Blending college newspaper advertising and out-of-home with digital efforts targeting college students can be a challenge. Add mobile phone marketing to the mix and their more ways than ever before to reach the students. Ideally the best solution is to use an integrated approach to print and digital campaigns.

Previously we covered the rapid expansion of technology and the future of mobile technology. These new mediums are often seen as being more effective than more traditional advertising methods. On top of that, with all of the new media that people in today’s world are exposed to on a daily basis, traditional mediums of advertising can be seen by the target market as stale and un-stimulating, making them even more ineffective.

However, all is not lost for traditional mediums. By combining traditional and new media, advertising campaigns can be created that would be more effective than using either medium in isolation. QR Codes are a way to bridge the gap. An increasing number of people say they have used a QR code. According to a recent Pitney Bowes survey,roughly 1 in 5 Americans (19%) say they have used a QR code. Among the critical 18-24 age group, that number jumps to 39%, as the so called generation mobile lives up to their name.

There are still benefits to newspaper print advertising. CPM wise it’s still the cheapest way to advertise, particularly to college students. According to a study, 76% of college students have read their school’s newspaper in the past 30 days, making it the most read medium on a college campus. That number increases to 92% at schools which publish daily. A hybrid print and digital campaign, using QR codes to bridge the gap, allows marketers to take advantage of the strengths of both mediums. This is also true for out of home and billboard advertising, another traditional medium that, CPM wise, is inexpensive.

OnCampus Advertising offers a wide range of advertising mediums to choose from, including print, outdoor display advertising, online, and mobile. This allows advertisers to run hybrid traditional and new media campaigns to both take advantage of the strengths of each medium and to reinforce your message to a generation that is increasingly drowning in media.