Is Snapchat the final nail in the coffin for traditional advertising? Not quite yetâ¦

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, the Telegraph, whose readers are on the more mature side averaging 61 years old, has just joined one of the youngest social media platforms around, leaving the likes of the Guardian and the Independent, and their younger readers in the dust. However, that’s not all. This move is the latest in its digital initiative including re-launches of its mobile and tablet apps, partnerships with Google and Facebook and joining Apple News. The traditional newspapers have been slow to adopt all things digital, but not one has been blind to the necessity of digital, with most providing online subscription services. Only a couple of years ago, six leading newspapers buried the hatchet and launched an advertising campaign together, some might say, pleading for advertising. Their cries fell on deaf ears and print advertising has dwindled but it would be premature to declare it dead just yet. The same goes for TV, with commercial TV’s marketing body, Thinkbox’s endearing Harvey the dog campaign, demonstrating the power of TV advertising.

Snapchat is a great tool for advertising because brands have an opportunity to talk to rather than at people. The experience is much more interactive. However, Snapchat is predominantly a platform for the 18-24-year-olds, so if that is not your target audience or only makes up a certain proportion of your target audience, then it would be foolish to put all your advertising eggs in one Snapchat basket! The truth is that although a brand would be insane to ignore social media, given that half the global population are under 30 and are the most prolific users of social media, they are not the only audience out there. Plus, they may be on social media more than other demographics, but this does not mean that they do not respond to offline advertising at all. Indeed, offline advertising including print can increase brand awareness, reinforce the digital ads and bring the brand into the real world.

Some of the biggest brands like John Lewis, Waitrose and Apple still see merit in advertising in the “old media” and with such a loyal brand following, they can’t be wrong. Some say the market has been swayed by marketers’ obsession with young people or advertisers’ fixation with the world of digital, at Altair Media, we say, we are obsessed with creating the amazing, whatever platform that may be on. We are all about progress and innovation, but we are not fickle enough to forget our past. Many amazing brands were built on traditional media, whether that is print, TV, radio or offline such as billboards or guerilla marketing. That is why we are digitally inspired, not obsessed.

Some argue that traditional marketing is dead, but there are many benefits to including offline advertising in your overall marketing campaign. Integrating offline and online campaigns can enhance your brand’s visibility, and help it stand out amongst competitors who may be busy flooding the digital space. Smartphones and other tracking tools have made it possible for brands to begin tracking various offline campaigns, a feat that was previously unattainable. If a brand’s aim in today’s crowded marketplace is to differentiate and get noticed, it makes sense to use as many channels as possible, both digital and traditional, to attract your target audience.

The digital world might be blamed for racing ahead with itself. Heck, some new apps and technologies are mind-blowing and alluring to curious minds, but they should never be at the expense of the client. A successful media buying strategy is one which fulfils the client’s strategy, not the agency’s desire to go pay-per-click mad. And although only a fool would ignore social media these days, he who dismisses traditional advertising entirely might be too.

About Altair Media

We are Altair Media and we are an independent media agency that is here to make our clients famous to the people that matter.

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We are the antidote to the large agency networks, we will challenge you and we want you to challenge us. We are nimble and flexible to ensure we can keep up with your consumers or clients.

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Altair is privileged to work on some of the world’s greatest brands and some of the most exciting start-ups out there.

You should never stop, never settle, always improve. Be amazing