RIESTER'S Ashlye Kennedy.
We sat down recently with our new media director, Ashlye Kennedy, to discuss how she got in to this business and to share her thoughts on today’s media landscape which is changing at ever increasing velocities.
Congratulations on your new role as media director. You received your degree in the classics, how did you make it to advertising?
I knew I wanted to work in advertising when I began college, but I didn’t want to be a marketing major. My aunt worked at Saatchi in New York. She told me it doesn’t matter what you major in, which came as a relief to me. I went with what I enjoyed doing, which was the classics, and my emphasis was ancient Rome.
How does your strong background in the classics help you in your career?
Interpretation of historical events and the study of how cultures and societies develop as well as understanding the influence of the arts and the interplay with broader socio-political environments–all of that connects to what we do. Our focus at RIESTER is understanding consumer behaviors and how we all adapt and change. We focus on how consumers view the world and participate in it. This is why I am drawn to media in particular. I love thinking around things 360 degrees, and understanding how all of us take in the many inputs we have in this world, and what we see and what we do with it. Understanding human behavior, whether in Ancient Rome or 21st century America, is directly connected to what we do at RIESTER.
What are some things that are similar today to the Roman era?
One of the big similarities is that Rome had an open policy with other cultures. As the Romans conquered new territories they let other cultures maintain their identities rather than forcing assimilation. The Romans also struggled with this.
Mirja Riester, RIESTER’s chief strategic officer, discusses this issue in the context of our century: “The entire U.S. consumer market is extremely dynamic and constantly changing. The velocity of social, ethnic and cultural change is accelerating rapidly.”
As a media expert, what are some trends that excite you today?
I don’t know of any period where things have changed as much as they have in the past 10 years. There is always something new coming out. It must be strange for people who started in this business 20-30 years ago. At that time there were long periods of time when the major media changes were the prime-time line up or whether Time or Newsweek was leading in sales. Today, platforms and channels change constantly and we have to sort through what’s working and what isn’t. Now there are new and limitless ways for brands to interact with consumers.
What are some of your methodologies for identifying where target audiences are spending their time?
Something that sets RIESTER apart from local and regional advertising agencies is our use of syndicated research. We insure that we have powerful and targeted research to identify where people are spending their time–because that is changing. It’s one thing to be buying television time when your choices are among five major broadcast networks and a few dozen cable networks. By contrast, the Internet is infinite. What we do best is mapping our media plans to what research tells us regarding what consumers are interested in and where they are spending their time.
Aligning what consumers are interested in and where they spend their time and mapping our media plans to that based on actual research is what we do.
How are you utilizing new media options, such as Facebook?
A social network such as Facebook opens up many new possibilities for our clients and we’re helping them explore those possibilities. Clients are startled as to the reach of Facebook and how inexpensive it is. Our clients are getting a huge impact for a very low cost. Consumers are spending an enormous amount of time on Facebook.
What works and what doesn’t when it comes to digital media?
What works is succinctly identifying your target audience and your message and connecting the dots. There is a danger in messages that are too broad. People will not interact with broad messaging. Clients are better off with multiple messages, so the creative needs to be tailored and synergistic with the site where it appears.
What’s still compelling about television media buys in 2010?
TV still represents the single place where you can capture the largest audience. The fragmentation of the Internet makes it very difficult to develop significant reach. You can still buy a single 30-second TV spot and have a very broad reach. You also have the impact of that “stop moment” in time that is very different in time from being a banner on a page. With a TV advertisement there is that one moment in time when you have the full stage. That remains unique and powerful.
Have you seen a decline in print buys in your media plans?
We use print differently, it’s more targeted. There’s been a decrease in newspaper buys and magazines are more targeted than they used to be. I’d say the Internet took from print more than it took from broadcast.
What’s an effective print campaign you’ve done recently?
We had a lot of success with Veterinary Pet Insurance. We did a campaign with a sophisticated tracking system to track calls and web visits. Print was ideal for this, especially for a direct response campaign. We needed to be able to switch up the message based on what was working. With broadcast this wasn’t an option because it’s so much more expensive to produce many different concepts with different messages. VPI has many different niche audiences based on pet parent demographics and the different demographics based on different pet types. Print gave us great flexibility to address these different audiences.
How has radio changed in the last decade?
Radio has had to get more competitive with their promotional components and making everything they air more relevant to their listeners to increase loyalty. There are so many other options out there: the iPod, and to a lesser extent satellite radio. Radio had to innovate to connect advertiser needs with what consumers are looking for. The immediacy and the creative flexibility of radio is important for driving traffic and sales at specific events.
How do traditional media and digital media complement each other?
Our target audiences are media consumers and as they move through their day they consume media from many outlets. A well designed media campaign pays close attention to this reality.
How is REISTER uniquely qualified to advise clients in today’s media landscape?
RIESTER has a solid strategic foundation in all that we do. We are not a project-based shop where we go project to project or media buy to media buy. We approach campaigns from all angles and develop strategic communication plans for our clients. There is a reason for everything we recommend to our clients.
Thank you Ashlye and congratulations on your new role!
Contemporary marketing has been widely criticized for promoting a culture of mindless consumption. We are proud practitioners of marketing and vocal advocates for mindful consumption and even standing for less. Is it a paradox? Sure. But it’s one that we happily embrace. The rest of this post appeared earlier today on the 
