The MCCA Blog

Scott Knox

Debbie Morrison, MCCA board member and Director of Consultancy & Best Practice at ISBA:

The results of another survey out this week apparently proved that client marketers don’t understand how to use social networking, and that’s why they’re not investing in it. To be frank, the stat that 41% of marketers cite lack of understanding as the chief barrier is no surprise, nor is it limited to social networking. Through my work with ISBA, and with the MCCA, it has become clear that actually, clients need clarity on most aspects of the vast, varied discipline we have umbrella-termed as ‘digital’.

Digital is not another straightforward single channel that should slot in alongside ‘TV’, ‘Direct’ or ‘sales promotion’. Rather, it is a whole world of new ideas, channels, portals and technological development possibilities that have very different uses and audiences and potentially sit within all the traditional routes outlined above. And, arguably, the people who are best placed to navigate this now well-established but still misunderstood territory are those at the agencies themselves, those responsible for development of the client communications strategy.

Is it the responsibility of clients to go and swot up on digital so they know how to buy it? Of course not solely, it’s a joint responsibility. Agencies, speak to your clients. Educate them. Your clients don’t want to hear ‘you should be doing digital’, they want to know why a blog, or a new site, or social networking, or viral activity is right for their brand. And if it is right, how do they cost it, measure it, integrate it? These surveys will continue to turn out similar stats until the people championing the medium embrace the responsibility of communicating it deep into their client base.