Anyone who wants to advertise has a wide choice: advertisements in daily newspapers, magazines and journals, outdoor advertising, newsletters, placing of online banners, the use of social media channels and more. But where does advertising really make sense? A short interview with Dirk Gieschen, Managing Director of GMC Marketing GmbH in Tarmstedt.

With the large number of advertising opportunities, it is often difficult for companies to choose the “right one”. What do you advise your customers?
One single “right” advertising platform does not exist. In order to advertise in the right places, some questions must be clarified in advance: Which advertising goals do we want to achieve? Which target groups do we want to address? The second step is to analyze which media are used by your target groups. Only on the basis of a well-founded analysis it is possible to reach the potential customers accurately and to use the advertising budget in an optimal way so that no litter loss and thus no unnecessary costs arise. The result is usually a mix of different forms of advertising and media.

That sounds like a complex planning process.
That’s it. Due to the excessive supply of media and information, the advertising strategy has become more planning-intensive, differentiated and often also fragmented. For example: Not only the question of “Where should I publish advertising?” is relevant, but also the question of the right time. Seasonal trends, trade fair appearances and other communication activities should be taken into account in order to optimize the overall impact.

Should the product be in the focus when designing the advertising or the company itself?
That depends on your advertising goals. When it comes to promoting the sale of a product or service, the benefits for the prospect should be in the focus. Together with our customers, who are mainly active in the agricultural sector, we analyze the needs of farmers, farm managers and contractors in order to better understand and “pick them up”. It is important to recognize their needs and challenges in their daily work and to fit the communication with the target group.
If someone wants to increase the brand awareness, of course the respective brand or the company should be in the focus.

What should advertisers consider for their 2018 annual planning?
It is important not to update the advertising planning from the previous year according to the “keep it up” principle. Ongoing developments and changes in the media landscape and the use of media necessitate a regular review of their current content and the media used so far.