The Media department has come a long way from its early days of scoring full-page newspaper ads and negotiating over the rotary dial. Part of staying up-to-date with the pace of the industry means harnessing the newest technology. That’s what seeded the department’s recent switch to Strata, a media- buying and -management software.
Enter the Stratasphere
Strong’s Media team prides itself on squeezing the most value out of every dollar when making buys for our clients. To do this in today’s market, it requires the best in media-buying data.
Strata is the industry’s leading software when it comes to media market research. By using the insights that it provides, our team is able to make better-informed decisions and model how buys will reach audiences. Strata pulls essential information like reach, frequency and audience size from a larger data pool than we could previously access. Additionally, Strata provides the team with data on streaming services, something that the previous software was unable to do.
Why the Switch?
Formerly, the team used Nielsen’s SmartPlus buying software. At the time it was adopted, it offered all of the functionality that the agency needed. But as we grew, so did the services we offered, and subsequently so did the level of data we required.
Current clients will continue using SmartPlus for buys that have already been made. New clients, however, will immediately begin using Strata. This will allow for all accounts to make a smooth transition into the new software.
Benefiting Our Clients and Us
Despite the inevitable growing pains, the team is ready to Embrace Change, knowing that this switch will bring significant value to our clients.
“One of the biggest things Strata will do is offer us more detailed reporting,” said Media Director Liz Elder. “We couldn’t always track our reach and frequency. It’s important for us to reach 50 percent of our audience at least three times during a campaign. That’s what we have found to be the minimum amount required to drive traffic, and Strata will ensure that we are always hitting those numbers.”
In addition to providing things like better graphs and enhanced charts to present to clients, Strata will allow the team to make better decisions on what to buy for TV, radio, cable, outdoor, print and even digital. This is particularly important for the trend that is taking over media in some generations, over-the-top television (OTT). If you haven’t heard this term before, think of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO GO. Strata helps our buyers by showing impressions, best-case scenarios, recommendations and other information that help land the best media buys.
