There Is No Such Thing As Direct To Consumer, Panel Agrees

Kendall Clarke, Hallie Gellman and Colby Saenz discussed how to navigate online influence, and into consumers homes. As the affiliate industry continues to grow and mature, the buzzworthy phrase “Direct to Consumer” has perhaps become a bit of a misnomer. It’s true that the rise of e-commerce means that many consumers now buy directly from websites. But creating that pathway for a customer to select a product off that virtual “shelf” often requires a high-level strategy involving a network of influencers, websites and aggregators. In a Martech Record webinar held July 15th, three industry professionals discussed the best practices and challenges of building such a network to reach customers. While the analogy isn’t perfect, media brands are now operating as a kind of virtual shopping mall. They aggregate consumers through content relating to pop culture and trends as a way to get them in the door, just as mall displays once served as signals of what was in style. Consumers come for the content and can then be guided by influencers or trusted professionals into more niche verticals, just as mall browsers may be drawn to specialty stores that interest them. The key is to build a strong, trusting connection with consumers -- something that Hallie Gellman said the TODAY Show achieves by surveying its audience to understand what they want. Gellman is responsible for commerce partnerships at NBCUniversal Media for the TODAY Show and NBC News digital.

“Surveying and collecting data on our audiences is key,” Gellman said, adding that that information is used to curate content that is both tailored to the audience and up to TODAY’s editorial standards.