We recently hosted our annual Audience Targeting Summit, an event which brings together industry luminaries, publishers and advertisers to discuss current issues and challenges facing the digital media space, as well as the future of targeted advertising. We had some extremely insightful discussions and raised new ideas and questions to give us all some food for thought.
One of the major topics addressed was the importance of giving consumers a personality and focusing on the relationships between people for real targeting success. Advertisers were encouraged by the experts to understand the social nature of all media to actively understand consumer behaviors as media platforms fragment. Rishad Tobaccowala dubbed this decade the "Renaissance Age" of marketing, urging marketers to return to the original concept of truly understanding and meeting the needs of customers. We learned that the industry will need to transform itself by realizing its potential to engage with consumers rather than focus on mass reach. In an industry often measured by the number of people it reaches, it's interesting to note that while reach is important, if you're not truly engaging with your audiences, and treating them as people rather than mere data points, your success will be elusive. ... Read more
Archive for May, 2010
The Dialogue on the Future of Targeted Advertising from the Annual Audience Targeting Summit
Creative and copy – a dying art in the local ad market?
As if the quality and value of good copy and design wasn't marginalized enough by the marketing industry already, a new software program called PlaceLocal is now aiming to remove creative talent from the local display ad business entirely.
According to a New York Times article, the program, developed by advertising technology company PaperG, mines the web for contact info, photos, relevant content, reviews, customer comments and other information on a client's business, and compiles the information into a customized online display ad -- no muss, no fuss... and no need for "us", meaning that writers and other creative types may soon have to contend with the same career issues as other outsourced laborers.
Of course, good creative can hardly be developed in the assembly-line fashion that PaperG aspires to cultivate. Just ask AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, who this week has addressed concerns of AOL becoming a "content farm" with a pledge to strategize around creating the world's best content: "We think about how to create the world's best content and have a deep strategy around that area. The world doesn't need more low quality content," he said, as reported in ClickZ.
While PlaceLocal may be a cheap solution that suits local businesses with... Read more
Sir Mix-a-Lot pledges allegiance to a new Butt
I must say, I'm kind of surprised it took this long (both for me to find this video, and for Butterfingers to roll out this campaign). Sir Mix-a-Lot likes big Butterfingers? Of course he does. After the financial windfall that I assume accompanied his decision to like square butts last year (in this buzz-worthy Burger King/SpongeBob SquarePants online video), I imagine it was only a matter of time.
But Sir Mix-a-Lot isn't alone in this one. As though questioning the continued viral pull of Mix-a-Lot on his own, Butterfingers throws everything but the kitchen sink at this one (and by "everything," I mean Erik Estrada, Charisma Carpenter, and Lou Ferrigno.)
Check it out.
Stay informed. For more insights into clever brand marketing initiatives, attend the iMedia Brand Summit, June 12-16. Learn more.
