The Old “AIDA” Advertising Model is dead. 
It occurred to me as I mapped out a Content Strategy today. I was planning messaging for the next 4 months by Buyer Persona by stage in the Sales Process. And as I created an Editorial Calendar that focused on topic, keywords, and Offers by Buyer Stage by Persona, I realized that Content Marketing has officially ushered in an entirely new era of Marketing.
This Ain’t Your Father’s Old “AIDA” Advertising Model
In Advertising’s golden age from perhaps the 1950s through the 1970s, marketers tended to focus on “major media”, including television, radio, magazine, and newspaper. The model was “AIDA” — Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action.
The key element of the plan was Repetition. (Repetition of the message was supposed to move the prospect through this AIDA model . . . although Advertising’s primary objectives were to generate awareness and build image.) Marketers didn’t talk about tracking the specific results of Advertising — because they couldn’t.
I still hear marketers refer to AIDA like it has some meaning for today’s marketing. But I’m not sure it does . . .
Direct Marketing’s Testing, Tracking, and Analytics Now Mainstream
In Direct Marketing’s golden age, perhaps from the 1970s to the 1990s, direct mail was included in a group referred to as “below the line” media — media that drove trackable, measurable results. Direct marketing’s model always has been to mimic the steps in the Sales Process — because direct marketing is selling.
The key element of direct marketing is the trackable, measurable Offer. The Offer is designed to drive behavior — to get the prospect to act. Key Direct Marketing objectives are to drive traffic, generate leads, and generate sales. Direct Marketers run frequent tests and track results — and were looked down upon as “ugly stepchildren” by those in Advertising for decades.
Direct Marketers are now quite successful at crafting website copy and offers, and creating email conversion series — putting all that testing and tracking experience to good use.
The Web has Made Testing, Tracking and Analytics Cool
Enter the Internet as a marketing tool in the mid 1990s, followed by website analytics and social media. Consumers now research just about everything on the web, before ever having contact with a retail store or sales person. Analytics and social media give us insight into prospect and customer behavior, concerns, language, preferred social networks, preferred content formats, and more. Testing is in. Tracking is in. And the old Advertising model is dead.
A company’s website is the centerpiece of the marketing effort as most marketing tactics send traffic there. The company website is the new company showpiece (rather than a major media campaign).
Advertising never used to like the fact that Direct Marketers could test headlines and test copy approaches to determine which was best. Now, testing of landing pages, email messages, offers, call to action buttons, and page layouts is the norm.
Content Marketing is the new Black
We can now craft Content to address prospect needs at each stage of the Sales Process. Based on the actions prospects take, we can send appropriate Offers for additional Content that will move them through a Buying Stage.
We know more about each prospect than we ever have before. We can follow their actions through the Buying Stages, anticipate their needs, send more relevant content and offers, and speed up the sales cycle.
Content Marketing is the new Black — the piece of the Marketing puzzle that every marketer must have in their marketing arsenal. (I bet the old Advertising Guard is not happy . . .).
What do you think? Has Content Marketing ushered in an entirely new era of Marketing?
Great post Karen!
I think there is still application of the AIDA model, it just needs to be applied differently.
We try to share our content with the hopes that at some point our target prospect/client will want to talk with us.
I agree on your application of how you implement, I think it’s very well done.
Thanks for sharing great insight
Thanks AJ. Do you actively use the AIDA model? How are you applying it?
I don’t use it as a guide, but I’m not a copy writer either. I am always thinking about how to get the attention of my target audience.
I’m with you as it relates to content marketing, and using it as part of a systematic marketing approach.
Your post was very insightful. It was the title that got my attention.
I feel like it still applies, if only because AIDA was always necessarily vague. The four words that make up the acronym are pretty simply, and can be applied to just about any part of the marketing process, at any level. I’m a copywriter and so I spend a lot of my time on content marketing, but AIDA still informs that. I use it as a reminder of what I’m trying to achieve when I blog, and when I establish dialogues online. I always saw AIDA as what you were trying to *achieve* with the marketing process, not the process itself, and I don’t think that has changed.
Thanks Joshua. I agree that Personas and Buying Stages are effective at the strategic stage, for planning editorial calendars, website content, website content audits, last 12 months content audits, etc. And AIDA is still being used by some copywriters to actually create the copy. As a direct-response copywriter, though, I always used the Sales Process to guide my copy. (remind of pain / hint of pleasure, deliver the solution, “sizzle” the solution with benefits, present the offer, go for the close.) I find the AIDA model a little too general, and the Sales Process model more specific for copy that needs to sell.
You don’t see content as the “AI”?
Thanks for your comment Kel. I agree the question isn’t whether “Awareness” and “interest” still happen. I think the question is, “for marketers, what is the best model upon which to base your content development?” If you’re ready to create your editorial calendar, or you’re trying to review your website for content “gaps”, or you want to evaluate the content you’ve created over the last 12 months, which is a more helpful model to use — AIDA or Personas and Buying Stages?
Thought provoking article Karen. I really enjoyed it.
I don’t think AIDA is dead, in fact it’s alive and prospering because they still teach that approach in college and it’s still the fact in TV, Radio and Newspaper advertising.
The beautiful thing is… the ones who are able to blend the direct marketing approach with web analytics, have a huge advantage over their competition. Woohooo
Thanks John. So the question is: if fewer and fewer marketers will be working with TV, radio, and newspaper advertising, because fewer and fewer dollars are being spent there, isn’t it time business schools also recognize there may be a better model for marketing 2012? Perhaps no one has written a B-school textbook on Personas and Buying Stages yet . . .
The AIDA model is still valid in a general sense and especially important for new product introductions. With content marketing in the equation, there are now funnels within the Interest, Desire and Action funnels as Sellers can identify and engage Potential Buyers thru a variety of means.
Thanks for your insight Ron. How are you using AIDA — are you creating specific paths?