Traditional media or ‘offline advertising’ has always referred to more conventional forms of advertising. Predominantly channels such as TV, radio, print and direct mail which are widespread, less targeted and expensive (resulting in a lot of wastage).

The rise of digital channels and social platforms meant that the way consumers spent their time and the media they consumed shifted. Suddenly, everyone could be found online paving the way for the emergence of paid media advertising.

Paid media consists of online ads, sponsored content, display ads, social media advertising, and PPC. An ultra-targeted form of advertising, allowing advertisers to choose their placement, their audience and ensure their budget is being fully utilised to get in front of the correct audience with real-time data and analysis.

On its formation, the concept of paid media was worlds apart from its traditional counterpart, but over the years there has been a shift on the usage of both forms of marketing. Invariably, there is crossover of both channels with many traditional media outlets and channels now incorporating elements of paid media.

Traditional media outlets now have very well-established digital platforms and offer paid advertising options on their websites and apps. Traditional billboards have evolved into dynamic digital billboards which can utilise a range of effective techniques and strategies for reaching your target audience. Even traditional TV advertising has evolved to include paid media strategies and targeting to reach a very specific audience through the use of Sky AdSmart and various streaming platforms.

The way target audiences consume media continually adapts and with it, new trends and strategies for reaching them, which means the paid media landscape is ever evolving.

Paid media has evolved to become even more sophisticated, with innovative ways to reach consumers on social media (through Instagram shopping or stories which are pegged to replace the prominent feed ads we’ve become so accustomed to in recent years), through to Googles machine learning capabilities which allows Google to optimise your PPC campaigns for maximum performance using algorithms and AI to get the most out of your audience.

There’s no question about it, paid media is here to stay, and because of its range of innovative ad formats, access to real-time reporting and insight, and its highly targeted nature, it has evolved to become a marketers go-to choice during strategy and campaign planning sessions.

Opinion piece by Account Director, Jess House