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5 Advertising Techniques to Reduce Waste and Increase ROI

The Waste in Advertising

鶹ýӳ teams face a challenge when it comes to placing messages and offers in front of target audiences. Marketers need to ensure their messages are present across a multitude of channels so that when a customer decides to act, the intended product is top of mind. However, casting too wide a net can result in wasted ad spend and over-saturation of messaging – while reaching an unintended and uninterested audience.  

Unfortunately – this is often the case. An estimated 60% of advertising budgets are wasted, while 56% of ad impressions are never seen by consumers.

While this may have been more expected when marketing teams were largely reliant on offline media – such as television, print, and broadcast ads – the success of which are historically difficult to measure, the trend of wasted ad spend remains even as digital ads become the priority. Spend on digital ads surpassed that on traditional ads for the first time in 2019 – making advertising channels more cluttered and competitive than ever.  As a result, marketing teams are often hard pressed to determine which of these ads are generating results and which should be paused. 

What Are the Methods of Advertising?

To ensure advertising investments achieve the desired impact, marketing teams need to be discerning about the media mix they use to reach their customers. There are many types of advertising methods that marketing teams can choose from when building a paid media plan:

  • Social ads
  • TV ads
  • Display ads
  • PPC advertising
  • Email advertising
  • Influencer advertising
  • Product placement
  • Radio and podcast ads
  • Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising (designed to reach consumers outside their homes i.e. billboards, street advertising)

Each of these advertising formats offer various benefits. Email ads may encourage immediate action (such as a sale), whereas out-of-home or TV ads can help solidify your brand values in the mind of consumers, encouraging them to talk about it and spread awareness. When building out an advertising plan, it is important to consider what your goals are. Identify a strategy and align the media channel you select with that overarching plan - whether that is to reach a new demographic, drive revenue, increase share of voice, etc.

The 5 Techniques to Minimize Waste in Advertising 

Regardless of what your ultimate goal is, there are a few components that are essential to any campaign on any channel. Be sure to keep these techniques and tactics in mind as they can be instrumental in reducing advertising waste and increasing marketing ROI.

Technique 1: Focus on Branding

In a competitive marketplace, branding is what allows consumers to differentiate between similar products. As such, marketing teams must carefully curate their brand to speak to the needs of their core audience. Aligning brand values with those of your consumers is essential for brand recall and creating brand loyalty. Branding should not only consider the actual attributes of the product or service (e.g. it is less expensive, or faster), but should also think of how the brand makes consumers feel (productive, sustainable, luxurious, etc.) Finally, branding should be consistent so that it is instantly recognizable – this means using a common symbol, font, or color across communications. 

Unique branding has been used for centuries to change public opinion and can be a powerful tool in any marketer’s arsenal - consider the following examples: 

  • of Prussia wanted to convince the German people to eat potatoes, to reduce the risk of famine. Many Germans refused to (and some were even killed for refusing to grow it.) He decreed the potato a royal vegetable and only the royal household was allowed to eat it, resulting in a black market for potato-growing. 
  • Old Spice: Old Spice was founded in 1937, and historically marketed to older men in their 40s-60s. After a few stagnant years, Old Spice decided to chase a new demographic - young men between 12 and 34. To earn market share among this demographic, they moved away from their more serious tone, to use language more popular with the younger set, such as “swagger.” They also made use of celebrities and athletes to emphasize the success of those who used Old Spice products. Not only did they create messaging that appealed directly to these users – they also created ads that targeted women – who are often the ones who buy these products for significant others. The rebrand included print and TV ads as well as digital components such as SwaggerizeMe.com. It was wildly successful – sales skyrocketed and the brand has maintained its role as a leader in the space as well as a marketing power house ever since. 

Creating a memorable brand helps establish loyalty between consumers and your organization. They will be more likely to purchase your product again, recommend your products to friends, and try new products lines under your label. This is essential because brand loyalty pays: 

  • are more loyal to brands they trust. 
  • spend more money with brands they are loyal to
  • business comes from existing customers 

Focusing on branding in campaigns can be immensely beneficial to marketing ROI. However, because the impact of branding is harder to measure than clicks or conversions, it can often be de-prioritized in favor of more easily measured tactics. This is a mistake that can lead to wasted ad spend – find out what your target audience values in a product and organization, and invest time and capital into ensuring your core values and messaging are aligned. 

Technique 2: Find Your Audience

The most crucial component of minimizing wasted ad spend is to develop an in-depth understanding of who your customers are. Without this understanding, marketing teams will undoubtedly allocate a portion of their budget to a campaign that fails to move the needle in favor of their KPIs. Think back to the Old Spice example discussed above. The brand is selling a produ