The widely held belief among businesses is that traditional mass media advertising is in decline. Recent reports on ad spending in the U.S. estimate overall spending was up between 0.2% and 0.6%. A closer look at the numbers on ad spending by national advertisers tells it all.
Down:
– Network TV advertising
– Radio advertising
– Newspaper advertising (more than 7%)
Up:
– Outdoor advertising
– Magazine advertising
– Online advertising (a whopping 18.7%)
The distinction is clear. The ad mediums experiencing growth all have the capability of segmenting markets more effectively than the mediums that experienced decreases in spending. In particular, online advertising holds promise because of the potential to interact with the audience. Ad messages that invite the target to respond in some way, whether it be clicking a link for more info, printing a coupon, or just playing a game, are all ways to engage customers and prospects alike. Without engagement, it is too easy for your target market to ignore you. Don’t make easy for them! Link
They are actually different kinds of targeting. Online is like setting a net and it captures people who veer into it. Radio advertising, done right, stimilates demand. Radio’s “decline” is good for advertisers — it means that prices will be lower, and therefore ROI can be higher. This can be proved easily. For more info, you can check out two sites full of great (free) information: Direct Response Radio and Strategic Media.