Agency operating models hold the key to client success There were some positives for media to take away from 2020, and CLAUDELLE NAIDOO believes this year holds plenty more for those agencies able to perform at their peak.
T
he year 2020 does not bring back fond memories for the world. The pandemic brought about a hard lockdown in South Africa as in many other countries, which in turn created a mass of uncertainty that reshaped media consumption patterns, shut down many key performing sectors such as alcohol and sport, disrupted schooling, created consumer and business flux, and most importantly destabilised our economy – to name but a few of the impacts. As I reflect from a media and business point of view, one of the biggest challenges that we faced at the beginning of the pandemic was around redesigning strategies to deliver ‘cost containment’ measures. This was understandable, considering the levels of uncertainty that we were dealing with at the time, and based on my experience during uncertain times, marketing and media budgets are the first to be reconsidered. This resulted in the industry forecasting to end the year on a negative 10-20% media investment versus that planned for most brands.
Claudelle Naidoo
8 I THE MEDIA YEARBOOK 2021
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There was definitely some light after the initial onset. As the pandemic started to settle in and while campaigns were being paused, redirected, or cut completely, media agencies that had solid operational structures to respond to this global catastrophe provided a stable environment for their clients.
themediaonline.co.za
08.04.21 11:19
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