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What Does the New "Ad-free" Age Mean to Marketers?


Advertisements are the bread and butter for marketers. Pushing ads online, on TV and in print are the main way companies attract new clients and retain them for the long-term. However, recent changes in technology and lifestyles has allowed more consumers to remove ads from their lives. This has consternation and a change in strategy for marketers.

Today, more and more media streams and content sources are ad-free. Those include Hulu, YouTube, Netflix. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are also exploring this option which could lead to even more news sources eliminating ads. The iPhone, iPad and ad-blocking software can also prevent a majority of ads to consumers. Lastly, consumers are able to use DVR and AppleTV to skip TV ads.

It turns out that consumers don't necessarily hate ads. They just hate the ones that don't speak to them or inform them. They want an experience that's relevant and useful rather than something in their face or completely useless.

To that end, marketers are using alternative methods to reach their perspective audience. One of the most popular is product placement in social media. Marketers find key influencers with large audiences to endorse products along with their content stream. Those popular posts are viewed by millions organically.

Another method is to optimize inbound marketing. That means that they fine tune their website and content for consumers interested in their product or product topic. As consumers come to the site to learn more, they also buy the product or sign-up for mailing lists for follow-up.

Lastly, marketers directly integrate their product with premium programming. Whether that is in a movie, a TV show or a music video, marketers can organically place their products in an appealing light for consumers.  This has already been happening with cars, foods and other products for years. It will now expand even more rapidly.

On Target Agency is a leading digital marketing firm. Our team can help boost impressions that lead to prospects and additional revenue. For more information, please contact us.