In today’s world of advertising, audiences are exposed to advertising content on both, online and offline platforms. Based on the accessibility of the platforms, audiences tend to look for information and ads of various products and services. As a result, building a marketing mix with both online and offline platforms is highly beneficial for brands in this modern era.
Offline marketing uses traditional media involving television, billboard ads and radio, all of which still receive a good amount of target audience response. Unlike the skippable ads on YouTube, the audience is forced to watch the television ads in between TV shows. Print ads and OOH are also great mediums to increase brand awareness. Offline ads, especially print ads, are considered to have high credibility in terms of sharing information and content. The print publications have spent years building a loyal customer base that religiously read and follow their trustworthy information. Hence, print ads are recommended for their higher credibility and wider market reach.
Offline marketing is slower than online/digital marketing. In the dynamic culture of advertising, acknowledging changing trends cannot be executed through offline media. They also do not ensure efficient tracking, which does not help with information like how many people have watched the ad, and how many of them have taken desired action after watching the ad.
When it comes to online marketing, digital advertising companies can provide the right combination of strategies that can help the brand to be active and present on multiple forms of digital media. Some advantages of online marketing are that one can reach a wide range of audiences across ages and locations. The medium is fast and cost-effective. Digital advertising companies usually consider the ‘digital’ medium to give the best ROI, as one can track their audience and get numbers of converted customers through various ads. Moreover, understanding the expected return helps structure the budget of their media plan, and make changes to the ongoing campaign if needed.
But on the flip side, digital ads are less trustworthy. Also, multiple ad appearances can be irritating to the audience and could result in a strong dislike for the brand. Moreover, breaking through the clutter of existing digital brand messages is also quite difficult on online platforms.
Hence, considering the pros and cons of both mediums, it's wise to not keep all the eggs in one basket. Maintaining a consistent brand across all platforms, though, might be helpful when developing an integrated online and offline marketing strategy. Also, driving online traffic through offline ads with a website and an app link is a good technique to expand the reach and effectiveness of the marketing campaign. Brands can separately request the curation of an online marketing strategy from a digital advertising company and offline marketing from an agency that provides traditional media services. Or, they can opt to work with an advertising agency that provides both.
We, at Collateral, are an advertising company in Mumbai, with an in-house team of experts in both online and offline marketing. Story-tellers by birth and profession, we aim to add value and creativity by narrating the right brand story on the right platform for our clients.
