Mixing it Up

June 2nd, 2008 at 11:22am Cindy Harris

Today’s Advertising Age published a story that shows conclusively that when it comes to advertising, a good media mix of online, television, radio and print will produce a better return than using one vehicle exclusively.

In a survey of 25,000 consumers done by national media-tracking firm Advertising Perceptions, results showed consumers were more inclined to buy products when they saw a particular brand across media channels. So effective is a mix of media that most product categories studied showed at least a 20% increase in consumers who said they “intend to buy” the products that they had seen in multiple media channels.

For example:

• online and TV viewers were 27% more likely to intend to buy beer than those who viewed TV alone
• 22% more likely to intend to buy apparel than TV viewers alone and
• 21% more likely to intend to buy consumer electronics than TV viewers alone.

Here’s a visual that is pretty convincing:

It seems clear that online advertising must be part of any marketing plan these days, along with a good mix of other vehicles. Each type of advertising channel - TV, radio, print, online - have their advantages and drawbacks, but each makes multiple contact points with your customers.

I could write on this topic exclusively every day for the next year and not cover all the nuances of media buying and placement. Long story short, mix it up in your marketing plan. And don’t just rely on one channel to carry your company’s message.

Entry Filed under: ROI & Effectivness, Media Buying, Research, Non-traditional advertising, Traditional advertising