New direct and digital agency has brand focus

Trinity has lined up fashion giant New Look, shirt makers Charles Tyrwhitt and technology firm Sling Media as its first clients. It will focus on the entertainment, technology, automotive and finance sectors, and will outsource media buying.

Nunn said Trinity had been set up in response to client demands and to fill a gap in the market for a communications planning agency that understands digital, brand and direct.

"Traditionally, clients have chosen a full-service agency to meet media planning needs, but rarely do the three disciplines work in harmony," he said. It's becoming important to unify channels across direct, digital and brand." He added that combining brand metrics with search ones, for example, would become more important as clients seek to account for their media budgets.

"Direct mail has proved to be twice as effective when timed with a brand communications campaign," said Nunn.

THE CLIENT VIEW: CAN DIGITAL AND DIRECT MEDIA BUILD BRANDS?

- Craig Inglis, marketing director, Virgin Trains

The continuing rise of digital means consumers are engaging with brands on their own terms.

If brands can inspire their consumers while interacting in an open, two-way conversation online, they can create a potent advocacy that could never be achieved through one-way above-the-line communication.

At Virgin Trains, we engage customers in our brand vision 'Love every second' this way, such as through an online community where consumers helped shape our brand.

- Neil Fisher, direct marketing manager, Esure

The communication we get as consumers has an impact on brand perception, so it is possible to build brands using direct and digital media. They can convey messages over above-the-line media.

Direct and digital media harnesses the awareness above-the-line media creates and builds on this, encouraging the recipient into a direct response.

Integrated media planning is important. It could be difficult for an agency with a heritage of direct and digital to suddenly add brand. It would have to work hard to gain credibility.

- John Sheekey, marketing director, Nectar

There has been an explosion of customer communication channels that are rapidly changing, and our challenge is making the right decision about where we put marketing spend.

Building brands through above-the-line media is now not the most efficient way of ensuring messages get to consumers. There is clearly a role for above-the-line, but we are looking at direct and digital-led communications to build our brand.