Today, in a land awash in a sea of digital ads, sometimes it’s the analog that gives that final push. When every quick search is accompanied with “click to learn more” prompts, and every article is perfectly sectioned by numerous colourful display boxes, the final step to securing that deal, or influencing that person, might just be that physical sign they see that brings your brand to the front of their mind. In a society that spends its time equally in the digital world and reality, taking both the physical and digital landscape into account is essential for crafting effective marketing programs – bettering your odds for success in both worlds.

Digital Surge

It’s no secret that digital ad use has grown exponentially over the last decade.  Digital ads can be a cost-effective, highly accessible advertising option, and with so many online users across the globe on various media platforms, there is no shortage of audience. With the capability to directly set and target your audience and make real-time changes and budget adjustments, digital ads are an essential item in any marketing toolkit. A fulsome marketing strategy can’t rely on digital alone as it’s proven that true brand recognition best develops with 5-8 points of exposure – and with so much competition and saturation in the digital space, it’s essential to keep other avenues in mind when formulating your budget.

A major risk that arises when one relies too heavily on online ads is ad fatigue. As an audience views an ad more frequently, it starts to lose its effectiveness and can quietly erode your campaign’s success and brand reputation. When the same ad is served to someone multiple times, the viewer may become bored with the content and skip it over.  For only one person and one ad, this may not seem too detrimental, but in this new digital age, thousands upon thousands of ads are served to people every day. This overexposure is building boredom on a large scale and is resulting in some ads not even being noticed. Canada ranks 7th among 188 countries in terms of average online ad exposure per person meaning the fight for attention is rough! While the impressions attainable through online advertising are higher than ever before, so is the number of ads being ignored and skipped over. Clear and varied content is vital, especially when supplemented with other exposure points in the real world.

Show Me a Sign

While digital advertising has become a major player in the industry, traditional media like signage has been making a resurgence. People are longing for a tactile sense of connection in a world beyond screens. Strong signage makes personal connection with local audiences, increases brand credibility and trust, and reaches audiences as part of their daily lives – on their commutes to work, running errands, or just out for a walk. Older generations may not be as digitally connected as younger ones; therefore, traditional marketing can help to leave an impression on diverse, offline audiences that digital advertising may miss.

Traditional advertisement avenues like signage, billboards, and aframes are often seen as more credible to audiences than digital ads, given this format’s lasting and physical presence. There’s a sense of permanence that resonates with consumers lending a sense of reliability that is harder to earn in the digital world. The physical experience of this kind of marketing can help leave a longer lasting impression and inspire the viewer to engage further with your brand. InCanada, a survey found that66% of shoppers reported entering a small business because of its signage,and nearly49% made purchases after seeing promotional signs.These statistics were especially strong among Millennial (75%) and Gen-Z shoppers (74%). While digital advertising can leave an impression, often it’s still the traditional assets that can get people through the door. 

The Best of Both Worlds – Capturing Traditional and Digital Audiences

So how do you capitalize on the huge influx of digital opportunities while keeping your product tangible and accessible to real leads? An undeniable brand, a balanced marketing budget, varied creative and consistent messaging! The key to building relationships with audiences is ensuring your brand stands out and is recognizable regardless of the format. Think of all your ads as some sort of billboard – What do you want it to say? How do you want it to look? What do you want people to remember?  Who are you speaking to? Can you tell what the product is? Does each asset share a cohesive look, feel and attitude? Here are a few key points to consider when crafting your assets, to maximize their effectiveness and get your audience hooked and through the door:

• Use concise language and keep your sentences short – the easier to read, the more efficiently your message comes across regardless of the format. A good rule of thumb? Signage and digital ads should not have more than 12 words!
• Use large images and font sizes (you can’t zoom in on a billboard)
• Position your signs at eye level, and in open areas, where they are easiest to be spotted. Consider lighting, visibility and high traffic locations
• High contrast and bright colours make ads stand out. This is a “blink and you’ll miss it” world – catch the audience’s eye and make them take notice.

Consistency is Key

Theres no doubt that in the new digital age, the possibilities with online advertising are endless, and the audiences can easily span into the millions, however, millions of impressions mean nothing if you don’t have boots on the ground, feet through the door, converting those impressions to sales. Moving forward, ensure all your creative maintains a strong and consistent brand – digital and traditional advertising should work together to continually remind your audience of your product. The joint effort of signage in the real world and the digital world will lead to the lasting impressions needed to convert interest into sales. At Madhouse, we specialize in building killer brands that produce stand-out digital and traditional marketing assets. We deliver data-driven planning and strategic content creation that turns impressions into conversions.

Contact us today for a consultation on how we can leverage your product in any industry and capture the market you’re after.

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