MPG Media Contacts and its meaningful positioning
I can’t talk of transition and repositioning without highlighting MPG Media Contacts’ new ‘Meaningful Brands’ proposition, too. It’s a move that has captured the new direction many clients now hope to travel, propelled by consumers empowered by social media.
As Havas chief executive David Jones notes in his new book, ‘Who Cares Wins’, in a world of connected consumers with information at their fingers tips, clients more than ever need to “be fast, be authentic, and be transparent”. The 45-year-old marketing leader provides strong evidence to believe the rise of social media and social responsibility are “totally interlinked”.
Jones’ observations about the symbiotic relationship between authentic brand positioning and social media echo the views of MediaCom’s Sue Unerman in her first book, ‘Tell the Truth‘. In an update to David Ogilvy’s quote, “the consumer is not a moron, she’s your wife”, Unerman notes: “Now, the consumer is the expert who knows everything about your brand. What’s missing can be uncovered in 30 seconds on a smartphone from a variety of sources.”
For MPG’s repositioning, grounded in Havas research involving more than 50,000 consumers, I think they might have just encapsulated what everyone else has been working towards, in much the same way ZenithOptimedia did almost 10 years earlier when calling itself the ‘ROI agency’.
It might feel obvious but it’s also clear and succinct. Agencies, as chief strategists for clients, should have a key role to play in a digitally connected world, as PR spin and bluster make way for something altogether more meaningful.
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