Have you ever dismissed an advertising medium as no longer being relevant?
- Newspapers? 'I just look at my mobile or tablet if I want to read a story'
- Radio? 'Everyone just streams music now, right?'
- Direct mail? 'It's a waste, it just goes in the bin'
- Outdoor? 'How do you know how many people see it?'
- Magazines? 'They're in decline, the industry won't exist in five years'
But I believe that non-digital marketing techniques matter and still fully justify their place within a balanced marketing mix.
Arguably these mediums have now adapted to a changing world after spending a long time working out if digital was a threat to them and what to do about it. They've had to streamline, create new opportunities, merge, work more efficiently and trim costs.
The flab has been reduced and many companies who are still operating in these sectors are producing positive results. They're specialists in their sectors and are able to offer clients something different to think about as part of their advertising strategy.
One of the key protagonists recognising the value in more traditional sectors is Global. Ashley Tabor and his team are building a media portfolio with a clear strategy, clear target audiences and multi-platform promotional opportunities via radio, events, online, talent management and out-of-home (OOH).
In 2018 Global spent over £200m on the purchase of Primesight and Outdoor Plus, quickly followed by the addition of Exterion Media to it's outdoor division portfolio. Outsmart, the trade body for the industry, announced revenue reported for Q4 2018 saw the OOH market grow by 8.1% from £332 million in Q4 2017 to £358 million YoY.
Alongside these positive results for OOH, commercial radio revenue topped £700m for the first time ever in 2018 according to the Radio Centre, further great news for Global and their directors.
The Global strategy has not been universally popular with consumers and especially those directly affected by their changes. But, it is clear what the company is trying to do. They want to give their clients options to tout their wears to a clearly defined audience and so far it seems to be working.
If content is still king then newspapers and magazines have the experience and resources to be at the top of the tree here. While newsstand space contracts and paper prices rise, so to do the importance of subscription models and delivering content to consumers and businesses across multiple channels. All to ensure that readers can digest the news they want, where they want when they want and in the format they want. No longer just restricted to a tabloid or broadsheet.
For direct mail and door drops, stats also continue to be encouraging. Whilst not celebrating volumes they would've managed at their pre-digital peak. In 2018 57% of consumers opened mail when it just arrived and 20.8% open it within twenty-eight day period. 48.5% read/looked/glanced at it and 23% within twenty-eight day period, so messages are being seen. For door-drops, according to the DMA 60.5% read or looked at deliveries. These are strong engagement levels and should not be dismissed.
It's clear that there is still life in these old dogs yet.
Ok, it's not all good news. The infographic below shows growth predictions in media and entertainment sectors going through to 2021. But, just because an industry shows a contraction does not mean it is not relevant, it simply needs to be considered differently. Smart marketers will be able to juggle the promotional options available to them to best deliver campaigns for their businesses using a variety of tools at their disposal, not just the digital world.
My inspiration for this little ramble around the benefits of more traditional advertising mediums was sparked by an old campaign I stumbled across from Brazilian agency MOMA Propaganda.
I think looks awesome!
Ok, so it's from way back in 2010 (I know, I know the world has moved on). It's before Snapchat even existed (launched in the App store July 2011. But it made me think about if this is how digital tools might've presented themselves in an old fashioned format. Then we're seeing the reverse in our lives every day as traditional tools adapt themselves to digital formats:
Thank you for the inspiration MOMA. I may be late to the party spotting your designs but they get a big thumbs up from me.
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