We recently presented a session at the Australian Institute of Management about the increasingly complex media landscape.

As marketers and business leaders we are faced with an increasingly complex media landscape, where the options continue to grow and the rules for engagement change not only between mediums but also within mediums over time. We need to understand how to match both old and new media to a target audience and determine which media is appropriate for a marketing strategy based on the brand and marketing objectives.

The most important place to start is in defining the target audience. Too many companies get caught by jumping on the latest bandwagon, assuming they must achieve brand presence in latest medium, such as developing a Facebook page or plunging into Google + . But is their target market even using these mediums? Lots of marketing dollars have been wasted developing social media platforms by companies, only to find it generates no enquiry whatsoever from their target customers, it even wastes time, with sales people responding to enquiries from tyre kicks or marketing staff building Facebook entries or blog pages for deaf ears.

It is important then to determine what the brand values, positioning and objectives are, as the mediums a brand exisits in, must clearly express it's values and attitudes.

Then agree what the marketing objectives are, why are you marketing in the first place?  Is it to build brand awareness, drive business growth, increase shareholder confidence?

Now choose the best mediums, to engage with the target audience, express the brand story and achieve the marketing objectives. Should be simple.....

Download the presentation as a PDF here.