Is offline marketing back from the dead?

Traditional forms of marketing have struggled for the last five years. Falling revenues, a mass exodus to digital media, and questions about its relevance in a modern Internet-based world. But now something interesting has happened: the tide has turned. Radio and television companies are announcing better results, the line between digital and traditional media has become increasingly blurred, and marketers and journalists are beginning to admit that traditional marketing still plays, and always will play. , an extremely important role in the marketing mix.

So why the sudden change in focus?

What seems like a fairly sudden change of heart is actually related to a number of ‘slow running’ factors, the most important of which is how technology is changing and, more importantly, the way we use it. . Mobile phones are a great example of this – the technological development and consumer adoption of new technologies in this sector over the last 18 months has been amazing.

We now live in a society where the Internet is widely accessible to the vast majority of the population at their fingertips and at any time. At the same time, the success of tablets like the iPad has made Internet consumption even more portable.

But how does this benefit traditional media and marketing methods? Surely this new technology will make it even more obsolete? Interestingly, the reality is actually quite the opposite.

The rise of this portable technology online is blurring the lines between what we like to call ‘digital’ and what we call ‘traditional’ media and marketing channels. Let me give you a couple of examples:

1. The recently launched The Daily, the first iPad-only online newspaper, is a joint venture between Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Apple. If you read The Daily on your iPad, you’ll know that it’s designed like a traditional newspaper (not a news website); the only difference is that it is displayed on your tablet. This is an example of a traditional publisher updating the way their content is consumed. So if you as a business decide to advertise in this post, are you advertising ‘traditionally’ or ‘digitally’? Hard to say really.

2. Imagine that you are standing at a bus stop and an advertising billboard catches your eye. Let’s say you have an offer you’d like more information about. No longer do you have to wait until you get home to do it (and let’s be real, you would have forgotten it by now anyway!), you can access it right now on your mobile phone. Chances are, there’s even a barcode on the ad that you can scan with your mobile phone to directly access the additional content. Either way, the advertiser got his attention using the ad and, using new technology, got you to take action right then and there. So if you as a business invest in an outdoor marketing campaign and drive customers to an online offer after they take immediate action, are you advertising ‘traditionally’ or ‘digitally’? Again, it’s pretty hard to say.

These are just two examples. Think about how now we consume so many things differently: radio, newspapers, television, the Internet, shopping, promotions, etc. So the lines between traditional and digital marketing are becoming increasingly blurred. Digital technology, like the one I just highlighted, is becoming fully entrenched in our society. It is no longer the case that the Internet is an entity that we consume when we are at home on our computers or at work: it is at our fingertips all the time and it is changing the way we do everything, including advertising our businesses.

Traditional Marketing Was Never Dead (I Hate To Say I Told You!)

I’m actually lying, I love to say that I told you so! What I want to say, though, is that traditional marketing has never been dead: when you think about it, the idea that when something new comes along it automatically means that the old is completely obsolete is actually quite ridiculous.

The best marketing results always come from companies that understand that a good marketing strategy is about combining online and offline marketing activities. Traditional media, like outdoor or television, can be a great way to build a brand and generate interest, but how do you get the consumer to take action and engage with you on an ongoing basis? That is often where online marketing comes in and it is through creating the perfect mix of online and offline channels that the best results come from. Multi-channel marketing strategies are not only reserved for multi-billion dollar companies, but can still be done with more modest marketing budgets.

Let’s stop talking about ‘online marketing’ and ‘digital marketing’

Hopefully, what I have highlighted is that traditional and digital forms of marketing are blurring to the point that it no longer makes sense to refer to them as separate entities. A marketing strategy that will inevitably get results will be one that uses the perfect combination of marketing channels, all united by a strong and consistent message. So isn’t it time we stopped worrying about whether something is offline or online, traditional or digital, and just focus on developing more successful marketing strategies? I think so, what do you think?