Even now they are watching. They are obsessed with what we watch on television, what websites we visit, the radio stations we listen to, and even the food we eat. They aren’t the government. They aren’t the corporate police. They are the advertisers of the world.
Their world is changing, according to David Verklin in his book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here. Mr. Verklin is the CEO of Carat Americas (a division of Carat, the giant media-buying company). He’s been in marketing for years and is recognized by some as a visionary therein. He discusses the state of marketing clearly, for the most part. There are a few sentences here and there that must be read and re-read to completely understand the concept being exposed. But he gets his point across and manages to never talk down to his audience.
Verklin’s book gives a quick yet informative history on various types of advertising. He discusses radio commercials, he explains TV sweeps and upfronts and TV commercial placements, he delves into product placement, he delivers the dirt on newspaper and magazine ads and, of course, plugs us into the digital realm and its impact on advertising. In fact, the very first chapter is spectacular; it contains intriguing statistics and informational charts about ad costs and consumer habits.
He likens the advertising of the old world to a shotgun blast: get ads out there everywhere; they are bound to “hit” somebody and generate some revenue. But lasers are now replacing the shotguns. The Internet has opened up an entire world of knowledge, arming consumers with information and competitors costs; cell phones and wireless accessories have made this info accessible anywhere a consumer might be.
In the marketing gospel according to Verklin, digital is taking over. Consumers are tired of the “shotgun blast” approach. So now the move is to advertise only what people want to buy. This is being accomplished by tracking Internet traffic and by monitoring television viewing. Yes, Nielsen and other companies have developed new technology that determines how “engaged” you are in a program. TiVo and DVR has impacted marketer’s thinking, too.
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Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net , which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States, and to Boston.com. Nice work!