Digital Marketing Mediums and Brand Marketers - Not quite on the same page

Saw this informative video clip from iMedia. It's not mentioned in the video, but I heard a rumor that Pepsi is using it's $20 million Super Bowl budget on Social Media campaigns instead of the conventional mediums. Interesting stuff...

Why are brand marketers still afraid of digital? - iMediaConnection.com

"Insight from some industry experts as to why digital still hasn't dominated brand marketers. "

iMedia's marketer on the street questions why brands continue to ignore digital and opt to put the bulk of their spend into traditional media instead.

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Social Media Strategy - A Practical Guide for Marketers

Found this great presentation regarding Social Media Strategy courtesy of Spur Interactive. Excellent food for thought!

Integrating Online and Conventional Marketing - Zappos.com Gets It!

Zappos.com Introduces a Printed Catalog

In a sign that the online marketing medium is maturing, Zappos.com, the online shoe retailer, has decided to add a printed catalog as part of their overall marketing mix, specifically to retain existing clients and to acquire new clientele. Aaron Magness, Director for Brand Marketing and Business Development at Zappos.com saw the reality of the buying public that different people respond to different media.

Being in this industry for over 23 years, I'm not surprised at all that Zappos.com has decided to make this move. I'm a big believer of merging conventional and online marketing mediums. In the right environment, both can bring value to the table.

Of course, Zappos.com is also publishing a digital edition of the catalog. Take a look at it by clicking here: Zappos Interactive Magazine!
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Focused - On-Demand Help for Distracted Minds

This application shuts out all desktop distractions making it easier to focus on writing. Pretty cool!

Focused - Demo from funkyboy on Vimeo.

The End of an Era - JC Penney Goes On-Demand

The end of an era. As kids, we always looked forward to receiving the JC Penny and Sear's "Big Book" catalogs in the mail around holiday time. Change is good. Like the rest of the retail industry, it seems JC Penney is moving to focus its marketing efforts online, on mobile applications, and smaller, more personalized catalogs. These personalized catalogs will no doubt be smaller in size. I wonder if they will still make that "flippity" sound of pages turning fast to get to the toy section!

So I have a question: How is moving a cultural icon like the JC Penney "Big Book" catalog to a smaller size and online format change the perception of that organization? Are some "old school" marketing mediums better off left alone? See the press release by clicking here.