Communication

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The new mass media

TV is becoming more and more fragmented. With the rise of TV-on-demand, people are building an expectation of watching programmes without the interuption of adverts.

Ad's, in and of themselves (both radio & TV) can be irritating at best. Most people fast forward through them or change channel. Companies are now having to resort to getting the European Government to change their legislation on Product Placement within TV programmes.

But, what if you don't have the kind of money to do Product Placement, what do you do to reach the 'masses' and build mass awareness of your brand?

Easy:

1. social media with things like Facebook and Twitter - build a following and invite people to join what you're doing. Give people the chance to engage with you, rather than forcing yourself on them.

2. outdoor - either static or electronic (i.e. bus sides, bus stops, posters, billboards).This is the one form of advertising still left where consumers are 'forced' to see/watch the ad's.

As a note, people are a lot more receptive to advertising that invites them to engage - rather than forcing them to watch and listen. Outdoor does just that. The only thing you need to work out (as an advertiser) is:

in which areas do your target market live (so you don't waste money in the wrong location) and
what it is you're going to say.

(with thanks to Nicole Perez for the conversation that brought this concept to life)

Communication is not what it used to be

There has been so much talk, in the past few years, around the recession and how businesses have been impacted by it. It's quite a relief to now be hearing less and less about 'recession proofing your business'.

Yes, the market has shifted, as have consumerl spending behaviours and attitudes towards advertising. But, that is inevitable in any climate. What has happened over the past few years, and is continuing to happen, is consumers are becoming more and more sceptical about all forms of advertising and communication, both traditional and off-line.

It is our prediction that Word of Mouth (WoM), Social Media/Relationship Marketing and Guerilla Marketing are going to become more and more prevalent in the coming years. All of these will require a deeper knowledge of who our customer (and consumer) actually is, what our brand really stands for in their minds, and how we show our customers how our product best satisfies their needs.

How long does it take for consumers to go from seeing an Ad to buying the product?

In London, back in 1885, Thomas Smith wrote the following about how people consume advertising:

The xx time a man looks at an advertisement…:

1st: He doesn’t see it

2nd: He doesn’t notice it

3rd: He is conscious of its existence

4th: He faintly remembers having seen it

5th: He read the ad

6th: He turns his nose up at it

7th: He reads it through and says, ‘Oh, brother!’

8th: He says, ‘Here’s that confounded thing again!’

9th: He wonders whether it will amount to anything

10th: He will ask his neighbour if he has tried it

11th: He wonders how the advertiser makes it pay

12th: He thinks it must be a good thing

13th: He thinks it might be worth something

14th: He remembers that he wanted such a thing for a long time

15th: He is tantalised because he cannot afford to buy it

16th: He thinks he will buy it someday

17th: He makes a memorandum of it

18th: He swears at his poverty

19th: He counts his money carefully

20th: He buys the article or instructs his wife to do so

This is just as true today, although consumers possibly now skip from 14th to 20th.