The staff at Media One are nothing short of advertising experts, and the Sioux Falls-based agency is used to the unique challenges of the advertising world. Mr. John Fiksdal, president of Media One, shared some great insight with me on how the agency succeeds in delivering effective advertisements.
According to Fiksdal, it seems like the endless media routes today are both a good and a bad thing for advertisers. On the positive side, this creates a lot of fresh opportunities for communication, but finding and engaging the audience becomes harder. Advertisers must dive into the audience's world and uncover and decipher lots of information.
It would be great if advertisers could place a ton of ads in every medium, but nobody has the money for that – it's just a fact of life. So, to work with what they can get, Media One must first do two things: get to know their audience and, based on that, utilize the best channels to reach them.
As we already know, online advertising is becoming much more prevalent. Even though it commands a large share, print and television advertising are not completely gone, and Media One still uses traditional advertising as a way to reach audiences. It's just tougher to target and purchase.
I asked Media One about a specific event they advertised for and how they advertised effectively. Media One recently held their annual FunSki fundraiser for the Children's Inn in Sioux Falls on January 29 and 30. The fundraiser was a unique advertising challenge in itself, and there was a lot to consider when thinking of ways to advertise this event. Reaching a small and specific target audience – winter outdoors people and skiers – was not a simple task, according to Fiksdal. So how exactly did Media One reach these people?
First, it helps that FunSki relies on an already established user base. Media One used direct mail, opt-in email, telephone calls, and in-person advertising. News about the fundraiser was spread through traditional media sponsors, and Children's Inn spread the news to their contacts, as well.
Social media was also a large help this year. Media One created a successful Facebook fan page that generated a few hundred friends in a short amount of time. Even if people didn't attend the FunSki event this year, they were able to browse through photos and learn more about the event, hopefully generating more and more awareness.
To some, choosing an effective medium might seem like the biggest challenge. However, Media One's Fiksdal stressed that it's important to fully understand the audience first. After the first big step, advertisers can begin to build on the foundations of a great advertising campaign.
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