Initiative’s Mat Baxter: ‘The media industry needs to stop being lazy and get off the drug of reach’
The ‘laziness’ of media and advertising agencies could spell the industry’s downfall in the face of consumers’ changing brand expectations, the global CEO of Initiative has said.
Speaking at Mumbrella360 Asia on the role of culture in a consumer-centric world, Mat Baxter suggested that agencies that simply prioritise reach over relevance will be left competing for survival.
He said brands are realising that a true connection with audiences is more important than vanity metrics that make client reporting easier.
“Reach is bloody easy, any idiot, with all due respect and I am one of those idiots, can build a plan that delivers reach because all you need is money,” Baxter argued. “It is much harder to architect and build a plan and strategy that creates relevance with an audience. The way to do it is by building a bridge through culture. Culture is what makes something matter to the consumer.”
