Why marketers should consider ‘encounter thinking’

Media plans have long been based on a channel-by-channel approach but a better way of considering media strategy is to think in terms of encounters, a new Wavemaker report suggests.

In Growth Trends 2023, the agency argues that the traditional media-buying process, based on channels, creates silos that hinder the production of truly 360° media campaigns. Instead it offers an alternative that is based on the nature of the media encounter: static, for example, would embrace everything across OOH, print, display, social and TV.

Why it matters

As media becomes ever more fragmented, the old distinctions of ‘channel’ become increasingly irrelevant. Consumers don’t think in terms of channel and neither should marketers. Thinking by media encounter will help deliver a more holistic media experience for the consumer – one that is focused on receptivity.

Takeaways 

• Think about the encounters you want audiences to have with the brand and be prepared to use channels in unconventional ways.
• Build creative assets by media encounter rather than by channel.
• Taking a media encounter approach can enable more efficient media plans. 

Sourced from Wavemaker

[Image: Wavemaker]