Five Keys to Advertising in the Motor City

Detroit, Michigan is the biggest city in all of Michigan. 624,177 people call the motor city their home, and proudly so. As far as major metropolitan areas go, this number may sound a little on the short side, not even hitting 1 million, and just barely getting over the halfway mark at that. However, it’s marketplaces like these that make for an excellent sample run of a new marketing campaign before bringing it to the likes of LA, Chicago, or New York. However, that doesn’t mean that marketing in an area like Detroit is any simple feat. 

Detroit, Michigan is a diverse and relatively popular city in the mid-west. It has easy access to other cities like Chicago, Madison, and even Minneapolis. Not only that, but Detroit has a storied and fascinating history. All of this comes together to form a city that is as unique and diverse as it is tough and proud. 

As such, finding the right advertising strategies and tactics to be successful in a city like Detroit can take a little bit of trial and error. Here are five of the key takeaways when it comes to effectively marketing in Detroit. 

Understanding the Consumers and Target Audiences

This was touched on a little bit in the section above, but Detroit is a very diverse city full of unique individuals in unique situations. As such, if you’re going to launch any sort of marketing campaign in the city of Detroit, you need to understand the various consumer segments that create the 624,177 person population. Creating target audiences and then tailoring advertising and marketing campaigns to the individual demographics composing those target audiences is nothing new in the world of advertising and marketing. 

However, being able to do this on a granular level is becoming more and more important to successful marketing campaigns, especially in large metropolitan areas. This is a tactic known as hype localization and it involves creating marketing materials that inflate the brand’s awareness and physical presence in certain neighborhoods within cities that more closely represent the specific target audience. 

By doing this on a regular basis, brands are able to cultivate a more loyal, engaged, and invested consumer group. 

Being Unique, Creative, and Engaging

Something that’s important in all realms of marketing, sales, and advertising is one’s ability to be unique and creative. By focusing on unique and creative marketing, organizations have been able to increase consumer engagement, as well as consumer-to-customer conversion. This is because modern consumers often respond much more positively to creative marketing tactics. This has partially been linked to the normal integration of social media and smart technology, which have given rise to the emergence, popularity, and efficacy of content marketing. 

Content marketing is a subset of marketing practices that revolve around the creation and publication of content that is not necessarily directly linked to sales. Rather, content marketing looks to engage consumers organically, and in turn, transition them into loyal brand customers.

Types of OOH Media Marketing in the Motor City

OOH media, or out-of-home media marketing is another popular subset of marketing principles and practices. The most recognizable form of OOH media marketing is likely the billboard. Billboards and other forms of OOH media are widely popular in Detroit and other metropolitan cities as well.  

This is because billboards offer brands an easy and effective way to put their products, services, or messaging directly in front of consumer eyes. Picking the right location for your Detroit billboards can easily result in over 500,000 impressions in just a four-week campaign. 

Making use of Social Media Strategies

Social media is a wildly powerful marketing tool when utilized properly. In creating social media posts, ad campaigns, and other pieces of content, brands can further establish themselves as a household name in any region. This can be done with the use of hashtags and geo-specific posts that garners additional traction in the region a brand is specifically targeting. 

In Detroit, for example, a brand could use social media strategies in and around the Detroit Lions stadium, to amplify their presence amongst the Detroit, Michigan populace.

Targeting Highly Trafficked Areas

There are a number of other highly trafficked areas in the city of Detroit that also make for excellent marketing opportunities. Taking advantage of airports, public transportation stations, sport stadiums, universities, and other local attractions will make sure that your marketing campaigns are generating the results for which you’re looking. 

Final Thoughts on Motor City Marketing

The city of Detroit, Michigan is home to just over 600,000 people, making it the 28th biggest city in America based on population in 2022. As such, the city of Detroit represents plenty of impactful and influential marketing opportunities that advertising, marketing, and sales professionals should be taking advantage of with billboards or other OOH media marketing tactics.