As a result of the growing trend toward media convergence, consumers are being increasingly exposed to marketing messages across multiple mediums. A perfect example is this year’s Superbowl Ads which were obviously aired during the game, but were also able to be viewed (and are still available) on numerous web sites.
Companies on the leading edge of marketing are utilizing convergence to their advantage in order to more effectively reach their consumer, who often doesn?t spend the same amount of time in front a television as consumers have in the past. Conversely, those companies that continue to focus solely on the traditionally core mediums such as television, newspaper and radio, are seeing their advertising spending increase while their results decrease. What these companies don?t realize is that simply increasing their spending isn?t going to help them because they are marketing to consumers that are not present. Instead of sitting in front of a television for hours on end, today?s consumers live a busier life and are often on the go. This has caused traditional mediums to become less effective while making non-traditional mediums vital to an effective marketing campaign.
Traditional mediums are not dead, nor will they be anytime soon, but the days of being able to rely on them are. The evolution of the marketing world has forced all of us to be more creative in finding new ways to interact with our consumers. Those of us that are willing to make the transition will enjoy a prosperous (and probably somewhat bumpy) ride while competitors set in their ways begin to fall off the map. Which category do you fall into?
