This was a presentation based off a conference paper submitted and accepted to THRIC 2016. This was a joint paper by Gordon Geraghty and Dr. Ann Conway

1. Gordon Geraghty
Dr. Ann Conway
15th/16th of June 2016
THRIC Conference 2016
A Study ofTraditional and
Non-Traditional Marketing Communications:
Target Marketing in the Event Sector

2. Research Rationale

3. • To determine the challenges facing event and marketing managers
when trying to target market effectively and to demonstrate how to
overcome these challenges.
• To understand which is the best of either form of marketing for the
desired market and if both forms are used, how or if they are
connected?
• To examine if there is a bias/preference towards either forms of
marketing communications
• To discover what the future of event marketing may look like.
• To determine best practices for marketing an Irish event that utilises
target marketing effectively in both traditional and non-traditional
forms of marketing.
Research Objectives

4. Literature
• TraditionalTarget Marketing
• Non-TraditionalTarget Marketing
Literature

5. LiteratureNon/Traditional Marketing
• Current challenges
• Media Fragmentation and Noise

6. Research Methodology & Sample
• Qualitative
• 1 Focus group
• 10 Face-to-face
• Interviews conducted over a 3
week period.
• The sample was comprised of
marketing & event managers
who use both forms of
marketing communications.
Methodology Sample

7. Interview A B C D E F G H I J K
Job Title
Head of
Media &
Events
Events &
Marketing
Executive
Marketing
Manager
Senior
Account
Manager
Marketing
Director
Head of
Digital
Founder &
Managing
Director
Head of
Business
Development
CEO, Country
Manager,
Managing
Director
Senior
Account
Manager
CMO
Years in
Industry
22 4 3 4 11 7 21 17 26 9 21
Business
size
8 8 18 6 6,000 5,972 21 5 7,682 84 388,391
Marketing
or Event
Based
Event Event Event Event Marketing Marketing Event Event Marketing Marketing Marketing
Budget
ratio
spend
(Trad :
Non-Trad)
50:50 50:50 50:50 50:50 50:50 50:50 30:70 40:60 50:50 50:50 50:50
Traditonal
channels
used
Journals,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio
Journals,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio,
Flyers
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio,
Flyers
Journals,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio,
Word of
Mouth
Journals,
Face to Face,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio
Journals,
Face to Face,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio
Journals,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio,
TV
Journals,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio,
TV
Journals,
Newspapers,
Magazines,
Radio,
TV
Non-
tradional
channels
used
Email,
Facebook,
Influncer,
Linkedin,
Twitter,
Youtube
Email,
Facebook,
Influncer,
Linkedin,
Twitter,
Youtube
Email,
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter,
Pinterest,
Youtube
Email,
Facebook,
Twitter,
Email,
Facebook,
Twitter,
Youtube,
Webinars
Email,
Facebook,
Linkedin,
Twitter,
Youtube
Email,
Influncer,
Facebook,
Twitter
Email,
Influncer,
Linkedin,
Twitter,
Youtube
Email,
Influncer,
Facebook,
Twitter,
Youtube
Email,
Facebook,
Influncer,
Instagram,
Twitter,
Periscope,
Youtube
Email,
Facebook,
Twitter,
Youtube
Table 4.2 Interviewee Profiles

8. • TV & Radio, in-kind
• Toolkits, Very high growth and potential
• The only consensus was the use of Email and Twitter
• Decline in traditional
• Rise in non-traditional
• Media Fragmentation and Noise
Findings
Channels Used, Not Used and Why?

9. • Each interviewee recognised the importance of the lifespan
associated with each media channel.
• There was a unanimous decision that 2.5weeks is the ideal time
for a launch event.
• Frequency and media fragmentation issues
• Can serve as a point of reference
• Exclusivity and status
Findings
Time Sensitivity and Lifespan

10. An individual is the media channel.
• Trust worthy
• Very high ROI
Notable quotes:
• ‘It’s all about leveraging your content to get a better deal.’
• ‘Getting placed interviews, is really beneficial to getting
sponsorship and free PR’
Findings
Influencer Marketing

11. • Programmatic Marketing
• DOOH (Digital Out Of Home)
• Marketing Spend
• Sponsored Content
• Cognitive Marketing (AI)
Notable quotes
• ‘If it were up to me, we would stop using traditional marketing
altogether’
• ‘Traditional will always hold its place but its role will change’.
Findings
The Future

12. • Media Fragmentation and Noise
• This is overcome by ‘Burst Marketing’
• Benefits via Frequency and Cost Saving
Analysis
Objective 1 – Current Challenges

13. • Katz (2008) and Kotler et al (2008) suggested using traditional
media to reach a whole populace.
• The findings suggest that marketers use both forms of media
but they did not always coexist together.
• Some interviewees would market an event using both forms of
marketing communications but not deploying a consistent
message across them, which leads to their ineffectiveness.
Analysis
Objective 2 – Best Channels for Target Marketing

14. • Yes there is a bias.
• This crossed both the event and marketing sectors.
• Younger interviewees did not see the value,
• However, those with more experience saw the value in both
Analysis
Objective 3 – Bias / Preference

15. • Marketing Spend, the shift has already occurred
• We may see a correlation between spend and effectiveness
• Sponsored content, supported by Mobile Marketing Association
(2016)
• Experiential marketing (Blakeman, 2014)
• DOOH with Programmatic Marketing as the next stage
• Vel & Sharma (2010) creating moments
Analysis
Objective 4 – The Future of Event Marketing

16. • Content Management Institute (2015), Face-to-Face.
• Physical engagement is key.
• Adoption of free platforms both Traditional and Non-Traditional.
• Hone in on the nostalgic older media, Katz (2008).
• Be a source of trust and creditability.
Analysis
Objective 5 – Best Practices

17. • The interviewees and literature confirmed the most effective
methods to beWOM (word of mouth), face-to-face and in-house
reporting.
• Marketers across both sectors are at different stages in their
planning and adopting rates.
Conclusions

18. • The correlation between marketing spend and effectiveness
continues to widen with ROI : Spend.
• The strategy of burst marketing should be adopted as it counters
both media fragmentation and noise, as well as the added cost and
frequency benefits.
• ‘Digital marketing is not the answer, but a crutch to help marketers’
Rothschild (2012)
Conclusions

19. Thanks for listening.
Any Questions?
Thank you