“Think beyond the numbers” is the mantra of Starcom London’s Steve Traveller when it comes to media implementation, or planning and buying.Traveller says demographics only tell a part of the story. Very important in the media process is lifestyle, he believes, as well as trying to gauge how a target might actually interact with media, especially on the weekend. Even though his client, the global banking giant, UBS, especially wants to reach high-net worth individuals,Traveller often looks beyond the C-suite to achieve the bank’s objectives.
Many people with more than $1 million to invest may be retired or have inherited their wealth, so travel, culture, and life experiences may be far more important to them than business activity, he explains. In working to connect with the passions of wealthy potential customers around the world,Traveller often takes some risks by looking for opportunities that may not be measured by the usual media methods. But he has his own yardstick, and it’s the “affinity” for key interests.
So, for example, in Latin America, he recognizes that a small magazine serving golf club members in Chile or country club members in Argentina may be a perfect fit. He also works to encourage measurable results through some form of response mechanism.“After all,” he says,“with a potential UBS client, one telephone call could just pay for the entire campaign.”
