The Bonds Run Deep For Audiences And Media Companies That Follow Them Across Channels

“The Sell Sider” is a column written for the sell side of the digital media community.

Today’s column is written by Courtney Glaze, vice president of revenue operations at Vox Media.

It’s not always lasting love at first sight. The media dating pool is big, and consumers have unlimited options. Companies need to use every mode of communication to build solid relationships, otherwise audiences will swipe left and find someone else who can.

Consumers’ attention has become multidimensional, and in order for media companies to maintain the loyal, engaged relationships they worked so hard to build with their audiences, they need to carry them across different platforms. Media companies have spent the last few years diversifying their businesses to keep up with this attention segmentation, shifting from what was once a single platform relationship to what is now a multimedia suite of mobile, audio, TV/OTT and in real life.

It’s now realistic to deliver strategic content to the same consumer when they are at work, watching TV, on a commute or on a treadmill. These are moments when blind scale doesn’t translate to impact. Marrying creative and audience with context is a muscle that successful media companies have strengthened – and one that can only be achieved by companies that reach consumers through diverse channels. Their relationship with consumers is deeper than a media company that is committed to one or limited platforms, and deeper than even a single platform with scale.

The rush to platform buys for efficient, performance-based investment is in direct conflict with this idea of building lasting relationships. Social may be the best outlet for inexpensive conversions, and TV may be your flavor for mass untargeted awareness. But marketers have choices in where they align their brand and show up in the world, and strategic marketers are increasingly turning to modern, diversified media companies, with quality content, to drive customer lifetime value. In turn, media companies have become smarter and more dynamic by working with a larger suite of marketers across their more diverse businesses.

Quality content serves a purpose that meets consumers’ needs, whether that is providing information, ideas or perspective. Media companies that can provide this are now in a position to share the deep connections they’ve created with their customers with marketers. This isn’t a fleeting trend. Companies that have weathered recent storms and come out on the other side are seeing a shift in investment in the market.

Marketers, it’s time to define the relationship with media companies, and they will let you in on the deep connection they’ve built with consumers.

Follow Vox Media (@voxmediainc) and AdExchanger (@adexchanger) on Twitter.

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