What is offline marketing? Channels and original examples

Introduction

Getting noticed offline with your business hopelessly old-fashioned? No way! In fact, the power of offline advertising is very strong. In this blog post we will discuss offline promotion in detail. You will learn what offline marketing is, which offline marketing channels exist, the advantages and disadvantages of traditional marketing, and original examples of offline marketing. We also show how offline and online marketing can reinforce each other.

What is offline marketing?

Offline marketing is the promotion of products or services through traditional, non-digital channels. Here, television and radio are considered offline marketing channels. Offline marketing focuses on reaching the target audience in the physical world through offline media.

Why is offline marketing important?

Advertising on Instagram Stories, inventing and expanding the necessary branding, applying SEO marketing ... the possibilities of online marketing are endless. You can do so much on the worldwide web these days that there are even new trends in online marketing every year. Some companies seem to operate entirely online without any intervention of offline advertising. Does that mean offline marketing is done? Certainly not: offline marketing is still very valuable.

Although almost every Dutch person has an Internet connection, this does not mean that this is the only way to attract customers. After all, your potential customers do not live 100% online, but of course also in the offline world. Through offline marketing you can therefore also very well reach your target group. Companies with a strong online and offline marketing strategy show that these strategies reinforce each other.

Offline marketing channels

Below is an overview of commonly used traditional marketing channels.

• Print media:

Advertisements in newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers and leaflets. This type of marketing is effective for reaching target audiences who read certain publications. Research shows that print ads have a great impact on brand awareness.

• Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising:

These include billboards, roadside billboards, posters in malls, stations and airports, and screens in public areas. OOH advertising is ideal for reaching a wide audience in high-traffic areas.

• Radio and television:

TV and radio spots are traditional channels through which a large number of people can be reached. This offline advertising is suitable for strengthening your brand awareness as these media are often viewed or listened to by a wide audience. Television and radio advertising still have a great impact on brand awareness.

• Direct mail:

Physical mail, such as letters, cards or catalogs, sent directly to the consumer's address. With direct mail, you can reach your target audience in a targeted way and directly prompt them to take action, such as placing an order. Direct mail is well read and generally well received.

• Events and trade shows:

By participating in or organizing events, you can establish personal contact with your target audience. Trade shows, product launches and sponsorship activities provide opportunities for face-to-face interactions.

• Point-of-Sale (POS) marketing:

These are advertisements and promotions right at the point of sale, such as displays, posters and promotional signs in stores. POS marketing encourages impulse purchases and helps customers become aware of products at the time of purchase.

• Promotional items and merchandise:

This includes printed items such as pens, T-shirts, key chains and notebooks. These tangible items remind consumers of the brand and reinforce brand awareness in the long run.

• Sponsorship and product placement:

Event sponsorship or product placement in movies and TV shows provides visibility in a relevant context, allowing the brand to link itself to popular events or content.

Benefits of offline marketing

• Wide range:

Offline advertising can help reach a wider audience, especially campaigns via television, radio or print media (e.g., newspaper). It can therefore have great value in the awareness phase of the customer journey.

• Brand recognition:

By using offline media such as billboards, posters and flyers, you can make your brand visible and increase brand awareness. This makes it more likely that a customer will think of or recognize your brand in a buying situation. This effect is called mental availability and makes a customer more likely to choose your brand.

• Targeting:

In some cases, you can use offline marketing to reach a targeted audience, for example, if you target specific demographics, such as location.

• Reliability:

Offline marketing channels are seen as reliable by many people.

• Measurability:

Offline marketing can be well measured in some cases, as you can count the number of responses to a direct mail campaign, for example.

• Branding:

By using offline media, you can uniquely position your brand and better convey the story behind your brand. Also read our blog posts on brand identity and brand key model on how to create a brand identity.

Note: Offline marketing is not better or worse than online marketing; both forms of marketing can complement each other well, about which more later.

Disadvantages of offline marketing

So far, we are very positive about offline marketing, but traditional marketing campaigns also have some drawbacks.

• Execution is often very expensive compared to online marketing. Quickly setting up an offline campaign is usually not possible and this is reflected in the costs.
• With offline promotions you reach a lot of people, but also a lot of people who are not part of your target audience. So with an expensive offline marketing campaign, you also reach a lot of people you don't want to reach.
• The impact of offline marketing campaigns is more limited to measure than that of online campaigns. So it's harder to estimate how profitable offline campaigns are.
• The offline marketing industry is an opaque world. It is difficult to assess which agencies are really good and whether they are deploying optimal campaigns for your business.

Original offline marketing examples

Below are some examples of successful and strong offline marketing campaigns.

• IKEA:
  In 2014, IKEA created an interactive bus stop where people could sit in a mini IKEA living room. The idea was to let people see what their furniture would look like in a real environment.
  
• Coca-Cola:
  In 2013, Coca-Cola created an interactive vending machine where people could get free bottles of Coke if they did a dance. The idea was to motivate people to have fun and to convey the message that Coca-Cola is a drink for moments of joy.
  
• Red Bull:
  In 2012, Red Bull organized the Stratos Jump, in which Felix Baumgartner jumped from a balloon at 39 km altitude, setting a world record for the highest freefall. This event was televised live and received a lot of media attention.
  
• KitKat:
  You can also use a park bench as promotional material, as KitKat showed.
  

Online and offline marketing

Perhaps you are now full of energy to get started with offline marketing. Good for you! However, let's not forget that online marketing is also very valuable. Just as your target audience is not exclusively active online, your target audience will not be exclusively active offline either. Both offline and online you can get your message across to your target audience.

Indeed, online and offline marketing can reinforce each other. Research shows that an integrated marketing strategy, in which online and offline marketing are aligned, can lead to higher customer engagement and higher brand loyalty.

A good example is Pepsi Max's Unbelievable Bus Shelter campaign.

This campaign not only impressed people in bus shelters, the integrated YouTube campaign also achieved 8 million views and a lot of (digital) PR.