If it were up to me, I’d allocate our client’s ad dollars 50/50 between traditional and non-traditional media.
Traditional is just that. It’s traditional, it is the chicken parm that nobody orders when they go out to a restaurant because they can “have it anywhere” – it is the regular margarita that is passed up because the strawberry is a little different. Or, maybe it’s the sitcom that is fast-forwarded because everyone knows “nobody sits through commercials anymore”.
It’s boring. It’s just there, and it’s there because it always has been and we all seem to think it always has to be that way. I honestly don’t think that is how it has to be anymore. With all of this new technology, is it really that absurd to think we could start getting our names out there a little bit differently? Please note that I didn’t say that I would rid any budget of traditional advertising. I simply think that it is possible to start using our imaginations a little bit instead of spending hopeful dollars on a t.v. spot we hope people didn’t skip through, walk to the kitchen during, or simply turn away from. Lets start using those creative minds of ours, after all – that is really what the marketing industry is about, isn’t it?
What IS neat about traditional media, is the relationship they are building with the new media. I’m sure it is safe to say that nearly every radio station has its own website. And I mean a big website. There are fan clubs, music videos, advertising opportunities, streaming radio, etc. and it is an excellent way to marry these two very different types of media. I do love this. It engages the listeners. It gives them a reason to go online to their website once they get out of their car, to drive them to not only have heard advertisers on the station, but now look at a completely different set of advertisers on the website. It’s very smart, and a lot of it is opt-in.
“Real” World Connection: In a meeting with one of the radio stations we work with, their Internet Specialist told us that they have a ridiculous amount of fan club members. I’m talking tens of thousands. These accounts are deleted if they are inactive for 6 months and are constantly being evaluated. These are opt-in participants. They are going to the website. They are taking surveys to earn points. This is how you reach customers. You go to their level and you invite.
You don’t scream at them to do something, you invite them. They’re opted in.
Traditional Media is necessary. I do believe that – but, only to a certain point. I think, if done correctly, it can be paired perfectly with another, non-traditional media to make a dangerous combination.
