{"id":333768,"date":"2024-06-24T09:10:37","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T09:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integralads.com\/?p=333768"},"modified":"2024-06-24T09:25:50","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T09:25:50","slug":"masters-of-media-nic-jones-head-of-strategy-essencemediacom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/integralads.com\/apac\/insider\/masters-of-media-nic-jones-head-of-strategy-essencemediacom\/","title":{"rendered":"Masters of Media – Nic Jones, Head of Strategy, APAC, EssenceMediacom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In this exclusive \u201cMasters of Media\u201d series, Integral Ad Science (IAS) speaks to the Movers and Shakers of the APAC advertising industry on all digital matters.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nic Jones<\/a> is Head of Strategy, APAC at EssenceMediacom, GroupM\u2019s newest and largest agency that is committed to delivering marketing breakthroughs for brands in the new communications economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his role, Nic is responsible for overseeing EssenceMediacom\u2019s strategy and planning function in the region. He is also the end-to-end experience lead in ASEAN and South Pacific for WPP Open, the bespoke global agency partner of The Coca-Cola Company. Additionally, he is currently driving the development of the agency\u2019s addressable product offering and capability building in APAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 16 years of experience, Nic has a deep understanding of all aspects of media and marketing transformation, from digital to above-the-line media, to addressable audiences, to data. He brings with him a proven track record of delivering innovation and integrated solutions to some of the world\u2019s largest brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IAS: Can you share your career journey in the digital media industry, highlighting key milestones and experiences that have shaped your professional path?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nic:<\/strong> I\u2019ve spent the last 16 years working in media agencies in the UK, China, and Singapore, and unsurprisingly, the job has changed a lot in that time. Working mostly in strategy roles, the role has changed from being a singular function to one that has to act as the bridge between the ever-growing number of specialisms and disciplines that have emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems many marketers are on a constant journey of transformation and it\u2019s been interesting to see how these have played out since the advent of digital advertising. We\u2019ve been through several waves of digital advertising, from search, to social, and now retail, and while the pace of change has increased, the fundamental job of delivering value and growth for clients remains constant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I currently spend a lot of time working with The Coca-Cola Company as part of the integrated WPP Open X model. It\u2019s been stimulating to work a lot more closely with different disciplines and operating companies to provide truly integrated solutions for brands. I suspect we\u2019ll see more agencies moving towards this consolidated agency group model for large multinational clients, given the potential upside from this integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


IAS:<\/strong> If there\u2019s one myth related to programmatic you\u2019d like squashed, what would that be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nic:<\/strong> The perception that clients have the option to go down a programmatic route or a premium one. Programmatic has become a bit of a misnomer, one associated with cost-effective, broad reach through non-premium inventory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there may have been an element of historical truth to this, the programmatic of today has a wealth of connected TV (CTV), digital out-of-home (DOOH), and broadcast video on demand (BVOD) inventory, to name a few, that can deliver a cost-effective, yet premium solution for clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also no longer a blunt tool, and it has huge potential to deliver tailored messaging across valuable audience segments and platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


IAS:<\/strong> What challenges have you encountered in achieving audience addressability in diverse markets across APAC, and how have you adapted your approach to overcome them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nic:<\/strong> Addressability isn\u2019t really anything new – the role of a media planner\/buyer has always been to serve the right audience in the right context with the right message. The difference now is that technology has advanced to a point where we deliver both precision and scale, in a way that makes sense commercially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of the reticence of embracing addressable planning and activation comes from the perception that it adds many layers of complexity and cost for only a marginal return. This has partly been driven by the industry, which has much to gain by making something seem more complicated than it needs to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At EssenceMediacom, we\u2019ve spent a lot of energy upskilling our people to be able to work with clients to identify the optimal addressable solution. This has had two main benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n