Have a Coke and a Smile. That was mine!

Wow! The next big thing in advertising/public relations, that’s a good question. And with so many different messages already hitting us from so many different directions could there possibly be a next big thing. Is the next step personalization of the message being presented the next big thing? Will voicemail messages or text messages be directed to us with our names attached within the messages. That, of course, goes back to some of the issues we have talked about throughout the semester, how much information do we want advertisers, or anyone for that matter, to have about us. The Madison Avenue’s 30-Second Spot Remover pointed out the fact that the advances in technologies and communication have made it possible for us to be surrounded by information we see and hear. It also points out that with these technologies we have the ability to click on icons and symbols, it gives the consumer the ability to control the flow.

For instance, the Chrysler makes the interactive cornerstone of its strategy article points out Chrysler’s customers ability to configure vehicles for themselves online. It mentions the interactivity of sites and the marketing strategy to talk to consumers individually. The same article also mentions the fact that marketers are shifting the ad money away from venues like television to Web based advertising.
One thing is for sure, the advertising dollar is shifting. In a class last semester Dr. Grimes said exactly that. In a conversation he had with the GM of GSD&M in Austin, an ad broker, it was reported that the money he was spending for his clients was going more and more towards Web based advertising.

Internet Communications…Let’s Get it Right!!! mentioned one key element in online advertising. And that was the ability or importance to reach consumers in the confines of their homes. Is that the next big thing, email messages that are deliver via the Internet to targeted audiences, and not just spam or phishing expeditions, but highly targeted personalized emails. As if it was coming from a friend, a friend named Barnes and Noble, for instance. The article also talks about the equal playing field that businesses are on on the Internet. Large or small businesses have the same footing on the Internet, given the message presented in an effective and proper way.

The Brawny blazes trail but winds up lost in woods article was a great example of not having an effective message. Or as the article put it, cutting-edge and forward-thinking and ultra-pioneery. That would no doubt be an issue of any marketing or public relations message, the minute you go ultra-pioneery, is the minute that your audience has just tuned you out. Like the article points out there are far to many things to take up our time, trying to figure out an advertising message should not be one of them. And that then leads into the digital-talent dearth breeds crisis article. Does that mean there will have to be more Brawny ad campaigns because the lack of talent creating the advertising is not available. Or will it lead to an influx of new and young talent entering a field that is looking for the next big thing.

I had remembered last year about some talk going on about messages being left on the NIN website, but not being a fan didn’t really pay a lot of attention to what was happening. Secret Websites, Coded Messages:The New World of Immersive Games was a fascinating article. To learn what all the talk was about was fun to read. It kind of reminded me of the movie The Game. That would have to very close to the next big thing, were consumers are no longer passive observers, but actually living out the storyline. Nike, Google Kick Off Social-Networking Site has the same appeal of being more interactive with a specific target audience. Soccer fans for instance can be connected to each other via the networking site. But will it eventually just become an extension of Nike or Google, time will tell. Not as next big thing potential as the immersive games concept.

Stakeholder Strength: PR Survival Strategies in the Internet Age was very interesting. We talked about this last week, the ability for groups of people to assemble and get the message out. This ability, no doubt, gives shareholders the access to not only the corporations they invest in but also the other shareholders that have done the same thing. It gives the shareholders tremendous amounts of power they may not have had in the past. And with this power corporations must be more diligent in their efforts on how they handle public relations issues regarding stocks, hirings, firings and other investments. The access shareholders have to the Internet narrows the world in which corporations and investors function in.

Next big thing in advertising, if I had the answer I probably wouldn’t mention it here, in fear someone would steal my idea. Oh, and it's a good idea.