Posts Tagged advertising
Technology without a purpose
Posted by The Disgruntled IT Guy in Rants and Raves on September 24, 2010
About two weeks ago I posted a blog entry about our Pilot project with Harrisburg CAT and I ended my blog with the statement “Isn’t technology great when it serves a purpose!!”
Today I wanted to take a moment to revisit this particular topic because today I’m annoyed. And here is why I’m annoyed.
- Far too many technology vendors seem to be trying to sell me everything under the sun simply because its the newest thing out there.
- I’m not told “why” I should have this new shiny… It falls on to my shoulders to determine why I need the new shiny…
- The attitude of many vendors is that I should buy from them right now and they get offended / angry when I don’t buy the item.
- In once case I have had a vendor tell me “this isn’t a free ride” Like I somehow owe them something because they gave me a discount on some previous item and now I need to buy other items on their schedule…not on mine.
Now in all fairness not everybody is doing this. There are some good vendors and advertisers that do a wonderful job of explaining to me why this new shiny is better than the old shiny. I can even honestly say I’ve had a couple vendors tell me that I don’t need the new shiny… The new shiny doesn’t seem to fit with my other widgets. And to those guys my hat is off. I applaud vendors and advertisers that do not sensationalize or hype their product. I pay attention to those guys when they do step up and say “hey you need this” because I know that they aren’t just looking for a fast buck.
The real lesson to be learned here is that technology without a purpose (for me) is technology I’m NOT likely to buy on behalf of the company I work for. Oh and by the way, I’m not going to buy it for my home use either.
As for the good guys doing the right thing… Keep doing it!
A Tsunami of Political Advertising Rolling Your Way
Posted by Aim Marketing in Uncategorized on July 23, 2010
Have you ever felt this way?
Kantar Media, which tracks political advertising, says about $2.6 billion was spent on the 2008 general election—up from $1.7 billion four years earlier In January. Remember how obnoxious it got? This year the ad spending will likely increase again especially since the Supreme Court removed almost all limits on corporate political giving. One wonders what we are in for in the coming months. For one thing there will be no bargains for media buyers. I predict so much ad spending for political ads that candidates will be forced to spread their money around from radio, cable television, direct mail, newspaper and TV. This is one segment of private business that is in for a windfall.
My next prediction is candidates will remember the Obama social media campaign and dive in headfirst. The only thing is Obama had celebrity appeal that made people excited to actually be his friend and network online with him. A candidate flub-up in social marketing may end up being worse than goofing up a question at a press conference, or performing poorly at a debate. We did just witness the backfire when Palin tweeted “no mosque at ground zero”. I like the fact that you could join in or opt out of online campaigns. It will be interesting come September when the barrage starts.
My advice is to get your buys in now if you’re planning a fall campaign, but be prepared. The audience has many ways of tuning you out. While media will get some well deserved advertising revenue, our poor retailers trying to make a last ditch effort to end the year in the black, will get buried in the clutter or end up on the cutting floor. My only hope is that after the election the retail climate might have more optimism about the future of doing business in this country.