The changing face of online media

It's also marketing directors, managers etc., on the whole who are missing the point, so as to speak, continues Tchelet. This is a major problem, with specific reference to the South African market. On average, one out of 10 marketers in various organisations actually have any basic knowledge of the Internet and what marketing opportunities are available online.

Media platform

In addition to this, marketers discount any notion that the Internet has been proven over and over again to bring results as part of the overall marketing mix, if planned and managed correctly. What most people tend to forget is that the Internet is a media platform with technology to back it up and should be approached that way, and not technology first and media later.

The more time marketers take to understand how the Internet can work for them and get help from specialist online agencies that will work together with them to maximise their budget and online strategy, then they will see the benefits first hand.

"Don't make the same mistake, the Internet is highly accountable and measurable by working hand-in-hand with your agency you can seek out the highest Return on Investment (ROI) by rectifying problems in real-time. Don't miss the point," admonishes Tchelet.

Online industry summit

In February 2007, industry leaders across southern Africa will converge in Johannesburg to exchange views about the benefits of online and its developments in this part of the world. This Online Industry Summit is a platform for different sectors to unlock available marketing opportunities online.

Online marketing company Acceleration Media will cover the topic of the changing face of online media. "The goals of advertising are always the same-- no matter what the marketing people say. What clients are looking for has been and always continues to be: what advertising event yields the greatest lifetime value customer?" says Di Charton, GM at Acceleration.

According to Charton, the face of online media has changed and online media planning needs to take into account that the marketplace is a conversation, where there are multiple speakers, and that the conversation takes place in some context.

What seems to be regularly missing from online media planning is even the most basic concept of effective marketing communication. A lot of the media plans being executed continue to be done against a slight collection of hard variables such as cost, impressions, an estimated click-through rate and a cost-per-acquisition, rather than a plan for communication built around a need for business.

Drives sales

Meanwhile, marketing experts concur that the online marketing is not just an avenue for brand building but that it also drives sales. There are benefits that go beyond the science of marketing; legislatures require that companies disclose certain information in their advertising. This results in ads needing to be longer and so it costs more to advertise on other media. Online enable to link more information on a single advert at a cheaper rate.

Other related speakers at the summit:

• Arthur Goldstuck will provide an overview of the online industry in the country
  
• Paddy Browning, MD of iol.co.za, will explain how Independent Online became such an effective online news provider
  
• Sandra Boer of Webchek will provide statistics on SA Web users on their demographic profiles, as well as their usage and behavioural patterns
  
• Vinny Lingham of award-winning IncuBeta is lined-up to discuss paid search engine marketing - Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc
  
• Gustav Goosen of 24.com will share challenges of selling online space
  
• Joanne Scholtz, director at MediaCompete, the Agency of the Year 2006 as awarded by AdReview and AdFocus, will discuss challenges of traditional versus online media from the agency point of view
  
• Reinhard Buys of Buys Inc Attorneys of SA Tourism online media law will cover legal tips for survival, risk mitigation and legal compliance

The summit takes place over three days, 7 - 9 February, 2007 at The Emperor's Palace, Kempton Park, Johannesburg.

Contact Goodman Chauke on tel + 27 (0)11 748 0888 or email him at for more information.