As digital continues to become a strong presence in the advertising world, it is imperative to remember that traditional advertising remains very much relevant and effective. Traditional advertising is still capable of producing millions of dollars in revenue, and has a more impressive ROI than online advertising alone. Rather than being obsolete, traditional advertising demonstrates over and over again its inherent worth.
The continued success of traditional advertising can be summed up by the three R’s: Reach, Recognition, and Recall.
Reach
While more and more people may be online, traditional advertising is shown to be capable of reaching far more people at once than online advertising. For instance, live TV events such as sports games and awards shows continue to bring in impressive audience numbers. For instance, the 2016 World Series saw a 70% increase in viewers from the 2014 World Series. So any business that would choose to advertise during such an event would have its ad seen by scores of people at one time. Or if advertising during a prime TV event is too costly, there are other options. The billboards in Time Square are seen by hundreds of thousands of people each day (and that’s just the pedestrians), and 256 million Americans listen to the radio each week, with 63% of drivers ages 18 and over still listen to AM/FM radio. These statistics prove traditional advertising has a far greater capability of reaching scores of people at once, as opposed to online advertising, which often relies on the sporadic traffic patterns of websites.
Recognition
One of the first and most important steps of marketing is for a business to get its name out there. This is another way in which traditional advertising has the edge on online, by simple fact of longevity. Traditional advertising has been in the game a lot longer than online advertising, and has become so ingrained in the psyche of the general population that people simply notice it more. It is far more probable that people would be familiar with a local newspaper or TV station than they would a popular blog site in the region. These media formats have spent years upon years cultivating a reputation among the general populace, and are more likely to be known and trusted by people. This is especially true for older customers who may not be as technologically-savvy as their younger counterparts. Therefore, any advertising executed through these channels stand a far greater chance of being seen than an ad on a website, helping to exponentially raise the recognition and awareness of a particular product or service.
Recall
Having an advertisement be noticed by people at the present moment is important, but what’s even more important is for people to be able to remember said advertisement in the future. After all, someone may not need the product that is being advertised at that exact moment, but they should be able to easily remember it if they ever do need it. When it comes to recall, traditional advertising is much stronger than online. This is due to the fact that, as previously stated, traditional advertising is much more likely to be recognized by people. Also, online advertising has the unfortunate reputation of being viewed as irritating and intrusive, and tends to be more readily dismissed. But people are more receptive to traditional advertising, allowing businesses to better ingrain themselves in people’s memories and raise their recall rates. And these rates are exponentially heightened with the addition of a strong call-to-action such as an unforgettable vanity number, which provides people with an easy way to reach a business.
It’s easy to see why millions of people continue to use traditional advertising in their marketing campaigns. With its strong propensities for reaching people, building brand recognition, and raising recall rates, traditional advertising persists in proving its status and value.