On the third Wednesday of every month, MGM Friends hosted by Chelsea Drinkard brings together business professionals to chat and share information about their 
companies. There is also a guest speaker who gets to spotlight their business. This month, Bob McKay, President of McKay Advertising + Activation, shared his insight on why a digital footprint is so important.
Bob starts out by sharing a story about a clinic in Alabama that wanted some TV ads to increase their customer base. Specifically in Birmingham, there was over 300% growth in each one of their clinics. When asked how the ads were going and if they wanted to purchase more, Bob was informed that the ads weren’t working. How can that be possible?! Well according to the doctor running the clinic, business was coming from a 3×2 sign at the mall. This was a smart guy, not your average joe…but he truly believed that his growth was coming from that small sign at the mall. Bob and his team pumped the breaks and decided at that moment that they needed a better way to provide data to their customers. Without the right tracking mechanisms, even a genius may not know the real reason sales are increasing.
There is nothing wrong with traditional media, such as billboards, bus benches, and magazine ads. The advantage of digital media is that everything can be tracked. Consumers consistently leave a “cookie trail” of who they are and what they’re in the market for online. That makes targeting a specific audience much easier online than on billboards. A great ad comes down to the right message, the right person, the right time and in the right place.
Bob and his team have been trying to show that brand marketing is “BS” and that there’s no measurement to it. While it might be cool, it isn’t backed by data. The essence of a brand is built on your customers being fully immersed in the product or experience. A logo on a shirt is great, but how do you track its effectiveness. You can’t. People are buying things differently in 2017 than they did in the 80’s and 90’s. They aren’t searching for billboards, they’re searching for things they need on their smart phones. As a result, people are less loyal to brands and are more focused on their needs in the moment.
McKay Advertising + Activation is ready to optimize your marketing success, all backed by data.
