Advertising Media Strategies

Before diving in to an advertising campaign you’ll need a direction. Emalgam can help you develop a cohesive advertising media strategy to maximize your budget and reach the most potentials within your target audience. Our team will guide you in making the right choices to maximize your exposure and follow-up on all the details. A well thought out advertising media strategy is the difference between a shot in the dark and a calculated assault on all fronts. The two basic tasks of marketing communications are message creation and message dissemination. Media planning supports message dissemination. Media planning helps you determine which media to use--be it television programs, newspapers, bus-stop posters, in-store displays, banner ads on the Web, or a flyer on Facebook. It also tells you when and where to use media in order to reach your desired audience. Simply put, media planning refers to the process of selecting media time and space to disseminate advertising messages in order to accomplish marketing objectives. When advertisers run commercials during the Super Bowl game at more than $2.5 million per thirty-second spot, for example, media planners are involved in the negotiation and placement.

Media planners often see their role from a brand contact perspective. Instead of focusing solely on what medium is used for message dissemination, media planners also pay attention to how to create and manage brand contact. Brand contact is any planned and unplanned form of exposure to and interaction with a product or service. For example, when you see an ad for Volkswagen on TV, hear a Mazda's "zoom zoom" slogan on the radio, are told by a friend that her iPod is the greatest invention, or sample a a new flavor of Piranha energy drink at the grocery store, you are having a brand contact. Television commercials, radio ads, and product sampling are planned forms of brand contact. Word of mouth is an unplanned brand contact -- advertisers normally do not plan for word of mouth. From the consumer's perspective, however, unplanned forms of brand contact may be more influential because they are less suspicious compared to advertising.

The brand contact perspective shows how the role of media planners has expanded. First, media planners have moved from focusing only on traditional media to integrating traditional media and new media. New media -- cable and satellite television, satellite radio, business-to-business e-media, consumer Internet, movie screen advertising and videogame advertising -- is playing an increasingly significant role. Spending on new advertising media is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 16.9 percent from 2005-2009, reaching $68.62 billion by 2009, while traditional media advertising is expected to rise only 4.2 percent on a compound annual basis during the same period to $192.28 billion

Second, media planners are making more use of product placements now, in lieu of advertising insertions. Advertising insertions, like print ads or television commercials, are made separately from the content and are inserted into it. The ads are distinct from the articles or TV programs, not a part of them. As a result, the ads seem intrusive. In contrast, product placement (also called brand placement or branded entertainment) blends product information with the content itself. Whether content is a television program, movie, video game or other form of entertainment, product placement puts the brand message into the entertainment content. For example, in the movie E.T., the extraterrestrial eats Reese's Pieces candy. The candy was authentically integrated into the movie ?and sales of Reese's Pieces soared 80% after the movie, catapulting the new product to mainstream status On the other hand, inappropriate or excessive product placements may do more harm than good to the brand.

Finally, the role of media planners has expanded as media planners have moved beyond planned messages to take advantage of unplanned messages as well. Whereas planned messages are what advertisers initiate -- like an ad, press release or sales promotion -- unplanned messages are often initiated by people and organizations other than advertisers themselves. Word of mouth, both online and offline, is one form of unplanned message. Although advertisers have little direct control over the flow of unplanned messages, they can facilitate such a flow.

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Direct Mail Advertising
Although it seems as though the Internet has taken over the advertising world, direct mail advertising does still hold a lot of sway namely because of its ability to target specific potential customers and create mailing lists of every imaginable demographic classification. Unlike the mass generic emails that are sent daily and usually ignored, direct mail advertising offers a more personalized touch. It gives your business the opportunity to mention new products, services, and promotions to existing and potential customers. A well-planned, well-designed and implemented direct mail campaign will increase your branding potential and help you bring in new customers.Now that you know what direct mail advertising is and how it works, it is time to consider how to implement this type of promotional material into your business. You may wish to work with an advertising firm or company to help you with this process. The advertising firm will provide you with all of the design and implementation of the program for you. They will give you proposals of your options, help you to find leads to mail to and may even run the program themselves.
Hiring a professional to manage a direct mail campaign is an option you have, though it is not the only option available. Many organizations will place a larger investment into an advertising firm to handle this, but many small businesses will do well doing so locally, on their own. For example, if you own the local retail hardware store, a mailing list obtained from your local chamber of commerce can be used to mail sales flyers to each of your potential customers within your city. This can be done in house.

To find direct mail lists, you should invest in the right companies to provide them. Mailing lists are readily sold by companies who have them, to those who need them. These lists are often risky business unless they are combing from a reputable source. The problem is the number of people who have asked to be removed from them, or those that do not live at the addresses provided. If you do purchase mailing lists to use in your direct marketing mail program, be sure the list is currently, has not been sold repeatedly and has been updated recently.

Direct mail advertising is one of the best ways to let people know about your home and the services you have to offer to them. While there are many other methods to get word out, direct mail continues to be one of the most sought after methods for those in the retail industry. Travel industries, insurance companies and loan or credit card companies also use this method of advertising since it is so powerful. As you consider all options you have for marketing your business, do not overlook the simple, but proven and affordable direct mail marketing option. It may just be what you need it to be.

Types of Direct Marketing

There are many ways that direct marketing is used. Each method includes a different focus. These types include:

• Direct Mail Methods
• Telemarketing Methods
• Integrated Campaigns
• Direct Response Television Marketing
• Direct Selling
• Email Marketing
• Broadcast Faxing Marketing
• Voicemail Marketing
• Couponing

Direct mail is most effective when the mail is delivered to those who are targeted leads, or those who are already interested or could be readily interested in the product. Targeted leads are available and readily used by most businesses who use direct mail. By sending mail to those who seem to be interested, the rate of return on investment is higher than a blind investment or sending a bulk advertising to thousands of people who may have no interest in the products or services.

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Billboard & Transit Advertising
Does bigger really mean better? Many companies want to do a billboard advertisement in order to gain visibility. We can help you evaluate your options before making a commitment. Our researchers will evaluate the available spaces and get you the most for your money. We’ll select the best spaces and then design a custom billboard design that will drive your message home. A lot of the same principles can apply to transit advertisement. What bus route does your customer use and where do they get on or off? Give us a call and we’ll tell you

Transit Advertising is an innovative way to advertise your business! The impact of a bus advertisement is immense. The “Larger than Life” approach is a great way to attract an existing audience or a new one! The reason why transit bus advertising is so effective is because it moves! 96% of viewers stated that moving outdoor advertisements have more of an impact than the average static billboard. At the street level, advertisements are not very cluttered, creating higher recall rates than traditional advertising.

Promoting your business on the side of a bus is very successful because not only are the riders who board the bus viewing your ad, but it’s visible for all passer byers to see. According to statistics, in six months time, 72% of the community will see your ad. That’s three-quarters of the city! Transit bus advertising is not just a strong option to get your message across, it’s the only option when you want to create top of mind awareness at a cost-effective price.

Mass Transit Advertising

Mass-transit advertising includes signs on commuter buses and trains and at bus and train stations. Signs on the outside of buses will be seen by drivers and pedestrians, like billboards, for only a few seconds. Like billboards, mass-transit advertising can be used to increase frequency and compliment broadcast advertising. Outdoor advertising can also be purchased for a short time period to coincide with and reinforce an advertising flight on TV.

Signs inside buses and trains (and at stations) can be read by the commuters, who are a captive audience. These inside signs are different than billboards in that they can contain much more information. They can also be outfitted with "take one" add-ons such as tear-off coupons or reply post cards, or attached holders containing your literature. This direct response feature makes precise measurement of ad campaign's effectiveness feasible. Another advantage of this vehicle is that it almost exclusively reaches working commuters who are all taxpayers.

As with direct mail, it is wise to conduct a limited test before making a major commitment.

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Point of Purchase Advertising

If you already have your customers in the same general area where your product or service is located, point of purchase advertising can make all the difference for your ROI (Return on Investments). It’s all about strategy! Keeping your customers aware of your product/services’ availability will keep them choosing you over your competitor. Through point of purchase design we offer you an efficient way to keep your brand in the minds of your customers. We will walk you through the process, help to research the most effective locations for your point of purchase advertising and come up with strategies of how best to implement your advertising ideas.

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Advertising Design

The wrong advertising design can actually reduce the sales of a product. So why work with anything other than the professionals at Emalgam? We do our homework in order to create an advertisement design that sells your product or service. By using tried and tested approaches, our skilled team of artists will amplify the message with a solid presentation. Too often, graphic artists are more concerned with their artwork than with your sales. We produce advertisements that are not only visually captivating; they also entice consumers to buy. A great advertiser once said: If it doesn’t sell, it’s not creative. We agree.

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