Television VS Social Media

Over the last few years, the way that we take in and view media has changed drastically. The go-to method of marketing used to be leaflets, newspaper adverts, and if you had the funding, television adverts may also be a viable option. Although many of these adverts may stand out to you years after seeing them or encouraged you to buy from that brand or company, there are certainly more methods of marketing now that may benefit your business better than the previously mentioned strategies.

Have you ever thought about a certain product and then later seen it being advertised to you on Facebook? I’m sure you have all heard the conspiracy theories that your phone is listening to you at all times, but the reality is that social media and digital marketing are becoming so advanced that sometimes brands know what you want before you do.

Is this a good thing? Some people are sceptical about these new methods of marketing, but we think that people need to start seeing this in a positive light. There is a rather famous (or infamous) story about how a pregnant lady had pregnancy products advertised to her before she even knew she was pregnant! This was due to her searching for products to help with her symptoms, and somehow (using methods that are far too advanced for the author!) was able to deduce that she was pregnant. This encouraged her to go for scans and tests and prepare for a pregnancy she was otherwise unaware about. Had she not seen these adverts, she may have been very under-prepared.

If you compare this method of advertising to television adverts for example, there is almost no way of a television advert being put out publicly that can personally target you. Which means that there is a good chance that most television adverts you see will not be relevant to you at all.

Many companies, let’s take shopping sites as an example, will use items that you have viewed previously, or you may have already added to your cart, in adverts that may appear on your social media feeds later on in the day or week. Seeing these products over and over again can encourage you to take the plunge and make that purchase! If the people behind television adverts tried using a similar method, it would not be successful as so many different people watch the television – if you’re a 40-year-old woman who has never watched a cartoon released from 2018 onwards probably wouldn’t appreciate seeing an advert on her television for a Rick and Morty hoodie for example. Whereas a 21-year-old fan of the cartoon would probably appreciate such an advert and may want to buy the hoodie.

So, should brands scrap using television adverts as part of their marketing strategy altogether? Well, no, of course not! There are some companies and brands that can appeal to all kinds of audiences. For example, many different kinds of people own cars, so adverts for car insurance can benefit from social media & digital marketing and television & leaflet marketing alike. This is the same for supermarkets when they are promoting deals and sales, no matter where you’re from, you need food and household products, so it makes sense to try and advertise in as many different places as possible.

Television adverts can be quite the conversation starter too, every year people wonder what Marks & Spencer’s latest Christmas advert will be, and some even become brands of their own such as Compare The Meerkat having their own collectable soft toys. It is much harder to discuss personal adverts in this way with others as they are only really seen by you unless you post screenshots to your social media pages. So, you can see that both methods certainly have their positives and drawbacks!

It’s important to keep these kinds of things in mind when coming up with a marketing strategy, as you don’t want to be investing money into a marketing strategy that will not work effectively for your business. If you require any marketing advice, or you would like some assistance creating marketing content, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us either via email, info@icosagonsm.co.uk or give us a ring on 07360075694!