Is it time to ditch traditional marketing for digital marketing or do both still have a place? This dilemma is very obvious because you keep reading news of the latest digital campaigns of big brands like Zomato, Tanishq etc.
Even traditional brands like Amul are always the talk of the town for their topical social media posts.
But according to a Nielsen study, 86% of Indians trust newspaper ads, which means traditional media still holds power. At the same time, 80% of consumers research online before making a purchase. So, which is digital marketing vs traditional marketing better?
Let’s find out!
Table of contents
- Why Continue Traditional Marketing
- Challenges with Traditional Marketing
- How Digital Marketing Overcomes Challenges of Traditional Marketing
- Bumble’s Example — How to Combine Traditional Marketing With Digital Marketing
- In Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Continue Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing includes familiar forms of advertising, such as print ads, TV commercials, radio, direct mail and billboards.
These methods have been used for decades and remain highly effective. After all, TV is watched in 200 million households in India. Let’s understand why it is still relevant in 2024.
1. Why Continue Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing still reaches a large segment of the population, especially those who are not as tech-savvy or simply don’t spend as much time online.
Plus, they trust TV ads much more than they trust digital ads. When the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) did a survey, 83% of people said they trust TV ads and 72% said they trust video ads.
This means that your TV ad, whether on a popular show like “Anupamaa” or during an IPL match, is likely to reach millions of households and there are higher chances that they will trust it.
2. Strong Emotional Connection
There’s something about watching a TV ad or seeing a billboard that evokes a different emotional response than digital ads. The multi-sensory nature of traditional marketing – visuals, sound and storytelling – can create a lasting emotional connection with your audience. Think about iconic Indian ads like the “Daag Ache Hain” campaign from Surf Excel or Nirma’s “Washing Powder Nirma” jingle.
Challenges with Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing has its strengths— But that doesn’t mean there are no challenges to it.. Let’s face it, running TV commercials and newspaper ads can be expensive, inflexible and tough to track in terms of performance.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. High Costs
Traditional marketing can seriously burn a hole in your pocket. For example, a TV ad for a popular channel like Star Plus starts from a minimum of 4,00,000 Rs.
Full-page ads in top newspapers like The Times of India can also run into several lakhs (5-10 lakhs or above). These costs are steep, especially when you compare them to digital marketing options, where you can start campaigns with as little as a few thousand rupees.
Hence, high costs can limit the scope and frequency of your campaigns, making it difficult to maintain a consistent marketing presence, particularly if you’re working with a limited budget.
2. Difficulty in Tracking and Measuring Effectiveness
In traditional marketing, tracking success isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, you know how many people read the newspaper or watch the TV show your ad appeared on, but how do you measure its impact on sales or engagement?
Ruler Analytics surveyed 200 businesses and all of them said they were never able to track the results of TV and radio ads.
This lack of precise data makes it hard for you to adjust your strategies, optimise spending or assess return on investment (ROI). In short, it’s a lot harder to know what’s working and what’s not.
3. Limited Flexibility
Once your ad goes live on TV or is printed in a newspaper, there’s no turning back. Any changes or corrections? They’ll cost you—both in terms of money and time. Imagine running a print ad with a typo or outdated price of your product. Ouch!
In contrast, digital marketing allows you to make immediate changes and optimisations. This lack of flexibility in traditional marketing can be a huge disadvantage in today’s fast-paced market, where brands need to pivot quickly based on trends, feedback or even unexpected events.
How Digital Marketing Overcomes Challenges of Traditional Marketing
First, let’s get clear on what digital marketing involves. Digital marketing includes everything from social media ads, Google search ads, SEO (search engine optimisation), email marketing, content marketing and influencer marketing to video campaigns on YouTube.
The beauty of digital marketing lies in its agility, precise targeting and cost-effectiveness. Let’s see how it overcomes the challenges that traditional marketing presents.
1. Cost-Effectiveness
One of the biggest advantages of digital marketing is its affordability. You don’t need lakhs to start a campaign on Facebook or Instagram. You can start with as little as ₹500 a day and still reach a targeted audience.
In contrast to a TV ad where you’re paying for air time regardless of who’s watching, digital ads allow you to set your budget and pay only when someone clicks on your ad.
This cost-effectiveness makes it accessible especially when you are trying out new mediums of marketing. It is cost-effective only when you partner with the best digital marketing agency because a good agency ensures you achieve results.
2. You can Actually Track Results
Unlike traditional marketing, where measuring success is often a guessing game, digital marketing provides you with precise data.
From the moment your campaign goes live, you can track everything — impressions, clicks, conversions and ROI.
Tools like Google Analytics and Ads Manager give you detailed insights into your audience’s behaviour, allowing you to refine your campaigns on the go.
And, if something’s not working, you can tweak it in real-time. This level of insight and flexibility makes it easier for you to make data-driven decisions and optimise your budget.
3. Targeting Specific Audiences
One of the biggest advantages of digital marketing is the ability to target specific audiences.
Let’s say you want to sell skincare products to only young women in Delhi. If you put a billboard ad, men will also see it who is not even your target audience.
If you run a digital ad instead, you can select the age, gender, location and interests of your consumers.
And the best part is you are charged based on clicks and impressions that your ads will receive.
Bumble’s Example — How to Combine Traditional Marketing With Digital Marketing
In 2020, the dating app Bumble launched a 360-degree campaign in India, combining both traditional and digital media to promote kindness in dating.
Their campaign video was first released on social media platforms. Then they pushed it with influencer marketing, newspaper ads, billboards etc.
They also had a strong digital push through social media, influencer marketing and search ads.
This combination allowed Bumble to reach its customers everywhere. If they are scrolling social media, they will see influencers talking about Bumble. If they are going on a drive with their friend– they will see a Bumble billboard.
This increases brand recall and constantly nudges customers everywhere. Partner with a digital marketing company to execute this type of campaign.
We have talked about this campaign in detail in the following blog—just in case you want to read
Bumble vs Tinder Marketing Strategy
In Conclusion
So, what’s the verdict? should you ditch traditional marketing entirely and shift to digital marketing? Not necessarily. Traditional marketing still holds value, especially in India where TV and print media reach millions of people.
However, digital marketing offers benefits that traditional methods simply can’t. Plus, a lot of GenZ and millennials are very digital savvy. They are always on their phones and they want convenience.
To target them and make them familiar with your brand, you should definitely start incorporating digital marketing while continuing traditional mediums till they are effective.
If you’re ready to explore how combining these strategies can work for your brand, our digital marketing agency is here to help!
Whether you want to boost your digital presence, fine-tune your traditional marketing or create a seamless blend of both, we can guide you to success.
Reach out to us at hello@florafountain.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vasim Samadji is a partner at Flora Fountain, where he leads the Business and Marketing Strategy divisions. In a world where everyone is used to sugarcoating, his directness is often considered rude. But that shouldn't be a problem if you like the no-nonsense approach. Because he is a seasoned professional...
