The cross-media promotion has been reformed with new dynamics and dimensions, especially after the advent of electrifying social and digital media.
Cross-media is generally a term used for integrated media solutions.
Whenever a campaign is launched on multiple media for blanket coverage, i.e., in order to ensure the consumer couldn’t skip the message of the advertiser .In such cases the consumer gets caught at one or the other medium.
Consumers, for that matter, are not clever enough to hide from modern communication tools. The modern world has made it easier for the advertiser to get hold of it prospective consumer at some place or at some point in time.
Media, as it was conventionally divided into social ATL and BTL, have now got new categories, digital and social, referred to as online media. Online or internet and mobile internet media are getting major advertising share in the developed and developing markets.
However, we may say that other than some web giants (known to every internet user), generally all second-tier websites cannot get appropriate traffic or visitors without the help of conventional or traditional media.
Thousands of websites are being added to the web stream daily across the world. Most of them are targeting local or regional communities of their countries. Such websites strive hard to get the traffic, and for that, they must have recognition and popularity among their targeted audience. In the increasing competition, the only forum through which the websites could get unique visitors is conventional media.
In the developing markets, like Pakistan, the advertising on TV channels and in print media is still very competitive and economical.
In Pakistan olx.com was the first website that has started promotion on TV channels and have got tremendous response and recognition in Pakistan. It was followed by strong local players like asani.com.pk, zameen.com and few others who are taking off for their cross-media promotion.
Since the website owners are comparatively a new breed of advertisers, their general reliance on internet media and ignorance of the parallel print and electronic media is understandable. The most important aspect of advertising, which is applicable to all media, is the consistency .A persistent and even humble presence of the product or services in media gets long-term recognition and has a great impact on brand equity.
The awareness about the importance and ROI of the advertising spent on ATL will be quite fruitful for the website owners.A good TV commercial of the website and its rationale placement, even on low budgets, may get remarkable results in a country like Pakistan.
This is a very positive development that the website owners have started contacting the creative hot shops, advertising agencies and media buying houses for the promotion of their websites.
In coming years, some local websites launched to cater to the Pakistani market shall become major advertisers .This is, of course, a very optimistic situation, and it will enable the conventional media to recover its due share from internet runners.
Author: Maqbool Mirza -about author www.maqboolmirza.com