SERGEY BAKHTIYAROV
JOB TITLE: Senior communications planner for P&G
COMPANY: MediaCom
BASED: Russia

What key trends and insights do you think are driving global media?

ROI measurement has become pivotal in choosing the right medium in the context of multiplication of channels; the consumer is not a dog anymore and has become a cat; and the audience is not a target any more but a communication partner. This does not mean that brands should become friends with their consumers in social. Indeed, the future of social is not community but a true partnership with content generation – giving each individual the power to share. Also an idea without money goes further than money without ideas. In the context of a global conversation, the best ideas and stories enjoy an amplification potential like never before.

What is your greatest achievement to date in international media?

A non-TV communication model for Tide, the biggest laundry brand in Russia. It has a long-running TV doorstep challenge campaign, yet it hadn’t extended to non-TV for a long time. We’ve reconstructed the campaign in digital, replacing a well-known TV host with regular housewives, enabling them to talk about Tide products in their own words via video reviews, building trust and equity. The best reviews are used as advertising copy.

What creative innovations have you implemented in the past 12 months?

Product sampling for Ariel PODS 3-in-1 combined with viral Instagram mechanics, generating hundreds of thousands of earned and qualitative views. We’ve leveraged media placement in digital, print and indoor and added a clear call to action in our creativity. Whoever took a photo of our ad and placed it on their Instagram account with the hashtag #arielpods received a free sample. Unlike traditional sampling, this activation not only focused on driving trial of the new product, but delivered Ariel’s innovative equity as well.