Filtering the media explosion

In my former role as Nestle Rowntree media controller I was acutely aware of the explosion of media choices for brands today. I was bombarded with a hundred calls a week from media companies promoting their ideas. You know how it is: new companies, new ideas, new opportunities, new approaches, events and sponsorships, innovations in press, radio and outdoor - and all on top of the plethora of emerging opportunities in mobile and online.

Now, we all know that truly great media ideas can set brands apart - think of John Smith’s sponsorship of The Grand National to support its ‘No Nonsense’ positioning, or Gillette Fusion’s sponsorship of The Sun’s ‘Striker’ cartoon to connect with aspiring young men. Great media ideas.

But under the barrage of sales calls, how do you filter out those great ideas? How do you identify those that genuinely fit priorities and could make the difference?

At Nestle, my answer was to create a database of media opportunities received through calls and e-mails. I sorted them by target market, cost and other criteria, then made them available for my brand managers to search for ideas when they wanted them.

It was a success and I left Nestle in 2005 to set up my industry-wide version: Getmemedia.com.

It’s grown rapidly and now has hundreds of ideas and case studies from different media and marketing disciplines, all searchable by target audience, budget and other key criteria.

The site is ISBA and Marketing Society-supported and, with thousands of registered members, used widely by brands and their agencies alike.

Check it out, register, get your colleagues to register too and use Getmemedia.com when you’re looking for those special targeted ideas to lift your campaigns - or simply for great ideas that will challenge your agencies or wow you clients.

Pete Davis, Founder and Managing Director, Getmemedia.com