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September 2006 - Strategy Magazine
Media

Rising Young Media Stars

by Patti Summerfield
page 26

This is the final instalment of our two-part exploration of the next wave of media talent. Media pundits have been adamant that to succeed in the new mediaverse, agencies require new ways of thinking. Curious as to who these new thinkers were, and what they were thinking, strategy canvassed the industry, asking media shops to single out their top innovative and strategic recruits.

We found that the next generation are creative, love what they're doing, and "get it."

Media-neutral is second nature to them since it simply reflects the world they live in.

The industry is in good hands.

Zoryana Loboyko, account director, PHD Canada

Claim to fame: The "Dove Campaign for Real Beauty" voting billboard.

Involved from the very beginning, the PHD team worked to bring Dove's new philosophy and positioning as well as the creative to life. The result included two live LED screens in Toronto with a toll-free number to call to vote. The tally was changed on the board in real time. Other 10-by-20-foot posters were placed in major markets to drive consumers to campaignforrealbeauty.ca.

Not only did the campaign win awards, the idea was also picked up in the U.S. and executed via a billboard in Times Square.

Background: Loboyko graduated from Ryerson University with a bachelor of commerce in marketing and is now in her sixth year at PHD. She was hired into the research department, and worked there for about eight months before moving into the Unilever group as an assistant media planner, quickly moving up to account manager, then supervisor, and now director.

Who is getting it right?

Apple iPod. I'm a bit obsessed with it. This is an example of a brand being able to create a culture, a following, and a feeling of - holy smokes, I really must have this product!

It's a brand that's dynamic, wanting to push the limits and be breakthrough, and wants to explore new media opportunities itself. Apple is everywhere I expect them to be. They did some very interesting island shelter wraps. They're huge in OOH. It drives me nuts because when I come across a great media placement opportunity, I look up and Apple is always there. This is a brand that keeps inspiring me in that way.

Are opportunities being missed due to caution?

Opportunities are being missed because of a pure CPM measurement from the client's end. So that wouldn't really be considering the impact of an idea, consumer reaction, or potential PR.

Sometimes that's where it stops and you can't move forward with the idea. This isn't in all cases. If we looked at that with the electronic billboard we did for Dove, we wouldn't have executed it.

What common industry belief would you love to whack?

The struggle between media and creative and really creating a space at the table for both. I want to see media and creative working together. We focus on building consumer insights and understanding the consumer. It's all about who we want to talk to and when they are best poised to see the message. That leads to my hope of collectively coming up with the idea to reach them. We see it with advertisers such as Nike and the particular brands I work with.

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