e-dreaming

There has been a lot of discussion in the last decade about the supposed death of mass media.  The basis for this claim is the belief that the effectiveness of mass media (TV, radio and traditional print publications) has continued to decline as consumers have increasingly employed new technology and turned to the Internet for news, information and entertainment. 

There is no doubt that, as the use of DVRs, TiVo, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo! News, etc. continues to skyrocket, mass media marketers are scrambling to figure out how to breathe new life into their financially struggling businesses.  So while they may not be dead (yet), many of those historically mammoth media organizations certainly appear to be on life support.

The challenge for advertisers is to understand how these changes effect their approach to marketing.  The best alternative is most likely a hybrid approach – one that utilizes mass media (when appropriate), while at the same time exploring the advantages of other media options including Internet advertising, search engine advertising, social media, direct mail, etc.  That is likely to require advertisers that have historically relied on traditional mass media to do their homework, and learn at least the basics of these other alternatives, and/or find someone they can trust to help them understand how these tools can benefit them.

The real good news is that competition, even among media alternatives, is a good thing.  It has driven down costs (or certainly will eventually, as the formerly mammoth media giants are forced to accept that they have lost much of their audience and effectiveness), and increased choices!  If/when the traditional mass media costs get in line with other alternatives and when entrepreneurs (or perhaps even those old media giants) find ways of making the integration and measurement of these alternatives more seamless, that is likely to recessitate mass media, and give advertisers improved opportunities to prosper.