But can the internet be an effective means of advertising a brand...ever?
Well I would argue that absolutely, yes it can be! Look at this example from our favourite Aussie idiots: The Chasers. They decided to post billboards advertising their program in the most obscure places, such as the middle of Iraq:
It's clear that The Chaser's Iraqi audience would be extremely minimal...but that's not the point. This campaign started a flood of feedback from web users who believed that the campaign was a hoax. Things got even better when the ABC published the bill, showing that the billboard cost a mere US$150.
The Chaser's ingenious marketing department have found a way to utilize the web for advertising, whilst catching our attention before we automatically tune out like every other web advert...well done guys...well done.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Couldn't agree with you more. Originally going on the internet was an effective communication tool for marketers, but now for us as consumers, we literally have to wade through the 'clutter' of advertising that bombards our home screens. Just as a side note, Party Poker is one of the worst, i cop it daily. Personally the popping up of ads could be seen by some as invasive, would you agree?
ReplyDeleteThe Chaser's example you chucked up definitely shows us that being different is the way to go, and the viral strategy holds a lot of power. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for online advertising, especially with the release and growth in the market of tablet computing (for example the iPad).
"most online advertising is totally wasted on consumers" personally I think this is a rather short sighted view of digital marketing. Most traditional marketing is also wasted on consumers. Think of all those Billboards and ads within newspapers, not to mention sponsorship in a number of forms. What i think you rather need to draw from it is that offline and online both have some really powerful channels for advertising and also some really low value channels.
ReplyDeleteDigital media has some really great advantages in that it is precisely accountable i.e. you are able to measure to the cent how much profit you make for every dollar of advertising spend, and have a clear idea of the uplift of sales that a campaign has. With traditional media this is either not possible, or extremely difficult to accurately attribute.
Online advertising is an extremely valuable channel when used properly. But as with anything if it is ineffectively implemented then of course it isn't going to be as successful!
http://emarketingfrommatt.com
Very clever indeed. The Chaser's ability to generate such attention at very little cost is commendable. The need for highly innovative e-marketing campaigns is ever increasing, due to the evolution of the internet, and the exposure it provides organisations.
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of an American Marc Ecko, and his 'Still Free' Campaign which definitely did more than turn a few heads.
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