Not in My Lifetime
by: Dawn Wentzell
What was the last original idea in marketing? I can’t tell you, because I wasn’t there. In my lifetime, there haven’t been any new ideas in marketing, just recycling of old ideas on new platforms. Sure, the Internet seems new, but it’s really just the same ’ol, same ’ol. Display ads are the new magazine ads. YouTube is the new television commercial.
What about social media? It’s not a new form of marketing either, despite being the new kid on the block. Social media is nothing more than word-of-mouth marketing mashed up with professional networking and creating relationships with potential customers. Those three have existed as forms of marketing since humans started trading items with each other. They are nothing more than the foundation of marketing, wrapped in a shiny, new, celebrity-endorsed package.
Ultimately, marketing comes down to two basics — mass marketing and direct marketing. All Internet marketing — whether intentionally so or not — leans a little more towards the direct marketing side, in that we can analyze data about our viewers in order to customize our efforts to their likes. Even in social media and word-of-mouth marketing, that data analysis is occurring, although it is done so informally and on the spot by whomever is running the Twitter account or Facebook page; a good social media practitioner will be able to customize their message to the immediate audience on the fly based on how the community reacts.
Of course, it will be interesting to see how these existing forms of marketing continue to change and evolve over time, as the Internet ages and new technologies — like augmented reality — become the norm.
The Last Original Idea
... is a chronicle of communication and commerce as seen through the lens of the Internet. It is a must-have reference book for marketing people..
Jim Sterne Founder of
eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit
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