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Strengths and limitations of various media

Print Media

Newspapers

StrengthsLimitations
  • daily delivery – frequency opportunity
  • geographic selectivity
  • some special interest selectivity
  • intensive coverage of specific geographic market
  • reach well-educated audience
  • wide range of editorial material aimed at a broad audience
  • great flexibility in ad size
  • complex information can be communicated
  • second shortest lead time
  • pass-along audience in household
  • credibility of print in general
  • can read at leisure
  • portable
  • can provide “keepers”
  • short life
  • low quality colour reproduction
  • not demographically selective
  • cannot deliver sound and motion
  • messages compete with one another

Magazines

StrengthsLimitations
  • audience selectivity/specific audience targeting
  • durability – long life
  • excellent editorial climate – loyal readers – transfer of credibility
  • artistic variety – bleeds, gatefolds, inserts, pop-ups, spreads
  • good secondary readership (pass along audience) inside and outside home
  • high quality color reproduction
  • complex information can be communicated
  • credibility of print in general
  • generally attracts affluent and influential readers
  • read at leisure
  • portable
  • can be read inside and outside the home
  • can provide “keepers”
  • urban and rural
  • interested readers
  • influential readers
  • long lead time required
  • cannot deliver sound and motion
  • low frequency and low penetration levels
  • messages compete with one another
  • comparatively expensive

Broadcast media

Television

StrengthsLimitations
  • allows for active demonstration of product
  • large national audience reach (network)
  • large local audience reach
  • messages stand alone
  • some audience targeting
  • prime source of news
  • high impact
  • spectacular medium – sound, animation, motion, colour etc.
  • obtrusive medium
  • messages have short life plus time shifting
  • long lead time
  • cannot provide details
  • not portable
  • high production costs
  • most stations urban

Radio

StrengthsLimitations
  • low CPM
  • good supplementary medium
  • selective audiences
  • great flexibility
  • universal coverage
  • short lead time
  • production can be free
  • inside and outside home
  • loyalty/credibility
  • urban and rural
  • reaches motorists
  • messages are personal
  • messages stand alone – obtrusive medium
  • portable
  • prime source of local information
  • short life
  • no visuals
  • can not provide details
  • no motion

Out-of-Home Media

Outdoor Advertising

StrengthsLimitations
  • excellent reach (mass audience)
  • high frequency
  • geographic flexibility
  • high impact message
  • quality reproduction
  • works well with other media
  • good for product awareness/recognition
  • fairly cost effective – low CPM
  • message has a fairly long life
  • reaches audience 24 hours a day
  • small merchandising aids are available
  • can be used for co-op advertising
  • creative limitations – instant visual impact must be made
  • lack of target market selectivity
  • production costs are high
  • lack of prestige
  • no editorial support
  • environmental clutter (many displays in one place)
  • weather can restrict communication of the message
  • urban markets only
  • cannot deliver sound and motion
  • cannot provide details

Transit Advertising

StrengthsLimitations
  • continuous exposure
  • high reach and frequency with geographic selectivity
  • fairly flexible for message changes
  • covers all sectors of an urban/suburban community
  • relatively cost effective – low CPM
  • good colour reproduction
  • lack of target market selectivity
  • lack status
  • cluttered environment
  • some weather problems
  • creative limitations – copy area limited
  • no editorial support
  • urban markets only
  • cannot provide sound and motion
  • cannot provide details

Direct Media

Direct Mail

StrengthsLimitations
  • audience selectivity – can reach precisely defined targets
  • high reach
  • geographic flexibility
  • creative flexibility
  • advertiser control over circulation and quality of message
  • consistent quality of reproduction
  • no competition with other ads or editorial content
  • good response rate
  • fast evaluation
  • can provide details
  • durable
    • high CPM
    • absence of environmental support (editorial content)
    • not a prestigious advertising medium (“junk mail”)
    • short life
    • potential delivery delays

Direct E-mail

StrengthsLimitations
  • can be demographically selective
  • inexpensive
  • wide range of editorial material aimed at a broad audience
  • complex information can be communicated
  • pass-along audience
  • can read at leisure
  • short life
  • credibility in question due to abuse of medium
  • not geographic selective

Online Advertising

Sponsored Search & Content Listings (Pay-Per-Click)

Search listing using sponsored results on major search engines.

StrengthsLimitations
  • Deploy adverting program quickly
  • Specifically target customers searching for your products
  • Target region and demographics easily
  • Work easily within any budget
  • Drive customers directly to targeted landing pages on corporate website
  • Ability to easily measure which campaigns are effective and which ones are not
  • Competition among advertisers can be fierce for certain keywords
  • Click fraud by competitors or ad farm websites
  • Ease of entry means that competitors can mimic advertising programs easily
  • Quality of some content sites included in content network can be poor
  • Generally text only

Banner Ads

Graphic or text based ads placed on specific websites.

StrengthsLimitations
  • Target specific demographics of internet users
  • Able to use graphical ads rather than just text
  • Click fraud is less prominent as with Search & Content Listings
  • Ability to easily measure which campaigns are effective and which ones are not
  • Generally more expensive that advertising on search engines
  • Getting listings online takes longer due to limited space available
  • Generally require longer term commitm