When we talk to our clients, we don’t need to do much to convince them about the enormous value of digital as a medium for tactical, low-funnel marketing campaigns.
Yet we often encounter resistance and scepticism when we advocate for the power of digital versus above-the-line campaigns where the objective is to build a brand.
Most South African marketers have experienced how well digital works for marketing campaigns, where the goal is to get prospects to move from awareness and interest to consideration and conversion. However, many still cling to TV and radio as their primary channels for the big-branding campaigns, believing these platforms offer unmatched reach.
They’re familiar with broadcast media, trust it, and believe that it still offers the best opportunity to reach a mass audience with a message that cuts through the noise.
However, with the rapid changes in how South Africans consume their media, marketing professionals shouldn’t discount the power of digital channels being just as effective in building awareness.
Changing media landscape
It’s instructive to look at what some of the latest stats tell us about the state of media consumption in South Africa. The Global Digital Report 2024 from Meltwater and We Are Social highlights that there were more than 45 million active internet users in South Africa at the outset of 2024, which equates to almost 75% of the total population.
South Africa also has one of the highest internet usage rates in the world with the average internet user spending more than 9 hours a day online. Some 26 million South Africans use social media, equating to nearly 43% of the population. And 78% of social media users use social media to research a brand, underlining why online is a key medium for awareness campaigns.
Behind these numbers, it’s also important to consider how internet and mobile device usage is transforming how people access entertainment, news and information. Marketing channels such as TV and radio face increased competition for consumers’ attention with the rising popularity of streaming services such as Showmax and Netflix as well as online audio services like Spotify.
Today’s consumer might well watch a football match on satellite TV while commenting about it on X or Facebook. They may also watch Disney+ or Netflix on a smart device or the TV in their lounge. Similarly, while many people tune into the radio for news and traffic alerts when they commute, they’ll also consume podcasts and streamed music on their car’s sound system.
As the Television Audience Measurement Survey (TAMS) shows, streaming is growing fast, particularly among the youth. Analogue switch-off, economic strain and load shedding, meanwhile, have impacted linear TV viewership. Podcasts are rising in popularity, with 33.4% of South African internet users listening to podcasts at least once a week, according to the Global Digital Report.
Why digital excels at awareness
In this landscape — where media are converging, audiences are fragmenting and multiscreen behaviour is common — a brand’s online presence is as important in building awareness as it is in driving conversions. As digital media continues to grow, it will complement the reach of traditional media in awareness campaigns. Here are some of the attributes that make it so powerful:
- Goal-based reach: Few South African brands, especially smaller ones, can afford to reach international audiences via traditional media. With digital media, it is more affordable to connect a brand with consumers around the world and unlock global opportunities. Conversely, for businesses with a hyperlocal focus, it’s equally easy to tailor a campaign to cost-effectively reach people in a particular region or city. Digital media also enables companies to target audiences by specific demographics, interests and behaviours to reduce wasted spending.
- Cost-effectiveness: Traditional media buys are expensive because one pays for the entire audience or media slot, and may need physical collateral. Digital marketing tends to be more cost-effective and delivers a higher return on investment because it’s more targeted. Even small businesses and startups can leverage digital marketing to grow awareness with relatively small budgets.
- Measurability: Measuring the success of a traditional marketing campaign can be challenging whereas digital marketing allows for real-time and in-depth tracking of metrics such as impressions, website traffic and engagement rates. This allows businesses to use relevant and timely data to guide decisions as well as optimise spending and creative execution.
- Interactivity: Traditional marketing is usually a one-way communication tool while digital marketing channels facilitate direct audience engagement. This allows businesses to foster deeper connections with their audience, and potentially move them down the funnel from brand awareness and interest to consideration, conversion and retention.
- Flexibility: Digital marketing allows for quick changes in strategy based on real-time results. Not only does this allow the most successful strategies to be identified and maximised, it enables marketers to test different concepts before launching a large-scale campaign. The flexibility of digital marketing also allows for more personalisation. Content can be tailored to different audience segments or quickly updated based on customer response, competitor activities or developments such as social media trends.
Blurring lines
As noted earlier, the distinction between traditional and digital media is not as clear as it was just a few years ago. One can watch live DStv channels via an app on nearly any connected device while most radio stations also have podcasts and streaming services. And streaming services like Disney+ increasingly have linear TV-style ad breaks.
From the consumer’s perspective, many of these experiences already blur together. As this trend continues to accelerate, brands can benefit from investing in both digital and traditional above-the-line channels to maximise their reach. Ignoring digital for brand awareness campaigns is simply not an option anymore because it is where consumers are spending more of their time.
Madelene Cronje is digital campaign lead at midnight, the innovation agency of iqbusiness, Africa’s future-focused management and digital growth enabler. iqbusiness is Africa’s future-focused management and digital growth enabler, founded with over 26 years’ experience. Led by some of the continent’s best thinkers and doers, our purpose is simple: to grow people, business and Africa as one.
