A marketing vehicle is a specific tool that is used to deliver an advertisement to its intended audience. This vehicle can be a page in a magazine, a flyer delivered to a mailbox, or an advertisement on the side of a city bus. A marketing vehicle can be thought of as a specific marketing channel included within a marketing medium that is used to transfer the message.
In this context, a medium is a form of communication such as television, print magazines, radio, social media posts, and so forth. Alternatively, a marketing vehicle would be a specific example of a publication, radio station, website, etc. within that medium that is implemented by the advertising firm.
Without a marketing vehicle, a company has no way to reach consumers with its advertisements. A marketing vehicle is the means through which a business physically advertises. Without the proper marketing vehicles, the awareness of a business and its products and services will never be spread among consumers. Sales will suffer significantly as a result.
Print Marketing Vehicles
There is a wide array of marketing vehicles for a company to choose from. Print vehicles are some of the most common. Among print vehicles, newspapers are certainly the most popular choice. The reason why is easy to understand.
A local newspaper has a strong ability to reach members of a community. Magazines, on the other hand, are a less popular choice for locally targeted advertising. A company may also choose a publication that is specific to an entire region or state. Nationally sold publications are good vehicles for national campaigns.
Digital Marketing Vehicles
Digital marketing vehicles have significantly increased in popularity over the past decade. In the past, digital marketing wasn’t thought of as a good means for reaching local communities. However, that has now changed. For example, a company can choose to implement Google AdWords. This service can place a business’s ads in locally relevant search results. If a Google user searches for pizza in a specific city, a pizza parlor using Google’s service may appear first on the page.
Marketing vehicles, however, are not limited to things like print, broadcast, and the internet. Many choices exist only in specific physical locations. It is the case with advertisements placed on billboards, in subway stations, and across buildings. Actual vehicles are also often utilized. Advertisements attached to the exterior or the inside of a bus can reach thousands of consumers in a heavily populated urban area within a very short amount of time.
Most marketing campaigns tend to implement multiple marketing vehicles. For example, a fast-food advertising campaign with a specific theme may see advertisements using that theme on television, in magazines, on bus terminals, and the radio.
However, a company should choose its marketing vehicles wisely. A vehicle must be chosen that can target the intended audience. Money should also be spent on marketing vehicles that are proven to convert consumers into paying customers at the proper frequency.
With digital marketing vehicles, this information can be tracked to find out how many users click on an online ad and then go on to purchase a product. With non-digital marketing vehicles, customer surveys or phone numbers specific to only certain marketing vehicles can be used to track conversions.
