With the explosion of internet technology in the past few years, TV advertising has become very competitive. To survive, TV channels are changing their marketing techniques to include Internet marketing to attract the biggest viewers. One of the most important changes is the integration of online media into their campaigns. Radio and Outdoor Media are becoming a vital component of today’s advertising strategy.
Reach is a key advantage with radio ads. Despite recent criticism for high rates, advertisers still have the greatest opportunity to reach an enormous audience via radio. The reach of a radio advertisement depends on whether the radio station exists in the targeted area. Usually, Radio/TV Media is very cost effective, but if you choose to target areas that don’t have a strong radio presence, pay-per-view options are much more feasible.
When you look at radio and outdoor print advertising, the most obvious disadvantage is that it is much less convenient than direct mail or online advertising. Radio stations and outdoor print publications often have to pay for their content. Print cost can be significant depending on the quality of the paper. Advertisements can be seen everywhere – on roads, billboards, newspapers, walls and so on.
Print advertisements are also very visible to the general public. Unlike TV, Radio and Outdoor Media which is broadcasted through the public eye, Television and Radio are designed to be visible only during specific times of day. Print mediums are also visible throughout the day, whereas most commercials on TV and Radio are seen only during specific hours of the day. Radio and Outdoor Media is also much harder to monitor than their TV counterparts since they are broadcast over a larger geographical area.
Another disadvantage is that it can be hard to control where the advertisement will be aired. When it is aired in a given location, a majority of the people in that area will see the advertisement. This can make TV and Radio an inappropriate medium for a specific message. In the case of newspapers and magazines, the audience is typically a very large one and can easily include everyone in the vicinity. This makes them inappropriate for some kinds of advertising.
Print media as a whole, however, is generally considered the better of the two. TV and Radio are good for attracting the attention of broad masses but the impact is indirect. Print advertisements tend to be more direct, which gives a more direct impact and thus more direct marketing opportunities. Additionally, newspapers and magazines are bound to attract a large number of advertisers. They tend to be expensive as well, which means that their potential customers tend to be a fairly limited audience.