Advances in technology and digital communication have forever changed the modern marketing landscape. With change comes opportunity, and companies today are increasingly spoiled for media options, all of which cater for an ever-diversifying range of ways that we, as consumers, engage with promotional material.
This diversity demands that companies make important choices as they seek to interact with their target audience(s). One of the more reoccurring quandaries in recent decades has been how to proportion off- and online media spend. While some industries have been quick to employ a multi-channel approach to media planning, adoption of a more integrated mix—one that fully utilizes digital platforms—has been sluggish among the ocean and offshore industries.
Employing a multimedia philosophy
However, when you think about it, most companies are already predispositioned to a multimedia philosophy– just consider any contemporary website. Web design, and all the UI/UX design considerations that it encompasses, is dependent on images, videos, infographics, and often print (for downable assets and tech sheets, for example)—each medium allows users to engage with pertinent information, with the ultimate goal of enticing further interaction.
Marketing campaigns need to follow suit and embrace a media mix that understands its primary targets and influences their buyer behavior in accordance with a planned sales cycle. In doing so, marketers accept that we, as buyers, all interact with content in different ways. We consume information differently; some prefer the written word, some audio, while others video – it is personal inclination. So, to adopt a singular approach to media—unless you are marketing to a very homogenous group of buyers— is restrictive at best.
Brand Credibility in a Digital Age
Digital advertising has become a gamechanger in the 21st century: it’s cost-effective, highly targeted, and suits our handheld lifestyles. But it has limitations. First and foremost, it isn’t print. The intent here is not to dive into the ongoing spat between print and digital advertising (read more here: Fighting For Our Attention), but rather point out one of the growing challenges for digital marketing: establishing brand credibility, something imperative in the ocean and offshore industries, where trust and assurance are key attributes of any product or service. This is where print and other more traditional above-the-line media channels continue to pull rank.
Here at TSC Strategic we are always looking for new and interactive ways to help clients bolster their brand architecture—and credibility—online, by connecting audiences with multifaceted content. We have over four decades of editorial expertise, and what’s become clear over time is that companies have plenty to say, not just promote. One area of growing importance in this new decade is thought leadership, and this has been central consideration for our print and digital publications in helping our clients strengthen their voice and heighten their visibility. One such multimedia platform is Offshore Source, which throughout 2020 is inviting companies to co-author extended features about the future of the ocean and offshore industries. The online WebExclusive can support digital assets—images, videos, downloads, etc.—and even comes with a paid social media campaign built into the overall cost.
As technology advances and consumer preferences change, marketing campaigns will, as they always do, adjust accordingly. Online editorial features, which provide a perspective that takes readers beyond the news, is just one example of how we aim to help clients do so.
