Consumer Generated Marketing IS the future
I came across an article a while back that I bookmarked so I could write about it when I got a chance. And here’s my chance! I’ve written before about how more and more traditional marketers are moving into the SEO and SEM fields, and this trend is obviously gathering steam.
The article was in the San Diego Business Journal and it was primarily about how TV currently dominates the marketing world. It’s where the most advertising dollars are spent. However, some interesting statistics show that this domination is changing.
- A McKinsey & Co. study found that TV audiences are HALF what they were in 1990, DESPITE a 40% increase in prime time marketing dollars.
- Forrester Research says that 16% of people ages 18 to 26 are spending more time online than watching TV. In addition, this so-called “Gen Y” adopts new technology faster than any previous generation.
The big Madison Avenue Marketers are paying attention to this and adapting accordingly. A survey conducted through the Association of National Advertisers showed that 78% of the respondants felt that traditional avenues of advertising had become less effective in the past two years. As a result, they intend to spend less on TV, and more on digital advertising.
However, rather than just throw money at a different advertising channel, more successful firms are leveraging Consumer Generated Marketing by doing things with viral video, for example. Companies are beginning to interact directly with the consumer more than ever before.
The benefit for the consumer is obvious. When you’re relying on the consumer to generate your marketing for you, it means that it’s now impossible to market a crappy product. For the marketer, the challenge is in keeping control in such a chaotic environment. Once you put something out there, if the response is not what you hoped for, there’s no way to take it back.
How will this shift in spending affect the web at large? I’m not sure, but with all the money that will get thrown at web publishers over the next few years, I expect to see a lot more advertising channels open up. Embedded video advertising and paid blogging are already a reality, and innovation will develop this “brought to you by” environment even more.
The article is here:
http://www.sdbj.com/industry_article.asp?aID=8625973.5270914.1361958.3961848.2590585.697&aID2=104757
Posted by Brad Fallon on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 at 2:42 pm 
Brad,
Love the new videos, very cool. Also, I just listened to your presentation from the Agora Marketing conference.
You did a presentation on Stomping the Search engines and something you said resonated with me more than anything else.
Where else can you find FREE direct marketing mediums other than free, organic search engine traffic. Not infomercials, not direct mail, etc, just free organic search engine traffic.
That, right there, opened my eyes to the importance of SEO, more than anything else I’ve ever heard.
Shawn Lebrun
http://www.shawnlebrunfitness.com/getshredded.html
Brad,
This is some eye opening information. I’m glad I am on board with your programs.
Answer Job Interview Questions
As always Brad. The sharing of your knowledge and insight is much appreciated.
Acne Medicines
Brad,
I live in San Diego and read the same article and couldn’t agree more.
We have just implemented a discoussion forum on our site allowing our customers to discuss our products and exchange information freely – just like the article says, this forces us to pay attention to our clients and make sure that our products are top notch!
Keep up the good work,
Thomas Michael
Michael Management Corporation
http://www.michaelmanagement.com
Hi Brad,
I loved those video’s you made and it just blew my mind out on what you were able to achieve together with Andy.
White Hat SEO has always been what I’m aiming for and I had friends shrug me out because they were doing the ‘conventional’ stuff on SEO hoping to get a good ranking.
“more like black hat to me… soon”
Here’s you all your future endeavors and look forward to meeting you in person soon!
Cheers!
Regards,
Vern How
Premier Online Business Entrepreneur
http://www.VernHow.com
Hi Brad,
Thanks for your insight, Your courses and blog are second to none. Thanks for all the hard work.
Brad I wanted to thank you for offering these resources to us, we love your informative videos and tools, and are now reading up on your Marketing segment.
Articles
Hi Brad, just want to thank you for sharing your wisdom in your videos. I’m reading up right now your pdf about Marketing, great stuff!
http://www.my-wedding-blog.com/wedding-articles.php
Hi Brad, I really appreciate your insight into all things internet. I don’t know how you find the time?
Thanks again!
Dave
BuyLDS.com
Hey Brad. Once again you come up with another winner!
http://www.myunlimitedsolutions.com
Things seem to be looking good for youtube then..
Online Retailer
That’s good news for us internet retailers. So no matter what you sell, the next generation is well positioned to choose you.
I wonder how long before television and internet are the same thing? You can switch channels on the Tv to view internet stations?
I would so love a show to spotlight our personalized gift business – that would be an incredible audience – without the incredible price tag of television.
Be Well!
Michelle
Yes, I also agree that this IS the future of advertising. Allowing consumers to TELL you what they want marketed to them!
PS2 Mod Chip
I only hope by them bringing in such a focus to online advertising, that the big businesses don’t try to impose some sort of “Legal order” on the internet. Just think of all the possible problems with that! But then, on the flipside, they will be wanting to “protect” their investments. It’s not an easy situation, is it?
I agree that the advertising and marketing on the web will increase. It would not surprise me to see infrastructure providers (companies that own the physical fiber and cables to again attempt to monitize their infrastructure.
Another interesting note is that it appears that Google is interested in acquiring ‘dark fiber’, see the CNET article “Google wants ‘dark fiber’”.
I feel we’re in for a huge
shift (even more) in the
ways we consume media.
-long tail rules-
and this is great for the
consumer to…if we can
give them exactly what
they want and need.
best,
Sam
Great points brad… We are really seeing that the potential growth that will come from the net will only get bigger and bigger…
Case in point… the television seemed to be it and then came cable… and then came satelite t.v.
All of these mediums have had their own baggage and teething troubles as you well know… but they all have succeeded in pushing marketing globally…
In our opinion the net has done more in the past 10 years than these mediums have done in the last 50 (since t.v. started…) and we think that it will only keep growing,
HI Brad!
This article and videos are really cool. I’m actually just starting the use of videos on my website and emails and I can tell anyone the impact is TOTALLY different when you can see and here rather than just read.
Marc
http://www.iyahoogoogle.com