Download CIPP Essay – Tom Burns

Tom Burns
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Are traditional methods of marketing dead in the water, or is there still a
need for them in today’s digital society?
This essay aims to explore the different types of marketing, focusing on
traditional methods of marketing, such as promotions, face to face and billboard
campaigns, and compares the relevance of these different methods to online
marketing through social media platforms.
This essay will explore the need for traditional marketing strategies, and
assess whether they are still an essential method today, and their bottom line
effect on a brand, product or company. Is traditional marketing considered a
useless method of marketing, or is there still a need for it in today’s digital
society?
Online social media sites are considered a great platform for marketing, with
word of mouth being considered “the worlds most effective, but least understood
marketing strategy” (Misner 1999) however, It could be argued that in today’s
contemporary ‘digital society’ we often underestimate the consumer and their
trust in social media marketing. An article titled Miami Marketing Associates:
Marketers Underestimate the Need of Traditional Customer Interaction states how
“nowadays social media channels are important for brands in order to engage with
consumers” but further states how “Consumers want more interaction through
traditional marketing channels, such as face-to-face or telephone interaction or
direct email contact” (http://www.24-7pressrelease.com) This suggest, whilst
online social media channels provide a great way of marketing products and
businesses, many prefer traditional interaction between client and customer.
Blogging is considered an ideal tool for any business when referring to effective
online marketing strategy. “Every company with a website should have a blog that
speaks to it’s current and potential customers as REAL people” (Zarrella 2010)
suggesting that customers rely on honesty and want their to be this element of a
genuine relationship between the company and themselves, despite being
through an online platform that reaches many others.
The consumers wants to feel involved, so it is important to build
relationships, to enhance their opinion on a company or product. “When running
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events for the company, to promote a business venture, I will always actively
choose to invite everybody, and not close the invitation to anyone. In my experience,
its strengthened my business, because its involving them in our journey” (Brown
2013).
Lisa Marie Brown, founder of Pinkspiration; a social enterprise organisation that
looks to help young people whom are not in education, employment or training
into business start up projects by re-building empty spaces and empty shops
around Wales, further quotes “it is important to use traditional methods of
marketing, alongside todays contemporary digital marketing methods. It creates a
customer to client relationship, and strengthens relationships thus forming
stronger business links” (Brown 2013). Brown structured a marketing plan that
balanced traditional methods, with online marketing using social media accounts
to appeal to a wider audience, and leaflet promotion, personal email and face-toface interaction to “compliment a more impersonal approach (the internet) to
their target audience”. Brown further quotes how “if you have a professional
relationship with your target audience, they feel more inclined to listen to your
ideas”, after detailing how Facebook is often quite impersonal, and does not
impact individuals unless it is from a familiar source. The idea of creating a
“professional relationship” would be through means of face-to-face conversation,
accompanied with phone calls and other, more “traditional” methods of
marketing. This therefore indicates a need for it, to enhance digital marketing
effect on the consumer.
Supporting the idea that customer interaction is vital to any marketing
campaign, and businesses must compliment evenly between traditional methods
and online digital marketing, Understanding Digital Marketing quotes; “Digital
Marketing isn’t actually about technology at all; it’s all about people. In that sense
it’s similar to traditional marketing: it’s all about people (marketers) connecting
with other people (consumers) to build relationships and ultimately drive sales”.
“Technology merely affords you, the marketer, new and exciting platforms that
allow you to connect (…) in increasingly diverse and different ways”
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Ryan and Jones explain how digital marketing is not about understanding
technology, but rather understanding people, and how they use technology,
enabling you to leverage with that to engage with the consumer more effectively
(Ryan and Jones 2012)
Billboard campaigns are a popular method of marketing used throughout the
years, and still used predominantly in today’s society. With the rise in social
media however, is there such of a need for it? Thomas Stocker, Marketing and
Promotions manager of The Ladybird Lounge and Club uses billboard campaigns
to promote the club, however recognises the need for social media in modern
day campaigning, commenting on how “the billboards were used as a tool to direct
people to our current social media networks”. This suggests, whilst Billboard
campaigns may make a physical impact on the consumer, they are merely just
platforms to lead them to the ‘heart’ of the business, their online social media
sites, where the consumer can see more about what they have to offer.
Further commenting, “Although a well positioned billboard can be seen by
a lot of people, it’s extremely difficult to know if the people seeing it are your
desired audience. Other methods of adverting such as social media provide a much
more targeted audience for your money which in turn make campaigns much more
cost effective than some traditional methods”. Stocker raises a good point; that
this specific method of marketing is hard to monitor in terms of how much the
consumer takes in. Social media sites such as facebook and twitter, allow
businesses to monitor how far they are reaching out to the consumer from the
amount of ‘likes’ a page might get, or how many ‘followers’ they have. Billboard
campaigns merely ‘exist’ in a public space, and it is this traditional method of
marketing, that is hard to monitor in terms of consumer impact.
“Although we did see a much faster growth of our network during that period it
isn't cost effective for our business. Billboard campaigns are more suited to
companies that are trying to reach a much larger and more diverse target
audience”. Suggesting that the billboard campaign enhanced the online attention
for the club, but made little impact on the profit of the business. Therefore,
questioning whether traditional marketing campaigns are as cost effective for
smaller businesses, and are traditional marketing campaigns only beneficial if
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they promote a company or products social network sites?
With social media sites such as Facebook allowing administrators for
business pages to review the total reach of users, and with the ability to ‘share’
pages, traditional marketing is depicted to be a more cost effective strategy, with
less result. Where as, social media platforms cost little to nothing, and businesses
are able to monitor the reach of their posts, and see more result through the
‘likes’ and attention certain posts might get.
“Internet marketing has the ability to provide an immediate impact” (Salehi 2012)
through different marketing strategies such as YouTube virals, Facebook posts,
and through users sharing amongst friends. Traditional marketing involves more
interaction with the consumer, and often leads them towards their social media
platforms. This can be considered a more tasking method of marketing, as it is
trusting people to take the information they might have received through face to
face or promotional marketing, and exploring the company/product in their own
time. “With this kind of traditional media, it’s not that easy for a consumer to think
about a real value of a product. With E-marketing, it’s easy to get information,
meaning that within a few short clicks we could book a test drive or order the iPod”
(Salehi 2012) Digital marketing entitles consumers to explore further in to a
product/company, where as traditional methods of marketing tell the consumer
the basics, giving them the tools to go further via digitally.
The idea that traditional marketing methods are “dead in the water” is evidently
quite a drastic statement, and from the research carried out, it strongly indicates
a need for traditional marketing strategies, to accompany online social media
and other forms of digital marketing.
Using two different professional contacts provided insight in to the two
contrasting types of marketing – traditional and online digital. Lisa Marie Brown
strongly aims to balance both traditional and digital marketing; in order to
achieve maximum success in a business campaign, where as Thomas Stocker was
more against traditional methods, commenting on how they have impact, but
only to a certain extent. In the long term of traditional marketing, it is more cost
effective for businesses, with less impact to their bottom line of profit.
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It is important to address the need for social media in contemporary
marketing methods, as they offer businesses a cheap way of reaching out to a
broader consumer base. Whilst it may be considered a less personal method of
marketing, it has the ability to reach out to a wider audience, however the
research indicated the need for personal customer interaction, to achieve
professional relationships that strengthen consumer loyalty and thus enhancing
business coverage and interest.
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Bibliography
Frost, J. (2013). Miami Marketing Associates: Marketers Underestimate the Need of
Traditional Customer Interaction. Available: http://www.247pressrelease.com/press-release/miami-marketing-associates-marketersunderestimate-the-need-of-traditional-customer-interaction-364193.php. Last
accessed 4th December 2013.
Misner, Ivan R. (1999), The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret: Building Your
Business with Word-of-Mouth Marketing, Bard Press; Austin, TEXAS.
Ryan, D. and Jones, C. (2012), Understanding Digital Marketing, Kogan Page
Limited, 2nd edition; London, UK and Philadelphia, USA
Salehi, M. (2012). Dissimilarity of E-marketing VS traditional
marketing. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social
Sciences. 2 (1), 510-515.
Zarella, D. (2010), The Social Media Marketing Book, O’Reilly Media, Inc;
CANADA
Interview References
Brown, L. 2013. Interview on marketing methods. Interviewed by Tom James
Burns [in person] University of South Wales, 20/11/2013.
Stocker, T. 2013. Interview on marketing methods. Interviewed by Tom James
Burns [in person] The Ladybird Lounge and Club, 04/12/2013.