight budgets, many are turning to short-term, targeted brand communications to achieve cut-through. Short-term comms, however, typically deliver short-term results. Business growth over a longer time requires a longerterm perspective. For marketers, a targeted broadcast medium, such as across out-ofhome (OOH), is one way to deliver this while also meeting the immediate goals of driving awareness and boosting sales. According to research, OOH has the greatest daily reach of any medium, and digital OOH is reaching critical mass offering marketers the opportunity to access audiences with content that is real-time, reactive and relevant. Insights relating to location can make this outreach even more targeted and effective; recent campaigns for Cadburys and Subway, for example, resulted in sales uplift of up to nine per cent. The customer journey is becoming increasingly complicated and fragmented thanks to the proliferation of digital touchpoints and media platforms. This adds complexity in terms of measurement and makes it harder than ever for businesses to understand where to focus. The challenge for marketers is in gaining a holistic understanding of what drives response among consumers. Those who invest in the tools that provide a deeper understanding of the entire customer journey both online and offline will gaincompetitive advantage. With advances in technology, real-time optimisation enables marketers to realisethe full benefits of attribution, and to respond to the changes in the environment with speed and agility. GDPR has put consumers firmly in the driving seat. From now on, marketing success will depend on brands ability to win and retain consumer trust at scale. Marketers must adopt a consumer-first mentality, treating audiences with respect, creating relevant experiences, and selecting partners that demonstrate this same commitment. This mindset can create a virtuous data cycle for marketers the more relevant the customer experience, the more likely it is that they will opt into an ongoing brand relationship. Ultimately, this will result in high-quality, first-party data that can further inform the customer journey. Were already seeing those who arent able to meet the new GDPR standards reduce their offering significantly. They may find they arent able to play that game for long. As businesses begin to see better marketing results from being compliant in Europe, its likely that the effects of GDPR will permeate across other markets. cim.co.uk/exchange