We keep talking about going digital and how Online Marketing is the next big thing but have we forgotten our traditional methods of OFFLINEMARKETING in the bargain?
Here we bring to you in-short the concept of OfflineMarketing:
Given the Internet’s tremendous rise in popularity, today’s marketers refer to other media channels that aren’t connected to the World Wide Web as “offline.” Offline marketing strategies utilize offline media channels to create awareness of a company’s products and services. These campaigns can include radio and print advertising – including billboards, signs and pamphlets – telemarketing, and television ads.
Since it’s almost a prerequisite for any business today to have its own website, offline marketing strategies are now frequently tied to company’s online efforts. For example, companies such as Ford have created print ads that include sparse information about new vehicles with predominant URLs and references to Facebook or iPhones.
Companies large and small use offline media channels to build buzz about products or services. The strategies can be applied by companies of any size, from mom-and-pop storefronts in small communities to some of the largest and most renowned brands in the world. The companies developing offline marketing strategies fit a number of profiles, including:
• “Mom and Pop” Businesses – Smaller operations that want to establish a name or foothold in a local community. Businesses such as family restaurants, local salons and boutiques, or independent photography studios can use ads in community newspapers or small, targeted direct mail pieces to establish themselves in the limited area they serve.
• Regional and Mid-Sized Businesses – Companies with large customer bases that need to reach customers in a metropolitan area or geographic region. Construction companies, automotive dealers, and grocery store chains are among those businesses that can build familiarity with customers through traditional advertising means. Billboards, regional television commercials and radio spots can spread the word about a company and build its credibility.
• Major National/International Companies – Large corporations with recognizable names and brand characteristics. Target, Applebee’s, Kohl’s, GoDaddy, Budweiser, Dick’s Sporting Goods – these are just a few of the major corporations that keep a regular presence in national marketing campaigns involving offline media channels. Each of these company’s campaigns features high frequency placement and a focus on brand awareness.
Example:
The most perfunctory medium in an offline marketing campaign is normally the billboard. Even with the most creative marketing strategy behind it, a billboard is almost always just a much larger version of a print advertisement. But in one of the more creative offline initiatives, Heineken transformed one into a surprise concert performance tied to social media.
The beer company’s “Occasionally Perfect” campaign began with a simple billboard in Manhattan that, for one night, became the stage for the band TV on the Radio. The billboard will be appearing in other cities across the U.S. where it will host similar performances. To find out the details on where the billboard is going to be and its next performance, users have to follow the occasionallyperfect hashtag on Twitter.
