UM, a worldwide media agency group of IPG Mediabrands, has introduced its innovative ‘Full Color Media’ concept and philosophy today.
Created to transform the manner in which marketers develop brands in the age of AI, Full Color Media signifies a new range of behaviors, methods, and offerings throughout UM’s international network — integrating a growth-oriented mindset throughout the organization.
“Full Color Media is an all-channel planning framework aimed at addressing the critical risk of brands becoming indistinct. It harnesses the power of human creativity in a landscape where AI’s standardizing mechanism poses a threat not only to a race towards insignificance but also to a race towards mediocrity. To succeed in the growth competition for our esteemed clients, we require strategies that ‘Stand Against Bland,” stated Susan Kingston-Brown, Global Brand President, UM.
“This fresh methodology effortlessly merges the visibility of premium media impact with the vividness and diversity of smaller, in-depth touchpoints, establishing a spectrum of media narratives that unite to enhance brand growth,” she added. “In a realm dominated by algorithmic media, it challenges outdated linear paradigms and binary decision-making to promote genuine ‘difference’ and brand expansion.”
“UM’s Full Color Media is intended to assist our clients in standing out within a competitive landscape through pioneering concepts, media creativity, and an unyielding pursuit of innovations,” remarked Tricia Camarillo-Quiambao, CEO, IPG Mediabrands Philippines and UM Business Lead. “We are thrilled to launch this audacious proposition and resist mediocrity, as we strive to future-proof our strategies and adapt to the changing demands of our clients and our sector.”
Full Color Media is supported by a revolutionary body of tailored research on brand development in the era of AI. Conducted with over 10,000 brands and involving 5 million data points, the research culminated in a customized ‘Brand Patterns’ marketing theory and proprietary model created to enhance and distinguish brands.
UM’s new model and research construct a clear comprehension of the intricate pattern of a brand, providing insights into how to effectively apply ‘difference’ and the ‘variance’ of that brand. This profound knowledge allows AI to learn more efficiently, thereby boosting marketing efficacy.
“Before we activate the AI capabilities, we must fully grasp what sets a brand apart so we can educate that AI to function effectively for us and make a Stand Against Bland,” continued Ms. Kingston-Brown. “Brand patterns allow us to comprehend the complexity, subtleties, and singularity of each brand — enabling us to elevate and differentiate them within their respective category — ensuring that our communications yield a disproportionately positive impact in the market.”
The Research
In collaboration with Associate Professor of Marketing Felipe Thomaz, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UM evaluated a dataset of over 10,000 brands over the past three years to ascertain how unique networks of brand associations and behaviors termed “Brand Patterns” facilitate brand growth, measured as Purchase Intent and Consideration.
The findings indicated that brands do not merely follow a funnel approach but rather exhibit intricate, unique, and distinguishing patterns. Each brand possesses its own distinct, nuanced pattern influenced by the interdependence and synergy of metrics across three fundamental components, the “3-Vs”:
- Visibility: encompasses metrics such as Attention and Ad Awareness that foster distinctiveness and serve as the primary driver of brand advancement (64%).
- Vibrancy: assessed through metrics like Social Engagement, Buzz, and Word of Mouth, provides brand relevance through its cultural connections, and serves as a significant growth accelerator (11%).
- Variability: comprising metrics like Positive Impression and Quality, is crucial for incremental growth (25%) and differentiation by creating intrinsic value for customers.
“As we explored whether brands were employing suitable go-to-market strategies, it became apparent that although every brand has distinct patterns, they frequently utilize similar media strategies, thereby failing to maximize their Brand Pattern,” noted Mr. Thomaz. “Our research suggests that Brand Patterns can furnish marketers with fresh insights to illuminate their unique pathway to brand expansion.”
Brand Pattern Growth Model & Key Insights
By examining unique patterns and relationship drivers within the data set, structural modeling techniques were employed to develop the quantified Brand Pattern Model.
“With the current level of computational capabilities and data accessibility, there is a remarkable chance to advance beyond simplified marketing models like the funnel,” declared Dan Chapman, Global Chief Strategy Officer, UM. “We require a model that embraces complexity and leverages pattern recognition to define and quantify each brand’s unique nature. Our discoveries show that comprehending and capitalizing on what differentiates a brand is the leading driver of brand growth. This will gain even more significance as AI becomes increasingly prevalent.”
The model articulates the connections between the 3-Vs and their subcomponents, predicting key drivers of brand growth while considering the multiplier impacts among brand metrics. For instance, when Vibrancy metrics consistently functioned positively, Visibility metrics exhibited exponential performance. In many situations, ‘earned’ acted as a catalyst.to enhance ‘paid’ media efficiency.
- In the United States, Visibility serves as a significant factor in the Payments Services and Credit Cards sector, although brand advancement is more likely influenced by Variability compared to the category average. Nonetheless, numerous brands within this category adopt Visibility-focused strategies, with video being the top option in the media mix.
- In Australia’s Alcoholic Beverages sector, Visibility proved vital for beer brands, highlighting a well-supported category. However, for other alcoholic beverages such as wine and spirits, Variability played a significantly larger role in driving growth.
- In Mexico, within the Cereals, Chocolate, and Biscuits sector, key contributors to incremental growth are Vibrancy and Variability. More prominent brands displayed a significantly greater impact on growth from these elements.
- For British Health and Beauty brands, Variability accounted for roughly 30% of brand growth.
“These profound category insights enable us to analyze any brand and evaluate not just its primary growth drivers, but also its interplay within its category and the broader cultural context. Subsequently, we can devise tailored solutions to enhance that brand and ensure it resonates more powerfully in the marketplace,” states Mr. Chapman.
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