Today at BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local conference, Hill Holiday EVP and Chief Media Officer Cindy Stockwell gave a street-level view of the opportunities and challenges confronting brands as they seek to localize their advertising/marketing. While there are voluminous channel and platform choices, Stockwell stressed three universal precepts: “add value to consumers in whatever channel they use,” “drive choice,” and “provoke conversation” (thus sparking virality).

Stockwell has led campaigns for prominent brands, notably Dunkin Donuts, across a variety of channels, utilizing various creative approaches. Dunkin, for instance, has run everything from branded messaging within social games to mobile-local coupons/locators in markets based on store density.

Her other rules of thumb and best practices for national-local in newer digital channels: 1) Social: “Big campaigns that are a moment in time are a waster of money. Brands must have continuous conversations with customers everyday”; 2) Mobile: “Use location (geo-fencing, for example) to add value to the experience.”

The bottom line: national marketers enjoy more choices than ever, and that increasingly includes customizing messaging to specific customers.

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