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Advertising Industry Faces Monumental Change

"The next 5 years will hold more change for the advertising industry than the previous 50 did."

That, according to a new report from IBM (NYSE: IBM) Global Business Services. In "The End of Advertising as We Know It," (all apologizes to Sergio Zyman who published a book in 2003 under that exact title), IBM surveyed more than 2,400 consumers and 80 advertising executives globally.

The report shows, "increasingly empowered consumers, more self-reliant advertisers and ever-evolving technologies are redefining how advertising is sold, created, consumed and tracked."

Report Highlights

• Broadcasters must change their mass audience mind-set to cater to niche consumer segments.

• Distributors need to deliver targeted, interactive advertising for a range of multimedia devices.

• Advertising agencies must experiment creatively, become brokers of consumer insights, and guide allocation of advertising dollars amid exploding choices.

• All players must adapt to a world where advertising inventory is increasingly bought and sold in open exchanges vs. traditional channels.

• U.S. users report more usage of social networking sites and user generated content than almost any other content services category:

• 45 percent use social networking sites
• 29 percent visit user generated content sites
• 24 percent use a music service such as iTunes
• 24 percent subscribe to premium television content

• In biggest DVR market, users report extensive replay of television programming. This is resulting in ad skipping and revenue shakeup unless producers and broadcasters reinvent marketing formats and messaging:

• 24 percent have a DVR in their home, and 48 percent have used video-on-demand from a cable company or other provider
• While 33 percent report watching more television content than before the DVR, 53 percent report watching at least fifty percent on replay

• Users feel extreme regarding new forms of advertising. Marketers have to work harder than ever to understand individuals and micro-segments:

• Nearly 50 percent reported that video spots online – during, pre-rolled or as sponsorships – were the least annoying form of advertisement. Other formats tested were banner ads, pop-ups, and contextual search ads
• However, nearly the same level of consumers responded the same forms of advertising were most annoying online
• Additionally, 11 percent said they’d be willing to pay a little for ad-free viewing of video online

Check out the full report from IBM.

Social Media Battles for Budget

Despite the explosion of social media, many marketers still appear reluctant to invest significant resources in blogs, wikis, forums, social networking, podcasts and virtual reality worlds.


According to Coremetrics, "More than three-quarters of US marketing professionals surveyed think that social media marketing—also known as Web 2.0—can give them a competitive edge."

"Marketers are aware of the impact that social media marketing can have on their overall program but view it as uncharted territory, not worthy of their budget," said John Squire, senior vice president of product strategy at Coremetrics.



While many organizations sit on the sidelines waiting for social media best practices to emerge, the innovators and visionaries are venturing into the world of Web 2.0.

It's not too late to integrate a social media budget into your 2008 marketing plan, and here are some ideas on how to get started:

• Build Wikipedia pages for your company and top executives.
• Join LinkedIn.
• Launch a corporate blog.
• Monitor industry news, trends, blogs and forums through RSS feeds.
• Read and comment on industry blogs and forums.
• Find out how wikis can make your organization more efficient and productive.
• Tap into the power of viral videos.

Need help with your social media strategy? Contact PR 20/20 today for a free 2-hour consultation.

How Not to Conduct a Press Conference

When I first saw this on Digg.com, I thought it had to be a joke.

FEMA Apologizes for Fake News Conference on Fires

Not only did a government agency call a news conference 15 minutes before it was to be held, but they planted their own employees as "reporters" and then had them lob softball questions at Harvey Johnson, FEMA's deputy adminstrator.

. . . . But with no reporters on hand and an agency video camera providing a feed carried live by some television networks, FEMA press employees posed the questions for Johnson that included: "Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?"

According to Friday's Post account, which Walker confirmed, Johnson replied that he was "very happy with FEMA's response so far." . . . .

And here's another take from Al Kamen of The Washington Post:

FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be . . . FEMA

". . . . Johnson stood behind a lectern and began with an overview before saying he would take a few questions. The first questions were about the "commodities" being shipped to Southern California and how officials are dealing with people who refuse to evacuate. He responded eloquently.

He was apparently quite familiar with the reporters -- in one case, he appears to say "Mike" and points to a reporter -- and was asked an oddly in-house question about "what it means to have an emergency declaration as opposed to a major disaster declaration" signed by the president. He once again explained smoothly.

FEMA press secretary Aaron Walker interrupted at one point to caution he'd allow just "two more questions." Later, he called for a "last question.". . . ."

What Can Google Do For Your Business?

On the heels of surpassing the $200 billion mark in market value (which by the way is more than the combined value of News Corp, Disney, Viacom and CBS), Google amassed nearly 4 billion search queries in September, according to the latest report from Nielsen Online.

That's 54 percent of all online queries conducted at the top U.S. search providers. Yahoo! Search is second with 1.4 million (19.5 percent).

So, as Google's influence continues to expand, here are a few practical tips to help your business tap into the wealth of services offered by the search giant:

• Sign up to receive Google News Alerts for your company, competitors and industry.

• Create custom Google Maps of your headquarters to post online, and send in emails.

• Research and monitor discussions and trends in the social media world through Google Blog Search and Google Groups.

• Launch a pay-per-click campaign with Google AdWords.

• Submit your Website to be indexed by Googlebot.
  

To find even more uses for Google in your business, check out the Google Business Solutions site.