Since the start of the digital revolution, we have been on a never-ending trajectory to create bigger and better digital advancements. From the internet and GPS navigation to PCs, digital cameras and smartphones, we have been trying to, and have often, outdone previous generations and transformed our world using the digital tools available to us.
This is no exception when it comes to taking traditional marketing approaches and transforming them into marketing campaigns that influence today’s tech-savvy consumers with the help of digital marketing techniques.
But don’t get it twisted. This doesn’t mean that traditional marketing is out of the backdoor. There is still so much that traditional marketing can help us accomplish. When coupled with digital marketing strategies, it can take your transformation to heights you never thought possible.
Why is traditional marketing still a thing?
When you’re taking a quick walk around the city or town, you’re still bombarded with billboards and print ads. You might have even come across someone who’s handing out flyers or brochures on the street corner promoting their latest product or service, or perhaps even a limited-time discount.
Whatever the case may be, these marketing methods have been around for decades and will be for decades to come. Now the more tech-savvy of you may wonder why digital marketing strategies can’t be used. They’re quicker, cheaper and take less effort. The truth is that people still prefer that personalised interaction that they just can’t get from email marketing, social media or SEO.
This is why both traditional and digital need to work together to form a powerful strategy that accentuates the best of both worlds.
But, can they work together and how?
In a word, yes! And here’s how.
Today, brands use multiple ways to get the word out about their product because customers are interacting with their brands in more ways than one. For instance, they may find a print ad in a magazine and come across the same ad or a variation of it on Facebook.
By making a seamless offline-to-online transition using an omnichannel approach, you can make every touchpoint count and integrate digital marketing strategies with traditional marketing strategies.
Let’s take a quick look at a few examples that’ll shine some light on what we’re talking about.
Print ads and website links: The rise of the internet isn’t lost on print media and that’s why they include URLs to get the reader to go online to make use of a discount or offer. Take ASOS for example. ASOS has a magazine where they feature their products. Each of these items is in a ‘Shop the ASOS magazine’ section driving more traffic to their website.
TV commercials and QR codes: Catching the eye of a consumer can be difficult, but with a combination of a TV commercial and a QR code, Burger King got this done perhaps better than anyone else. The campaign–aptly named the ‘QR Whopper’ campaign—had a floating QR code that viewers had to catch and scan. Once the code was scanned, they were directed to the Burger King website where they could claim coupons for a free Whopper burger.
Brochures and online discounts: Brochures are almost everywhere. Whether you’re at a conference or at a local market. Adding a simple discount code to brochures can drive more consumers to a specialised landing page where they can claim the offer in exchange for some details that you can use to grow your business.
There are so many examples out there of brands that have really embraced digital tools to augment traditional marketing approaches.
Let’s take a look at a few more well-known brands from around the world that have taken a more innovative approach.
Adidas
While Burger King used QR codes to give customers a free Whopper, Adidas took it much further. They printed a QR code on the tongue of their trainers which took the customer to a Spotify playlist when it was scanned.
These playlists were generated based on the customer’s location and they used geotagging to create a truly personalised experience for the customer. Today, these QR codes can be found on their t-shirts and hoodies with the playlists continuing to grow.
Walgreens
Walgreens isn’t a stranger to innovation, especially since it’s one of the largest pharma retailers. Their consumer base represents every generation and that’s why Walgreens understands the need to use multiple channels to attract every consumer.
Their new app—myWalgreens—is giving their customers the ability to redeem coupons in-store, enjoy same-day delivery, reorder their prescriptions or even get discounts based on their preferences.
While all this is available for the tech-savvy consumer, Walgreens didn’t forget their not-so-tech-savvy consumers. They’re trying to engage their in-store shoppers with touch devices like scanners and phones similar to what Apple has done to drive engagement and sales in their stores.
So what’s the key takeaway from all this?
Don’t abandon traditional marketing for digital marketing strategies
Tech is everywhere and as marketers, we’re tempted to try out innovations and sacrifice the old, but these traditional marketing approaches are far from being antiques and can help you seriously improve your marketing strategies and results.
As we’ve seen, leading brands around the world still acknowledge the value that traditional marketing brings to the table and instead of abandoning them completely, they’re using them to drive more conversions and sales.
Overlooking traditional marketing strategies altogether simply because they’re not new or not considered ‘cutting-edge’ anymore can prove to be a costly mistake down the road.