One way to think of value add is that it’s an added bonus on top of what you’ve already paid for and expected to receive. This can come in a quite a few different ways: additional TV or radio spots, extra web or print placements, sponsorship opportunities, guest appearances and more.
How to Do It: We can’t give away all of our secrets, but what we can say is that it pays to cultivate and maintain relationships. Doing repeat business with the vendors and buying a lot, results in volume discounts that we can pass on to our clients.
Value add is a mutually beneficial strategy. Not only does it maximize a marketer’s budget, but it is a way to attract and retain business for the vendor. Additionally for a vendor, throwing in some print spots to sweeten an advertiser’s digital buy allows them to get rid of unsold inventory and for the marketer it provides additional opportunities to expose their brand.
A popular value add format is native advertising. Native ads look like the content of the website or the publication and sometimes contain multimedia. They average higher shares and click-through-rates than display ads. In fact, native ads are viewed 53% more often than banner ads, according to a recent study by Sharethrough.
How It Benefits Our Clients: Value add media buys allow marketers to diversify their media mix without spending considerably more of their budget. Free and highly discounted media buys increase ad exposure without increasing the expense.