the most innovative things that have happened in the past decade in marketing were all made possible by innovations in the digital world.
the rise of Google and Google Search changed the economics of media buying. though they may have failed (?) in their attempts to replicate the same business model beyond search into TV and print spaces, their innovations in search have shifted the way we look at media economics, auctions, and bids radically.
the emergence of mobile apps and ads has started. and with the onslaught of iPhones in Asia Pacific and the avalanche of responses it has generated from Google, Nokia, Microsoft and Blackberry in the OS front, from Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, Blackberry, HTC and LG in the design/handset front, we can expect 2010 to be the start of an even bigger shift in delivering messages to audiences.
the developments in digital outdoor and the continued expansion of "TV on the streets" in major Asian economies will also change the landscape dramatically - and increase efficiencies in delivering time- and geo-targeted messages, and hopefully, effectiveness and measurability of the outdoor medium.
the battle of the consoles - XBOX360, Nintendo Wii, and PS3 - is not just about selling games in disc-formats anymore. it has begun to evolve into the "battle for domination of the living/game room". the integration of traditional on-PC services (e.g., twitter, facebook, emails, instant messaging, radio streaming) is just the beginning.
and expect that ads will also follow as the technologies that allow on-demand delivery of games are applied to ad-serving.
(aside: whilst i was playing Topspin3 on my XBOX against Roddick, I saw ads of McD's local delivery service - 67773777 - in Singapore.)
with all these developments in the world of digital marketing, one can be tempted to say that "wow, digital media can solve all our problems!"
and that's where i take a stand:
[ digital media are not a panacea to all marketing problems ]
i acknowledge that digital media - and digital marketing - do have a role in the communications mix. and it could very well be a role that is important and one that could lead to revenues and profits for the clients.
but not all marketing problems can be solved by digital "marketing".
in the same way that advertising cannot solve all marketing problems, digital "marketing" cannot solve all marketing problems or communication problems.
to say that digital marketing can solve everything is to fall into the trap of equating digital "marketing" planning with the search for marketing solutions.
marketing is far too complex than just a mere mix of search keywords, digital ads, social networks, fanpages and number of followers/fans...
marketing - in spite of what most marketing managers and juniors (and even seniors) would want to believe - is complex.
marketing involves making multi-dimension decisions that span pricing, product development and creation/extensions, branding and brand extensions, geographic prioritization and go-to-market strategies, competitive response anticipation, risk assessment and mitigation, said/unsaid consumer need satiation, opportunity-scoping, -assessment, and -realization...
i don't think digital marketing and the technologies that support digital marketing - and our understanding of these technologies - have reached that level just yet.
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