Accelerate Efficiencies

I caught this article today in Media Post, and couldn't have said it better myself, although I personally think the title should say "should be good".

The premise of Ms. Reichig's piece is that the media and agency companies that thrive are the companies that will use this time as a crucible to innovate and evolve. We at Media Solutions have frequently said that with technology tools, you can do more with less, and become more efficient. To paraphrase, "media companies should:

1. Provide a single point of contact (across all titles- so each rep can sell across all properties)
2. Have custom, consistent marketing across brands and consumer touch points. Media companies need to figure out how their various assets can work together. This way, the message is reinforced, and the marketers get more impact for their money.
3. Provide a one-stop shop. Produce quality content. Produce custom content that is designed specifically for each screen and can include integrated ad messages. Media companies should also determine which content best reaches which target and which ad formats are most effective. (contextual advertising)
4. Get ad sales reps versed in marketing to work as consultative partners
   As the competition for fewer dollars grows and there is greater demand for accountability, media companies should educate their sales reps in marketing, research and the client's business.

The winners will be the marketers and the media that continue, or accelerate efficiencies and follow a business model that will lead to competitive advantages in good economic times and bad."

See the original article at MediaPost, or grab the pdf file listed at the bottom of this entry.

Shameless plug:
This article resonates so strongly with me because Ms. Riechig makes points that correlate directly with functions of our software platforms. Contract for Media is a tool that can turn sales reps into marketers and sole points of contact for customers, plus provide team oversight and strategic insight back to management in real time. Naxos Digital Archive is enterprise content management and facilitates access to content (both internal and external) and pushes this content across multiple media properties, with the Orbit Workflow plugin providing workflow rules. WebExpress Publisher makes it easy to deploy that content to online sites with a high degree of functionality for developing targeted advertising and community features for your audiences.