The Client is Always Right. Full stop.
I wrote this note a few days back and revisited it today:
– After my advisory meeting at the India Ad Tech Board meeting in Delhi on Monday.
Around the table amongst the leaders of Indian Internet, we were more pre-occupied about why the Indian Internet has not taken off rather than showing what more can be done.
– I read Ajit Balakrishnan’s comment on his frustration with Rediff.com revenues (we are stuck at 60-70 crores for years) this morning and just wanted to pen down my candid thots.
Its easy to blame clients for not understanding what the Internet is ‘really supposed’ to be delivering to them such as huge 1 to 1 interactivity, involvement etc..
So for instance, when clients buy ONLY CPC campaigns, its so easy to blame them for missing the Woods (CPM) for the Trees (CPC).
But, they are RIGHT. Clients want an immediate reaction – which in the Internet World is a ‘visit’.
And Oh, by the way, Clients like IMPACT, but when it is LOUD – not SILENT.
When Clients advertise on TV, they get an immediate reaction – friends, family, relatives and colleagues call up and say ‘WOW – Saw ur Ad – Wah Wah’. This is IMPACT.
To date, not even the big Roadblock campaigns on Yahoo get clients the same ‘calls’.
And sure, we will argue that 99% of the folks calling clients were NOT supposed to be the watching the ad anyway, so it is not a sign of successfully reaching the target TG- but thats not what makes clients! Clients are HUMAN – they are emotional – they get excited when they get famous.
Now, as far as CPC goes, the other complaint is that clients want the lowest cost and the maximum clicks in the shortest time.
Tch, Tch – is that so unreasonable?
I dont think so.
Clients may seem to be in the dark – but they are always right!
Compare traditional media. If a Car Company advertises on a large daily national newspaper, they immediately get lots of calls and probably some footfalls into their showrooms that day itself.
Companies and advertisers want IMPACT and RESPONSE – which the Internet does better than anyone else. However, what we lack is VOLUME.
Traditional media does all 3 (Impact, Response and Volume) , thanks to the massive coverage of distribution they have. In return they extract MASSIVE PRICES for this leverage – and not because they want to get away with big profits (see the red tainted balance sheets of Newspapers in International Media), but because they are INEFFICIENT in targeting their audiences….
So, what we need is VOLUME in the Internet in India ( think when it becomes 300-500 mn UU’s). Then, with Interactivity, Targeting and Responses, the media world will be ours.
Till then lets not complain.
Also read – https://rodinhood.com/mamaji-effect