Advertising without Media

Usually I talk about Media and Marketing and that includes the Advertising world.  Often I will include something about the radio station I work for, WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Today, however, a look at Advertising without Media.

Let me explain. Recently I shared insight on the Decline of Mass Media. The focus was on the media that reaches the masses and is advertising supported.

Eric Shippey, the CEO of a local specialized advertising company that offers advertising options that are not associated with mass media commented on LinkedIn:

Good read. All mass media is on the decline. Ad Agency’s are still feeding it to all their clients though. The one thing that will never change and Ad Agency’s and marketing people alike, obviously don’t think about this….outdoor advertising will never change. It is one media that will always have a massive audience. Yet, most businesses and agency’s don’t use it or use it enough.

What Eric is talking about is billboard style advertising and other similar forms of outdoor advertising.

Traffic counts are important, that’s the number of cars that will drive by your sign, but so is the placement of the sign on the left or right side of the road and what the average speed is of the cars that drive past.

The message on your outdoor advertising needs to be appropriate for all the factors I just mentioned and quite frankly, most are way too wordy or try and pack too much information onto a sign that is only  going to be seen for a few seconds.  If you want help understanding all these factors, let’s talk.

There are plenty of other Advertising without Media options you can buy.  There’s still the phone book and other print advertising directories, some restaurants have ads on their place-mats, sports teams from Little League on up offer signs and space for banners, grocery stores have ads on their carts and your receipts. Nearly all of these advertising without Media options are pretty cheap or at least they sound inexpensive. Some of these are good if you know how to properly use them and how to include them with the rest of your advertising.

Here’s my warning… a lot of the people selling you advertising are in it for the money. I know that sounds harsh and it is. That’s why I am constantly looking for people  who are trustworthy and who can sell you advertising solutions that I don’t offer.  I even can help you negotiate not just the price but all the other important factors to make your advertising be as successful as possible.

Eric was correct in that Outdoor Advertising will not be going away, but whatever form or advertising you decide to buy, Mass Media Advertising or Advertising without Media, you need a Marketing Strategy first.  Want help and live in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area?  Reach out to me and let’s talk.