We've come a long way... but where are we going?

As I said in my first post, we all live in the same world. In this world, the distance that separates us diminishes with every new technological advance. We have become increasingly globalized in almost all aspects of life: business, technology, knowledge. No longer do we live isolated in our homes, towns, states, or even our countries. We have the ability and option to be instantly connected to any person from anywhere in the world, enabling us to share our views, interests, experiences, and knowledge on any subject we see fit to divulge.

In this globalized world, marketing has shifted, placing the consumer in the center, the most important component of the market equation. In this age, the internet has proven to be an incredible global tool. A mass amount of information is readily available and people are becoming more and more experienced in how to obtain it. The internet continues to show that it is a great resource for consumers to research, compare and purchase.

Marketers are playing attention, too. Spending ad money on online media has been growing as users themselves change the way they consume media. Internet ad revenue has increased by nearly 27% in one year alone, an incredible shift only projected to increase more as technology and user capability develops.

I have seen throughout my research into global advertising and marketing that the internet is being utilized to reach the consumer in new and innovative ways. The examples of this are endless: Intel has recently decided to put 50% of their total ad budget into online executions; Radiohead and other popular bands have begun releasing albums online first (and sometimes for free!); Google is looking to go to the moon; and just about every new advertising campaign seems to center around an online component of some sort (Absolut Vodka even has a forum where users from around the world can share and discuss their visions of a perfect world). The internet is being utilized to explore the problems facing society today, most notably the environment. Energy company, Chevron, is attempting to shift their negative image as an oil company by creating an online space (their Web site) for all of us living in the global community to collectively brainstorm on how to improve our oil dependency problems. Their campaign, The Power of Human Energy, is all about engaging people about energy issues, while promoting their own alternative energy efforts.

Engaging the audience is extremely important in today's world. Consumers and online users have become engaged, connected and empowered through forums, social networks, and an unlimited amount of online choices. When it comes to media use, we are all extremely connected. The internet has the potential to bring together people from any corner of the planet to trade and share information in a universal platform. New networking sites emerge every day and technology is constantly evolving. Members of any network are connected and have the potential to build relationships with each other. More often then not, social networking serves to increase the strength of businesses and consumers, reinforcing social connections by providing users a platform they utilize to obtain, share, and spread information to peers, consumers and contacts.

Earlier this semester, I attended ADWEEK’s Virtual World’s Conference and heard from keynote speaker John Marcom, senior VP of International Operations for Yahoo, Inc. The biggest thing Marcom stressed was society’s move to a more “consumer in control” way of doing business. The internet and instant connectivity has enabled consumers to voice their opinions and control the content they are exposed to. Companies, he said, are now being created without much thought to advertising, but with more of a focus on personalization. In the online world, the user is front and center

This shift into online, user-centered, globally-connected media can only be explained by looking at who’s using the media, how they are using it and what they are using it for. As a young communications student, I can speak for my generation in saying most of us know how to use the media tools we’ve been given to create or explain ourselves. My generation and those that come after are all about media multi-tasking, balancing more than one message at once. Media is used as a tool to create and express personal identity. Most kids have a myspace or a facebook, which instantly connects them to millions of people all over the world. With these pages they can create, explore or explain their own personal identities through their words, music, videos and pictures. We know how to use the tools, we’ve seen all the different messages that have bombarded us throughout our lives, and now we demand legitimate communication from marketers who work to give us what we want and expect, of course with us as the central focus.

In this new media world, an authentic voice is the most important thing marketers can bring. As consumers become increasingly skilled and willing to search for the perfect products and information they need, brands need to convey real messages with the user’s voice front and center.

With the user central to the message, advertising and marketing executives face the challenge of forming messages around their consumers, revolving advertising goals around what users want, need, or can do.

If companies wish to be global in this market, whatever their methods, they must satisfy the user. As I embark into the marketing world as a college graduate, I see that one thing is clear: information is free-flowing; it is the various media used to obtain this content that is changing. Advertisers must always be looking forward at what their audience is thinking, how they are consuming, and what their next move will be. The internet is a literal “web,” in which we are all connected, engaged, and open to new and diverse information. Taking advantage of the business and advertising opportunities offered through the web will only mean great things as the internet and its capabilities expand in coming years.