If you had to choose one platform for marketing, what would you choose? If you had to select only one media channel for advertising, which one would you go with? As you likely expected, there is no simple answer to either question–other than, “it depends.”
The answers depend upon various factors including the type of business you’re operating, what clients or customers you are trying to reach, and of course, what level of budget you have to work with. Another important factor is the stage or level of your current business. Are you a startup, or have you been operating for some time? And finally, marketing and advertising is intimately connected to your brand, as the strategies and tactics you choose can serve to help–or hurt–that brand image.
If you think about different successful companies that you are familiar with, what type of marketing do they engage in? How and where do they advertise? By most metrics of corporate success, the Ford Motor Company, Apple, and Rolex would certainly be considered as successful brands. In what ways do they connect with you, as a consumer? You probably think “TV Commercials” when it comes to Ford, and probably also for Apple–but I’d also guess you might think about billboards for Apple, as well as TV. And all three utilize the platform of upscale print (magazines).
Now what about Starbucks? They do run TV spots, but not as frequent as Apple, and certainly not anywhere near as often as Ford. But isn’t Starbucks “the” supremely successful brand in the coffee universe? Absolutely. So, what’s the difference between these powerful, successful brands?
Highly successful businesses focus first on the “brand” concept itself,– that is the image they want consumers to have about them and their products or services. And the marketing and advertising platforms used, as well as the strategies and tactics that these businesses employ, are carefully selected and managed to fit and support that image. Where and how these companies communicate their brand message is extremely important.
And the same holds true for your company.
