By Remy Raitt

The new entity will put digital as the cornerstone of every campaign. Matthew Arnold, head of NATIVE Media says; “People do not consume media in silos and brands should not plan or buy media in silos either. While any agency can buy media across channels, it’s the understanding of the modern consumer’s media behaviour that sets NATIVE Media apart. With digital as our base, NATIVE Media understands this mind-set and is set up to use this knowledge and expertise to plan effective campaigns in the digital age.”

Media planning specialists Gordon Muller and Trish Guilford are on board too, ensuring NATIVE Media can provide expertise across the board.

Media Update spoke to Arnold to find out more.

What are your opinions on the current media landscape?

Currently there is an interesting dilemma with the convergance of traditional and digital channels. In a world where we listen to the radio on our phones, watch TV on iPads and read magazines on laptops, we can no longer think and plan media as individual channels. Consumers have been quick to adapt to this new landscape but marketers have yet to embrace it.

Why is now the right time for NATIVE to launch NATIVE Media?

We believe that the market has reached a tipping point where the line between traditional and digital media is beginning to blur. At the same time, the economy is under pressure and advertisers are looking to get the most out of every Rand spent. Our approach to apply a digital media mindset - focused on performance, analytics and optimisation – to every media channel, comes at the perfect time to deliver on both of these trends.

What will this mean for the local media landscape?

The landscape is changing regardless of what we do. In five years, digital spend will account for more than half of every media budget. Every player in the media industry will need to continually evolve in order to stay relevant to consumers and clients alike. We are positioned to lead this movement into the digital age.

How will NATIVE Media contribute to the industry at large?

We want to work with other players in the industry to help guide the platforms and technologies in order to deliver seamless consumer experiences. We are working on ways to improve cross-channel measurement and optimisation that will have a large effect on the way we plan and buy media today.

How will it make life better for clients?

Having a clear view of all of your media channels and the performance of those channels is an immediate benefit. This shift in thinking will deliver far more effective media strategies that speak directly to the relevant target audience and dramatically reduce wastage.

What will it mean for your competitors?

Adding on digital media to an existing traditional media strategy can only get you so far. While many agencies have added digital competencies to their offerings, they are looking at everything from the top down instead of the bottom up. As clients start shifting their focus to the performance of their media channels, these agencies will have to adapt the way they are structured and start focusing on digital first.

What specific expertise will Gordon Muller and Trish Guilford bring to the table?

You can’t innovate within a market unless you truly understand all aspects of it. Gordon and Trish bring a wealth of media experience and knowledge that provides the strategic backbone to our work. The merging of NATIVE’s digital expertise and their media knowledge is a perfect match and allows us to apply fresh thinking to existing models.

Have you run any experiments using this new digital integration approach?

We have delivered some great results through the integration of outdoor advertising and location based mobile ads as well as campaigns that leveraged Google search and radio very effectively, which have proven that our approach is sound. We have some exciting plans in the pipeline so watch this space.

What are you favourite key offerings of this new media solution?

Undeniably the analytics elements. The ability to track performance of traditional media channels has always been challenging. [Also] some of our new offerings bring digital media accuracy to traditional media platforms which is really exciting.

For more information, visit www.nativevml.com. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.