Mass audience medium needed

While it is true that customer magazines have gained credibility as a marketing vehicle in the Nineties, they can only ever be a small part of a brand’s marketing mix.

The need for big brand manufacturers to forge a closer relationship with the customer must be balanced against the need for the brand to communicate its usp with as many potential customers as possible.

For a brand to survive in today’s competitive world it is necessary to not only maintain loyal consumers, but to build brand share by increasing brand penetration. This means there is a need for a medium which delivers a mass audience and this, of course, is TV. Commercial TV has played a key role in making brands household names. Since its advent in 1955, ITV has been the most powerful way to communicate brand values.

With all the pressures that face today’s marketers, it is understandable that they are constantly looking for ways to innovate and stretch the marketing budget. But there is growing evidence that short-term strategies or a reduction in mass marketing spend can be detrimental to the long-term health of a brand.

Karen Davies

Client sales manager

Carlton Television

London WC2