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While every medium has the innate ability to engage and
entertain the audience, most people would agree that there is none more
capable than television.
In a country where almost everybody watches the small screen almost
everyday, it's no surprise that the overwhelming share of the
advertising rupiah is spent on television. By advertising industry
estimates for 2006, measured media like TV, print and radio accounted
for over Rp 12 trillion in real expenditure, after accounting for
discounts and bonus spots.
Educated guesses for media not measured, like billboards, bus panels,
promotions, direct mail and sampling would add another Rp 6 trillion to
round off the industry at over Rp 18 trillion in 2006.
Television alone would have attracted just under half of this
investment in products and services, but with a share well over 60
percent of measured media. As one medium among many, it continues to
each year grow in terms of rupiah.
Yet, in the opinion of the viewers at large, the power of the
advertisements within the medium is steadily declining year after year.
In three years, the number of people who "find TV advertising
interesting" has gradually declined from 73 percent of viewers to 67
percent. In the same period, the number of people who believed that "TV
advertising often gives me something to talk about" has dipped from 43
percent to 36 percent.
As a whole, the advertising industry is on a slippery slope. All
concerned, media owners and buyers, advertisers and agencies should
take heed. For if this trend continues, more money will be spent each
year to achieve less in the minds of the audience.
These conclusions are based on Roy Morgan Single Source, the country's
largest syndicated survey used by more marketers, media and creative
agencies than any other study. With over 27,000 Indonesian respondents
annually, it is projected to reflect 90 percent of the population over
the age of 14. That is a universe of 140 million people. The results
are updated every 90 days.
Departing from hard facts and entering the realm of opinion and
interpretation, consider the opinion of an advertising man turned
researcher and consultant. The view isn't pretty.
There are several reasons for the malaise and the remedies aren't easy
to administer. Over the years, insensitive tests have convinced clients
that any advertising is better than no advertising, that branding is
vital, that visibility is more important than any other facet of
communication.
These are beliefs that are hard to argue against and nobody should
waste any time debating them.
But in the hands of inexperienced and incapable brand custodians who
cannot tell the difference between a good idea and a bad one, these
beliefs become blunt instruments with which to beat even the best of
creative minds.
How many judges of great ideas do we individually know? It is equally
true that creative geniuses are a rare breed, with big ideas a rare
treat put up for consideration in the first place.
Today, the chain of command is focussed on short-term goals not
long-term objectives, with pressure from shareholders rapidly traveling
through the corridors of corporate power down to the brand manager.
That heat is passed on to the agencies to deliver results, and to
deliver now. Growth, in volume and share, is the only mission and
everything else can be sacrificed at its altar. Careers are built on
that belief.
Together, order-givers and order-takers are perpetuating a slavish
culture of "show me the money". As long as the immediate goals for the
company's bottomline are met, it doesn't seem to matter if one of its
brands cannibalizes another or if brand equity measures actually dip.
Shareholders here today and gone tomorrow cannot tell the difference
and don't really care. Why should they, as long as the stock is looking
good on the bourse? Stakeholders looking to move on to their next
promotion no longer seem to care, either.
Gone are the days of teamwork between each individual member of the
team, building a brand together by balancing long-term objectives with
short-term goals. Mutual respect and trust, between client and agency,
continues to decline.
Despite these realities, a good idea does surface occasionally, to the
pleasant surprise of all concerned, including the all-important viewer.
The writing is on the wall, regardless of self-congratulatory industry
awards. Advertisers, media agencies, creative agencies, researchers, as
well as the owners of the TV stations, all need to work towards a
holistic resurrection.
Paying homage to insensitive test scores and 10-city TV ratings cannot
be the basis of building brands. One of the hallmarks of a great idea
is that it lives in the mind of the audience well beyond the last
insertion.
They are the kind of ideas that help quality products and services
build long-term relationships with customers.
Fewer commercials that treat the viewer as a moron, more ideas that
engage the audience in shorter commercial breaks and within program
content, should all help repair the damage done.
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