Using multiple platforms to convey a message was one of the earliest lessons I learned in advertising. We knew people consumed media differently. By using several platforms, we broadened reach and increased frequency. As digital media grew, adding it to marketing plans was natural. But each platform was its own entity. Today, the convergence of traditional and digital media has blurred those lines.
Now, television can be broadcast, cable, or streaming. Radio can be over-the-air, streaming, or a podcast. Billboards are digital screens. The consumer does not differentiate. For advertisers, the opportunity is not choosing digital or traditional. The opportunity is combining both into one integrated media strategy.
Traditional and Digital Media Are Coming Together
Traditional media includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and direct mail. Historically, these channels were very good at reaching large audiences. They built awareness, visibility, and frequency.
However, traditional media offered less precise targeting and measurement. Advertisers could select programs, stations, publications, or locations based on their audience. Yet, they often could not target individual households or behaviors.
Digital advertising changed that. Paid search, display, online video, paid social, and mobile advertising offered greater targeting. Advertisers could target audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, geography, and intent.
Digital also made retargeting possible. Someone who visited your website could receive another advertising message later. Additionally, digital made advertising easier to measure. We could track website visits, calls, leads, and other actions.
However, digital created another challenge. It gave consumers millions of new places to consume content. The media world became much more fragmented. We were worried when cable offered hundreds of channels. Digital increased that exponentially.
So, What Is Converged Media?
Today, the line between traditional and digital media is becoming harder to find.
Let’s look at television. A consumer might watch the same program through broadcast television or a streaming service. To that viewer, it is simply television. However, the advertising behind those experiences can be very different. Streaming TV combines television’s sight, sound, and motion with digital targeting. Advertisers can target specific households and audience segments. One household may see a commercial while their neighbors see an entirely different commercial.
Radio has experienced a similar change. People still listen to AM/FM radio. However, they also listen through streaming services, podcasts, and connected devices.
Outdoor advertising has changed as well. A billboard was once a printed message sitting alongside a highway. Today, digital billboards can change messages throughout the day. Some digital out-of-home campaigns can also use audience, location, time, or weather data.
These traditional channels did not disappear. They evolved.
Consumers Don’t Think About Media Channels
This is very important. Consumers do not wake up thinking about traditional and digital media. They watch television. Then, they listen to music going to work. They drive past billboards. And, they search online. Throughout the day, they move between dozens of media touchpoints. Our advertising strategy should follow them.
That is where integrated advertising becomes powerful. Instead of asking whether television is better than digital, we now ask a different question. Which combination of media best helps us accomplish our marketing objective?
Integrated Advertising Can Increase Reach
No single advertising channel reaches everyone. Some consumers watch significant amounts of linear television. Others spend more time streaming. An audience listens to traditional radio. Others prefer streaming audio or podcasts. Therefore, adding platforms can help an advertiser reach people missed by another platform.
That incremental reach can be significant. The goal, however, is not simply generating more impressions. We want to reach more of the right people. Then we want to reinforce the message often enough to make an impact.
The Power of Cross-Platform Frequency
You see a company’s television commercial on Monday. On Wednesday, you hear its audio commercial. On Friday, you see a display ad. Then, you search for that company. Those advertising exposures did not work independently. Instead, each exposure einforced the previous one.
Now the company seems familiar. It may also seem larger and more established. You may even think, “I see this company everywhere.” That familiarity matters. Advertising alone does not create trust. However, familiarity can help make a business more credible. That can become important when the consumer is ready to buy.
Multichannel Versus Omnichannel Advertising
There is an important distinction between multichannel and omnichannel advertising. Multichannel means advertising in several different places. Omnichannel means those channels work together.
For example, television might create awareness. Search can capture people when they begin researching. Outdoor can create visibility. Display advertising can reinforce the message.. Meanwhile, mobile advertising can extend that message onto a personal screen. Retargeting can bring website visitors back.
Think of it as a media funnel leading the prospect to conversion. Each channel has a job. That is the difference between buying several media channels and building an integrated advertising campaign.
TV Plus Retargeting
Look at television and retargeting. Television creates awareness using sight, sound, and motion. Then, someone interested in the message visits the advertiser’s website. That visit creates another opportunity. Retargeting can continue the conversation with additional advertising. Television created the awareness. Digital advertising helped nurture that interest.
Audio Plus Search
Audio and paid search can also work together. An audio campaign introduces the brand before someone has an immediate need. Later, that consumer searches for the product or service. Now the advertiser’s name is familiar.
Search did not necessarily create the demand. Instead, it captured demand created partly by another channel. Research has found television advertising can produce a similar effect. TV exposure can increase related online searches. That distinction matters when measuring Lead Generation.
Outdoor Plus Mobile
Outdoor and mobile provide another example. A billboard creates public visibility in a specific geographic area. Mobile advertising can target audiences within that same market. Therefore, consumers can see the message while traveling and again on their phones.
Digital out-of-home makes this connection even stronger. Modern digital outdoor can combine large public screens with data-driven targeting and dynamic creative. We can retarget people who see a digital billboard by capturing the device ID on their phone. We segment the audience and then serve retargeting ads to those people we identify as prospects.
One of the oldest advertising channels now has many digital capabilities.
Measure the Campaign, Not Just the Channel
Convergence also changes how we measure advertising. Too often, marketing executives look at separate reports. The television report shows impressions. Search shows conversions. Display shows clicks. Streaming video shows completed views.
However, the consumer experienced one brand. Consider a prospect who sees a television commercial. Later, they see a billboard. Then, they hear an audio ad. Finally, they search Google and convert.
Which channel generated the lead? Google may receive the credit because it produced the final click. But did Google create the demand? That is why attribution becomes more important with integrated campaigns. We should still measure individual channels. However, we also need to measure the overall business outcome.
Did branded search increase? How was website traffic affected? Did Lead Generation improve? Most importantly, did sales increase?
Integration Does Not Mean Being Everywhere
An omnichannel strategy does not mean buying every available advertising platform. More media is not automatically better media. Budgets matter. Audience behavior matters. Marketing objectives matter. Sometimes three well-integrated channels can outperform seven poorly coordinated ones.
A good Advertising Agency should begin with the customer journey. Where does the customer first become aware of your company? Where do they research? What builds confidence? Finally, what causes them to act? The answers should help determine your media mix.
Stop Thinking Traditional Versus Digital
The traditional-versus-digital debate is over. Media has converged. More importantly, consumer behavior has converged. People move between television, smartphones, audio, search, social media, and outdoor throughout their day. Your advertising should move with them.
The goal is not appearing everywhere. The goal is appearing in the right places with enough consistency to matter. Integrated advertising can build reach, reinforce your message, capture demand, and support Lead Generation.
The channels may be different. The customer journey is not. Marketers need to embrace the convergence of traditional and digital media.
