Why Your Marketing Medium Matters More Than You Think
Improve your campaigns by understanding the connotations of communication channels.
How do you feel when you hold a wedding invitation?
I bet it’s a moment you remember.
Especially a well-planned invitation—the envelope, typeface, the stock itself says something.
How do you feel holding a rectangle of handsomely pressed, cream-colored linen stock with metal embossing for the names
?
Now how would you feel getting the same information—literally the same words, in the same order, from the same person—scribbled on the back of a piece of ripped lined notebook paper?
Probably not the same.
Both notes contain the same words (and the same ‘channel’1of direct mail) and meaning. But, they clearly don’t evoke the same feelings.
The way that a customer consumes your message matters a lot.
In the tech world, there’s a persistent idea that the delivery mechanism is ‘just window dressing’. That’s wrong.
The idea is a spillover from (well intentioned by completely wrong) engineers figuring out how to convey data most effectively.
We’ve covered this briefly in this post below, but in this article we’ll develop a clearer idea of the connotations and perceptions of common channels.
Medium == Message?
Note: “Medium” in this context roughly means “Delivery Channel”.
But instead of just thinking ‘digital’ or ‘text’, you should think of how people perceive and behave with the information given.
A Linkedin post has different ‘window dressing’ than an instagram post even though both might be static images with words online.
Channels are often viewed as neutral forms of information transfer. In this post, I argue that channels should be treated as mediums2.
Mediums influence audience expectations, shape cultural norms, and reflect their technological and historical context.3
Understanding how people perceive your message across different communication channels is key to effective4 marketing.
While the message content may stay the same, its impact shifts dramatically based on the medium used.
In this post we’ll cover:
Why you should add a ‘medium perception’ stage in your marketing planning
The connotations of common channels
The idea that “The medium is the message”
Medium Perception Matters!
Say you’re planning a 5-course dinner party.
You’re just about ready to serve the chicken consommé.
Would you serve the meal on fine china or paper bowls?
The food might be identical, but the experience is entirely different.
Similarly, the medium you use to deliver your marketing message affects how it is received—even if the content stays the same.
Marketing messages aren’t consumed in a vacuum.
Every medium carries connotations5—whether it’s perceived as casual or formal, fleeting or permanent, high- or low-effort.
An unconsidered medium can render the most effective messages useless.
The “Window Dressing” Shapes the Message Itself
The idea that the delivery method is “just window dressing” often stems from a functionalist perspective6: as long as the information gets there, the job is done.
In marketing, this impact of a medium is amplified.
A direct mail campaign printed on premium cardstock conveys intent, quality, and care, but a similar message emailed to an inbox filled with spam might be easy to ignore.
The experience of receiving and interacting with each changes how it is perceived.
Medium Perception as a Strategic Step
When choosing a channel—social media, email, print, TV, or face-to-face interaction—it’s tempting to focus only on audience reach or cost efficiency.7
But you should go a step further, treating the medium as a key part of the communication strategy.
I recommend adding a formal “medium/channel perception” stage to your planning process. This extra step helps make sure your message aligns with the channel’s inherent connotations8.
This step involves asking:
How will the audience engage with this medium?
A social media post invites a quick, emotional reaction from a wide audience, while a long-form documentary can help build the true fans you want.What does the medium signal about my brand?
Advertising a full page ad in a luxury magazine suggests exclusivity, while a paper coupon in the mail suggests affordability.Does the medium reinforce or undermine my message?
A message about financial stability sent through a high-brow TV commercial reinforces trust, while the same message in an intern-written tweet might not.
By considering these questions, you can choose the right channel to align to the strengths of the medium and avoid unintended dissonance.
Connotations of Common Channels
1. Social Media: Fast-paced, short form, engagement-driven
Social media is immediate and interactive, meaning you’re actively engaged most of the time you’re on a platform. Platforms like Instagram or Twitter encourage short, punchy posts. But because users scroll quickly, the window for capturing attention is tiny.
Emotional or visually compelling messages, such as an urgent sale, often perform best.
A message about sustainability on social media might use vibrant visuals that are associated with sustainability—even if they aren’t tied to the exact message—to evoke memetic understanding.
2. Print: Slow Absorption and Tangibility
Print media, like magazines or brochures, provides a tangible and often longer-lasting form of communication.
Print content encourages more considered reading, meaning your message is likely to be considered carefully. This slower pace means readers may connect print messaging with reliability and credibility9.
For a luxury product, a printed ad in a well-regarded magazine may evoke trust and a sense of quality10, whereas the same ad on social media might feel less exclusive.
3. Audio/Radio: The New Kid on the Block
Radio has a unique impact because it allows listeners to consume content when doing other activities—unlocking significant times where otherwise customers couldn’t be reached.
For example, a local car dealership ad on a podcast may resonate more with listeners than a print ad. Partially due to the informal, conversational tone and partially because it may get someone’s attention while they’re driving (and so shouldn’t be reading).
Radio, however, lacks the same attention that visual media capture.
4. Video: A Multi-Sensory Experience
Video combines visuals, sound, and movement, making it one of the most impactful mediums for communication.
Video ads can engage viewers emotionally and hold their attention longer11, making them ideal for storytelling—think of infomercials!12
5. Long-Form Written Word: Depth and Permanence
The written word, particularly in formats like blogs, articles, or emails, allows for in-depth exploration of topics. This medium is best for detailed information, where the audience has time and willingness to engage deeply with the content.
This depth can build trust, but it also requires clear writing to avoid misinterpretation.
6. Face-to-Face Interaction: Immediate and Authentic
Face-to-face interaction remains one of the most effective forms of communication, as it allows for immediate feedback and adjustment. Nonverbal cues—like body language and eye contact—help build trust and establish a personal connection.
A salesperson in a retail store, for example, can instantly clarify misunderstandings and respond to the customer’s cues of frustration or confusion. This dynamic interaction often results in a feeling of personalized service.
Conclusion
In marketing, the choice of medium is as crucial as the message. Marketers can use each medium’s unique attributes to create messages that resonate differently across channels, maximizing impact and engagement.
I would argue that this should be considered a separate channel than mailing a new invitation.
Even though they’re both direct mail, an economy vs premium experience via physical mail should be broken into distinct ‘channels’.
Otherwise, you’re condensing dissimilar things. It’s like grouping a formal keynote presentation and a brief conversation over coffee into the same ‘channel’ because they are ‘oral presentations’.
Always think through things from the perspective of the customer! Not how you do it internally!
Media? IDK
A channel in marketing typically refers to a method for delivering a message (e.g., email, social media, print, TV), McLuhan's use of medium encompasses the cultural environment shaped by that mode of communication.
McLuhan viewed a medium as an extension of human senses.
For example, the telephone extends speech across distances farther than you can talk, text extends conversation from synchnous to not-time-bound, and social media extends interpersonal interaction into public spaces without the ability to distinguish your message between receivers.
These shifts have meaningful cultural implications, reshaping norms and even ideas of identity—no one thought you should have ‘one true self’ that speaks the same to your girlfriend and grandma until social media made it a thing.
I mean effective in the old school ‘greatest behavior change for smallest investment’ way. Not the ‘get VC money’ way
These connotations differ by culture as well. If you thought you’d get any easy answers our of me today, sorry!
I am naturally guilty of thinking this—its the engineers curse
Which you should consider! It’s vital to running a real business!
Think through:
Attention span: How much time will your audience devote to consuming this message?
Emotional tone: Does the medium feel urgent, formal, relaxed, or intimate?
Cultural expectations: What assumptions does the audience bring to this medium?
Even within this channel there are different ways to engage with the content. A magazine is often consumed by flipped back and forth across articles that catch the eye. A book is almost always consumed linearly from start to end.
A purchased print ad may invoke the feeling of quality if for no reason beyond the fact that it was expensive.
Everyone knows that an email is free, so that isn’t a very strong signal of quality. But it’s easier to trust a consultancy that purchases a stadium because it proves that they can spend the money on it.
[Sub-footnote: Obviously the signal behind the noise of conspicuous consumption can get washed out as different cultures interact in the same market. For example, cultures that are extremely saving-oriented are likely to perceive conspicuous consumption as a strong signal of financial security; cultures that are less savings-oriented would be less likely to perceive such a consumption as a strong signal]
Short-form video has further fragmented the medium.
As highlighted in Extranet Shaquille’s shockingly good analysis of short versus long-form content, short-form videos—like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels—drive fast, punchy engagements, where users expect instant value—and value judgement to be handed to them.
Shaquille notes that this format encourages creators to be prescriptive rather than descriptive, as viewers look for actionable takeaways.
This differs with longer-form videos. For longer form content, the audience expects a deeper dive and may consider what is being given to them and form their own conclusions.
I’ve absolutely gotten sucked into the rabbit hole of infomercials where I’ve watched 10 minutes of demos before realizing it’s a commercial.