Over the past few months, strategy reached out to media vets in a search for the best next-gen media minds – those who are setting new standards in strategy and trying new tactics. In the rapidly evolving mediaverse, these are the pros media shops have singled out as being on top – and a step ahead of the game. Today, MiC spotlights the second of the first five.
Who: Doug Sinclair, broadcast supervisor, Genesis-Vizeum Canada, Toronto
Claim to fame: Understanding diversity in targets, and their broadcast consumption shifts, is a key strength. Sinclair is responsible for reaching demos ranging from young moms to men who drive 20,000+ km per year for a buying portfolio that includes H.J. Heinz of Canada, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, H&R Block, Goodyear, the Toronto Star and the recently acquired Suzuki Canada.
For H&R Block, Sinclair created live daily in-program client integration with CTV’s Canada AM. Hosts Beverly Thomson and Seamus O’Regan would throw to the ‘Top 10 Biggest Tax Mistakes Made by Canadians’ tip of the day, courtesy of H&R Block.
For the Toronto Star, Sinclair leveraged the brand’s USP as content. He worked with Toronto’s top radio stations to negotiate full-cluster, 120-second pre-recorded ‘Live From the Newsroom’ broadcasts on behalf of the newspaper every Friday evening, with guaranteed cluster isolations between 5:30 and 6:00pm – arguably the market’s most tuned-in time period.
How’d he get so good? Carrying both a B.Comm from the University of Windsor and a St. Clair College advertising diploma, Sinclair joined Toronto-based Genesis Media (now Genesis-Vizeum Canada) in 2002 as a junior media buyer. GV director Scott Stewart calls Sinclair a ‘media warrior’ for his commitment, work ethic and creativity. ‘Doug is our Stevie Yzerman,’ says Stewart, referring to the much-admired hockey player. ‘He leads by example, he’s an amazing mentor and I’ve yet to hear a bad word about him, whether from the sales side or his peers.’
What would you love to build into a media campaign? ‘More science. Prove that media is delivering results by building in as many metrics as possible and hopefully create enough tracking to prove to clients how sophisticated we’re getting with our message positioning. Simply put, provide clear and visible linkages between dollars spent and sales created.’
What’s the biggest media mistake brands are making? ‘Many brands are still adhering to reach-based buying principles and not paying attention to best-fit options to ensure both traction and engagement of the messaging. Mass does not exist – Get Pure with your target!’
Are execs giving enough attention to media and keeping pace with change? If not, what should they start doing differently? ‘It’s nice to see this embrace of the Internet and advertisers wrapping their arms around a very trackable, quantifiable media. However, the same thoughtfulness should be put into your off-line plans as well. Just because mass media has the potential to reach mass audience, that doesn’t mean you cannot be targeted with a medium such as television or radio. You just have to think more responsibly [financially] on behalf of your client and create an approach that replicates true target consumption of that media.’
