Since when is Fast, Cheap and Easy a Good Thing?

microwave-advertisingIt’s cheap; it’s quick; and it’s easy. Those are definitely three “benefits” of digital advertising that have been bandied about in the last 10 years of the digital age.

Yet, as Andy Mackinson writes in LinkedIn, “appealing as ‘quick, easy and cheap’ might be – they miss out two crucial factors: do customers engage with digital advertising; and is it effective?”

“The online space is undoubtedly crowded. Click-through rates for online ads have always been legendarily low, and many experienced voices in the marketing space now openly question the effectiveness and consumer appeal of many social media campaigns,” Mackinson continues.

Indeed, market research shows that for most brands, time and money spent on Facebook is largely wasted. We’ve seen more than one industry heavy hitter make an about face on the importance of digital advertising. And billions of dollars are going to waste in unviewed ads, leaving digital marketers feeling mugged.

“Even Sir Martin Sorrell, chairman of WPP and one of the world’s most important ad men, has done something of an about turn on this subject,” Mackinson notes.

“During a talk given at the Broadcasting Press Guild this spring, he suggested that new data showed newspapers and magazines are more effective than people give them credit for, with print readers more engaged and more likely to retain information than those reading online and on mobiles – quite different  to his previous opinion that the print media were over-rated.”

All of this is leading to a bonafide print revival, thanks not only to print’s continued power to engage, but the oversaturation of digital advertising.

As Mackinson notes, “Finding the right mix of whichever channels you are using is what makes communications much more impactful – and often, the blend of high-quality printed materials with online and other media can create a much more emotive, engaging response, and can be a way to tell a more rounded brand story.”

The full article is long and definitely worth a careful read, with lots of good research and some truly compelling arguments for print.