Ad Age's 'Ides of March 2005'

Scott Donaton, the Editor of Ad Age has published this great leader (sub), explaining his excitement at the changes in the US ad industry (via Big Picture).

'My god, these are exciting times in the business.'

'Consider the rapid penetration and easy consumer acceptance of video on demand. Cellphones that play broadcast-quality music videos and weather forecasts. Video games with ad messages that can be swapped out online in real time. Streaming audio. Pod-casting. Text messages. Instant messaging. Google. TiVo......'

'The decline of mass marketing. The rise of new platforms. The debate over whether contact (media) or content (ad creative) should take the lead. Consumer control -- and the eagerness of empowered audiences to use digital technology to divorce marketing material from entertainment and information.

The future is here This isn’t some dark vision of the terrifying implications of a future that may or may not come to pass. It’s the reality of marketing circa the ides of March 2005. Beware.'

'This marketing revolution is neither theoretical, nor overblown. It’s under way. But this is not a time for fear, resistance, denial or defensiveness -- despite the natural inclination to protect an existing pile of cash. It’s the most exciting time ever to be in or around the businesses of media, marketing and communications. You can feel it, too. I know you can.'

Comments

[timkitchin]

So this is an ad man's idea of exciting?

Ubiquitous, real-time, interactive...advertising.

Wow.

t

[Slick Willie]

I would agree with the author...the marketing people who will survive the newest wave of technology are the ones that aren't just sitting around complaining about its shape or speed, they are the ones that are already paddling like crazy to get into the right position for the drop in! Like it or not, we will have to do some wild and crazy thinking to figure out a way to make advertising more part of the content of all the new media - a passive-pulled advertising instead of the traditional pushed ads.
:] SW