Word count: 1068 Reading Level: 11-12th Year Reading time: 3.88 Mins
Marketing principles stay the same for the most part only the medium changes. To be successful in the highly mobile tech world of today you need to be where your customers are looking. It is a simple fact if you are performing for an empty house you are wasting your time regardless of the quality.
In today’s tech world the clowns performing for an empty house are the magazines, newspapers, billboards, TV channels, TV commercials and radio shows. Traditional media no longer holds our attention. Let’s face it, reality barely holds our attention. Everyone is fixated by the internet and especially mobile devices. You can go anywhere and see large numbers of people young and old with their faces down scrolling on their phones.
Even when we watch TV today we watch with a TV channel on, but our attention is near 99% on our mobile devices. A typical family may sit together in front of the TV, but their attention is elsewhere. Normally their attention is directed towards a social media platform of some sort, such as; Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Musical.ly, Reddit, twitter, youtube or medium.
Typically, now we;
I’ve used myself as an example here and you might be thinking well he is just a techie and I am. However, I am 42 years old as well. My kids who are in their teens and my staff who are between 20-35 are even more mobile focused. If my kids watch TV it is normally only because the internet isn’t working and normally they will go outside or read a book before TV. In fact, I banned my son from using wifi or his phone/ipad and assumed he would watch TV, nope… he went straight for reading books and playing with the dog instead and hasn’t watched TV once in 2 weeks. So tell me how making an awesome TV ad is going to attract any of us… we aren’t looking…our fucks are all out and zero for traditional media.
Traditional marketing strategies
Traditional media marketing strategies revolve around interruption. The louder shrill ad on TV or radio, the Bam Wow headline or eye catching sexy lady or food is A typical for traditional media. Anything to grab your attention for 10-30 seconds and make you ‘buy now’. While the essence of marketing in new media can be similar the difference is the market and attention has completely moved away from traditional marketing methods. You would literally need a presenter on the TV to reach out of the TV remove the phone from each ‘watchers’ hands and hold eyes and face to the TV by force to have any effect now…if there was even anyone there to grab.
Note: When I was a kid the TV section was the most exciting part of a electronics store. My kids go straight for the iPads and then proceed to try and hack into social media. I vividly remember a sales person asking my daughter (13yrs) if she would like us to buy a big curved TV and the look on her face … the guy might as well been trying to sell her a phonogram.
New media of marketing
There is really nothing especially clever about doing your marketing on social media. It is only logical to advertise where your customer’s attention is at. You won’t see RedBull putting logos on your Grandmothers old Hyundai in her Garage? Of course not, they sticker up stuff in big events and where do they publish it? Social media, such as; Youtube, Facebook, Twitter etc why? because that is where the audience is.
Social media isn’t just for techies anymore, most people are on some type of social media. Facebook has around 1.7 Billion users with high levels of engagement, comparatively, their figures are staggering. I would dare say there is no other medium, except social media, accessible to small business that has that sort of reach/potential.
The difference social media has over traditional media are; accessibility, scalability and cost of entry. It is theoretically possible to spend under a hundred dollars and reach millions of people with your marketing. The same rules of having compelling content/marketing apply. However, practice, time and talent more than dollars are the only limiting factors. No need to pay drug money for a late night TV spot, when some smarts and just doing it can be far more effective.
How digital media is taking over
It’s over, digital media is not taking over, it has. Everyone is completely fixated on their phones. People can’t even stay concentrating on driving, walking even talking on the phone without checking some social app.
Time to change
Most social platforms are way underpriced, compared to traditional media and adwords. The ground is also still pretty fresh and early adopters will do best as the level of quality and competition is much lower now than it will be.
Like all things marketing ensure you test and measure always.
Bibliography:
Absolutemgcom. (2016, no-date). Traditional vs New Media: The Balancing Effect. [Weblog]. Retrieved 24 July 2016, from http://www.absolutemg.com/2014/12/23/traditional-media-balancing-effect/
Market research bulletin. (2014, 21 February 2014). Traditional Media vs New Media: Advertising Research by Jerry W Thomas – Market Research Bulletin. [Weblog]. Retrieved 24 July 2016, from http://marketresearchbulletin.com/traditional-media-vs-new-media-advertising-research-jerry-w-thomas/
Mark stensland. (2016, 17 May 2016). Traditional Marketing is Dead. [Weblog]. Retrieved 24 July 2016, from https://medium.com/@CommunityABQ/traditional-marketing-is-dead-b52b0448fe1c
