As the economy recovers and technology continues to offer consumers new ways to manage their on-the-go lifestyle, business owners and marketing directors are faced with the daily obstacle of trying to reach these exact consumers! So many vehicles, each with their own demo and factors to be considered. While your product/service may make some decisions a no-brainer, most don’t have that luxury!

While most mass media can still be used as such, the fact of the matter is that due to technology advances, the future effectiveness of each mass medium is now in flux. Not everyone can effectively predict the future, but having a sustainable mindset will have you ahead of the crowd! Where can you put your marketing efforts and know people will still see them?

For most consumer-driven companies, an effective marketing mix consists of a mass medium or two and some very targeted marketing efforts. My thought process is as follows. What is NOT going anywhere anytime soon? Better yet, what isn’t going to be invented to fragment the advertising industry any further! I can promise you a time machine or transportation portal certainly isn’t going to be invented anytime soon! Additionally, a new social media site may be unveiled, but the internet is here to stay! Therein lies two media that I personally feel are the most sustainable places to put your message. A solid presence on the internet (your website, new media, & Google Adwords) and on the streets that consumers of all demographics use to commute every day of their lives!!

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Where do you think is the most sustainable place to put your message in a world that is driven by the ability to cram as much into one day as possible?

So here is the deal.  On February 12, 2010 we will announce the winner of our new contest.  You could be that winner of 20 Mini Kongs in one of our four markets for a month.  Yep that’s right 20 Mini Kong ads for free in either Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville or Nashville.  You don’t pay a penny.  No production.  No media charges.  Including the design, production and media that is over $7,900 worth of advertising you could win for FREE.

Looking for a catch?  There isn’t much of one.  All you have to do to enter to win is become a fan of our Facebook page and spread the word to others.  www.facebook.com/AdvertisingVehicles

We will help you with your idea and creative.  One simple idea may be to combine the reach of transit advertising and the technology of social media.  See one of our recent blog posts about combining those two media.  http://www.advertisingvehicles.com/2010/01/19/transit-advertising-and-social-media-create-results-for-businesses/

Join our Facebook page now to get your company involved.  Get your coworkers to sign up to to increase your chances.  Tell your Mom and your little brother too. Our goal for this contest is to grow our Facebook fan count to 2,000.

$7,900 worth of Transit Advertising could be yours.  Check out of contest rules for more detailed information.

If a business has a desire to create this, then maybe they need to blend old media with new.  Take our product for example, what if an advertiser used the massive reach of a transit campaign to promote a giveaway on their Facebook Fan page?  Using buses is one of the greatest tools left for reaching a large amount of consumers in your marketplace.  Putting this reach together with the ability to start a relationship with them through social media may be just the spark a business needs to impact the social media scene in a big way.  Imagine driving all over your market and seeing a transit campaign with 40-60 displays barking a brand and a contest to you.  Win (idea here).  Become a Fan to learn more.  Simple and effective.  Potentially thousands of people could join in the first week alone.  Making your online real estate even more valuable.

Media has changed in a major way over the past decade.  Consumers and their media habits have changed in a major way, but one thing that remains the same is a successful media strategy involves a mix of media.  So the next time the conversation turns to social media and getting results for your business; ask yourself how I can leverage the old media to get jump start on new media?

Have you seen any great ideas or ways businesses have leveraged transit advertising to impact a social media strategy?  If so we would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment below.