Alternative media growing fast despite slow down

Spending on "alternative media" - which encompasses everything from digital to mobile to emerging segments like gaming and branded entertainment - will surge by 20.2 percent to $88.2 billion in 2008 (PQ Media - Full story). It will continue to grow, hitting $160.82 billion by 2012­ regardless of an economic downturn, says the report, a 26.6 percent of total U.S. advertising and marketing spend.

Why is this? Presumably because the returns are better than those offered by the traditional media and when the belts are tightened, you need to continue to invest where the returns are best.

Multi-tasking rewards integrated activity

According to a recent study by Grunwald Associates (Study: Kids are Multitaskers On TV, Web, Mobile ), 64% of kids in the US go online while watching television. And 73% of TV-online multitasking kids are engaged in "active multitasking," defined as content in one medium influencing concurrent behavior in another.

Obviously these stats are for American teenagers, but it is reflective of a growing trend driven by the all-pervasiveness of the Internet.

What does it mean? Well it means that you cannot think of your Internet marketing activity as existing separately from your other marketing activity. To do so will seriously reduce the effectiveness of both activities.

Increasingly users expect to continue their relationship with their chosen suppliers through whatever media they happen to be using. For example, short-code texts make an excellent return path for outdoor advertising, as do websites (if not Red Button sites) for TV ads.

Always put yourself in the consumers position and ask how would you like to make the next contact.

Making Facebook work (or not!)

There is plenty of talk about how social networks offer a great marketing opportunity. It's where the influencers hang out online, particularly the 14-25 much sought after ones. The challenge is how to engage, rather than alienate, this media savvy audience.

Now I'd love to claim that I had the answer. Sadly I don't. But I can make one or two observations.

The recent No Smoking Day campaign proudly announced it's Facebook campaign (No Smoking Day adds Facebook to direct campaign) in Revolution. I wonder what it's targets were. It's result is 116 members have joined it's Facebook page. Not what I would call a huge success.

Radio 1 DJ, Chris Moyles, on the other hand, has over 300,000 members to his Facebook page. So how come he is doing so well?

For a start, he has a National Radio show to promote it. He pushes Facebook heavily on the show (at least he did last time I listened) and he integrates it with the show by publishing extra value content to the page, usually stuff that doesn't work on the Radio. And as more users, particularly his audience, are using multiple media (ie. surfing while listening to the radio / watching TV), this is very effective (see recent Study: Kids Are Master Multitaskers On TV, Web, Mobile).

The point is that just because you have a Facebook page, it doesn't mean that you will generate any benefit. It has to be part of your marketing strategy and properly integrated into you other activity. AND you have to give your users what they want, not what you want them to have!

This is true for any "viral" activity. To create a word of mouth buzz, you have to do something that genuinely interests, excites or entertains your audience.