Insights / Marketing
Is traditional advertising dying? Is digital advertising really all it is to utilize?
The answer is: No, traditional advertising is not dead. In fact, if you pair it with some digital marketing strategies, you’ll get to achieve an even better result!
When you get the best of both worlds, why not utilize them to the fullest? And if you’re not sure how to execute both of them seamlessly, read on to learn how to effectively use traditional and digital advertising together.
1. Digital Ads & Printed Flyers
While we can see a steep rise in the online shopping trend since the pandemic, it’s not the only place consumers shop at. The truth is consumers long to go out and about. And as we transition into endemic, we can see that it is clearly the case now. Hence, digital ads are not your only option anymore. In fact, digital ads, especially the ones on social media, are more than often deem as annoying when it appears again and again on users’ feeds.
Instead, we’d advise you to cut down on digital ads and utilize printed flyers. You may do thorough research to determine which social platform your target customers commonly use and only place relatable digital ads there. Alternatively, you could also boost your existing social media posts to save time and money on designing new digital ads. Next, design and print out an adequate amount of flyers and have them placed at locations with a high frequency of visitors, such as supermarket counters.
2. Advertise Social Media & Website on Printed Media
Whether you have a digital or physical store, it’s always a good idea to print your social media handles or website on your packaging. It can be in the form of a QR code that could lead your customers or potential consumers to your landing page on social media platforms for them to learn more about your brand. You’ll never know if your customers’ friends might be interested in your products when they saw their friends using them. And having a QR code is a quick way for them to access your brand page.
3. Merchandise Giveaways
Another suggestion is to organize promotions or giveaways to distribute your brand’s merchandise. They could be custom t-shirts, mugs, hats, pens, umbrellas, USB pen drives or tote bags. Or even something that’s suitable and useful in this age and event, such as face masks and hand sanitisers. In fact, those wearable promotion items like shirts and hats could act as an implicit endorsement in the public when they are worn outdoors.
Some studies have found that promotional products or merchandizes are effective in brand recognition. It is found that more than half of the merchandise receivers could recall the brand for the past year and a whopping amount of 87% of them kept the promotional items for more than a year.
As an example, Kokuyo Malaysia developed these brand collaterals that are in line with their campaign for their stakeholders.
Furthermore, Digital Marketing strategies like social media marketing and email direct marketing are great ways to promote and advertise your giveaways. Having offline merchandise giveaways may not be enough to capture the public’s attention. Thus, with the help of social media, these giveaways are able to reach more people and get more engagement.
4. Digital & Creative Billboards
Billboard is classic outdoor advertising and still poses as a relevant one in today’s age. Despite we’re in the post-pandemic now, consumers are still spending a whole lot of their time on the go - either driving, taking public transportations or walking. That’s why setting up creative billboards on the highway, on the trains, on the skyscrapers or in shop windows could help in expanding your brand awareness.
If traditional billboards seem dull and boring to you, try LED Digital Billboards! As advertising evolves, so do billboards. In fact, LED Digital Billboards are the advertisers’ favourites. Not only are they cost-effective since you don’t need to print it out, but they are also an awesome attention grabber too. I mean, have you ever gotten stuck in a traffic jam and ended up watching the entire LED Digital Billboard right in front of you?
Digital Billboards could display ads in different formats - images, animations or videos and they are not limited to a single shape and effect. For instance, the digital billboard right in front of H&M in Bukit Bintang takes up the literal form of a cube that not only catches the attention of the pedestrians but most of the car drivers too. This innovative cube billboard allows passersby to look at the advertisement from every direction.
Another example is the 3D LED Bull advertisement executed by Pavillion KL on Chinese New Year 2021. A survey shows that 93% of the consumers perceive this large LED digital billboard on Pavillion KL as more eye-catching than normal billboards.
5. Use of Unconventional Advertising
Unconventional Advertising also known as Guerilla Marketing, is a kind of strategy used by small businesses to advertise and market their brand. It often consists of a low budget and creative method of execution. The outdoor unconventional advertising mostly aims to target the local community in a specific area. When done well and creatively, it can create a memorable and positive impression for the consumers.
For instance, the balloon is a cost-effective way to grab people’s attention as it elevates. You could either tie balloons that are printed with your brand name and social media account on cars in the parking lots or have your employees tie one around each of their waists and walk around the city.
In conclusion, it is essential to leverage both traditional and digital advertising to achieve your business goals. By putting these two channels together you can reach your audience where they are. Otherwise, seek a creative agency’s advice if you are sceptical about your advertising strategy. They are the professionals after all.
