Traditional marketing is not dead
Digital marketing is not your only option.
When it’s time to make a decision on how to spend your media dollars on a marketing campaign, don’t pick just any channel or assume that digital is the only way to go. Take for instance something a bit old-school such as a plane pulling a banner through the sky. If you look up to the sky from downtown Cleveland over the summer, you may spot one flying over Progressive Field during a Guardians game. This past summer it was Geico.
Given the shot-gun approach of aerial advertising, we may not have been the target audience, but some definitely were. According to ESPN, the average estimated crowd size during an Indians (at that time) home game in 2019 was about 21,000. Couple that with the insight that approximately 77% of auto insurance customers were either actively shopping or experienced an adverse event that triggered shopping (e.g., poor service or a rate increase) in 2020 according to J.D. Power. It’s a good assumption then that Geico is reaching a majority of people attending that game, plus others outside the field that are their exact target audience.
Your objective is key
It’s important to remember that it’s not the medium, but your objective that really matters when planning to invest in any form of advertising or promotion. Prior to World War II, aviation pioneer Arnold Sidney Butler, the owner and operator of Daniel Webster Airport in New Hampshire, created banner towing. That was then, and in our digital world today, it almost seems quaint and somehow out of place. However, in this example, the medium is a smart decision for Geico if their objective was to increase brand awareness and potential consideration for their product. Plus, they didn’t have to pay for the naming rights to the stadium like their competitor. In the increasing world of digital marketing, it’s important not to decide on your tactic (your medium) before you first define your objective and understand your target audience.
As digital continues to grow and often dominate access to certain audience segments, it has also created an equal need to better understand your target audience. It’s more imperative than ever to know how they consume content and to deliver an authentic, on brand message that is relevant. Surprisingly, not many companies do a good enough job at understanding who their target audience is or their purchase decision journey (why they buy from you). It’s not just about demographics.
To understand you target audience, it takes some research. It doesn’t have to be expensive or very time consuming as you may already have a lot of information about your customers internally. And don’t assume you have to do a survey which can be pricey and take a long time. Like anything else, first define what you want to learn and only then pick the method that can best help you get your answers. If you don’t have the internal resources to conduct your own research, then find a reputable agency that has a clear and solid process to conduct the research first and not just sell you a solution. Don’t let them sway you with just secondary data either. It’s a good start, but those are often generalities of a market or segment. Conduct your own primary research that is tailored to your company. Think of it as an investment that will provide you better returns down the road through improved campaign performance.
So, don’t just settle for a tactic, traditional or digital unless you do your homework first. Remember it’s not the medium or the platform, it’s your objective that comes first. Understand who is buying from you, why, and what matters to them.