For most businesses, to be able to succeed and grow they need to carry out a certain amount of advertising. While customer loyalty is important, if no new customers are sought, a business will soon diminish. So, for that reason, companies turn to advertising.
There are basically two major benefits of advertising: awareness and promotion. Unless you own a company like Google, Amazon, or Apple, it will take time for people to get to know you and what you have to offer. So, making others aware that you exist is the first thing any company should focus on. The second thing is promoting and showcasing what’s on offer. Not only will this benefit new customers that know nothing about the company, but it will also remind existing customers just how great your product or service is.
What Is Disruptive Advertising?
When it comes to advertising, there are various different methods that companies use to attract new customers in and to entice existing ones to spend more. Obviously, some of these are more effective than others. One of the more traditional methods used in advertising is called disruptive advertising. This form of advertising is essentially one that “disrupts” the person watching or listening as is unexpected. Back in the 1960s, not many brand owners could afford TV advertising. Those who could didn’t really have to make much of an effort as there was barely any competition due to the high costs involved in making commercials. So, rather than come up with a clever advertisement that tried to convince customers that they needed their product, these wealthy brand owners simply came up with a brand-focused, disruptive ad that was loud and would make people remember the brand.
Disruptive Advertising Examples
Other examples of disruptive advertising can be seen in campaigns such as Coke’s “Share a Coke” or the UK’s “Compare the Meerkat.” Both of these advertising methods are seen as disruptive as they’re both highly engaging and bought something new to the world of advertising that we’d not really seen before. And it worked, too, for quite some time. Up until a few years ago, disruptive advertising was considered to be the most successful form of advertising. Now, however, it’s now seen as unwanted, unnecessary, and ineffective.
The nature of advertising is changing with the millennial generation.
Does Disruptive Advertising Still Work?
Times have changed and so have people. It takes time for consumers to build trust with firms. With pretty much any product or service you can think of, there’s so much choice available. For that reason, consumers aren’t simply going to jump on board with companies because they have a pretty ad that pops up in their face every five minutes. These companies need to earn their trust and to do that they need to find a way in which to connect with the customer so they make a lasting impression—not simply annoy them by being repetitive. Disruptive advertising also takes a lot of time and planning to make happen. In a world where markets are changing so fast, it is vital the businesses have a more flexible marketing strategy and disruptive advertising is not it.
Businesses are moving away from traditional forms of advertising, such as billboards, newspaper, radio, and TV ads and instead are moving more towards digital forms of advertising. Three of the most effective forms of digital advertising used today are:
- Social media advertising: A lot of people today have at least one social media account that regularly log into. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or one of the other social media platforms out there, people love to stay connected with one another and see what’s going on in the world around them. Many of these social media sites recognize this obsession and have helped businesses out by allowing them to set up targeted campaigns on their site. What this means is that for a modest fee, businesses can choose who they want to see their ad, focusing on those most likely to be interested. It makes more sense for companies to target potential customers in this way. Not only does it allow them to concentrate more on people who want their services, it saves times and money wasted on those that almost certainly won’t be interested.
- Content marketing: Like social media advertising, content marketing is very much about pitching to the right audience. You’ll never be able to please everyone—no matter what product or service you offer. However, by targeting your target audience with content that is most likely to have them take an interest, you’re hedging your bets and playing the odds. And, for this reason, are more likely to get quite a good return from it. Content marketing also allows businesses to offer their clients a more personalized, digital experience.
- Video advertising: This form of digital advertising has really taken off in the past few years as we become a much more digitally-focused society. Sites, such as YouTube and Facebook now offer businesses the opportunity to advertise on their site, very much the same as TV ads have done for years. The number of people to visit these video sharing sites on a regular basis is rising steadily and is an opportunity too big for businesses not to take advantage of. It’s much cheaper than TV and may reach a wider range of people too.
There are many different ways businesses advertise today. These are just some of the more popular and more effective methods used. Although disruptive advertising was once very effective in making brands a “household name,” it’s clear that we’ve moved away from those times and no longer is it quite so easy for firms to win customers over with a good advertisement. Now it’s much more about building trust and confidence and offering customers a product or service that they really need, instead of just something that they’ve remembered because in an advertisement.
