The power of unity is often ignored in advertising, revealing another myth of the advertising world. Some marketers assume that simultaneously doing several different brand campaigns to a broad audience would work better. They think it will be more effective to talk about various product benefits in each campaign, thus reaching a wider audience. In truth, the number of ads communicating different messages does matter. It is negatively correlated with the overall success of the advertising campaign: the more simultaneous campaigns with distinct messages, the lower probability that either of these campaigns will be successful. If aired separately during spaced-out time frames, the campaigns are more likely to perform better.
While personalization through multiple marketing channels is welcome, it also opens Pandora’s box of audience overlap. The two problems emerge:
Daily, people don’t use just one single channel for entertainment, socialization or education. An audience overlap exists between different media, and the more considerable the overlap, the more likely it is that the audience stays the same. It increases the advertising costs meaning resources and money are wasted to target the same consumers for the same product. That’s the least of the problems, though.
The main issue with using several different campaigns is that it reduces ad memorability and effectiveness. According to Behavioural Science and Adult Learning Theory, telling as much information as possible to an adult brain doesn’t work. Achieving success requires consistency and repetition. Hence, the consumers cannot retain what the brand stands for when the key messages of each ad are distinct. As a result, they either don’t remember the communication or create incompatible thoughts on the product.
Undoubtedly, it is always good to engage customers in different ways to increase your brand awareness. These multi-channel marketing campaigns are the most effective way of staying relevant with a broader audience and increasing campaign ROI. However, the core brand message still needs to be the same to maintain consistency across all communications. This way, even if the overlap occurs, the overall campaign effectiveness will not be impacted.
One of the best marketing strategies is to use the same ad campaign on several channels and adjust it according to the needs and desires of the target population residing on these platforms. This approach keeps the brand relevant, increases the memorability of the ads, and there is a clear understanding of what the brand stands for. For example, to launch CLA models, Mercedes-Benz took advantage of cross-channel marketing and tailor-made targeting in its 2013 Take The Wheel campaign. The message was clear and focused throughout all social media platforms, and it appealed to the younger audience. As a result, the brand had the best product launch in 20 years.
To achieve maximum results, advertisers and brand managers should focus on creating unity within all advertising campaigns. Instead of spending the budget to create different campaigns, play it smart. Simply use multi-channel marketing with only one focused ad campaign. It will save you money, time and make your brand more successful.
If you are not sure what message to focus on in your latest campaign, contact us and we’ll quickly run it through our idea screening tool.