The Staying Power of Traditional Advertising Today

In the ongoing debate over whether or not traditional advertising has a place in a world that’s mostly online, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which side is more convincing. After all, you don’t want your a business using obsolete marketing tactics. But recent surveys and reports show that traditional ads are still very much in the game.

Traditional Advertising is Better Received than Online Advertising

It sometimes seems as though people would just rather do away with TV advertising, especially with the ability to skip commercials during TV shows and install ad-blockers on their computers. However, studies show people do not view all advertising mediums the same way. Regarding overall intrusiveness, people tend to have a far less favorable view of online advertising. In fact, 73% found it irritating, which is the highest percentage of those who felt the same way about traditional advertising was just 36%).

Also, due to the lack of regulation in online advertising, people also find traditional advertising to be more trustworthy. According to a recent survey, 61% said they trust TV ads, 58% trust print, 45% trust radio, and 42% trust out of home advertising. But when it terms of online and social media ads, the trust levels were only at 41% and 38%, respectively. It’s clear that traditional is more well received.

Traditional Ads Have a Stronger Influence on Purchasing Decisions

Another advantage traditional advertising has is its clear impact on people’s spending choices. In the aforementioned survey, 9 out of 10 people said ads did influence them to make a purchase, with 81% of Millennials saying an ad did sway them within the last 30 days. And of all advertising methods, traditional proved to have the greatest influence: 60% for TV and 45% for print vs 43% for online ads, and 42% for social media.

One reason for these figures is the fact that traditional ads tend to cost more than online ads; people feel a company must really believe in its product to invest that much money in its marketing. It also helps build brand awareness and recognition, which is especially important for start-up and smaller businesses. 

It even affects online purchasing decisions. People are more likely to trust a brand online if they’ve also heard about it via traditional media. It all adds up to giving this medium a chance.

Traditional Advertising’s Impact Is More Accurately Recorded

Businesses know how advantageous it is to have a clear view of whether or not their marketing efforts are successful. But while many companies are investing more and more money in social media ads, 45% of those companies’ CMOs say they are unable to make any definitive statements about its impact, and therefore cannot attest to the benefits of an all-online approach. Also, 6 out of 10 small businesses are unable to track their online advertising ROI, and 62% feel Facebook ads do not do a satisfactory job of targeting their demographics.

But traditional advertising offers options that allow businesses to have a precise view of their campaigns’ effects. For instance, by using an unforgettable vanity number with call tracking capabilities, businesses can easily see data on those who call in, such as age, location, household income, and more. And since they are taking action by calling (and not just visiting a website), it is further proof of an ad campaign’s overall impact.

The evidence proves that traditional advertising continues to prove its value to businesses. Even Facebook guru Mark Zuckerberg knows how important it is, which is why he hires advertising professionals. After all, when you know something works, why not use it?