New Media Archives - Page 12 of 17 - Post Control Marketing

Recently I’ve been talking a lot about PR-able advertising. And when I say that I’m really talking about three components: public relations, advertising and social media. You may think of social media as the glue that holds the other two together, but in reality it is much more. It is about having PR, advertising and social media baked in the big idea from the beginning and not forgetting the other communication touch points. Its a strategic approach that works in paid media, earned media and viral.

It used to be that the copywriter and art director would come up with the big idea and then PR and Interactive would be brought in to execute their disciplines. Today we work more in an expanded team of copywriters, art directors, public relations and digital media people who literally sit together to come up with that idea that draws from all disciplines – an idea that leverages all three equally.

Cannes, the most prestigious ad award show, now awards film lions to Internet videos, and has PR, cyber and direct categories. The judges now reward campaigns that fuse public relations, advertising and digital media. David Lubars, chairman-chief creative officer of BBDO North America and president of the Cannes film and press juries summed it up by saying, “The way the world is heading is voluntary engagement.”

What does this mean for the average marketer? You must first go through primary and secondary research into the target audience, industry and competition to uncover an insight that can be leveraged across all three disciplines. What is that big campaign concept that will lead to motivating advertising, newsworthy public relations, and engaging social media? Ideally you want a insight that you can use to engage your target in social media and can be promoted through advertising. More than a single event you also need something that can be sustained over the campaign period.

Traditional marketing is a one way street. Today you need to start a two-way dialogue with your target audience. Listening and talking to your consumers starts a conversation that will lead to engagement and action. If you can join conversations happening already or get the target to join your own you will create a social campaign that crosses media and marketing to become a movement that will not only meet your marketing objective but can be sustained beyond the official campaign period. When that happens three truly is the magic number.

I’ve always wondered why people keep calling new media new. Marketers can only use the word new for so long. The FTC suggests a six-month limit on the use of the word new when advertising the introduction of a “new” product not previously on the market.

So how does the media that marketers buy get away with it? Color safe bleach could no longer say it was new ten years after it came out. Dot coms had their boom and bust ten years ago but digital media is still called new! It’s time for a new name for new media. But before we name it, we have to define it.

PC Magazine Encyclopedia gives us two definitions. New media is the forms of communicating in the digital world – publishing on CD-ROM, DVD, digital television and the Internet – using desktop, laptops and wireless, handheld devices. New media also allows smaller groups of people to congregate online and share, sell and swap goods and information. It allows more people to have a voice in the world.

This definition seems a little dated from a marketer’s perspective. I’d say what we’re really talking about is anything that promotes interaction (consumer to consumer, company to consumer, consumer to company) through digital technology. This definition of the media formally known as new includes:

Web Sites, Video ads, Widgets, RSS Feeds, Podcasting, Banner Ads, Short Films, Blogs & vlogs, Chat Rooms, Blue tooth, In-Game Advertising, Social Networking

So what can we call it? I suggest Interactive Digital Media. It know its not that catchy or flashy but it does include all the “new” media listed above while excluding “old” media like traditional one way television, radio and billboard communication. Unless of course you turn a form of traditional media into Interactive Digital Media. A good example is Chicago transit (CTA) using GPS-based bus ads with 50-inch digital screens.

Still craving a catchy name? How about Activigital?