Advertisers Continuing Desperate Measures

News magazines' newsstand sales have seen a steady decline since 2008 (from '08 to '13, Time Magazine alone went from nearly 120,000 to 60,000), cable TV news audiences have declined since 2009 and believe it or not, Facebook is now one of the top avenues from which people get their information and news.

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There has been an unprecedented amount of new advertising options flooding marketers over the last two decades. Companies saw a huge switch to digital campaigns, but trying to navigate those waters while still controlling their hold on "old media" continues to be a tough task.

The desperation stems from trying to blend new forms of marketing with that of the old. For example, it's not good enough to have a strong television commercial, by itself. A great commercial will incite conversations, debate, engagement and flood different mediums online.

This type of cross-medium advertising was recently used by both Taco Bell (TB) and McDonalds (MD). In an attempt to promote their new breakfast campaign, TB knew that they had to target their biggest competition-MD.

"Taco Bell is taking a direct shot at McDonald's to launch its new breakfast menu, using the fast food giant's favorite namesake 'Ronald McDonald' in a series of TV ads," reported Amy Gesenhues.

A number of people named "Ronald McDonald" are seen enjoying the new TB breakfast implying that the real McDonalds prefer TB. MD responded with a fake press conference on Twitter where "Mayor McCheese" confirmed that the real McDonald still preferred his namesake's chain.

YouTube showed the ads, people on Twitter responded and there's even this article about the fake feud. The key to growing your brand online is with cross-platform plans that get consumers actively engaging with your products and services.

 

 

Sources: Pew Research Center,  @McDonalds and Marketingland.com

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