Content Marketing vs. Traditional Advertising: Which Strategy is Most Affective?

Traditional Advertisement (advertisement through newspaper, magazine, television, etc.)  has long been the leading marketing source for a company or product. However, a new form of marketing and advertisement, Content Marketing, is rising quickly with the help of social media, blogs and mobile devices. Content marketing is a "marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action."(Content Marketing Institute) Content marketing through the usage of online advertisements, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing, social media and more is becoming more prevalent in today's society.

Marketing Is Rapidly Changing

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Traditional Advertisement is becoming less useful in today's society. There was a time when advertisement and marketing was only seen through the newspaper or magazines, radio shows and emails. However, these forms of information are decreasing rapidly because of the Internet and Mobile Devices. For example, many newspaper and magazine companies are facing bankruptcy because society is now turning to the faster, cheaper, and easier alternative. With the rise of social media sites, the increase in technology including computers and smartphones, and the overall general migration from paper to digital, businesses' marketing departments are now keeping up with what the consumer wants. Traditional advertisement provides a temporary interruption where short advertisements just strike a consumers attention without actually giving them any type of value or information. This is why the information in this advertisement will not be remembered or actually processed. This form of marketing can be seen as obtrusive or annoying to consumers. Traditional Advertisements also cost significantly higher than marketing with content, while Content Marketing many times can be utilized at no cost. 

Content Marketing Gives Brands Value to the Consumer

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Content Marketing provides much more benefits for the consumer and the business. It gives the consumer a feeling of value, because they also receive something other than the product being offered. For example, many companies now put out free videos or blogs on information involving their market or field. This not only educates the consumer on certain topics, but it also influences them to buy the product. It is an easy and cost effective way of marketing, instead of using the traditional method of paper, which is very expensive. Content Marketing also provides value from the brand to the consumer. For example, many brands are now creating social profiles to interact with their customers. They may be posting information about a new product or service, answering questions, or acting as customer service by responding to any complaints or problems. This gives value to the company's brand.  The consumer feels a connection to the brand due to the interactions online. Lastly, the use of digital technology creates a broader spectrum of consumers due to the Internet and mobile devices. The consumer does not have to buy a newspaper or magazine to gain information about a brand's newest product. Instead, simply logging onto a computer or using a mobile device will help in making the completion of the task easier and faster than ever before.

The Future of Marketing Rests in Content Marketing's Hands

There is still much debate on whether traditional forms of advertisement will die out.  Research proves that Content Marketing is already being significantly more effective in most markets than traditional forms of marketing. For example, because 61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content, they are also more likely to buy from that company. (CustomContent Council). However, because SEO Marketing, social media, and Content Marketing as a whole is very new, businesses are slowly catching on to it. It is proven that it is much more effective than Traditional Marketing although it still is the second form of marketing used by most companies. This causes people to question. "Where will marketing be in the future?"

At the University of Maryland, a Sports Marketing Professor, Chartese Burnett, stresses to her students the importance of technology in the Marketing Profession. Through her various experiences with the Marketing Profession including the National Football Players League, National Basketball Association, and the Washington Nationals, Burnett describes her view of the future of Content Marketing: 

The demographics of the consumer are very important to keep in mind in marketing. Generation Y (the current generation of children and young adults where technology has been introduced at a very young age) rarely ever utilizes traditional media. However, the baby boomer generations of adults are also using technology to supplement the traditional media as well. In fact they are the fastest growing demographic to digital media, with Social network use among Internet users 50 years old and older has nearly doubled to 42% over the past year and as many as 15% of people aged 55 and older are using smartphones, according to data from Nielsen.

With the rise of advanced software and technological devices Content Marketing will eventually overtake Traditional Marketing. David Woodrow, Senior Vice President of Strategic Services for Skyword, believes:

The era of traditional marketing through product placement, direct advertisements, and promotions may as well be over. Content Marketing has rapidly picked up steam and is about to replace traditional marketing as we know it, with    nine out of ten B2B marketers currently engaging in some form of content marketing. 

With nine out of ten B2B (Business-to-Business) marketers engaging in content marketing, it is easy to understand the amount of B2C (Business-to-Consumer) content marketing that is occurring. It is significant to utilize content marketing and take in the value that companies offer with their product or service. Now, while scrolling down our Facebook News Feed or Twitter Timeline, we understand the mindset of major marketing companies when seeing our favorite brands interacting with fellow customers. 

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A Random Student's Opinion on the Effects of Traditional Advertising vs. Online Advertising

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Old vs. New: Traditional Marketing vs. Content Marketing's Effectiveness

Traditional marketing by print has long been the leading marketing source for a company or product. However, a new form of marketing and advertisement is rising quickly with the help of social media and mobile devices. Content marketing either through the usage of online advertisements, SEO marketing, mobile marketing, social media and more is becoming more prevalent in today's society.  Marketo's Marketing Infographic poses a great question on whether or not Content Marketing and Traditional Marketing will become marketing rivals. Due to many recent studies, Content Marketing seems to be on the rise and soon will take Traditional Marketing's spot as the main source of marketing and advertisement. In another Marketing Infographic by Attached Media, the main flaws of traditional advertisements are outlined in comparison to the advantages of content marketing. Some of the main points discussed in this infographic is that traditional methods of marketing is too expensive and interrupts the viewer for a short period of time. However, it explains that content marketing does the opposite by creating value from the brand to the audience and keeps the viewer more engaged. With the rise in mobile devices and computers coupled with lower prices or more efficiency and productivity, it is understandable for content marketing to be more important. Marketers are coming up with new ideas of bringing content and value created by brands and businesses to the consumer. This is a revolutionary way of marketing and can change the way many businesses make money and the way consumers receive their products. The help of someone who knows the "ins and outs" of the marketing, advertising and public relations business would be of more value than a simple infographic. I've linked up with, Chartese Burnette, a public relations and marketing expert who has many years of experience in this industry to discuss which form of marketing is most effective and why.

What is the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing?


How do different marketing teams determine which use of marketing/advertisement to use?


What do clients prefer in terms of ways of marketing?


How does mobile marketing tie into content marketing?


Which form of content marketing is most important? SEO? Social Media?


How to decide which form of marketing/advertisement to use? Demographic? Client's preference?


Will traditional marketing eventually become non-existent?

How do Students View Technology in an Educational Setting?

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iPad Usability: Gestures

 I found the section of Gestures very interesting in the ipad usability article provided. It was interesting because this is one of the sole purposes of a touch screen, to have screen gestures that make a better experience.  This is especially being used on article based or book based typed website that are responsive on mobile devices. However, many of these websites have difficult swipe gestures because it only provides a certain space where you can swipe. For example, in "The Daily" article, it shows an arrow to show the direction for people to swipe. It seems very easy. However, problems arise. It becomes difficult because many people tended to position their finger consistently at that spot. This is because they view it as a physical book. There were other problems. The navigation bar at the top is unable to swipe as well. Also, the page contains what is a "carousel," however the gesture swipe only works outside of the carousel area. Although, the gesture of swiping is a great addition, problems like these are a big problem for users (especially new users).  This is why it is important to allow screen space for swiping, and eliminate errors. Most users swipe towards the ends of the ipad. However, in instances like this, they are being tricked because the few times they feel like they should swipe the middle, they can't because it doesn't work.

            There are a few recommendations for improving the swipe gesture. They include helping the users know which way to swipe buy providing "arrows" and "tips." Secondly, an improvement is that there should be more space able for swiping. Lastly, carousels and other features that seem to require gesture swiping should be eliminated.

            I think the swipe gesture is one of the greatest features of an ipad, because it combines futurism with functionality. Its great to look at pictures or other visually stunning web sites or apps and simply swipe.  However, problems do in fact arise because of the trickiness of using the swipe gesture.

            Another feature of the ipad is gestures in productivity apps. As I've said before, using swipe gestures for this is great and very helpful. It creates a perfect interface that is very futuristic and intuitive. One problem in many of these features is that the user does not how to use it, because some of it is quite advanced. Navigation on the user face of the ipad is very intuitive as well. However, some accidental touches on certain buttons are not too useful as well. A great addition to the UI of many different apps or web pages is the page viewer thumbnails. It allows the user to quickly pick from different page to different page, back and forth, very easily. It also allows users to retrace their steps on the app or web page very easily as well. When there is no back button, it is very frustrating, because certain searches must be done all over again. It takes the convenience out of the ipad. Because if their is an accidental touch, it is very inconvenient.

            Another improvement to be made is to make lists less interactive, and more traditional. For instance, many ipad interfaces have carousels for long lists. This is very timely and serves as an inconvenience because it becomes annoying. It also is difficult because many times it is not easy to move back at what the user was previously viewing.

            This data is very important because it is necessary for new updates to be made. The whole point of the ipad is to have a great design and fluidity with functionality. Apple has done a great job in this. However, they still must improve minor set backs that many times make a traditional laptop or desktop better. They must not forget that even though the ipad is so advanced, it is also important to also not forget about improvements. The ipad is one of the best tablets available on the market, however their are also other tablets on the market that beat the ipad because of their functionality perks. The researched used is not just for the iPad, but to get new ipad users acclimated to using a touch screen, tablet as something more than just watching movies or looking at pictures. The ipad has advanced functions, and this study proves that it also needs some work. It also provides the general opinion of the user of an ipad in terms of what they like about the interface and what they don't like about it.

            I chose this section of the data in the research because I view the gesture swipe as one of the most important aspects of the ipad. It gives the ipad an intuitive, interactive feel that separates it from the laptops and desktops. It provides a revolutionary way of using a mobile device, let a lone a computer. 

Digital Divide or Participation Gap? How Mobile Devices are Affecting our Generation.

I believe that the digital divide does not genuinely exist in society right now. Yes, there are many students that do not have personal computers. However, I do not think this amount of people can even compare to the amount of people who do own their computer. Wi-fi is free, and laptops/computers are costing less and less the amount of money it has been priced at in the past. It is in fact more efficient and cheaper. This gives lower income students a wider chance of using their own personal computer. Not to mention, the amount of students who take out loans and use specific payment plans involving buying certain college supplies is rising in popularity as well. 

            Also, I do believe that the majority of universities offer services for these students that enable them to not be at a huge disadvantage for not having their own personal computer. For example, some provide free laptops after enrollment in the university. Others, like the University of Maryland, provide laptops available for rent for free for a certain amount of time. Their are also computer centers that offer hundreds of computer resources, printing resources, and more. So yes, many students may be at a disadvantage because they cannot write some papers or do research at home. However, the fact that many universities offer so many different resources should not be overlooked.

            I agree with some of Guidry's ideas of the participation gap. This is because their is simply a difference between those who are exposed to different tools on the internet/computer and those who are not. For example, he says, "Those with computers and internet access in their homes use tools such as Facebook and MySpace differently than teens who access the Internet from different locations such as school or the public library." This is true, because in a recent study it was shown that students in lower income areas use different websites like MySpace, where the higher income areas use Facebook. I definitely agree that demographic does play a role in the participation gap, because these are different communities. After all, these communities decide what is popular and what is not within their community.

            Students who do not have computers are indeed beginning to use alternatives to the traditional laptop/computer because they do not have access to it. According to the Pew Internet Research Project, "half (51%) of black cell internet users do most of their online browsing on their phone, double the proportion for whites (24%). Two in five Latino cell internet users also fall into the “cell-mostly” category." This shows how demographics and communities play a major role in internet browsing alternatives. The Pew Internet Research Project also found that, " Nearly half of all 18-29 year olds (45%) who use the internet on their cell phones do most of their online browsing on their mobile device." The younger audience, possibly enrolled in Universities, are more likely to use the internet on the mobile devices than older adults. This shows how many students use the mobile device as convenience because they have the resource if they are in college. Also, the rise in smartphones and better Internet operation on mobile devices are making their internet browsing more popular as well. 

W.E.B. Dubois

W.E.B. Dubois is a very important civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, and journalist that created a change in history. He went to college in Nashville, Tennessee at Fisk University. He first experienced southern racism (which is much worse) in which Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and bigotry was popular in that area. He created many different essays, outlying the change that is needed in the United States at the time regarding African Americans and the rest of society. This created a lot of controversy, however Dubois kept writing his beliefs and thoughts down. One specific trial that Dubois had to endure, was that when he wrote for the American Historical Review, he asked the editor to capitalize the word Negro, and the author did not. Dubois endured these racial problems, but still continued to talk about the problems in America and inspired action. Information taken from the NAACP website, which is what Dubois helped to create.