Recency

I often get asked exactly what a strategist does. Well a huge part of my job can actually be spent detracting myself away from advertising and media channels and just analysing and understanding people. You definitely need an innate curiosity into human nature and an interest in people to be able to then strategise how to communicate with them effectively. Observing people shopping, commuting or browsing the aisles of the supermarkets can give a valuable insight into how to connect with consumers. I guess it’s this need to understand people and their life away from what we consider traditional media channels that makes recency so important to marketers. With so much choice on the shelves, and the ever rising private labels, it is vital that brands now take serious consideration into reaching consumers at the point of purchase, especially when dealing with FMCG or low involvement categories. 70% of purchase decisions are made at the shelf, yet little thought is often given to reaching consumers there. It’s all very well spending millions on a TVC, and I have nothing against this as TV remains at the heart of advertising and is necessary to build emotional connections to brands, but in dealing with these categories it’s important to give some real thought on how to effectively reach people when they are making a purchase decision, or at least on the way to. It shouldn’t be the focal point of a campaign, but certainly should be considered as part of the media mix, especially when dealing with FMCG products.

And these examples prove there is no limitations on creative potential.