Media must innovate and lead the way

AGENCY OF THE YEAR    MEDIA AGENCIES   DIGITAL

Malaysia - The media industry has changed, no doubt. As Andreas Vogiatzakis, managing director for OMD Malaysia, puts it, "The media landscape here now is more fragmented and converged than before."

Advertising + Marketing spoke to the country's leading media agencies, in anticipation of the Agency of the Year (AOTY) Awards on 14 June.

With the advent of digital and new media, the media industry must be able to adapt quickly in their approach rather than being too cautious in order to keep up with the evolving role of brands and consumer behaviour.

"Most of the news has been in the digital space. Not just the development of online, social, search and mobile but also the digitisation of traditional media, which now makes it possible for communication solutions to seamlessly transition across media channels," says Girish Menon, chief executive officer for Mindshare.

Media agencies ought to also reflect Malaysians' ardent interest and thirst for new technology.

"Malaysian consumers are leaders rather than followers in terms of adopting new digital platforms. Whereas I find that as an industry, we are still too cautious and risk averse, always waiting to see the best practices from other markets to show us the way," Menon says, adding that in effect, media agencies have to lead the way in innovation especially in digital media.

"As an industry, we need to lead the collaboration with the entire marketing ecosystem, and stay pincer-focused on driving business outcomes for clients," Prashant Kumar, managing director for Universal McCann Malaysia, says.

Vogiatzakis also said that as society becomes more attuned to multi-screen behaviours, it is imperative for media agencies to go beyond the traditional roles of media planning.

He said: "Agencies have to now move towards content, contributions, community engagement, and create contagious ideas that initiate dialogues, tell stories and add value."

"The media industry is going beyond the typical media strategy development.  More holistic communication strategies are now designed and deployed that help marketers to arrive at seamless strategies across the various communication disciplines," Vogiatzakis continued.

As Kumar sums it up, "Today, it would take a really rare client to not understand the critical role media agencies play in their marketing. Our role in the demand chain is well-recognised by savvy clients," he adds. 

Finalists shared their gratitude to client marketers for recognising their work and effort, and in putting them on the shortlist for the Media Agency of the Year category.

"I am grateful to our clients, business associates and media partners who were part of the shortlisting process. Needless to say, it is the hard work, attention to detail and innovative solutions from the Mindshare teams over the years which has helped to build this reputation," Menon said.

However, the gala night won't be solely about the competition.

"Making some noise, having some fun, partying at large, and if a win is truly deserved, applauding hard and loud," Kumar says, when asked what about the Agency of the Year 2012 event he was looking forward to.

To book your table at the only awards in the region judged solely by marketers, click here, or contact Yuru Wong at enquiries.sg@aotyawards.com.

Find out more about Advertising + Marketing magazine's Agency of the Year Awards 2012 here: http://aotyawards.com/2012/my/index.html