IN today’s fast-moving marketplace, the digital media has effectively become the go-to medium of companies and brands that wish to engage its target public in short, yet meaningful conversations—this gives them access to various demographics without having to worry about geographical barriers.
Easily, having an online presence translates to social relevance and effectiveness in capturing both the mindshare and market share of multiple audiences, who, on a daily basis, create, share and exchange information on the Internet.
For most companies, this means a big change in the way they communicate, because somewhere in between mobile and other digital platforms lie the pressure of competing against the complexities of a high-tech environment. The digital media is massive, almost borderless and bottomless, be it in terms of competitors or the information you get from it.
This phenomenon, of course, has stirred an avalanche of insights among communication experts as it echoes the death knell of traditional media. Often emphasizing the power of new media in terms of accessibility, speed and reach. Traditional channels are now often labeled as a passé in an emerging mobile and digital landscape.
But is it really nearing its death or will it die? The fact that you are able to read this column on print, then the answer is probably a no. It isn’t dying—and (fingers crossed)—it will not.
As far as one could justify digital media’s supremacy, the reality tells us otherwise. Traditional media is still alive, serving, efficiently, its main purpose: to keep us informed and knowledgeable about daily happenings. In fact, for particular audiences, it remains a highly effective way to deliver a message.
Evolution
TO get the bigger picture, we must understand that traditional and digital media are complementing media tools. Simply put, they are “friends”—friends with benefits, at that.
Take, for example, dailies and publications that currently provide both printed and online versions of its stories. The press uses digital (and social) media to drive its content, while social-networking sites use traditional media to fuel conversations online.
The same case is happening on radio and television, whose contents are shared via social-networking sites in order to gain new sets of audiences.
In terms of message delivery, all these mediums have fundamental strengths and weaknesses. A status update on Facebook and Twitter, for example, cannot compensate to a full-story coverage that news channels and radio programs are expected to deliver.
Integration
THE Department of Tourism’s (DOT) “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is a perfect example in integrating traditional and digital media in its campaign execution.
Apart from its colorful artworks displayed on print ads and outdoor adverts, the message of the campaign created hype and sustained activities on social media and other digital platforms.
It drove netizens crazy. In less than 24 hours since the campaign launch, memes and various copies created by random individuals patterned after the “It’s More Fun” concept found their way online. The conversation was active offline, to boot—print reporters wrote about it, news programs featured it, and radio shows talked about it.
It was a 360-degree integrated marketing at its finest—awareness and audience engagement was high, traditional and digital media working overtime. Clearly, campaign recall was achieved, both here and abroad.
So the next time you find yourself in a quandary on whether to use traditional or digital media for your campaign or project, weigh your options intelligently, because in the end, it may not always be A versus B, but a matter of A and B.
After all, as the saying goes, two heads are better than one—and this, too, applies in communications.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association, the world’s premier organization for PR professionals around the world. Milen Sison-de Quiros is the president of Full Circle Communications Inc.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.