The old and the new: why your campaign needs both traditional and newer marketing techniques

Do you ever see a marketing campaign and your first thought is “what in the world were they thinking?” Yes, we've all been there.

Marketing is a fast changing discipline. As technology progresses, so too does the way brands and consumers interact with each other. Companies must keep up with the pace of technology but that doesn’t mean that you should throw away traditional marketing altogether. Learn from Pepsi’s example, when it lost money by forgoing traditional advertising for a completely online approach. In most cases, a combination of traditional and digital marketing works well. Here’s the how and why.

Email Campaigns

They may be online but email campaigns have been dismissed by some high tech marketeers as outdated and ineffective. However, note that that’s far from the truth. The key thing to remember is that acquisition direct mail campaigns require different tactics from retention direct mail campaigns. In the case of acquisition you are targeting people who are not yet your customers - your goal is to get new business. These two types of people require vastly different communication tactics, so don’t just send a generic email blast to everyone on your list and hope for the best.

Billboards and hashtags

A great example of traditional and digital marketing working together is the use of hashtags with billboards. Many high profile billboard adverts have a hashtag at the bottom so viewers can share their thoughts on the advert. Your social media team can then use the hashtag to gauge reaction on the billboard and then interact with consumers. If you get trending on twitter then so much the better. This strategy can also work with TV or any print media.

Not everyone is online (just yet)

It might surprise you to learn that 13% of Americans do not use the internet according to Pew Research. And even of those are online, many do not use the internet frequently or distrust online advertising when making purchasing decisions. Whilst digital marketing techniques may work well with a younger demographic, your older customers may respond better to traditional advertising. Having a multifaceted approach ensures all of your bases are covered.

New marketing techniques are great but embracing them shouldn’t mean you abandon the old just yet. Taking the best of the present and the past is a great way to move into the future. Good luck creating multi-faceted marketing campaigns!