Digital Strategy and How to Approach it.

Despite the title, this slideshow focuses more on convergent media and how best to approach it.

Given media fragmentation and the problem of too many choices, we are advocates of Purpose Based Planning. It's based on the understanding that everything between a brand and its audience is media. In other words, get rid of the terms and descriptions that are not useful (and may in fact be detrimental), such as traditional, digital, above-the-line, below-the-line, etc. Although each has its purpose and unique uses, it's all media and media is converging. Given that, Purpose Based Planning defines the purpose of the initiative and plots the simplest and most logical path in achieving the business goal.

Creative, original content, as usual, is the most important part of any endevour. Without it, media is empty space.

Others are starting to understand that old agency organizational structures (and even new digital structures) do not work and can't be fixed. The writers of this presentation put it this way:

There used to be information architects at the online agencies and copywriters at the advertising agencies. Now you need a creative thinker who reconciles both and thinks multimedia. Online art directors have to develop stories, and offline art directors have to learn to use the internet for more than checking their emails.

Good enough, however, not far enough. We think the best solution is to create a new organization around a new team that's responsible and fully involved with client business from the planning stage forward. Rather than ever expanding silos and departments, housing art directors, copywriters, planners, account executives, media planners, digital planners, interactive designers, et al - the team consists of a creative person, a technology person and a strategic planner / project manager - all with a solid understanding of all media. Everything and everybody else is in support. We call this a cell structure and it's at the heart of what we do.