Whilst families face the toughest times for more than a generation, job losses are predicted to double, inflation is soaring with tax increases to follow and real wages are falling, the advertising and marketing world are still pushing their useless, glitzy, expensive and unproven marketing programmes, mainly on TV, despite the fact that TV has been proven to be worst than useless in selling things!
Such is the horrendous scale of the devastation wreaked by the greed and recklessness of the marketing departments of the financial sector (and others) that the very people at whom these expensive and unproven marketing programmes are aimed are the very people who will suffer the most in the coming years. Which only goes to prove just how uncaring these marketing people really are!
Dishonest? Advertising people are trying to foist yet another unproven media upon unsuspecting Clients, The Internet, more research emerges to establish just how ineffective the Internet is as an advertising medium. As we have said in the past, the Internet is for people who want to go elsewhere, and where, primarily to they want to go? Well a staggering 35% of all Internet downloads are pornographic! One psychotherapist has called online pornography “the crack cocaine of the Internet” and these thoroughly dishonest advertising/media people want to place advertising on the internet...who on earth for....pornography users? What about the Brand Image?
Certainly within the advertising, entertainment, marketing industries technology has leapt ahead but morality hasn't kept up. Or, let's be honest, has simply given up!
One of the most obvious examples of the dishonesty rampant within the marketing culture is the total avoidance of existing (and highly successful) interactive marketing programmes available right now. No they don't depend upon technology they depend on a complete understanding of the word communication.
Advertising Agencies dammed by faint praise the interactive concept pioneered by Shoppers Voice despite the fact that the evidence of the success of the programme was overwhelming. Shoppers Voice preached that Brands and media owners should focus on "engagement", "relevance" and "customization" to make an impact with consumers.
Additionally the rise of new media has ushered in the era of "performance marketing".
Despite the fact that these platforms offer unique opportunities for tracking and measurement, many corporations still hold onto their analogue mindsets.
Other companies, however, are seeking to take full advantage of these developments, with many advertisers, like Coca-Cola, shifting their agencies from fixed rate to performance-based remuneration models.
Businesses hoping to derive the maximum benefit from digital media must provide customers with information tailored to their individual needs, be it on mobile or the web.
Communications should also take the form of a two-way conversation, with consumers being able to customise the content they receive in line with their personal preferences.
With regard to metrics, click throughs, page views and the number of banners ads are also less important than gaining an in-depth understanding of the audience that is using a particular portal.
"This means adopting a truly interactive mindset. The age of push marketing is behind us. What counts now are dialogue, engagement and relevance."
The Shoppers Voice technique can deliver consumers with established interests and thus charge handsomely for that capability."
