Extensive agency experience as a brand strategist, copywriter, scriptwriter, art director, designer and storyboard illustrator, has provided me valuable insight into processes and approach in developing campaign strategy that meets client objectives and exceeds expectations - every single time. It's all about leading from experience and maintaining an active role in new features, functions, technologies and platforms in the ever-evolving digital space. While many of the core components of successful traditional advertising campaigns still hold true in the interactive space, it all comes down to the art of storytelling. How do you do this online? I believe it's time to rethink the diigital space...



  
Moving from the traditional to the digital agency model, I can tell you it is no accident that the interactive space has become the most powerful tool to reach your target audience - far more effective than the more traditional campaigns of print and the broadcast television spot. It's all about reaching a 'captive audience'. A combination of DVR devices that allow commercials to be skipped and the fact that 94% of consumers go online to research a product or service, the online space allows for user-controlled exploratory experience and two-way dialogue between consumer and brand - and consumer to consumer about brand. Delivering the right campaigns in the online space is going where people live - and the right place to start a conversation with authentic dialogue.

The absolute key component to a successful advertising/marketing campaign is to know your target audience. You must dive as deep as possible into consumer data and analytics to derive key insight on their 'perception of' or 'relationship with' your product. Miss the target and your campaign will fail.
When it comes to conducting research on your target audience, you must identify their 'perception' of your product or service, good or bad, and look for strategic ways to alter that perception to change behavior - ultimately driving to brand engagement and product purchase. When you can do this, you have successfully broken their code of need/want.
Once the collection of target audience research and data has been thoughfully conducted, it's time to dive into the campaign strategy. What is the big idea to connect with our target and reach client objectives? What is the 'story' we need to tell? And what platform and tools do we need to reach our audience? I consider myself a campaign purist - there are specific components and objectives you have to meet to truly deliver the right campaign. It starts with the right processes and leads into the managing each individual process effectively.
Whether it is the user interface design, information architecture, the story script, headline, supporting copy, the design, call to action, conversion tools, or value proposition, it is very important to pursue relentless attention to detail. Whether I'm on the creative production end - or in the leadership role, my vast experience in the varying campaign disciplines allows me to stay focused on the details to deliver a positive user experience that will engage the intended target to reach client goals and objectives.

You know the product, you've researched the target audience, you've outlined client objectives, you've brought valuable insight in developing the strategy - and now it's time to concept the big campaign idea. Developing the right story can take many different directions - the safe approach, the less-conventional approach, and the big, crazy unconventional approach that breaks all the rules. And it's important to present all three to the client - in that order. But the right story must be told on all three tiers and show how they effectively deliver on the objectives the client has outlined.

Working in both a copywriter AND art director/designer capacity, I have personally developed a specific approach in raisng the bar - it's what I call "Creating the Perfect Ad" (or campaign). As a writer, I always challenge myself to see if I can create a headline or story that would effectively deliver the intended message without visuals. As an art director/designer, I sought to deliver the right visual(s) to deliver the intended message without words. And I believe when a creative team approaches each campaign with this individual discipline goal, you then put the two together - and this is when the magic unfolds.
There are two ways to approach campaign execution strategy - determine the intended platforms and brainstorm creative ways to best leverage those platforms - or start with the campaign idea and then determine the best platform to reach your audience. Of the two, I believe you can effectively go either way. But never let platform limitations stifle your campaign ideas - always look for ways to push the limits of any single platform. Back in the late 1990's, when I first moved from the traditional space to the digital side, online banner advertising presented a clearly defined set of parameters and file restrictions that left a lot of creatives settling for sub-par creative. My team and I took a completely different approach and looked for ways to creatively enhance those parameters - which is now known as 'rich media'. The online space continues to be the perfect platform to break rules.
An integrated campaign is often executed from the midset that a campaign is created and fully leveraged for one specific platform - and then the visuals and messaging is 'forced fed' into other platform parameters. Ys, you will end up with visual continuity across the board - but this is the absolute wrong approach. If you created the right campaign - one that has 'legs' to be effectively leveraged in many different visual and written directions, you must look at the platform to help stimulate new ideas in creative that leverage the platform and target to the fullest.
 

I have seen many industry leaders struggle with the true definition of 'Web 2.0'. Simply put, Web 2.0 represents the tools to create authentic dialogue between consumer and brand - and consumer-to-consumer about brand. Web 2.0 features, functions, technologies and platforms served as the turning point of the online space to become truly 'interactive'. Simply find the right Web 2.0 tool(s) you need to effective engage the consumer and start a conversation.
Whether you are developing search strategy or even a new product name, I believe you must listen to the voice of the consumer. They are telling you how they are searching for your product - and depending on your type of vertical or product offering, they will even tell you what they call your product - even before you've even launched your new product. The later is very important when it comes to 'product naming'. The first is all about search. If you are looking to drive traffic, do the research into your specific target audience and find out 'how' they search for your type of product.
I have deep experience in developing search strategy - and have personally created a multi-tiered approach that fully leverages search technologies, applications and search engine algorythms. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is much deeper than single index page hard coding - and I have successfully brought websites to the top spot of the SERPs - even in highly saturated, competitive markets.
Having a perfectly designed website is not enough - even with a multi-tiered search strategy and implementation. The next step is to deliver effective conversion tools that turn your website traffic into business growth. Just like in traditional advertising campaigns, you must have the right call-to-action, value proposition and incentive(s) that encourage consumer action. And unlike the traditional campaign where you essentially create a campaign and throw-it-up-and-hope-something-sticks, where ROI can only be estimated on product sales during a set period of time during and following a campaign run, the online space delivers real-time data and analytics to show true ROI for any campaign.
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