Media are discussed at length later, so here we note only that limitations on creative strategy
imposed by media may diminish the role of advertising in the promotional program
and may force marketers to emphasize other elements of the promotional mix.
A marketer’s
creativity is certainly challenged when a television commercial is limited to 10 showings a
year with no two exposures closer than 10 days, as is the case in Italy. Creative advertisers
in some countries have even developed their own media for overcoming media limitations.
In some African countries, advertisers run boats up and down the rivers playing popular
music and broadcasting commercials into rural areas as they travel.