2008 Marketing Predictions and Trends

It’s the day after my Christmas Holiday, and four days left in what I am calling “2007 the year of uncertainty”. Why uncertainty, do you ask? Well… something happened in 2007 that no one predicted to have SUCH an impact on our national economy. Actually many people predicted but no one really understood how many companies were going to be affected. The housing bubble burst (or bursting perhaps) single handedly changed how we as marketers or sales people handle our accounts, manage our own lives, and predict the future 2008. So uncertainty, yes… 2007 was a transitional year, one that we all made it through… some of us unscathed…some not. Here in these last four days left until the New Year we are all sitting and wondering, what will 2008 bring? What can I be certain about in this year to come? What in the world can I count on? I am here to tell you that in this crazy marketing industry that we live and breath every day…this treacherous new ground… here and now and continuing through 2008, nothing is as certain as uncertainty. So all of you out there, rest assured that you can count one thing in this New Year: “2008 will be the year of Change!” Embrace it, for it will define you!

2008 Trends to Watch
Everyone has their predictions for 2008, we can see obvious trends and plan a bit for our future. But no one has a crystal ball and no one can tell us which basket to put our eggs in. It is with that sentiment in mind that I review some of the predicted trends set forth by Advertising Age (December 17th, 2007).

First Trend (and the most GLARING): All marketers will hit a rough patch due to politics and economy. We all know the reasons, fuel prices are high, attaining crash (or credit has surpassed giving up your first-born child and of course, the housing market crashing). Needless to say money will be reigned in tight across all traditional mediums.
My Solution: Alternative media will be where marketers will spend. In this case I mean online. If you are a marketer out there, get online and start capitalizing on free traffic.

Second Trend: This one is a theme among Ad-Age’s trends. Accountability. Marketers will want to see results from their marketing, be it online, TV, etc. If the marketing efforts are not working they will pull their dollars. Moreover, more marketers will shift to performance-based marketing. Enhancements in tracking capabilities will allow for marketers to demand accountability, this will in turn affect how compensation models evolve. Be prepared to work on an incentive base.

Third Trend: you guessed it. DIGITAL! I am going to quote directly here: “Digital offers richness in information management, communication delivery, metrics-and portability. IE the iPhone! The challenge: Are marketers skilled enough to take advantage of this rapidly changing landscape? Queue the swarming vultures. Here is where we capitalize on that lack of skill and show them how to manage their online efforts!

Forth Trend: Renaissance Marketer. I know a gentleman who is successful beyond imagination, he told me one day that he has 4 masters, 3 relating to business and finance, and one in Psychology. Guess which masters he uses the most; nope… it’s the Psychology one! He inevitably made me fee better about my BS in Psychology. “Market research will embrace scientific approaches that literally tap consumers brains to learn how they neurologically respond to commercial messages and make brand choices.” How do we respond to this change? By being a renaissance marketer. We need to embrace these changes by utilizing the power of our minds. No longer will we rely on Cookie Cutter marketing solutions… we will need to think out of the box and quickly. “ We will be part humanist, part psychologist, part anthropologists, and part technologist. This includes the need to be socially responsible and to embrace key trends such as “green”.

Fifth and Final Trend: Strategic Alignment. It is always nice to have a major publication validate what you have been thinking and predicting. In this case I mean myself. Again I am going to quote directly from Ad-Age for the element of conviction. “ Marketers succeed when brand messages are fully integrated and synchronized across all media channels. That requires strategic alignment-leadership that ties everything together-particularly when the forces of change can potentially pull them apart. Lead agencies will be appointed to make sure all supporting agencies carry out the same brand messages!

And there you have it… ß- taking a bow. The 2008 Trends to watch out for! Please share with your friend, read between the lines, and always feel free to comment!

Happy 2008! The year of CHANGE! COUNT ON IT!

Who's Numbers Do we Trust?

This is a great article by the NYT's.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/technology/22click.html?ex=1350792000&en=8ab263b2d0b0eb97&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Ad Spending: don’t be shortsighted!

I recently read an article in REUTERS regarding ad budgets and expenditure. We all know that the online ad spending is projected to grow exponentially year after year. However the big question is will that budget be enough to support sites that are banking on selling their ad space to support their company? Is the alternative a subscription based model? Bottom line… will there be enough to go around?

Yes and here is why. Because local small to medium size businesses will begin to shift their ad dollars onto local websites. Companies that are not even online themselves will be doing this. Even with the advent of geo and behavioral targeting thanks to companies like Double Click and Dotomi, local business will simply not be able to afford this. Instead they will be looking to smaller local websites to play vehicle for their messaging. Build a kick butt local site that locals want, and you have your ad support.

But there is another side of this story. Although I do agree with the comment “there is not going to be enough advertising dollars in that marketplace [ad supported] no matter how clever we are, no matter what the format is.” Maybe because of my role as a local web strategist I see the world a bit differently. I think there is money, I just think we have to redefine what advertising budget consists of.

I think we get used to being in the online world and forget that many companies still have not tapped into this market. Not only does that mean that they will be allocating ad dollars to online, but they will need help catching up to everyone else in this space. That means building out a website in some cases. Easier said than done. Simply put these companies need someone to guide them. Here is where my definition takes a different route. Advertising is not limited to IAB ads, email campaigns, and content integration; it expands into web development, SEO, and best practices. There is a market for this… you just have to be in the right business. Instead of building it so they will come… try helping them build it and see what kind of cash is out there.

Natural Search Rankings

Ah the power of the Internet....
Two days ago I started this blog with the intentions of calling attention to myself in this online world we live in. Two days ago when you searched for 'travis beger' in Google, Travis Berger the Coach, and a Travis Berger a hunter in Texas trumped me. Needless to say these two Travis' are both guys and I am in fact a female. I know I know... I have heard all the jokes believe me.

Anyway, now if you search Travis Berger I am in the top ten. Cool!

Ahh... it's the little things in life :)

Travis Berger