A recent article on online advertising in Lodging Magazine rightly puts the customer first. As companies increasingly shift marketing dollars to online media – video, search , banners, email marketing & blogs now enjoy pride of place alongside the veterans of big-bucks-brand advertising – tv, print & radio. Advertising agencies relying on traditional media are catching up by buying, partnering or building interactive units.
With the exception of search, other online advertising formats borrow a few principles from traditional media. A clever, unconventional twist to a message generates a buzz (on the Internet, they call it a “viral marketing campaign.”) Serve a banner frequently enough to an audience and brand awareness levels will definitely go up (in traditional media, they call it “top-of-mind”awareness). A unique, distinctive message with brand logo works as well online as it does on a hoarding or a 15 sec commercial. Irritate the viewer enough with a pop-up (or an intrusive banner that obscures half the pageview) and you’re more likely to see mixed feedback. Unline traditional media, online media spend is measurable, trackable and offers no excuse for non-performance. Just like traditional media, good online advertising can sell a bad product only once. “Snakes on a plane” proved that online hype can push a strong launch though the audience delivered the real-world verdict in no time.