Examples of Digital Advertising and Traditional Media Partnering for Great Success by Steve Blanshan

February 3, 2020


Are you looking for examples of how digital advertising and traditional media have worked together? Here are campaigns that saw great success and ROI.

traditional advertising in times square

As digital marketing tech grows and grows, traditional marketing is getting further left behind. However, it’s proven that marketers massively undervalue the impact of traditional media channels.

For example, you may think that radio marketing is completely outdated. But in fact, it’s the second most valuable medium in brand building campaigns.

For this reason, you should rethink your marketing strategies. Consider combining traditional advertising with digital media.

Not convinced? In this article, we’ll give you some great examples where traditional advertising married perfectly with digital advertising for great success.

Old Spice

If you were born in the ’80s or earlier, then you probably grew up watching a lot of television. In between segments of your favorite TV shows, you most likely saw those brilliant Old Spice commercials. What made them so memorable was the quirky Old Spice Man and the wild scenarios he was always in. This type of marketing made a strong impression on viewers, and you had to live under a rock to not know about Old Spice.

Nowadays, the younger generation barely watches any TV. Instead, they spend their time on social media and Netflix.

Old Spice knew their demographic had changed preferences for the channels they were on, so they catered to that. Instead of investing all their money into traditional advertising, they started putting some focus on digital media. For instance, Old Spice started running banner and video ads, which attracted more people back to their brand.

GoPro

GoPro is a seller of action cameras and has really taken off in popularity with people who love being active. While they do perform digital advertising, GoPro also has quite a presence in the real world.

For example, they ran a campaign called “Be a Hero.” They encouraged their current customers to post their own videos of what it means to them to be a hero. Also, they invested in brand-related sponsorships, as well as outdoor ads. This ensured that people not only felt their online presence, but also their in-person one.

As a result, GoPro definitely stays top-of-mind for people who are considering purchasing an action camera. Whether they’re in a physical store or shopping online, users are sure to think of GoPro as their first choice.

Sephora

Sephora is a major makeup and beauty store that you can find all over the world. But they haven’t made their success based just on either traditional or digital marketing.

Instead, they’ve crafted a delicate balance between the two. This encourages customers to continue their journey long after they’ve left a physical store.

For example, in the actual Sephora stores, customers can enjoy complimentary makeovers and beauty workshops. They can also utilize a bit of tech with Sephora’s touchscreen product testing.

In addition, customers can log into their personal accounts on the Sephora app. Not only can they find nearby stores with it, but they can also scan items while browsing in the shop, and also track their rewards. Other features include makeup tutorials, virtual product trials, wishlists, and the ability to purchase while on the go.

By streamlining the entire customer journey, Sephora’s enabled millions of makeup enthusiasts to easily find and experiment with various products, both in the store, and out.

Nordstrom

Here’s another example that involves catering to in-store shoppers’ offline and online needs.

As a huge department store, Nordstrom strives to keep their customers’ interest, even when they’re not physically in the store. As more and more consumers hop onto social media and utilize services, Nordstrom realized they needed to play to that need.

This brand has developed integrations where if a person clicks on a picture of a product on Instagram or Pinterest, they’re taken straight to the product page. They can then either purchase online or see if the nearest Nordstrom near them has it in stock.

It doesn’t just stop there either. Customers can use both the website and app to make complimentary in-person appointments with their stylists. By combining traditional and digital channels, Nordstrom’s able to provide their customers with a seamless journey.

Starbucks

Everybody knows and loves this coffee giant. But just because they’re so renowned doesn’t mean Starbucks has given up on marketing. In fact, they’ve doubled down and combined traditional advertising with digital advertising in an incredibly genius way.

Traditionally, this brand has poster ads everywhere. Think of it: you see them everywhere, whether you’re at a bus stop or walking down the street.

They know how powerful this type of advertising is, so they haven’t slowed down with it, even to this day. However, to boost their marketing efforts, they’ve combined it with digital marketing.

What they’ve done is put up brand new posters in a few major cities. Then, they took to Twitter, challenging their customers to be the first to find these new posters and post a picture as proof.

As you can imagine, this got quite the buzz going. By investing in traditional advertising and then taking to a digital channel to promote it even further, Starbucks perfected omnichannel marketing.

Combine Traditional Advertising With Digital Advertising for Maximum Effect

As you can see by the examples in this article, you can’t only focus on digital advertising just because it seems like it has all the bells and whistles consumers like. These people still walk around and see real-world objects on a day-to-day basis, so take full advantage of that by combining traditional advertising with digital advertising.

Are you ready to incorporate traditional advertising with your digital marketing strategy? Then get in touch with us today!