P&G keen on digital, mobile & awards

20 Jun 2008

CANNES: Digital in not an emerging medium, according to this year's Advertiser of the Year, Procter & Gamble, and the cosmetics and household goods giant's aim is to be "eloquent" not just competent in the digital world.

"This is not an emerging medium, This is media. It's a digital world," P&G global marketing officer Jim Steigel told a room full of journalists at Cannes today (20 June).

The digitisation of media, Steigel said, has enabled advertisers to engage in deeper communications with consumers, "in a way that wasn't possible before".  "It's a very high priority for us, if you look at our spendings, our programs and our priorities."

AG Lafley, global CEO of P&G, said all advertisers now have to communicate in the language of consumers. "That's what we try to do," he said. "We try not to be just competent, but also eloquent in the digital world."

Lafley said the company's ecommerce sales are on an upward trajectory, particularly in Japan and Korea. "In the US, one of our top retailers is Amazon," he added.

Mobile marketing is another area of interest for P&G, Steigel said. The company has already struck a partnership with Sony in Japan, last year launching a mobile portal, called Hikoto, that integrates beauty and lifestyle content with promotion of P&G's beauty products.

"The world is going mobile. We just need to be there, to be of service to our consumers," Steigel said.

"The most interesting challenge for us now is how to measure [mobile marketing]," Lafley added. "When you can measure a sale, it's easy. Measuring communication and effectiveness is more challenging."

Procter & Gamble began attending the Cannes Advertising five years ago, Steigel said, to learn how to create better advertising. "We came here to raise our standards, benchmark ourselves against the best in the world, and to open our eyes to how we can improve," he said.

In the process, he added, P&G's relationship with its agencies has strengthened and is resulting in better work.
"We want to be the best client of our agencies, the most demanding positive way and the most inspirational," Steigel said. "We're very proud of the award [Advertiser of the Year], but it's a journey and we'll continue that journey. We are here agin this year to

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