Marketo-DG2DA

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS (CONTINUED)
STEVE JONES
President, International DWA Media
MKTO: What is one mistake you
see marketers often make when it
comes to digital advertising?
SJ: In the current climate of rapid
technological development, there is
a tendency to overlook the
importance of communication
basics. Targeting and delivery
technologies are not a substitute for
effective communication; they are
an aid—the story still needs to be
told, it still needs to be interesting
and informative and the audience
still needs to be listening. By
focusing mainly on the
technological capabilities of tactics
and their measurement, digital
advertising is often deployed in
isolation, making it harder to
interpret campaign exhaust data
correctly. This can lead to an overoptimised
and over-simplified
channel/tactic mix. Activity is often
deployed in a hurry through a desire
to be at the industry cutting edge,
which can lead to missing important
data feeds or clues to performance.
MKTO: How would you advise
someone new to digital
advertising–what are some key
elements they should focus on/
master first?
First and foremost it’s to keep the
individuals and their journey options
in mind—both online and offline. This
will help to prevent the wasted
opportunities and will keep every
activity working towards a master
goal. The next piece of advice would
be get a framework in place that
allows a coordinated approach. All
too often, activities operate in silos.
It’s better to spend time working out
the user journey and how to measure
the things that impact it than to rush
headlong into the latest thing just
because it is the latest thing. It is also
best not to assume that everything
will work, or will work from the start.
It is smart to commit to testing and it
is also smart to know when to switch
something off.