This simple distinction is key to building a smart media plan. Directional vs Creative Advertising.

Advertisers are surrounded by a tremendous amount of options. Everywhere they search online there is ad space; when they are streaming their favorite shows, reading content they enjoy, driving on the highway… it’s almost endless! In a perfect world, with an endless budget, advertisers wouldn’t have to be too concerned with their ad placements. But, without an endless budget, the advertising strategy should make sense for the industry and desired outcome. Knowing the difference between Directional and Creative advertising, and then identifying the types of media that fall under their umbrella, will help to understand how to strategically build a media plan.

Simply put, Directional Advertising is when the buyer is seeking the seller. For example, 20 years ago the only directional advertising method was yellow pages. Today, yellow pages have evolved into the ever-changing world of search engines. There are many ways to ensure an advertiser shows on the search engines along with many different strategies to deploy based on season, industry, and budget. Making sure you show up on Google, Bing, etc. is not just making sure you have an SEM and SEO strategy in place. Social, Content Marketing, Retargeting, Reviews all play a crucial part in an advertiser’s directional strategy.

Creative Advertising is when the seller is seeking the buyer. Pretty much all other types of media. Think about it. Traditional advertising like radio, tv, magazine, newspaper, etc. as well as digital display, streaming video, social ads, YouTube and so much more. Even when the advertising is targeted towards the ideal clients, it’s still in front of contacts who are not in the act of looking for what the advertiser is offering, so it’s Creative.

When the buyer is seeking the seller, as in Directional advertising, buyers are further down the buying cycle since they are already in need. Because of this, return on investment tends to be quicker and higher, when done the right way. On the other side, when trying to educate or introduce an unknown need, a new product, or a new solution, Creative advertising is the way to go. Reaching a large, targeted audience will be the best way to enhance the brand.

When starting a new business, make sure a directional advertising strategy is in place first. The best media plans have a good blend of both types of advertising. Getting in front of buyers further down the buying cycle and targeting a large, targeted audience.

Knowing this little nugget can really help advertisers see the big picture to appropriately align their media plan. Even marketing consultants don’t always share this information with their advertisers. It’s important to know WHY certain types of media are recommended. Hope this helps understand the world of media planning a little better.