Happy New Year everyone!
Looks like it’s going to be another fast paced, ever-changing year in the world of marketing. And if you don’t keep running, you’re going to fall behind. Already, I’ve read this week that, with the acquisition of Digitas by Publicis Groupe, there are almost no more independent interactive shops for the big agency conglomerates to buy up. Guess the rest of us will just have to figure it out on our own. And fast.
I also saw that two major cell phone service providers, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, began allowing advertising on their mobile Internet portals. This opens up a much larger portion of the U.S. to mobile phone advertising, another new trend. The article further reported that people’s attitudes in the U.S. towards having this "intrusion" on their cell phones are changing. It’s not frowned upon if it’s deemed relevant. Meaning if you do it right, this becomes another viable medium. Guess we’ll all have to figure this one out, too.
All the trends for 2007 articles you read talk about how this segment or that is now spending more of their time in digital and on-line media. We’ve all seen this coming. Short films are now viable marketing tools. Product placement is hot. Guerilla marketing is once again relevant. Cross marketing is going bananas, literally. I had a "Pirates of the Caribbean" DVD release promotion on my DelMonte banana. On this small sticker, was a message, in English and Spanish, directing me to a website to play a game to win a "Pirates" poster.
So, buckle up folks. We’re just getting started in a new age of marketing. One where we’re all going to have to learn new tricks or perish. And I, for one, look forward to it. It’s an exciting new age where everyone in every department is going to have to be creative. Bring it on!
Mike McClure – Old dog learning new tricks
