Top Categories

Deal Of the day

Save 11%

Coca Cola 1.5 Ltr - Bachat Pack

Rs.1,080 Rs.1,195

Save 2%

Chicken Karahi Cut 1kg - کڑاہی کٹ

Rs.840

Pakistani brand still fixated in traditional media marketing

Although digital marketing has transformed the marketing world, it is biased to say that digital marketing alone provides best value to a brand and its image. Mostly marketing depends on the kind of audience to which you want to convey your message. In Pakistan for example, according to the statistics of 2016, only 17.8% of the total population has an access to internet or digital marketing. The rest of the population depends on traditional media tools for getting information about products and brands. Apart from Pakistan, many developed countries are also dependent on traditional media tools for advertisement. One of the biggest examples of this is Facebook advertising on billboards and TV all over in UK. A brand if not present on digital media is considered backwards, but the real sales generation technique is still dependent on traditional media (Therine Goh, 07 October 2015).

A study carried out on traditional media use of journalists and audiences in Sindh province shows that still most of the audience in Pakistan and in Sindh province depend on traditional media for getting information about brands and updates. The widely used medium for marketing and information is first, newspaper and then second, television. It included 550 respondents that were journalists and questionnaire were given to them regarding media consumption in the province of Sindh. The results showed that 52.2% of the journalists perceived newspaper to be the most consumed media tool by audiences, then comes television and then radio. Even though it is said that media environment has diversified yet available industry data leads us to the conclusion that online media has still not replaced traditional media (ibid, 2006). The reason to this is even if there is an increased amount of people using internet in Pakistan, there is still a large amount of population that is deprived of online media and is dependent on the traditional methods of information. Companies cannot turn towards online media if their target audience is not present there (Memon, December 2014). Most of the working class that is the decision maker of purchase of products is reliant upon radio and television on getting the information about companies. They do not have time to see online advertisements or click on the ad coming on their screen. Most of the online adverts are ignored by the working class. There is a fraction of people who click to open the online ads and actually see them.

Most of the decision makers for purchase are still adults in Pakistan who consider products on traditional media as credible and authentic. More than half of the people having an access to internet still trust newspaper, TV, magazines, radio, and billboards more than online media. Thus the optimal strategy would be to create awareness through traditional media marketing and then capitalize later on the recognition through online or social media. Traditional media in Pakistan allows companies to start a conversation with more potential customers (Why Traditional Media is Still Important?, n.d.). Mediums like TV, print, radio and billboards reach thousands if not millions of viewers at a time. Companies are sure that the money they are spending on traditional ads is reaching real consumers all the time. On the other hand 60% traffic on social media is non-human and most of the people do not even see online ads (Therine Goh, 07 October 2015). Out of $600-$700 million budget that is spent on TV, radio and billboards only 3% is used for online advertisement in Pakistan. This shows how much the audience are still inclined towards traditional methods of media (Jehangir, December 5, 2016).

Unilever carried out a study among brands and advertisers to find out why Pakistan is lagging behind digital marketing. It was found out that there is lack of willingness to accept the change on behalf of brand managers and advertisers. At the same time advertising agencies are mainly relying on conventional media for marketing. However some companies have also brought change in their marketing techniques. For example Unilever and Nestle have increased their 100% budget in digital marketing campaigns. One of the major reasons for companies not adopting this method is the quality output of digital advertising. Consumers do not believe the content displayed on social media and most of them do not even click the posts. This makes it a challenge for advertisers to adopt to new method (Jehangir, December 5, 2016).

Thus the best technique to carry out a successful marketing campaign in Pakistan is to combine traditional media with digital media. The same message that was published on newspapers and magazines should be displayed on websites but it should be short and attractive enough to gain customers attention. Make a press release, attract your audience and then retain them through social media.

References

Jehangir, M. (December 5, 2016). Online Advertising; Why Pakistan’s ignoring a billion dollar industry. morenews .

Memon, B. (December 2014). Traditional Media Use of Journalists and Audiences in Sindh Province,Pakistan. Review of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Therine Goh, C. &.-F. (07 October 2015). WHY TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING STILL WORKS. Marketing Magazine.

Why Traditional Media is Still Important? (n.d.). Retrieved from adwise marketing and communication: http://www.adwisemarketing.ca/traditional-media-still-important/