When it comes to integrating digital and traditional media, vital to marketing success today, conflicting views abound. Too many marketers feel as though they are working in the dark.
According to a joint study by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), only 7% of US marketers were very satisfied with their progress integrating online and traditional media.
Fully 52% of the respondents were only somewhat satisfied, and 31% were dissatisfied to at least some degree.
eMarketer estimates that digital ad spending will make up 9.9% of the total US ad space in 2009. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a large plurality of US marketers allocate 5% to 10% of their media budget to the Web.
Several obstacles prevent further adoption of digital media. The largest hurdle to overcome, according to the ANA study, is the need for metrics to properly allocate the mix between traditional and digital media.
The second-biggest obstacle is lack of understanding of digital media, followed by company inertia and organizational silos that prevent effective companywide mandates.
Overall, there is a reluctance to move marketing dollars from tried-and-true practices into newer digital vehicles—coupled with a lack of understanding of digital media on the part of senior management.
The study found that both client- and agency-side marketers agree on how to speed the integration process:
- Become as educated as possible on new/digital media.
- Set clear goals and business objectives.
- Understand the consumer.
- Test and retest.
- Commit to metrics and analytics.
Of course, none of the above matters without a way to measure ROI—the most important metric of all. Does the integration pay off?
Unfortunately, the necessary data is currently scattered across organizations. Data formats are inconsistent and so is terminology. Until these problems are solved, marketers attempting to integrate traditional and digital advertising channels will continue flying blind.
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