Who Will Rewrite The Rules of Advertising?

The future of the advertising has been debated ad infinitum. But as we craft a blueprint for its future, we must consider which media are the strongest to carry ads, which are antiquated, and which can actually make clients some money!

The common thinking is that traditional media–TV, newspapers and radio ads, billboards, bus shelters, and direct marketing–have seen their day in the sun. There is ample support for this conclusion: there are millions channels on TV; people don’t read newspapers anymore; and a billboard’s effectiveness was never really measureable in the first place. Compared to digital media which offers more measurements and trackable research, traditional approaches seem obsolete. 

It’s difficult to say if traditional media will be relevant to advertising in the future. An educated guess is, well, probably. With public relations and journalism converging more than ever before, it is increasingly important to view them all as important ingredients in an effective advertising campaign.

Under the journalism umbrella, it’s important to note, I’m including blogging, tweeting and other social media tools—the users of which talk positively or negatively about a product or service for no remuneration. This kind of original, unfettered communication is for all intents and purposes one of the most effective methods of persuasion in new media. Whether it can actually generate revenue for a company remains to be seen.