Creative Brainstorming

Recent news regarding the change in the volume of mail sent through the US Postal Service is causing the agency to make some tough decisions.  Consumer behavior has created a shift in the way we communicate. Text messages, on-line content, email, cell phones have replaced the traditional form of send, which is now known as snail mail. In case we haven't acknowledged it yet, the digital world is impacting marketing strategy and business strategy in seismic proportions.  The pace of change is outstripping the tools in place to measure success.

Yesterday I read an article in Media Post that really got me to stop and think about the impacts of technology.  The premise of the article is contained within the title, "Mass Media Crisis is Marketers' Crisis, Too."  Writer Karlene Lukovitz cites a new white paper, "The CMO's Dilemma: Can You Reach the Masses without Mass Media?" authored by The Boston Consulting Group.

"The current shifting of advertising dollars to new types of media and below-the-line marketing channels such as PR, events, and in-store promotions represents a fundamental structural change rather than a cyclical ebb tied to the economy." 

We have already seen newspapers fold as advertising revenue dries up, print magazine titles disappear, and spending on mass media is replaced with spending on on-line strategy; search engine optimization, social media strategy and the like.

But here's the rub and a point worth considering.  Advertisers have shifted enough of their spending to threaten the future of traditional media and replaced it with channels that are just beginning to create the "how do I effectively measure this to know if it is working" question.

It's a challenge marketing managers need to consider.  And as we continue to change the way in which we reach audiences, is it appropriate to consider the value of integrated strategy that incorporates traditional with new media to get the best outcome for clients? It's a question worth exploring as marketers. As the providers of traditional media begin to disappear, can we afford to wait? As white paper authors John Rose and Neal Zuckerman so adeptly put it, "the crisis in mass media is a marketing challenge, too."

As an industry, it's time to start the discussion.