1.15.2008

Slimming Down Your Space

Steve Jobs did it again. Not suprising to most avid Mac insiders and followers, Apple announced the launch of its MacBook Air today at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco. However, contrary to what Apple may say (you shouldn't believe everything you hear anyways, at least not from the media), the Sony X505 was actually the first ever world's thinnest notebook which released back in 2003. Other new Apple releases included iPhone software upgrades, iTunes movie rentals (giving Netflix a run for their money) and last but not least, the time capsule wireless hard drive. Still anticipate shelling out big bucks for these new toys.

1.14.2008

Upcoming Ad Fads

A new eMarketer article was published today focusing on the 3 hidden media advertising trends in 2008. In fact, CEO and co-founder Geoff Ramsey quoted eMarketer's prediction of U.S's total online spending share to be 9.3% for 2008 compared to last year's 7.4%.



So what does 9.3% translate into? How about $27.5 billion just for internet advertising. Most of the spend will be contributed to social network and online video advertising which are projected to be in the double-digit rates this year. Thanks to eMarketer, they've demonstrated this in easy-to-see charts.





Even though these two arenas are hot spots right now, they will probably only generate about 10% of total online advertising spend ($2.9 billion).

Geoff Ramsey thinks the three main trends for this year will relate to media fragmentation, the continual growth of the internet's reach and the emphasis on the consumer's content.

Media Fragmentation: On our way to closing the gap
Ad networks such as Google and Yahoo are still growing strong and becoming more mature and sophisticated in their ability to target specific consumer groups. We've been learning how to harness media fragmentation to cater to the needs of advertisers and consumers. In this way, advertisers have a bigger reach to audiences who share similar interests across endless, different websites.

Continual Growth of the Internet's Reach: Web is King
According to the article, "the Internet is becoming the central hub of most media and marketing campaigns-and for good reason. Not only is the Internet now used extensively by every major demographic group, and for a variety of purposes including information, communication and entertainment, but it also allows for a two-way interaction between consumers and marketers that is not found in any other medium". Along with the evolution comes various tools and measurement metrics that will help marketers optimize and support their media strategies.

Emphasis on the Consumer's Content: The Consumer is in Control
Media power is shifting from the interruption-disruption model towards the trend where consumers are more in control of their media content and ad intake. The internet audience is creating content on their own in the form of blogs, on social networks, wikis and other digital-communication platforms. Advertisers will have to follow suit in these formats if they want to keep up with the Joneses. The most successful and top-performing ad campaigns integrate entertainment, relevance and enough wow-factor that they will cause a buzz among consumers who will seek it out and share it. Create it and they will come.