Strategic Media Channel Development

69% of consumers consider their computer more entertaining than their television.  1/3 of all onliners watch programming via the Internet and 58% wished their televisions would easily connect to the Internet allowing them to download programming.  Al Gore and John Malone were right about 500 channels, however, it had nothing to do with cable television!

Brand giants have been obsessed with the concept of ‘my media’ for many years. The assumption is that brand scale affords the privilege of owning communication channels that function as a consumer resource and have the potential for cross-selling co-op advertisement.  However, the luxury to be brand marketer and media owner simultaneously is no longer exclusive to major brands.

Certainly the stakes of advertising space are higher than ever, but with most medias becoming more do-it-yourself friendly, there are opportunities for smaller businesses to push their way into the game. The digital space is a level playing field and the barrier-to-entry is lower than ever.

Historically larger brands have had the custom brand channel market cornered, buying up all available space of traditional media.  Companies such as Walmart, Hallmark, Titleist and a host of others have used their brand reach and deep pockets to develop custom media initiatives intended to effectively strengthen consumer relationships.  These efforts range from in-store video networks to branded printed publications, and even television broadcast channels.  The advantage is a Brand’s ability to leverage their own media channel as a viable advertising or potential partnership platform for other brands to participate in, and many have been very successful.

The barriers of entry associated with creating a brand media channel within the traditional medias mentioned above have kept smaller companies at bay, as developing custom media via these outlets proved cost prohibitive and likely not sustainable.  However, the advancement of the digital space, including social media, has proven effective in breaking down many of these barriers for smaller brands.

Today’s online technologies are providing smaller companies with cost efficiencies in the areas of content creation, production and distribution.  And while most companies will not have the audience reach of the corporate giants at first, they should have highly targeted distribution lists; perfect for brand niche content.

So what is holding your brand back?  Here are a few considerations and cautions:

1. Include social media in your strategy.  Many brands have yet to adopt social media within their communications strategy and therefore can’t leverage this as an effective media channel. 

2. Be cautious about partnerships. Implementing a partnership program with another brand risks diluting your brand identity and success.

3. Effective media channels are never static. Monitor and measure other online properties with the potential for leveraging a cross-promotional effort.

4. Invest yourself in producing effective content.  Utilizing the latest greatest technology is never an excuse for poor content. As the brand manager, you must continually generate effective content for distribution.  Think of effective content as a means for consumers to begin a conversation about your brand.  If you're not producing content worth talking about; no one will.

5. Don’t expect to generate revenue directly from a media channel.  Brand-owned media channels are best at positioning the brand in the marketplace so the product or service can do what it does best.  Seldom will you find opportunities to generate revenue directly from the channel itself. 

As the economy continues to battle back, an effective media channel within your communications strategy may be your greatest advantage to propel your brand ahead of the competition.  Successful brand media today isn’t the result of scale, but rather intentional strategic application.