Traditional Marketing is as Strong as it's Ever Been. Here’s Why

In an age where everything is digitalized, you would assume that traditional marketing has become obsolete, right? Well here’s the thing - traditional marketing has been around for a long time and it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

In this article, we’ll show you exactly what makes traditional marketing a viable option in the 21^st century.

The timeless power of traditional marketing

Advertising when done correctly can be more than just an attempt to make you buy something, it can have deeper health and cultural significance. Destimulating visual ads on cigar packs have led to people smoking less. If you were to show people the Nike, Coca Cola, McDonalds logo, 99% of the time people will immediately correlate the logo with the product. It has become an amplifier for globalization. Some printed ads have shown us just the power creativity can hold.

The Norwegian Airlines ad is a perfect example of such ingenuity. The biggest irony of all of this is that traditional media when done well can indirectly become good digital marketing. Ultimately, it’s people who contribute to the popularity of an ad, so if people like it, they’ll share it. Sharing it includes internet platforms and social media. You can make a traditional marketing ad go viral on the internet, but rarely will you see it done vice-versa.

Traditional marketing today

While traditional marketing has recently taken a backseat to digital marketing, due to the larger audience the latter can bring, this doesn’t disqualify traditional marketing just yet. Traditional marketing has since evolved and has started incorporating digital elements in its strategies. Traditional marketing doesn’t require high-end mediums to get its message across. Believe it or not, 56% of customers prefer print marketing and trust it more in comparison to digital. And with good reason.

With the rise of digital marketing, people have gotten out of touch, they miss the physical. It’s become foreign to them, and when something is foreign it has the opportunity to become popular, being seen as vintage or even post-modern to younger generations. It also still offers a more personal atmosphere. People like things that you can touch. A mesh-banner ad at school will always feel closer than a Facebook ad. Also, some clever ads can score character points for acknowledging the current reality, like with the kit-kat zoom ad.

What does the future hold for traditional marketing?

With the new generations being more engrossed in technology than ever, marketing strategists will need to adapt to the new norm. The marketing approach won’t be: “Product, Price, Place, Promotion“. instead, it will be: “Engagement, Experience, Exclusivity, and Emotion“. Emotional branding is especially on the rise, as people will correlate whatever makes them feel to your product.

AI technology is growing at a rapid pace, and as such is being implemented more and more in marketing, which shows that brands will compete over who can make the better AI that can connect with the consumer. Marketers will need to work harder than ever to form intimate one-on-one bonds with their customers (and then also maintain their loyalty). All of this causes a rubber band effect, as people will be more exposed to artificial assistance, human interaction will become rarer and rarer and thus more valuable and would leave a larger impact.

The same is true with physical marketing. This all but ensures that there will always be a demand for traditional marketing. With influencers becoming and more popular with younger generations, they’re also becoming more and more a tool for advertisement.