Agility: Marketers as Media Companies!

AdAge's editor has emphasized what is a fundamental lead/marke belief within its 'Communication Agility' consultancy: Brands have to become media!

While agencies and media owners used to justify the few existing examples as anomalies, Jonah Bloom states that this is a huge trend (quotes from the video):

"The Marketer has become the media owner!

- Red Bull: so much content, they license it back to media companies and create a revenue stream
- Quiksilver: has become an entertainment company with its surfing videos
- J&J's Babycenter: 3.6 million views last month (Sept.)
- P&G homemade simple, Pampers: both close to a million visitors
- P&G launches a beauty magazine ("rouge") to 6 million Americans next year
- ..."

Jonah does not want to get rid of the agencies or media owners, he wants them to meet the challenge of supporting brands to fill their channels with content, to connect with consumers and to reward consumers (which come back) with new content. (I doubt that this collaboration will work! Just have a look at what is happening at the media (or the agencies) today, they are struggling, because they do not know their consumers, they don't know their markets and they do not know their businesses! To learn more about media, -politics, and consultancies please follow the mediaclinique.)

Additionally Brand Leadership should reflect a perspective Albert Maruggi describes:
"The interuption ad is moving from a blur you tuned out to an annoyance consumers will hate.

Really, have you ever seen one of those pop-up ads that is over part of a website you want to click on? Not cool.

From an advertising perspective, participate in what the audience is participating in, support its delivery not as a trojan horse where ads pop out, but as a guest coming to dinner bringing something they enjoy so much they wanted to share it with others they enjoy being with."

To become media owners, brands will have to understand themselves (and much better than they do today), they will have to understand the (potential and existing) consumer (much better than today!), they will have to understand the consumer's needs and cravings better than traditional media and agencies do today.