Yes. The issue? Rethinking the manner in which advertisers identify and target the potential consumer. The primary disconnect at the moment? Transforming a one-way dialogue into a two-way communications platform.
The creativity, ingenuity and ability to implement compelling content can still be found in Ad houses that are both small and large. Remember, these guys made viral videos before we even knew what they were. They are the masters of creating content in small, easily digestible nuggets.
The issue they are currently having? No one is checking out their content OR the content that they are creating is no longer relevant for the current dynamics of socially aware consumers. Believe it or not, the fix isn't all that hard. The reason it hasn't happened? Stubbornness, lack of motivation and an inability to think and look in multiple directions.
Integrated marketing programs are being pushed out as the most effect way to seek out, engage and interact with potential customers. Advertising usually commands the most dollars and the largest piece of the pie. But standard advertising isn't pulling its weight anymore (and has extremely prohibitive costs). Can anyone honestly tell me that they believe the metrics based off of estimated impressions in a magazine or on television?
Thus, the industry is perceived as dying and most are happy to let the industry rot, thinking that the money will be given to more deserving PR, social, digital and guerrilla campaigns. However, all this accomplishes is more money being taken away from scaled down marketing operations. Why? Advertising pays the bills.
Brands pay for creativity and results. They don't pay for something that they don't necessarily understand. That's why advertising usually ends up with most of the money (because it's familiar). Thus, while more effective ways of getting your message are out there? They aren't necessarily going to be understood or easily explained to a client.
The solution is rather obvious: Marry the traditional creativity and content creation with the new social, interactive features that advanced mobile technology is providing.
The future is here: Real time, reality based content with interactive features will once again put marketers back into the limelight. Mobile technology is reaching the point where we can all have a powerful computer in our pocket...and you want to target them with banner ads? No, the best way to achieve success on the mobile market is to use "Augmented Reality Search" or for the heck of it (and for eventual SEO purposes) A.R.S..
Augmented reality searching is basically the practice of utilizing facial recognition, brand recognition and building recognition to pull up a variety of content about the object/person in front of you. In essence, adding another level of information to your reality. This technology is already being developed for mobile phones (and could someday be housed internally in humans).
What can A.R.S. do for advertisers? It can put static content in the hands of the consumer and allow them to manipulate and share it however they like. Better content will mean more sharing and engagement on the part of the user and thus will allow them to make an informed purchasing decision.
The implications of this technology are obvious. The web will be everywhere (and thus so can marketing content). The core tenet remaining is still added value. The methods for engagement will need to become more inbound and opt-in though (as opposed to the broadcast method utilized in years past).
Advertisers have a gut check to make over the next year. Will they continue to move with the status quo or will they start playing in the sandbox? Advertising needs to become innovative again and it won't unless it starts building on the work done by other less flashy wings of their campaign.
If you aren't developing and researching how to fine tune your programs into a mobile based world already? You are already behind. The future is now (so make friends with your developers).
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, showing us some social love or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.
tagged as Advertising, advertising programs, ars, Augmented Reality, augmented reality search, evolution of advertising, future of advertising, marketing campaigns, two way communication
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I think it's not about how technology will save on advertising. It's more about the future of advertising itself. If that can happen, the future has to change and adopt to it.
Huh?
I mean to say that the future of advertising will of course involve technology. But, people have started to adopt a true ideology that advertisements are nothing but products trying to tell you that they exist. Creativity in advertisements works, but not if you have a dumb ass product. When technology and advertisements come together, we call it expert media – where products are advertised by experts in their niche. Clear? okay, let's continue this conversation till it gets clear.
Stuart
Interesting POV…but like many of these “advertising is dead long live social media” posts — devoid of statistics that prove the point. The truth is, advertising, at least good advertising, still works (think Apple who has virtually no real social media effort of note but one hell of an ad campaign) and can more quickly scale a product introduction or a political issue than Social Media could ever hope to. Why? Because whether you believe those metrics or not, mass media is still the most cost efficient manner to reach large audiences quickly. And lastly, there are actually target audiences out there, valuable ones, that are not big consumers of online and social networks. So for brands wanting to reach those audiences, advertising is still a solid choice.
Are there times where Social Media is better suited for a job than say advertising? Absolutely and THAT is the big shift I think ad agency folks better get behind sooner rather than later.
@TomMartin
Stuart
Interesting POV…but like many of these “advertising is dead long live social media” posts — devoid of statistics that prove the point. The truth is, advertising, at least good advertising, still works (think Apple who has virtually no real social media effort of note but one hell of an ad campaign) and can more quickly scale a product introduction or a political issue than Social Media could ever hope to. Why? Because whether you believe those metrics or not, mass media is still the most cost efficient manner to reach large audiences quickly. And lastly, there are actually target audiences out there, valuable ones, that are not big consumers of online and social networks. So for brands wanting to reach those audiences, advertising is still a solid choice.
Are there times where Social Media is better suited for a job than say advertising? Absolutely and THAT is the big shift I think ad agency folks better get behind sooner rather than later.
@TomMartin
Stuart
Interesting POV…but like many of these “advertising is dead long live social media” posts — devoid of statistics that prove the point. The truth is, advertising, at least good advertising, still works (think Apple who has virtually no real social media effort of note but one hell of an ad campaign) and can more quickly scale a product introduction or a political issue than Social Media could ever hope to. Why? Because whether you believe those metrics or not, mass media is still the most cost efficient manner to reach large audiences quickly. And lastly, there are actually target audiences out there, valuable ones, that are not big consumers of online and social networks. So for brands wanting to reach those audiences, advertising is still a solid choice.
Are there times where Social Media is better suited for a job than say advertising? Absolutely and THAT is the big shift I think ad agency folks better get behind sooner rather than later.
@TomMartin
Stuart
Interesting POV…but like many of these “advertising is dead long live social media” posts — devoid of statistics that prove the point. The truth is, advertising, at least good advertising, still works (think Apple who has virtually no real social media effort of note but one hell of an ad campaign) and can more quickly scale a product introduction or a political issue than Social Media could ever hope to. Why? Because whether you believe those metrics or not, mass media is still the most cost efficient manner to reach large audiences quickly. And lastly, there are actually target audiences out there, valuable ones, that are not big consumers of online and social networks. So for brands wanting to reach those audiences, advertising is still a solid choice.
Are there times where Social Media is better suited for a job than say advertising? Absolutely and THAT is the big shift I think ad agency folks better get behind sooner rather than later.
@TomMartin