Mixing up advertisement strategies can be an excellent idea
For many years now, businesses across the globe have been scratching their heads as to which form of advertising is more effective: print or digital.
Both types of media have their various advantages over the other and, while the rise of technology may have allowed digital to take over, printed media is still just as important today as it was before. It certainly isn’t dying out like many people seem to say it is.
Therefore, the choice isn’t as black and white as it might first appear. In fact, many people are now asking why there needs to be a choice at all, questioning whether using both forms of media in a double-edged approach could be more fruitful than simply choosing one or the other.
Listed below are six examples of companies who have done exactly that – incorporating bespoke-designed print media advertisements into their digital marketing strategy. From a drinks manufacturer which helped people chill their beer, to a university that helped solve Peru’s water crisis, these organizations have thought outside of the box to target their advertising campaigns both innovatively and effectively.
- Shikun & Binui Solaria.
With the looming threat of global warming and climate change, renewable energy is the talk of the town at the moment. With this in mind, Israeli energy company Shikun & Binui Solaria launched a print advertisement to promote the use of green energy.
At first, their advertisement appeared to be a simple black-and-white drawing of a field of poppies. However, once it was held up to sunlight, vibrant colors and a hidden message start to appear, creating a glorious painting-like photo that subtly highlighted the benefits of receiving energy from the sun.
While on the theme of sunlight, skincare-brand Nivea created a print advertisement that actually utilized the sun’s rays to help beachgoers charge their phone.
To promote the brand’s sunscreen products, Nivea printed an advertisement with a specially designed solar panel on it, to help keep people’s cell phones juiced while on the beach. Showcasing a basic advertisement for their sunscreen on one side, with the solar panel located on the other, users simply had to plug their cable into the system and the sun’s rays would immediately start charging their phone.
Source: Ink Onda Paper
Everyone knows that beers are best enjoyed ice cold and, back in 2015, Brazilian drinks manufacturer Glacial took advantage of that fact. Printing an advertisement with salt particles embedded into the paper, the drinks brand informed readers to rip out the advertisement, soak it in water, wrap it around a bottle of their beer, and place it in the freezer. Within minutes, the beer would be ice cold and instantly more refreshing to drink.
From cooling beer to drinking water, UTEC – an engineering university based in Peru – used a combination of innovation, technology and a billboard to combat the growing water crisis that was hitting the country.
While the university’s main aim was to recruit more students, rather than spending their money on a TV advertisement featuring the smiling faces of young graduates, they instead decided to create an advertisement that offered substance over style – pulling moisture out of the air to create drinking water. This put the university in the limelight more than a bog-standard recruitment advertisement could have done, and led to many more applicants contacting the university anyway.
With so many styles of car available on the market, it’s vital for manufacturers to stand out. French car producer Peugeot recognized this better than most, deciding to create a print advertisement that highlighted the safety of their newly-released model.
Their advertisement asked people to hit the page as hard as they could. The spread that followed behind then included a mini air bag which then inflated upon impact, demonstrating the car’s safety features in a highly innovative way.
Another car brand who used a combination of ingenuity and print media to their benefit was the German manufacturer Volkswagen. Showcasing the new features they had recently added to their models, such as “Lane Assist” and “Adaptive Lights,” the company produced a three-page spread where readers could take a ‘test drive’ using a mobile app.
The advertisement folded out to become a road which, while using the app, showed a car. This car then moved as the user hovered their phone above it, moving it as they wished along the printed road.
Final thoughts …
As the examples above prove, using digital media alongside printed media can lead to some incredibly innovative advertisements and marketing strategies. It shouldn’t come down to a choice of one or the other – businesses should think outside the box to come up with ideas that can effectively utilize both.
Written by: Mike James, BOSS contributor
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