By Artwell Nwaila

The old one-sided communication by traditional media has been challenged by the two-way nature of social media. I had a chat with Roy Weisz, creative director from Twelve Past Midnight (00h12), about advertising, the digital world and the future in general.

Weisz, who has worked in a variety of distinguished agencies for over 22 years has seen the transition into the digital age from inside the advertising world first hand. He believes that the biggest change, besides the fact that everyone now wants a piece of the proverbial Social Media pie, is that advertising has been splintered into pieces, as opposed to the traditional ATL and BTL models. This in turn has allowed for a diverse segmentation of the media menu and has created more choices to get our messages across.

When asked if this is a good or a bad thing, Weisz promptly answered, “I’d say the changes are relative. It’s given advertisers another outlet to maximise spend and increase frequency of message. In this respect it’s good. What’s bad is that because Social Media is seen to be new, it’s the ‘new kid on the block’ syndrome. And we all know what happens to the new kid.”

Print has probably been the most affected when it comes to the rise of new media. Magazines and newspaper sales figures have dwindled due to easy access to information online, free content and the instant nature of digital. This has had a ripple effect which has landed on the front door of advertising. “Print is perceived now as the stepsister of traditional media,” says Weisz. “I do believe that all the Social Media hype will eventually die down once the novelty becomes interwoven into the media reality. Print will always have a place.” That’s also the general view from Shirley Bester, formerly of Bester Burke in an article written by my colleague, Darren Gilbert earlier this year on the future of print advertising.

“What’s happened is the focus has been shifted away from TV and Print and that’s slightly lop-sided,” continues Weisz. “All mediums, including Social Media play a role in executing a brand message. We mustn’t see each medium in isolation as they are all part of the bigger picture.” While the print figures are dropping, print still has a future for now.

This got us chatting about the future. If there is to be a clear separation between digital and traditional agencies, Weisz believes that what should happen is a move towards integration rather than segmentation. "I’m very excited about the prospect of integration as I work in that environment. It’s about sharing a message across different mediums and making that message cohesive."

In an article published on Twisted Image, Anibal do Rosario agrees, saying that there is no longer just one "big idea" that breaks through. More often than not, we're seeing many "big ideas" created for the different types of media working together to make a brand successful.

Wiesz also states that traditional monolithic agencies will not survive the tidal wave of segmentation if they don't embrace the new mediums and integrate them into their overall marketing messaging menus.

Wiesz’ agency, Twelve Past Midnight (00h12), has embraced digital as part of an integrated marketing group. He explains: "Our digital partner is involved with us from inception of a project. This allows them as the experts to play a vital role in getting the message across the best digital platform that is relevant to the big idea that we at 00h12 conceptualise. This is the beauty of integration."

What are your thoughts about the future of advertising and digital?