Benefits of cross platform marketing

By Priya Chetty on October 2, 2013

In my previous article (Read: Concept of cross-platform campaign), I discussed the meaning, emergence, and use of cross-platform marketing today. While companies contemplate seeking external help for devising their cross-platform campaign, it is imperative to understand the benefits offered and what sets it apart from other forms of advertising.

Recently, Unilever unleashed its cross platform campaign in partnership with Microsoft Advertising UK for its detergent brand Persil. It highlighted, category-wise, each of its adverts (each only slightly different from the other), summing up to a great outcome (Microsoft Advertising Community, 2013). However, why exactly did Unilever, like many other small and large scale businesses, adopt this approach?

USP of cross platform marketing

The USP of cross campaign marketing is that it is custom made for every device type like smartphones, mobile phones, tablet PCs, etc. But since it is a very new concept, not many companies have undertaken this approach. Additionally, not many researches or studies have been conducted on understanding cross platform marketing as an advertising tool. From the developments so far in this field, the following qualities can be classified as the top five benefits of cross platform marketing:

Figure: The benefits of cross platform marketing
Figure: The benefits of cross platform marketing

Benefits of cross platform marketing

  1. Cutting through the complex online media platforms: When online marketing was introduced over a decade ago, the internet was less clustered. Today there are thousands of websites connecting people across the globe, like social networking websites, audio-video sharing, online gaming, blogs, etc.  Moreover the demographic profile of internet users also varies vastly today. So the complexity of online marketing has risen, ushering a need for a better strategic approach for marketers. Cross platform marketing addresses this issue aptly.
  2. Designed for all internet devices: Internet users today use many devices to access the web, like mobile phones and tablets. Traditional Online marketing methods were crafted for laptop and desktop PC users only. Cross platform marketing is a niche that offers tailor made approaches for all devices like Xbox, mobiles and tablet PCs. A well designed cross platform campaign can reach the target audience efficiently through all these devices, giving it an edge over traditional online marketing.
  3. Beneficial for small scale or start-up companies: Small scale companies and start-ups generally do not have a generous marketing budget. They have no option but to resort to cheaper marketing tools. Online medium is the most preferred medium for marketing today mainly due to the cost factor. A cross platform campaign can ensure that their target demographic profile comes to know about their product or service through their preferred medium (phones/ tablet PCs/ laptops, online gaming consoles, etc.)
  4. Quicker, faster, and better results: Other benefits of cross platform marketing include quick delivery, convenience in managing the campaign, and better results. Designing a cross platform marketing campaign can be easy if the marketer has a clear agenda. Once the campaign kick-starts, it is easy to manage as compared to traditional marketing channels like TV and print. Most importantly, marketers are likely to be happy with the outcome because cross platform campaigns serve every customer, medium and device efficiently.
  5. Cost-efficient: It costs almost nothing if a company creates the cross platform campaign itself. Other standard expenses of online marketing will apply in this case too, like higher visibility in search engines, Facebook ads, creating Xbox videos. It goes without saying that online marketing is much cheaper than traditional forms of marketing like TV and print media advertising. Therefore, cost-wise, cross platform marketing is a huge benefit to marketers.

Cross campaign marketing is yet to gain a foothold in the advertising arena, but it is sure to emerge as a popular option for companies world over.

References

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