Traditional marketing can be expensive. One full-page print ad can cost anywhere between a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars, depending on the publication. Television spots can be even more expensive. Thirty seconds of time can cost between a few hundred dollars to air in a single county on a relatively unpopular cable show, to nearly three million dollars to air during the Super Bowl. This can add up quickly, limiting reach and exposure.
Technically, the Web’s exposure is limitless and easily accessible to anyone, regardless of demographic or geographic boundaries.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that everyone will see it, just that everyone can see it. This opens up opportunities to marketers to increase the reach of their brands, by concentrating efforts on driving people to their sites through traditional marketing, word-of-mouth, and links shared between sites. By opening themselves up to new audiences, brands can generate increased exposure and sales.Reinforcement of the Brand Message
Because the Web is so dynamic, it presents marketers with opportunities for reinforcing their brand image and promise, without the consumer even making a purchase. Pampers.com, has developed its Web site specifically to enhance its promise as a brand that cares about kids. For decades, Pampers has been trusted by parents throughout the world, earning that trust by consistently marketing safe, reliable, and high-quality products specifically for babies—an area in which it can be particularly difficult to gain trust.
To reinforce parental trust in its products, Pampers uses its site less as a marketing tool and more as a parenting resource. The site presents helpful insights and information for parents regarding child development, growth, activities, expert advice, and more. Much of this information has little or nothing to do with the products it sells.
Heightened Consumer Interaction
Social media tools have dramatically changed the way people use the Web and the way they interact with the brands that they use. Unlike any other medium, the Web provides marketers with more than just the ability to market on a one-to-one basis; it also provides the ability to create a community of customers. Through blogs, Wikis, social networking, and other tools, brands can interact with consumers more closely than ever before. The Web lets brands learn from customers, gathering opinions, running more effective marketing and promotional campaigns, and giving consumers the opportunity to interact with each other. These efforts help to build trust and strengthen the emotional connection between brand and consumer, providing increased opportunities for the brand to more closely connect itself to its market.