Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By Ekrem Dupanović
One of the most interesting presentations on recently held NEM Dubrovnik 2021, the place where leaders of the global and European TV industry gathered, was the one delivered by Miranda Mladin, the head of Central Marketing and Innovations at Atlantic Group, and it concerned keeping the attention of the target group as one of media and brands’ biggest challenges.
Miranda Mladin’s business story begins by the end of 2003 in Henkel’s marketing. That year marked a turning point in her private and business life – when she moved from her hometown Split, which was always a plan, wishing to experience new surroundings of broader perspectives and possibilities. The first change was to try Zagreb. She did not expect to be chosen, from a wide range of candidates, for the internship in the Marketing department in a company like Henkel. Her life wish until then has been fulfilled.
She spent 15 years in Henkel, mostly in the Marketing department and Trade and Category management, then Sales, and shortly General management. She spent a third of her time on Austrian markets, in Vienna, where Henkel’s office for Central and Eastern Europe was situated and in Germany, in Düsseldorf, Henkel’s global headquarters.
She came to Atlantic Group three years ago.
Media Marketing: Na NEM-u ste vrlo zapaženu prezentaciju o zadržavanju pažnje ciljne skupine kao jednom od najvećih izazova današnjih medija i brendova. Što ste kazali učesnicima, što je bila vaša glavna poruka?
Media Marketing: On NEM you had a noted presentation on keeping the target group’s attention as one of the biggest challenges of media and brands today. What did you say to the participants, what was your main message?
Miranda Mladin: Our presentation on NEM Dubrovnik 2021 was a great opportunity to once again indicate the challenges for us who stand behind the brands, which we in a way share with the media, consumer attention. Consumers of our mutual content.
We are all familiar with the fact how much information and messages we encounter daily, and on the other hand, how much our attention has dropped with time. One of the reasons for the latter is exactly the growing content consumption through digital technologies. Television as a medium has double challenge: how to adapt to newly formed conditions, and stay a relevant medium, and on the other hand how to attract and keep the attention of content consumers.
The solution is twofold. The first part is a maximal penetration of technology so that the TV would become an interactive medium because the contemporary consumer is used to two-way communication. In that sense it also helps us, from the brand point of view, to know our consumer more closely and that we are able to send targeted messages through TV as a medium. Content exposure is an outdated currency. With a goal of minimizing content dispersion, we want to go towards the consumer, ensuring the maximal advertise reception.
The question how to ensure content relevance we view through the prism of co-creation. We are aware how crucial focus on consumers is for the success in our goal, and that is to be chosen. If we want to be chosen, then we must hear the consumer and to implement his communication into our brand. If I want to know what you want, then I will ask you. If I heard you, then I will give you an adequate answer. I dare to say that this does not sound simple, but it is clear.
On the other hand, we pointed out the importance of co-creation from the brand’s point of view in content creation. Our communication must not be based only on advertising blocks. Besides, the context with which we attach our brand communication is also important, so that we expect and appeal to more quality TV content.
Media Marketing: Everyone that listened to you in Dubrovnik is also battling to attract the attention of the public which is very complex, picky and very critical. What did they say to you in the discussion after the presentation or in informal conversations that you lead with them in Dubrovnik?
Miranda Mladin: During the conference we met with some examples, from this region, of exactly these solutions which I mentioned in the presentations. Firstly the transformation of TV into an interactive medium.
It is clear that this situation requires efforts from both sides. It is without question. We are ready for a dialogue and we will talk about it in our future plans for 2022 discussions.
Media Marketing: Saša Savić, CEO MediaCom USA, has once for Media Marketing said that they analyzed all possible target groups for Netflix series about narco-bosses in order to personalize messages for each of them and that in the end they produced several thousand short messages to reach all potential viewers. To what extent do you in Atlantic Group work on personalized messages in order to encompass all your target groups?
Miranda Mladin: Because we do not have a possibility of targeting specific groups, whether through age and sex, more precisely, through consumer habits, preferences and wishes in the region, apart from one TV house in RS, we work exclusively through digital channels.
With the help od available technology, we have a possibility to know our consumer and to speak to him in an adequate way, with a relevant message. We adjust the creative part to particular consumer groups, but we also have the possibility to test it in real time and to react in case of lack of attention or interaction.
Digital technologies enable us a direct dialogue, the thing you call personalization. Today it shows the greatest consumer engagement. It is very delicate because when you address consumer directly it is extremely important not to “waste” consumer time on messages that are not important to him at a given time.
Media Marketing: The most difficult thing today is to attract and keep the attention of young people who often follow content on three platforms at the same time. They are a very important target group for many Atlantic Group products. How do you fight to attract their attention?
Miranda Mladin: As we say here, “the young shall inherit the world”, so the same applies to our brands. Relevance to this target group is important to us in order to ensure the continuity and to minimize future efforts (if you can really count on that). Even though that strategy is harder to achieve, because patterns of behavior change with generations, and with so many innovations in the industry, that is certainly no guarantee for the future.
For creating contacts and connections with younger consumers it is important to be where they are (like we used to be on the couch in front of the TV). We know where they are, but we have to admit, we are not always there. Part of the channel we cover well and we are successful in that part. Here I have foremost in mind social media, which we follow tirelessly with the help of listening platforms (“social listening”) and managing platforms (Hootsuite). It enables us to be conversant with what happens in the viral world at any moment where, in shoes of “regular” people, we leave a significant trail which is, for us, extremely valuable information. I do not need to stress that all activities are, of course, in compliance with GDPR.
We live in an era of firsthand data, and we try to create maximally interesting and relevant content and in that way to attract the consumer into the world of our brand. Once we do, this mutual journey just begins. As every relationship, like I already said, it implies active dialogue.
What we have not yet exploited is a rapidly growing TikTok platform. The state in the region concerning brands on TikTok is generally poor. The reason is partly the lack of recognizability of the potential, partly the budget, partly the need to prioritize and focus. However, the consumer will not wait for us.
Media Marketing: Atlantic with its products covers practically all target groups which differ in age, sex and other socio-economic characteristics and each target group needs its communication strategy, media choice, media content etc. How are you in Atlantic marketing organized to answer to these complex market demands?
Miranda Mladin: In Atlantic group, on the whole company’s level, we have a sub-department for media and communication strategy in the department that I am responsible for – Central Marketing.
Yes, it is a fact that we have rather wide-ranging target groups and lots of brands. Arranged processes, clearly defined goals, regular analytics and a dialogue with brand marketing departments, with creative and media agency is our business philosophy which has so far proved to be satisfyingly successful. I say satisfyingly, because we certainly have more space for progress in this domain, but more on that on some other occasion.
Media Marketing: I suppose you were following the program on NEM Dubrovnik 2021. Which topics did you find the most interesting and what is your general impression that you brought from Dubrovnik?
Miranda Mladin: This was the first time I participated on NEM. I have fully covered the program from a simple reason, and that is curiosity and a chance for gaining new knowledge.
The topics that were the most interesting were those that touched the challenge or appeal that I addressed through my presentation. The future of TV as a fun and interactive platform and a very interesting presentation on sport streaming, which has, if I’m not mistaken, attracted the greatest interest of NEM audience. We had fun and a few laughs on the first night on the streaming of the Russian TV series Stream.
Since we are working from home a year and a half now, in order to minimize the spread of the pandemic, this was also the first trip in that period, and as such it has additional value.
I certainly look forward to next year’s gathering.
