This year Mediacommerce was the focus of Candid about media:Samantha Catsburg (Managing Director STROOM) and Lars Vink (Managing Director M2|OC) introduced an inspiring morning with surprising presentations on Media, Marcom and Research by Lucas Hulsebos (DVJ insights), Cees Hannema (Omoda) and Richard van Hooijdonk (trendwatcher).
How successful companies differentiate themselves from less successful companies
Lucas Hulsebos (DVJ Insights) took attendees through how successful companies differentiate themselves from less successful companies. Based on research on campaign effectiveness, he showed that you can make a difference in the areas of brand, media and creation.
In doing so, he addressed the relationship between branding (long-term) and short-term performance. Research generally shows that 40% performance 60% branding produces the best results and that always-on presence makes the most impact. In doing so, it is important to exceed the minimum required visibility within a medium to ensure it does not become an always-off. Successful brands make choices in advance based on data and thus win. Gradually adjusting campaigns proves very difficult. Preparation is key to success.
Omoda: The turn from performance to branding
Cees Hannema of Omoda talked about the development of the family-owned company that sells shoes and clothing in physical stores and online. He inspired the audience with the efficiencies they have made in performance campaigns and clear choices in branding strategy. Branding is becoming increasingly important as there is a realization that the scalability of performance marketing is finite. To continue to grow, brand building is becoming increasingly important.
Panel discussion on brand building and performance
In the panel discussion during Candid about media, Yildiz de Leeuw (Bike Totaal), Thijs Keukenmeester (dé VakantieDiscounter) and Martin van Velzen (Blokker) discussed their experiences and vision on brand building and performance. Thijs talked about the impact they saw in 2017 when they did their first brand campaign through STROOM . The online vacation provider grew big with performance. They never saw the spike in bookings that other travel providers did in January. Immediately during the first branding campaign, they too saw that spike in bookings. So the goal is to focus more and more on branding. The ideal of 60/40 is still a long way off, but the goal of 40/60 is realistic. Focus on brand is challenging to implement in a ROAS-focused world, all panelists agree.
Opinions varied on the existence of love brands. Some of the panel believed that they do not exist and that price and availability are factors on which consumers make purchasing decisions. Others see love brands as decisive motivators for purchase decisions when there is no longer a distinction to be made on price. People are more likely to choose brands they know rather than unfamiliar brands.
A look into the future of AI by trend watcher Richard van Hooijdonk
Finally, trend watcher Richard cast a glance into the future. In an inspiring and energetic presentation, Richard introduced the audience to new technologies, the company and brands of the future. In it he emphasized the importance of going along with change in order to continue to exist as a brand in the future. When Netflix started streaming years ago, they were called crazy by other DVD retailers. Now Netflix is the largest streaming service and other rental companies are out of business. Forerunners are the winners of the future. Development today plays around AI. What it will bring we can't see over right now, but that it will play a role and change the field of work is almost certain. It is important to discover how AI can work for you and how you can work with AI.
The main message: be there in time even though it seems unrealistic. Development is moving faster than ever. A difficult task for humans who are creatures of habit and shy away from change for fear of the unknown, uncertainty. People cling to what is familiar and feel comfortable when things are going well and are familiar. Deviation from familiar behavior is undesirable.
We look back on a successful edition of Candid about media. Many thanks to chairman of the day Pauline de Wilde and our speakers Lucas Hulsebos (DVJ insights), Cees Hannema (Omoda), Richard van Hooijdonk (trendwatcher) and participants in the panel discussion Yildiz de Leeuw (Bike Totaal), Thijs Keukenmeester (dé VakantieDiscounter) and Martin van Velzen (Blokker).Many thanks to all of them!