The importance of cross-media marketing cannot be underestimated, especially after looking at the television commercials run during this year’s Super Bowl, in the United States. Most advertisers running promotions during the Super Bowl add a web URL at the end of their commercials, to connect traditional TV advertising with their digital marketing campaigns.
However, not all TV ads are the same. If you look closely, you’ll see that these ads can be divided into four levels of customer engagement.
First level: Faith in their brand
Some television ads have no mention of any URL. Some such advertisements are Volkswagen’s ‘Darth Vader Kid’, Coca Cola’s ‘Dragon’, and Budweiser’s Bud Light ‘Hack Job’. These companies have not made any effort to drive viewers towards a digital marketing presence, or even indicated that they have one. The main reason for this is these brands have such a strong international reputation, that they expect people to search and visit their online website/social media pages, without being prompted to do so.
Second level: Showing they are Internet-savvy
Some companies wish to display their awareness about the latest web technologies, and their proficiency in conducting digital marketing activities. Such companies usually display their corporate website link, or their Facebook vanity URL, towards the end of their commercials, asking viewers to visit it for more information. Take for example Pepsi’s ‘Can Thrower’ ad, which asked people to visit their Pepsi Max Facebook page, to display their loyalty to the brand.
Third level: Proving they are web experts
Brands on this level seem to believe that it is better to show viewers that they have a digital marketing presence on all the leading social networking websites, rather that only on a single one. Take for instance Bridgestone, the official tyres of the Super Bowl. Instead of pointing viewers to a single Facebook or Twitter page, their TV commercial directed viewers to a specially created digital marketing micro-site. This site linked to their Facebook page and Twitter profile, as well as listed their YouTube videos.
Fourth level: Building a completely new experience
The few brands that reach the highest digital marketing level focus on delivering a completely new online experience to TV viewers. Two examples of such brands are car maker Audi, and web company GoDaddy.com. Audi included a Twitter hashtag at the end of its ‘Release the Hounds’ TV commercial to send viewers to a contest on Twitter. GoDaddy.com used its TV spot for teasing a story that was continued on its website.
Whether a client is buying television spots in the Super Bowl or not, digital marketing professionals have a lot to learn from these pioneering brands, when it comes to linking TV ads with digital marketing campaigns.
Qudos Digital is a leading digital marketing agency, and can be contacted on 0845 388 5583 or info@qudosdigital.co.uk.