Let’s face it: although its effectiveness has been more than proven, traditional advertising has never been very popular—bland, repetitive messaging forced upon us at nearly every juncture, from interrupting our favorite TV shows to gigantic roadside billboards all over the highway, have turned promotional messaging into a reluctantly accepted “necessary evil” of society. But in this modern age of personalized, targeted messaging, what was once merely annoying has become downright unacceptable for today’s consumer, according to new research.
A recent survey from marketing software and solutions provider Marketo of more than 2,200 consumers worldwide finds that 63 percent of respondents are highly annoyed by the way brands continue to rely on the old-fashioned strategy of blasting generic ad messages repeatedly. The poll found that the two things brands should do to make advertising more appealing to their audiences are to 1) show ads less often, and 2) make the content personalized and relevant based on consumer behavior across other channels and interactions.
In addition, 78.6 percent of consumers said they are only likely to engage with a brand using coupons or other offers if those promotions are directly tied to how they have interacted with the brand previously. This can include sending offers via email, mobile or social media after they have visited a brand’s website or tailoring communications based on products viewed or purchased. The poll was conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia.
These results are proof of the challenges that companies face when trying to consistently engage their customers across a wide range of digital channels. For years, campaigns have been crafted in isolation, often designed in silos with a specific digital channel in mind. For example, messages delivered to a consumer through a digital advertising campaign on Facebook often are not at all connected or consistent with her prior interaction with the company’s website, emails, or other programs.
As a result, it has been difficult for companies to have a two-way conversation with individuals with a single brand voice no matter where they are. To make matters worse, customers—flooded with thousands of marketing messages per day—have become increasingly frustrated with brands’ inability to connect with them based on their interests, likes or dislikes.
Advertising is no longer a tool solely for attracting a buyer’s attention, but to nurture them through the buying process by delivering the next right message at the right time. The challenge today is for brands to tailor their digital advertising to an individual’s behavior, allowing the messages to be customized based on the actions a person takes across a variety of channels, making it part of a single, consistent conversation.
Source: PR Newswire; edited by Richard Carufel
