A lot of people have been talking about the end of advertising as we know it.  As things move to be more social, people care less and less about messages and more and more about conversations.  While I agree that this may be trend, it's becoming more and more obvious that advertising will never just end.  Instead, it will evolve, for better or for worse, in ways that will force consumers to give it thier attention.

With that, I give you a super cheesy, low-budget promo video for a new product debuting in Chicago's O'Hare airport.  I could totally see these in any sports stadium nationwide as well.  While it could be considered an annoying medium that brings advertising back to its snaky roots, I think it's kind of ingenious and overall pretty cool.

What do you think?  Annoying, or an exciting new ad medium?

I just read a new blog post by Jason Falls titled, "Why Advertising Agencies Struggle With Social Media." A lot of the points he makes are pretty accurate, but I wouldn't write it off with the word "struggle."  He mentions the discipline of art directing and copywriting by labeling these individuals as solitary, anti-social types, content to focus on their art and craft even at the expense of changing with it.  I think these disciplines should, as you say, "get social media" and understand its importance in the overall communication/brand strategy, but I wouldn't expect a well-versed, veteran copywriter to want to respond to customer complaints on Twitter.  It's not that they struggle with it, it's simply not thier job.

That's where a new group of individuals come in.  They're called content strategists, social media coordinators, or digital account representatives.  They tweet, they respond, they act on the behalf of brands.  They're not neccesarily copywriters, but they love to write.  They're nimble and can evolve in a matter of seconds to suit a new brand or business.  

I don't think it should be a game of "who does what" when it comes to social media.  As long as we understand its importance, and have someone ready and willing to keep everything on-brand and on-strategy, it shouldn't make a difference who's handling the Twitter feed.

Sure, I don't think advertising agencies are owning social media.  But there's plenty of poeple and places out there who are, and I think every role is equally important.

Props to Brad, a Canadian agency whose portfolio contains the following work for Bud Camp, a Canadian program that appears to be the equivilant of the Bud Light Port Paradise deal that goes on in the States.  While if I had to pick between one or the other, Port Paradise looks to be a bit more my style, but from the looks of the Bud Camp website, there's still plenty of booze, bikini's and bands at the Canadian site, with a little paintball, monster truck racing, and a human cannon launcher thrown in for good measure.  The scope of these programs is beyond me.

Anyway, check out some creative the agency developed for bathrooms in Canada.  Aside from the obvious (this ad forces you to check out the dude standing next to you), this set of ads is absolutely awesome.  It takes traditional print (that you'll stare at and forget shortly after) and turns it into a collection of art, something untraditional that turns your head, makes you think, and most importantly makes you remember.

Not "out there" enough for you? Take a look at the most interesting advertising element I've seen in a long time.  The folks at Colle + Mcvoy turned a bus stop into a toaster oven for thier Caribou Coffee client.  Not only does it promote a product, but it actually provides a service too (it actually heats the patrons at bus stop).  There's nothing more memorable in my opinion. 

Does this sort of marketing move sales figures?  That could be heavily debated.  Does it spread word-of-mouth?  You bet.  And I would argue that that is even more important than immediete sales in the age of the social media concious consumer.

I'm not saying this is the solution, but I am proposing that it's a step in the right direction.  What can we as advertisers do to earn the attention of unaware consumers: offer up an experience that will literally stop them swiftly in thier tracks.

This needs a bit more branding, and obviously the physics could be smoothed out (seems a bit glitchy when there's nothing in front of it) but I'll be damned if this isn't an amazing way to get someone's attention. 

The next step would be to make the screen touch sensitive to allow for further interaction.  If users could find out more information about the product, send info to thier cell phone or social networks, who knows what the future of streetside shopping may become.

People don't buy products or product attributes.  People buy:

Freedom from fear.

Freedom from hassle.

Freedom from boredom.

Feeling of self-worth.

Esteem from others.

Hope.

Pleasure.

Peace-of-mind.

Affection.

Family togetherness.

Recognition.

In 2011, it's not about pushing a product, it's about becoming a better salesman.

*Courtesy of Wally Ambruster - a salesman.

I think I put one of these lists together in 2010 as well.  I'll need to see if I can dig it up.  Anyway, there's a ton of great 2011 forecasts floating around, so I thought I'd throw mine together too.  Here's to a great year.  I hope all of the below are accurate and look forward to appealing those that don't.  

Here's what we're going see over the next year.  Leave your thoughts in the replies.  

More Facebook Specific Ad Campaigns

I think one of the most interesting ideas happening in advertising right now are ad campaigns that are specific to one objective: growing the number of Facebook Fan page “likes”.  I’m not talking about a tag at the end of a radio spot that says “Find us on Facebook” or an awkwardly placed social media icon a print piece, I’m talking about full-on campaigns running through traditional and non-traditional mediums all with the goal of driving Facebook traffic. 

The most immediate campaign that sticks out in my mind is one from Corona.  On Facebook, they had individuals "like" their brand, upload a picture which they would project onto a huge digital billboard in Times Square, and then receive a picture on their wall as of evidence of their 15 seconds of fame.  The campaign was huge.

Another prime is example is Hostess, a brand who did a mobile marketing tour/product giveaway across the nation for the second year in a row in hopes of hitting over a million Facebook fans.  I wrote a blog on that campaign's success and I have a feeling I'll be writing about this brand and more in 2011.  What's the value of a Facebook "like?"  Who knows.  But I think we'll soon find out.

The future of Facebook may be large scale ad campaigns focused on growing fans and followers. 

An Increase in Mobile Incentives

If you would’ve told me a year ago that I wouldn’t have any interest in Foursquare anymore I would have called you crazy.  I checked in everywhere.  The interesting thing is, it got old, really old.  And I don’t think many early adopters are still in the game.  Why? Because there are no incentives that offer any reason to stick around.  You still, to this day, check in for fake, non-monetary badges and rewards. It’s comical in a sense.  The strange thing is, this could be a huge promotional avenue if brands decided to run location specific promotions that actually rewarded users for checking in.

Let’s look at Starbucks.  First, it’s important to note that this Holiday season, Starbucks opted to use Facebook Places rather than Foursquare.  Interesting to see what other brands decide to use in 2011.  But more importantly, they offered digital as well as physical incentives for checking in.  For the first check in, users received a digital red cup that showed up on their Facebook wall (for all their friends to see).  At the next check in, they received a digital and physical coffee (once again, for all of  their friends to see).  This went on for a number of days, offering something unique that showed up in your virtual world (cool Starbucks badges on your wall), but also satisfied your physical world as well (free coffee).

The future of geolocation is incentive.  Let’s see who’ll be the first to reward.

Big Brands Continuing to be Smaller

In 2010, I had a one on one conversation with Gatorade.  Sure, I don’t know who was on the other end, but they found me and said hello.  I also had a one on one conversation with John Winsor, Chief Officer at Victors and Spoils who just recently became the agency of record for Harley Davidson.  He told me I was swell.  In 2011, the smart brands will appear smaller.  They’ll realize that chatting online, whether about a brand or mindless babble, is increasingly important to 21^st century consumers like myself.  We’d like to talk to the CEO.  We’d like to hear about your company’s plans.  We want to know your listening, whether your acting on your findings or not.  Tearing down the walls is so 2010.  Actually letting us is in so 2011.

The future of business is big yet always appearing to be small.

The Importance of Influence

I almost left this one off the list because ever since 2011 rolled around (hell, even before) I think I’ve seen, heard, and even used this word over 1,000 times.  Then I realized that its importance is the reason for its recent popularity.  Today, everyone is a writer.  Consumers are making and breaking brands, bands, arts, and entertainment before they even see the light of day.  Having an influential individual at the head of a business to grow, share, speak, and build an internal agency brand is more important than ever.  With the sudden blend of the physical and virtual world, someone with influence online can often carry that same influence in his or her offline endeavors.  The future is about showing others what you know and sharing that to a larger audience.  Credibility is key.

The future of influence comes in the form of sharing media and creating things that gain attention and garner appreciation.

Marketers become Younger

I think experience obviously chalks up to something.  At the same time, this industry doesn’t just need young talent, it requires it to grow. There’s nothing worse than a cocky up and comer, but there’s nothing better than a smart, confident individual who brings a lot to the table yet still has a lot to learn.  I think in 2011, we will continue to see marketers become younger.  It won’t be a disgrace if you’re not talking to the CEO, because the account executive you’re talking to is probably more in tune with what your brand should be doing.  Sure, the CEO has a past, but the young marketers are the ones with the future.  

The future of marketing is nimble with less experience but more than enough passion.

Agencies Become More Agile

I read an article somewhere and I can’t remember the source.  I do however remember the message.  It talked about how agencies need to be more agile, how they need to invent, release, test, try, and restructure more often.  It talked less about long lead times, faulty production processes, and getting things right the first time, and more on consistently creating something worth talking about.  With the way we consume media, messages need to constantly evolve and adapt to new mediums and new audiences.  Those that create one or two things a year will be left in the dust.  Brands that create year-long platforms and programs will be rewarded with a consistent communication and an an abundance of attention from those interested in their brand.

The future of marketing is fast-paced and always changing.

New Media Models

I’ve been talking about this one for at least a year now and we haven’t necessarily seen it come to true.  I believe that new media models are going to exist, where you can buy tweets from large media publications.  Same goes for Facebook posts.  These one-time “pay-per tweets” could drive more clicks than a more traditional execution such as a banner ad.  Why do I think this will be the case?  Because it works.   In past projects I’ve worked on, when a publication posts a link to a site, campaign, video, etc, thousands of people see the message and click. When they see a banner promoting the same site, campaign, or video, no one clicks.   It’s the natural evolution of the way we act.  We share things that people like us share.  We click "like" because it's easy or retweet because it keeps us relevant.  Who knows that we click a banner ad?  No one.  So we don't click.

The future of media is socially monetary and less traditional.

Banner Ads that Do More

If traditional banner ads don't work, the industry will evolve.  Not too long ago, I did a post on AOL’s Project Devil.  It's a new banner ad system that has social networking, video, and interactive experience capabilities that allow users to do more than just click a banner.  iAds by Apple offer something similar.  This is the future of traditional.  Taking something that's existed for years and evolving it to appeal to a 21st century audience.  Traditional will never go away, but it's definitely breaking some new ground.

The future of banner ads is interactive and entertaining.

Everything isn't changing for the worse.  It's evolving for the better.  Those who scoffed at social should've now embraced it.  I look forward to monitoring trends and behaviors and continuing to document them on this blog.  

Come back soon and often.  it's gonna be a great year.