Hybrid marketing
Thanks to technology, we are shifting to another type of marketing. However, how do we proceed and how do we change the way of marketing?
Most people think they must choose between digital and non-digital marketing. But who said that and why would that be the most efficient way?
Maybe hybrid marketing is the solution?
Why hybrid marketing?
While making your new marketing plan, you surely have thought about “which channel is the best one?”. This is not how marketing works. We always think “this OR that”, but why not “this AND that”?
When you chose you always lose. Just think about the car you hve just bought or the house you want to buy. Every option you have, has positive and negative aspects. The same rule applies to marketing. Digital and non-digital marketing: both have positive and negative aspects. So why should we choose? Two options can complement each other for one goal will be easier to achieve with one channel than another.
Dutch marketplace Bol.com
We will take a look at this with a well known company in the Benelux. Bol.com is an online marketplace like Amazon. It is a big success, but the way they have become successful is ingenious. Like Amazon, bol.com is a web shop and doesn’t have any physical shop. Everybody thinks their marketing strategy only consist of online marketing campaigns. Well, this is not the case. The company Bol.com uses hybrid marketing.
They have become a leader in selling toys thanks to a magazine at the occasion of Saint Nicolas. Most parents will still remember how their kids used to draw a circle around the toys they would like to receive or cut those toys out of the magazine to stick them on a sheet of paper.
How did Bol.com do it?
Well here is the original idea of bol.com. Some of you will say that this is basic. So why did it work for this web shop? How did they link the magazine to the shop?
Sometimes it can be difficult to find a toy online or even in a physical shop. That’s why the parents (in the role of Saint Nicolas) could find a QR code next to every toy. In a world where everything needs to be fast, this is the perfect solution. The child could easily find the toy and the parents (in the role of Saint-Nicolas) could be quickly linked to the web shop to buy the toy that is to be delivered within 24-48 hours.
This is a perfect example about not choosing a certain way, but to use every positive aspect of each possibility you have
About the author
Sabri is an optimistic marketer, currently working as a Marketing Consultant at 4P square. He has a Bachelor degree in Business management and Marketing. Sabri has a passion for digital marketing. He is analytical, result driven and is always looking for a new challenge.
Want to know more about Sabri? Feel free to start a conversation with him on LinkedIn.
