With all of the improvements in technology, where our ability to target into more precise and more precise physical localities, are we about to dramatically eliminate the need for national advertising or at least redefine it?
For the sake of conversation let’s just talk about products that are purchased locally in a store, like most larger products associated with your home, such as furniture, appliances and home improvement.
Why spend money advertising nationally where you are wasting dollars in markets where you don’t have a good to great retailer? I can see a TV spot for a John Deere riding mower but if the nearest dealer is over 50 miles away I’m not going to buy that mower, the spot wasn’t that good. Or even if I go to a store where John Deere is a minor part of the retailer’s business there is a good chance I’ll get switched off to another brand.
A brand could spend the same dollars on cable TV directed to a specific neighborhood, on local Google AdWords with a co-branded landing pages shared with their best dealers and now even reach consumers via their phone as they drive to the mall near a good dealer.
The targeting technology is here now but in order for this to happen there needs to be better communication from the local dealer to the national brand. The brand wants to control the look and feel, the dealer can add local service and promotional information to help make for a very persuasive presentation.
What is often missing to take advantage of geo-coding is a good online marketing portal where dealers and brands come together to leverage the brand content and message with the local story.
I think it’s only a matter of time before we rethink our definition of national advertising.