Insights / Advertising
Advertising Insights
Getting seen is one thing. Getting noticed is another. Businesses have more ways to advertise than ever before.
Each offers opportunities to reach an audience. But reaching people doesn’t guarantee they’ll pay attention. And attention doesn’t automatically turn into business. Effective advertising combines the right message, compelling creative, smart media choices and a clear business objective.
At PLAY, we believe advertising should do more than occupy space. It should make something happen.
Great Advertising Begins Before You Buy the Media.
It’s tempting to begin with the platform. Should we advertise on Google? Would Facebook work better? Should we try radio? What about billboards?
Those questions matter. But they come after a more important one:
What are we trying to accomplish—and why should anyone care about our message?
Advertising works better with a clear strategy behind it. Who needs to hear from you? What do they need to understand? What makes your offer persuasive? And what should happen after they notice?
Creative Is What Makes Advertising Worth Noticing.
Media can put a message in front of an audience. Creative gives that audience a reason to pay attention.
Two advertisers can reach similar audiences with similar budgets and produce very different results. The difference may be what they have to say—and how they say it. Buying attention is not the same as earning interest.
Traditional and Digital Advertising Aren’t Enemies.
Digital advertising offers targeting, flexibility and measurable interactions. Traditional media can create broad awareness, local presence, familiarity and distinctive brand experiences. Neither automatically deserves a place in every campaign. And neither should be dismissed simply because another channel is fashionable.
The right media depends on the audience, objective, message, geography and budget. Sometimes one channel makes sense. Sometimes the opportunity is in how several channels work together.
The strongest advertising strategy isn’t necessarily digital-first or traditional-first. It’s business-first.
Advertising Should Connect With Everything Around It.
A strong advertisement creates an expectation. Your website, brand, content and customer experience need to support that expectation.
A convincing campaign can lose its impact if the destination is confusing, the message changes or the next step isn’t clear.
That’s why advertising shouldn’t run independently of the rest of your marketing. A great campaign doesn’t end when someone clicks, calls or walks through the door.
More Advertising Doesn’t Automatically Mean Better Results.
Increasing a budget can increase exposure. It doesn’t necessarily improve the message, strengthen the offer or make the audience more interested. Sometimes the opportunity is better creative. Sometimes it’s a clearer strategy. Sometimes it’s choosing a different medium. And sometimes it’s improving what happens after someone responds.
Before spending more, make sure what you’re spending is working toward the right objective.
Advertising Question Chain
Advertising decisions become clearer when you ask the right questions.
01
Understand how strategy, audience, message, creative, and media work together in driving results.
02
Exploring how audience behaviour, business objectives and geography influence advertising channel choices.
03
Understanding the different opportunities created by reaching people who are actively searching versus people discovering a brand.
04
Examining where radio, television, outdoor and print advertising can still play a meaningful role.
05
Looking beyond impressions and clicks to understand the importance of creativity, relevance, messaging and the customer experience.
06
Connecting awareness, demand, customer acquisition and long-term brand development to relevant business objectives.
Don’t Just Advertise. Make an Impression.
The world isn’t short of advertising. It’s short of advertising people remember. Advertising that communicates plainly. Creative that makes people stop. Media choices that make business sense. Campaigns that connect with something bigger.
Don’t just buy space. Give people a reason to notice what’s in it.
Make Your Advertising Impossible to Ignore.
PLAY brings marketing strategy, creative, media planning, digital advertising and campaign development together to help businesses stand out. From Google Ads and social campaigns to traditional media and integrated advertising, we build ideas designed to work beyond a single placement.