“Digital Advertising is the Need of the Hour”

Transformations are tough, especially for organisations trying to make a mark in this digital age. In advertising, every brand or business has a similar objective. They want to reach as many potential customers as possible. By shifting to the digital medium, they can upgrade their marketing services for lead generation and sales. Most importantly, they can enhance their brand messaging and value to maximise conversion and retention.

The traditional advertising agencies have upgraded from their nascent stages. They are setting up specialised units and strategies to leverage the scope for digital advertising in India. This is how most traditional ad agencies have gained prominence in this country.

Traditional Advertising: Is it Obsolete?

Over the past few years, the traditional advertising industry has stopped growing. The saturation of the ad market is not the only reason behind this. Rather it lies in the way traditional agencies brought content to people. While they still rely on TV commercials as their default business solution, this has become an irrelevant approach now.

Historically, the businesses have been contracting a national or regional advertising agency to create targeted campaigns. It was mainly for the big fives- broadcast, print, direct mail, telephone and outdoors. Despite the leap in technology, most of the owners still go back to the traditional approach. It is not surprising because these channels have existed for several decades.

Advertising in a Digital World

The entire world has gone digital. More than 80% of the customers seek out business information online. They research extensively before making an online purchase. This is where digital advertising plays a major role in enhancing brand credibility among audiences. Despite a keen awareness of it, most traditional ad agencies fear taking this leap. Some are unsure how to spend the advertising budget. Others are intimidated by the technology or jargon.

A good place to start is removing focus from the divide between ‘traditional’ and ‘digital’. According to Romil Ramgarhia, it is about exploring new capabilities in digital with an integrated and creative approach. The most powerful digital advertising campaigns connect to the audiences in relevant moments. They produce value-driven content for the audience’s to engage. This requires powerful insights, great ideas and proper execution. Hence, the traditional ad agencies can implement this method for the creation of strong digital advertisements. The process might be slow, but it is fruitful.

The Digital Ad Agency Advantage

For most business owners, investing in a traditional ad agency is a disappointment. It is because modern-day, savvy digital ad agencies can deliver outcomes with promising returns. When compared to the traditional methods, digital reigns supreme because of varied reasons.

· Low barrier for entry and a lower spending risk

· Ability to target specific demographics

· Significant increase in customer engagement

Digital advertising shines in terms of ROI.

· The average ROI from email marketing is immense

· In email marketing, businesses see an ROI of around $40

· Companies generate approximately $2 for every $1 they spend on Google Ads

· The media ROI on CRO or conversion rate optimisation is high

(source: https://www.speedsquare.co/digital-marketing/can-a-traditional-ad-agency-deliver-on-the-promises-of-digital-advertising/)

Digital Advertising on the Rise

Yes, digital advertising is likely built on the foundation of traditional advertising, but it comes with a twist. For many years, companies have played safe. They leveraged the four Ps of advertising –product, price promotion and place. Each one of them focuses on leading the prospects towards a sale.

With digital advertising, creating ads have become intentional and targeted. Access to channels like social media, SEO, and Pay-Per-Click has enabled them to target audiences effectively. It is possible with accurate data from optimised reporting, growth tracking, and the use of other online tools. Further, it makes it easy for the agencies to learn about their audience behaviour and devise newer strategies.

The Digital advertising specialists aim to convert brand awareness into customer loyalty and engagement. They are agile, swift and tech-oriented when it comes to devising advertisement campaigns that drive sales and conversion.

Digital Ad agencies have the metrics to improve their marketing efforts. Hence, the traditional ad agencies must speed up their growth with a stronger acquisition. The shift in consumer mindset and market paradigms has also made it a priority. This way, companies can facilitate two-way interaction and meaningful conversations with the customers.