Does Traditional Marketing Still Work?

While traditional marketing continues to thrive, new technology is expanding the realm of what is possible. The tactic of combining traditional and digital marketing channels has seen a renaissance. A large part of that is due to innovations such as OTT.

OTT, which stands for “Over-the-top” media services, is the now common practice of streaming content to consumers over the web. Companies like Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Disney are the current leaders in this game. These servers allow viewers to bypass networks and cable providers to get only the content they want to pay for. Some companies provide free content in exchange for the viewer watching several targeted ads. Viewers appear to be willing to do this in exchange for the freebie. Through cable-cutting, traditional TV advertising has lost its audience to OTT viewers.

Radio ads, on the other hand, maintain an ROI of 12:1. This means traditional marketing still has profitable opportunities out there. When you consider the value that can be returned by each advertising dollar, radio is a cost-effective method of advertising.

What makes one form of traditional advertising work better than ever while a competitor is falling out of favor? Answering this question requires taking a look at what happens when traditional marketing is combined with digital marketing.

Why Radio Advertising Works

Radio advertising works because it reaches 92% of Americans aged 12 and above on a weekly basis. Listener engagement is high as people prepare for their day, commute to or from work or school, and wind down. This puts morning and evening drive time as the two most desirable time slots for radio advertising. Audiences are very loyal to music styles, topics, and personalities. Advertisers can fairly accurately predict who they are reaching by the station they choose to buy advertising from.

One of the biggest radio sellers is that it is a truly mobile medium. Listeners can tune in from any device, anywhere, at any hour of the day or night. This provides ample opportunities for making an impact. This also makes it possible for radio channels to seamlessly integrate with digital outlets and marketing tactics such as podcasts.

A Winning Combination

Radio and podcasts both offer on-the-go audio entertainment, but the channels work quite differently. While radio is broadcast to a wide audience, podcasts serve niche audiences found within the broad reach of radio. Reaching loyal listeners through either avenue increases the likelihood that the audience will be kept engaged throughout the day. When personalities in one medium remind their listeners to catch the show in another, numbers go up.

Radio personalities are immensely important to listeners. They can easily make the audience laugh or think intensely about a subject. Just like family, personalities become trusted thought leaders that listeners will follow to another station.

Television cannot be integrated into OTT the way radio and Podcasting can. The ultimate rise in the OTT market share means a decrease in television market share.

Use Both Traditional and Digital Marketing for Maximum Benefit

The goal should not be to use either traditional or digital marketing but to figure out a way to combine the two into a successful campaign. A seamless experience across channels is the key. As a traditional form of marketing, television ads can be skipped, so that wouldn’t give you the ROI you’re looking for. Radio can be combined with OTT for the best results.

OTT offers benefits that can boost a marketing strategy. Granular targeting can identify viewers at the household level by tapping into geolocation, demographic, and device information. Through advanced analytics, marketers can analyze the metrics of exposure and engagement to guide future ad strategy. OTT’s targeting features allow ads to be personalized so that marketers can deliver ads that are highly relevant to viewers. This increases the frequency and efficiency of buys.

Radio + OTT as a Marketing Strategy

While it is obvious that traditional advertising still does work, some avenues like television are losing their market share to digital alternatives like OTT. Because modern technology allows users to skip television ads, television buys may not get the number of viewers desired. Radio, on the other hand, still has the ability to guide its audience based on the successful use of on-air personalities, its most popular time slots, and the fact that listeners tend to remain loyal.

A combination of radio and OTT can create a full consumer journey without the need for other forms of advertising. OTT taps into the power of radio to connect trusted personalities to brands, and to the listeners who will follow them from one medium to another. Such an intimate, authentic marketing message delivered directly to the listener has a tremendous impact.

To learn more about integrating radio and OTT, download “The New Consumer Journey: Using OTT and Radio.”