Television advertising was huge for a long time. It rose to dominance, and during the mid and late 90s, was available to virtually any business in some capacity. Many claim now though, that television is on its way out. That marketing is moving to the internet, and that television has been left behind. Direct response television (DRTV), however, enjoys great success. So it begs the question, is television really dying? Or can it adapt, and remain just as powerful as ever?
During research into this, we happened upon an infographic featured on Forbes. This, along with other related research told us a number of things that seems to put the two on somewhat equal footing. Here's what we found out, and how television can adapt to incorporate online marketing and become something more than either side of this argument over the future of marketing.
1. Internet Marketing Is Growing Faster
Internet marketing was up 21.7% in 2012 compared to the prior year, while TV had only grown by 4.7%. This is partly because as new, adaptive technology evolved for the internet, more and more people jumped on it without necessarily really knowing how to use it best. It was a new hope for marketers who wanted more. This trend continues to grow, with more training being available, more focus being put on online marketing.
How television can adapt:
Offer more to the customer. For example, if a customer wants to learn more, enable that with landing pages, or email. If a customer wants to be told when a company puts a new product out, let them sign up for SMS updates. Offer free, automatic emails that teach the customer the best way to use their product. The possibilities are endless, and not restricted to the internet. By engaging the customer in learning or even competition for more merchandise, you keep them coming back. By encouraging them to share an online version of the video, and tracking the shares that video gets, you can count them as a part of the ROI so long as the TV ad airs first.
2. Television Has Longer Use Time
Television sees marginally more users. Numbers that are nearly insignificant when compared to one another. What makes television stand out however, is the average use per day in hours. While the internet saw just 1 hour a day in use in Q1 of 2012, television saw 5. This means that the potential for follow-through engagement is incredible. People are likely to see a large number of ads, and assuming that even 1 in 4 inquiries are actually purchases, the follow up could lead to repeat business, and even lifetime customers.
How television can adapt:
Engage the customer. When customers see an ad, they see a part of their life that they want to improve, even momentarily. They see something that they believe they are missing or craving. Instead of offering the same solution every time, why not offer them communications on similar deals or products? Collaboration deals that allow a customer to save on something that complements their product, or show them other products they may not know about could prove very lucrative. Internet shopping is at an all time high, so suggestions can come from far and wide, and are not limited to the local sales going on in physical locations in the area.
3. Internet Advertising Can Be Made Personal
Something internet advertising has over the competition is the ability to gather specific, personal data and address the customer by name, use specific facts picked out of their online behaviour, and more. The internet boasts better tracking and analytic capability for this exact reason. You simply cannot get so much information from a television campaign, and therefore the ads remain much more general.
How television can adapt:
More in-depth studying of control groups would provide somewhat better insights, however again, the answer comes in using the initial return that television has over internet marketing. Engage the customer, and make them want to shop again, and you've solved your problem. By making personal communications engage the customer after the initial TV spot, the customer is nurtured, preserved and the television ad has just gotten amazing ROI.
The end result, as I'm sure you might have guessed reading this, is simply that there is no one better than the other. The two of these working in concert is stronger than one alone ever would be. It's because of the initial engagement capability of television, and the longer viewing that it is so valuable. Internet on the other hand boasts more personal communication, more direct engagement. This allows the customer to be nurtured and groomed to become a loyal repeat customer. Television just can't do that. To learn more about internet marketing and beyond, including marketing automation, there's our marketing automation page.
