Branding Still an Important Marketing Component, Building Awareness, Changing Perception, and More

Lexington, Kentucky  – WhatTheyThink, the industry's number one overall web site, today announced a new, affordable branding program designed to allow sponsors to take full advantage of the high level of visibility WhatTheyThink has with industry executives and decision-makers. In a recent survey conducted by Research USA, top executives designated WhatTheyThink as the "must visit and read" site and a key source for industry information.

"As marketers turn increasingly to direct marketing for delivery of results," said Cary Sherburne, Senior Editor at WhatTheyThink, "they are also aware of the importance of branding in the overall marketing plan, even though banner ad click-through rates have declined dramatically over the years. Focusing exclusively on click-throughs as a key advertising metric ignores a very large percentage of the value of advertising, including the ability to change perceptions, build awareness and send other signals of value."

Simon Owens, writing for the Nieman Journalism Lab, questions whether marketers are too obsessed with click-through rates, saying, "The Geico Gecko is not successful because he inspires people to jump up from their couches and purchase car insurance; he's successful because when a person decides months later to shop around for car insurance, his image springs to mind." Owens cites a wide variety of research that validates the value of display advertising when it is backed by a cohesive strategy, and quotes industry luminary John Battelle as saying, "You don't build brands by optimizing for clicks. There need to be other measurements as to whether your audience is aware of and gaining value from the messaging you're doing on these sites through display advertising."

WhatTheyThink offers several affordable branding programs, including custom programs, designed to help marketers reach prospects and customers. "Just as outdoor billboards reach drivers as they travel through a city," added Sherburne, "our online display billboards target printing executives as the navigate through WhatTheyThink." Branding packages can be purchased for as little as $2,000.

For more information about WhatTheyThink's branding and lead generation programs, BPA Audit report or independent audience research, please contact [email protected].

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About WhatTheyThink.com
WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. Independent studies rank WhatTheyThink as the one industry website that contains the most interesting articles, according to 58.2% of senior printing executives, and the one website most frequently chosen as the “Must Visit and Read.” WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites. In addition, WhatTheyThink offers a wide range of lead generation and branding programs that help print- and publishing-related businesses achieve business growth.

For more information about partnering with WhatTheyThink, contact [email protected] or [email protected].