For the sake of the new

New isn’t always better and whilst innovation is driven by the dreamers, it is confirmed by the sceptics.

iPhone v Apple Mouse

Google v Google Glasses

Snapchat v Snapchat Glasses

Windows v Zoom

Just looking at these few examples, we have the same companies developing revolutionary, society changing, products juxtaposed to products that weren’t necessarily bad as a concept but, they definitely didn’t change the world. They didn’t just not change the world, they didn’t even fit in. Whether it’s Apple trying to re-invent a perfectly good mouse for the sake of it or consumers failing to see the usefulness and integration of Google glasses into their daily lives, at some point, all of these companies decided to push for a new product, failing to see the bigger picture at the time.

Yes, hindsight is 20/20 and it’s a lot easier to see where they went wrong now but all we can do is learn from mistakes and try to do the best to cumulate as much information as possible to make educated decisions before the fact.

All too often in Digital Media, brands are pushing for innovation for the sake of it. Caused by buzzwords, agenda driven sales pitches and a fear of “missing out”, traditional marketing principles and known truths are thrown out the window.

It’s completely understandable why Marketers that didn’t grow up with Digital Media all around them often scoff at the new form of communication as they refer back to the old principles that have served them well for so long. They are absolutely right that, the old knowns still hold true today. Digital Media has no one but themselves to blame for being looked down on.

All too often, the latest AdTech fad is put on a plan because “it looks cool” without considering the KPI and real world outcomes it will deliver.

Part of this is driven by a fear of missing out, part of it comes from digital media being a young industry where everyone is excited, energetic and looking for something new to try (which as a whole is a great thing) and definitely a large part is at the hand of savvy sales people exploiting the buzzword of the day to sell their product.

All of this, however, is only possible due to a lack of digital expertise across the marketing industry.

Without knowledge and a true understanding it is impossible to defend an opinion so often, it is easier to go along with the flow and blame the agencies implementing campaigns when it doesn’t work out. In any case the fault lies with both the brand and the media agency not standing up for what is right. There is nothing wrong with not knowing but there is everything wrong with not admitting it.

Education is power and without it, Digital Media will be powerless, continuing in a circle of chasing buzzwords without quantifying results. Chasing the new whilst losing sight of the bigger picture.

Death of the Big Media Agency

Whilst the death of media agencies may be a slight exaggeration, it is without a doubt that digital media has changed the landscape and as a result, agencies can no longer rely on the models that have proven to be hugely financially lucrative in the past. This poses two realistic options. Change the revenue structure, refocus the offering, amend the way clients and staff are dealt with in order to create a chance of survival and return to success or, stay stagnant, keep making as much money as possible for now, hope clients don’t wake up to the reality of poor service, low expertise and inflated rates and disappear when brands finally do look under the hood.

As a consultancy, Silver Fox Digital may be a little bit bias in our opinions but below, we are looking to rationalise our thought process behind why we set ourselves up in the way we did, outlining the flaws of the current model, what the opportunities are for agencies and how we think clients will be best served by a combination of Digital Media Consultants and Agencies working hand in hand.

Digital Media has changed everything!

Everything seemed simpler in the good old days. A roomful of senior media owners and agency executives all could sit around one table and effectively divide up the total market. Upfronts mean something when budgets have to be split by reach of the total market. They mean something when the same guys have been doing business for years and they mean something when everyone could scratch each others back.

It isn’t surprising that those same guys, a lot of them still in charge, don’t want to accept any change because, things have been great for so long. The reality however, as much as they want to resist it, is that, digital media has changed all of this. Premium environments, whilst still important to an extent, are having to compete with new AdTech start-ups delivering ever improving audience targeting capabilities.

This expanding landscape means that to actually deliver value to clients, media agencies can’t just rely on kick-backs, mates sorting out cheap inventory, implementation is more fragmented than ever, the need for client education and setting expectations has outpaced industry knowledge amongst employees and all this as, media planner/buyers, have to know more than ever.

Media Agencies just don’t know!

The reality is that, whilst there is a need for education of digital media, Media Agencies just aren’t the experts they once were. This isn’t blaming individual staff it is simply stating a fact that the result of more time required to implement, more reporting requirements and less expertise whilst trying to manage margins with limiting headcounts are leaving enormous knowledge gaps within agencies. Where once brands could rely on their agency providing absolute expertise of media, what we see within agencies, is a complete lack of required understanding of how digital marketing even works at its most basic levels.

How can Media Agencies provide expert recommendations when they themselves are unable to fully understand how, what they are recommending, actually works?

Quality costs money!

Ignoring the lack of digital media experience in market when trying to recruit talent for a minute, upskilling staff and having enough employees to adequately cover the constant stream of digital tech companies coming onto the scene, costs money. As a result, managing margins to retain profits whilst competing on the lowest rates with the same “pitch” as every other agency, will never deliver the best work and outcome for brands.

At Silver Fox Digital, we have seen countless pitch documents and the reality is, they are mostly the same. A promise of better service with lower rates and for us, any client that sees this as a great pitch, is absolutely a target for our education and training sessions as we assume, clients wouldn’t make the same call when it comes to their private life. It is the same as buying a sushi handroll from 7/11 and expecting the same outcomes (or lack of) as a gourmet sashimi platter from Nobu.

Sure, calls of “transparency” have been thrown around the industry press but asking for site lists and re-arranging kick-back agreements and creating slush products just isn’t transparency. Transparency is knowing what you’re buying, understanding the cost and yes, paying for both quality of tech/media and quality of staff. When it comes to digital media, brands truly get what they pay for.

Adapting, Activating & Reporting

Pay for experts to do what they are best at. When it comes to Digital Media, what keeps Planner/Buyers from being experts in large part is the huge amount of time required to activate and report but, undoubtedly, that is what they are best at.

If we acknowledge that there isn’t enough time and money to do everything well, Media Agencies are set up incredibly well to activate campaigns, implement tracking, measure outcomes and deliver consolidated reports. Consolidated reporting dashboards alone are worthy of client committing financial support as they offer real value to track and optimise ROI. It is time to stop baking in margins, hiding secret handshakes and misleading products and for brands to pay for services provided based on the value they ad. It should be the exact same as my plumber charging for material plus labour with a mark-up based on quality and expertise.

Leave it to the experts!

We’ve established that you get what you pay for so, the simple question is, why not pay the right people for the right services?

Brands pay consultancies to tell them how to manage change, acquisitions and in the more recent past even creative services. Consultancies are set to truly be experts in the area they consult in so if it is already common business practice to allow true experts to consult on all niches of big business, why is media being left behind? Media strategy is one of the most overlooked components of advertising and as a result, it is often done wrong doing disservice not just to the creative work celebrated but most importantly the brand that has spent years cultivating a brand and product for their consumers.

Digital Media has blown the landscape wide open and media agencies can no longer claim to be experts when it comes to knowing how things work or why they are appropriate for their client. Instead they are focusing on managing their margins in an outdated model with the brand carrying the burden and leaving themselves venerable. Why do we still believe that the people that can implement with minimal margin are the same people that are experts in the ever-changing AdTech and Digital Media landscape?

It is time for brands to take note and bring on experts to guide them through the digital confusion, forcing agencies to adapt and resulting in absolute clarity and business success for all involved.

Silver Fox Digital - Launch - Press Release

Like you, we are frustrated by digital confusion and we understand that surviving in a competitive marketplace is hard enough. You shouldn't have to worry about self-interest and deceit leading to failure. Our business was born from seeing Digital Media done poorly, hijacked by buzzwords, insulting mark-ups and businesses suffering at the hands of agency kick-backs or secret deals so, we created Silver Fox Digital.

It's our mission to work with you and create custom solutions that deliver absolute digital clarity.

We understand how digital media fits into marketing strategies, how adTech works and what you should be paying, helping you reduce anxiety over digital confusion and freeing up your time. Deceit and self-interest shouldn't be tolerated or impact your business because, if you are going to invest your money, you ought to be treated fairly and be given the keys to success.

Providing clients services ranging from, customised education, workshops, strategy to activation as well as greater, overarching, consulting work, Silver Fox Digital will bring absolute expertise and integrity to work alongside your business. Specialising in Digital Media and adTech, we will be able to assist in getting your brands message to the right people, maximising your ROI and ensuring that the advice you're receiving is coming from real experts without vested interests anchored in backroom deals and kickbacks or a lack of education.

Silver Fox Digital will also be able to consult Trade desks, Publishers and Agencies to deliver best to market approaches when monetising existing data and audiences, develop clear product roadmaps and strategies, including sales collateral and communication strategies.

Being an independent business, we are exited to work with clients, delivering real outcomes with absolute integrity and guide your brands on the path to success.

Silver Fox Digital