3 Things Every Digital Marketer Should Know In 2009

I have unashamedly lifted this from the excellent Razorfish Digital Outlook Report (2009) which you can & should read HERE


The Web Gets a Pulse

The “real time” nature of the Web is taking on a new dimension:

This year, we will close that gap between archived information and what’s going on right now. Not only is the Web becoming more social — it is becoming instantly reactive.
From twittering and yammering to live online social events to intelligent, location-awareness mobile connectivity, the Web is beginning to take on a pulse —
or, a life — of its own.
Social Web users, whether they are connected teens or digital mums, are increasingly unable to draw boundaries where their physical and virtual worlds divide, or to distinguish between their known and anonymous peer groups.

And as Obama demonstrated, there is untapped momentum in social media environments, which, when leveraged well, can create a movement of scalable proportion. However, movements cannot happen alone.
In this environment, marketers need to listen, monitor and learn. They need to understand what value they bring and how to work with their agencies and media partners to create their own dynamic experiences.

Does your brand — whether you are a media company or a marketer — have a pulse?


Fragmentation Moves Beyond Media

It is no surprise that audience fragmentation continues to challenge marketers, but in 2009, it is increasingly challenging to content owners.

Media content was once relegated to a platform with an established, advertising-supported business model: TV, print,online, mobile or out of home. But as consumer attention splinters,so, too, will the content, the platform and the media revenue
model.
With economic pressure and ever more complex distribution channels, will our business models sustain themselves? Will premium content survive? While the long tail of the Web depends on technology and data to monetize its inventory, traditional business models with long-standing histories and complex infrastructures like TV have not been as quick to change.

2009 will be a test for premium content owners, the TV and print advertising establishments and the digital world as we brace for potential and unexpected change to our business models brought on by years of continued fragmentation.

What will define the media company of the future?

The ability to let content travel across a myriad of platforms, devices and lifestyles. The will to embrace new forms of measurement, data, technology and digital infrastructure to manage complexity. And the vision to compete on the future.

When the Going Gets Tough...

No doubt the recession is on everyone’s minds as we enter a new
year.
A flat year would be a good outcome for digital advertising in 2009, and while many major publishers will see a year-over-year drop, there will be winners.

We are in the midst of a historic time,when industries that some would argue were the foundations of our economy may be challenged like never before, but there is also
an opportunity for new business models to take root and thrive.

2009 will be a tough year for all media, even digital media; it will be a time for exploring new buying methods — such as conducting business through ad exchanges — and learning how to employ social influence marketing strategies that have value for consumers and brands alike.

While growth may be curbed, there is no time like the present to innovate. Innovation will take many forms — new messages, new channels, new products, new business models.
Whatever happens, one thing is for certain: we’ll all learn how to do more with less. And be smarter for it.