Are Ad Agencies to Blame for the Current Mess We're In?

I recently saw an article on eMarketer regarding a Harris Interactive poll that found 66% of US Internet users said that advertising agencies were at least partly to blame for the current economic crisis. Why? Because they influence people to buy things they cannot afford. Which means an increase in credit card debt and defaults on those debts. Give me a break! Are you kidding me? Has the media gone so far as to totally control our decision making process? Is the media outfitting itself with mind-control games and subliminal messages. "Just say no" guys, it's pretty simple.

Saw a Poll on LinkedIn About Marketing Hiring

I recently saw this poll question asked on LinkedIn by Scott Hample, an Onsite Consultant at the US Postal Service; "When will hiring in the Marketing sector return to pre-recession levels?" My thoughts are as follows:

Marketing automation and on-demand solutions will begin to take hold during this downturn and "people" resources might not be needed as much as in the past. Existing marketing mediums as we know them today are slowly being automated. As new marketing mediums evolve, the number of marketing executives might not increase, but the number of marketing enablers such as software developers and digital graphic designers will increase to meet the demand of this growth in marketing automation.

What do you think?

Top 50 GPO Suppliers List for 1st Quarter 2009 - Why the Decrease?

According to Government Print Management the number of print suppliers obtaining GPO (Government Printing Office)work during the first quarter of 2009,(January through March) was 1112 compared to 1263 during the fourth quarter of 2008, a 12% drop.

The value of the work awarded to the top 50 suppliers during the first quarter of 2009 was $49,223,165 compared to $105,293,322 for the fourth quarter of 2008, a 53% drop. During all of 2008, approximately 1817 suppliers won GPO print work valued at $421,886,169 million.

I'd be curious as to how much of the drop in both suppliers and revenue was a result of on-demand marketing solutions versus an actual decrease in requirements that would have otherwise used print as their vehicle of choice. Your thoughts?

Click Here for the list of the 50 GPO Suppliers.

Advertising and Consumer Confidence - More is Better

According to a recent Neilsen IAG study (March 2009) of banks, insurance companies and investment firms, the more advertising a consumer saw from their firm, the greater the level of confidence they had in that firm. Alternatively, the less advertising initiated from their firm resulted in a direct decrease in consumer confidence in that financial institution. The proofs in the puddin', at least in the financial vertical; cutting back on advertising and marketing during a down time has negative psychological effects on consumer confidence.
(Please tilt your head before looking at the graph)









When respondents were asked what factors or marketing channels would increase their confidence in the safety and soundness of their financial institutions, they said the following:

1. Positive press
2. Regular, consistent advertising
3. Regular email or direct mail offers
4. Regular online advertising

The bottom-line is that marketers need to "reach out and touch" their customers on a consistent basis. Marketing on Demand and Automation makes that possible.

Experience is the New Reality - Future of the Internet

Found this video (its bi-lingual in English with Spanish subtitles) through one of my Twitter posts. It takes a horizontal look at the history AND FUTURE of the Internet. Pretty cool stuff and ideas. What makes it so weird is that is that it's not so far-fetched in it's thinking. Take a look...