Media plurality and diversity has never been more important

Narrowly targeted campaigns, truncated communications, messages blindly distributed to sophisticated ad blockers, misleading results concealing a real waste of advertising investments.

This is what we all fear.

Yet they form a stealthy trend linked to the mechanization of the marketing profession, and one which is accelerating every day.

This mechanization is not new. The relentless pursuit of productivity gains in media buying has always existed, with well-known consequences of destabilizing the agency world, impoverishing publishers’ offerings and more generally depleting the talent of our industry.

What is new is the extent to which this “school of thought” is gaining ground, to the detriment of media plurality.

At a time when marketing and communication require more nuance, sensitivity and intelligence to adapt to the unprecedented complexity of consumer behavior and our technological environment, a trend toward narrower choices is emerging in the name of so-called productivity.

The digital vacuum cleaner is on its way, in its simplest expression, through monolithic and uniform social media platforms that lack differentiation.

This is leading to an excessive concentration of advertising investments to the detriment of the rest of the market.

Communication needs diversity. Media that interacts with and enriches each other, allowing for precise calibration across all stages of the customer journey.

Media that addresses short-term challenges while others can focus on generating long-term brand value.

Media that targets specific audiences while others correct our mistakes by addressing unlikely prospects.

All of this in a symphony of images, audio and video, through formats of all kinds, to deliver communications full of meaning and emotion.

And above all, media that is effective when we take the trouble to measure its full value, not just a pile of clicks or impressions.

This is an urgent situation. The latest study from ARCOM shows that this trend toward the radicalization of advertising investments will only intensify. It is expected that nearly half (45%) of investments will be captured by the four major non-European platforms by 2030.

Advertising is a driving force in the economy of our media, essential for its development and even its survival. As leaders in the communication industry, not acting on this redirection of advertising investments would be a serious mistake.

There is even the question of moral responsibility since the impact could be irreversible for the future of our democracy.

Our democracy needs media diversity in a world where radicalism is increasingly asserting itself. A variety of opinions, sensitivities and testimonies serve as a beacon of light against obscurantism.

It is a key condition for the success of diverse and inclusive policies. It allows us to fight misinformation on equal terms. However, this diversity is as vital as it is fragile; it requires daily and constant attention.

As agencies, we need to take on our share of responsibility so that this act of faith does not remain just another vain discourse.

We need to collaborate with all market players: publishers, advertisers, other agencies and their respective bodies, as well as auditors. Above all, we need to work with political bodies, since new regulatory approaches will likely be necessary at both the national and European levels.

We must take our share of responsibility because this issue strikes at the heart of our industry. It is time for us to reaffirm our values loudly and clearly.

Viva la différence.

This op-ed represents the views and opinions of the author and not of The Current, a division of The Trade Desk, or The Trade Desk. The appearance of the op-ed on The Current does not constitute an endorsement by The Current or The Trade Desk.