Brands without a mobile strategy going into 2015 are “practically on mute”, according to Carat Media Malaysia’s innovation chief.
Mark Chaves, at judge next year’s Festival of Media Asia Pacific (FOMA) Awards in Singapore, told M&M Global that, while mobile is the “first point of contact” for many consumers, it does not get a “fair share of attention” in marketers’ plans.
“In markets like Malaysia, print and TV still command advertising investments. I believe mobile has been for a while the first point of contact [with consumers]. However, often it doesn’t get its fair share of attention in brand plans,” said Chaves.
“People are incomplete without their mobile. As consumer journeys become more integral in designing communications, mobile will shine, too.”
Chaves adds the industry will be more occupied with mobile than ever before: “If brands are not on mobile, or doesn’t have optimised mobile screen strategies, they’re practically on mute – pun intended. Apps that are simple and intuitive for everyday use will win.”
Media by-word
Innovation has become a “media by-word”, according to Chaves, but no one is yet to achieve “sole mastery” of innovation. “Everyone wants to be different and better. This excites me about marketing and media because we are all given that license to prove we have it,” he said.
However, the former ZenithOptimedia and Universal McCann strategist argues that the media industry must get better at selling itself to talented young people.
“As marketers, we are often accused of coming up with great campaigns to sell products, but we fall short in selling ourselves as an industry who employs.
“Based on our recruitment experience, I think there are few quality young talents wanting to join or stay for the long haul. For whatever reason, we need to change our recruitment and induction strategy for the next wave.”
With the final deadline for FOMA Awards submissions on 12 December, Chaves said it is vital for entries to clearly articulate the challenge they were set and how they looked to solve it.
“Identifying the problem is already the first half of the solution,” said Chaves. “I’ll be very particular about a clear articulation of the challenge so that my mind will be excited about the solution. The contenders must’ve been very proud of their works, therefore, they should spend time crafting a great story.
“FOMA’s categories are interesting because they are called in the same fashion as how plans are designed, irrespective of media.”
The deadline for FOMA Awards entries is 12 December – click here for more details
