Friday, June 25, 2004

A New Era in Marketing

Rapid evolution in communication technologies seems to be re-defining marketing strategies. With convergence being the objective of technology companies, new products are designed to serve multiple purposes like computing, television, telephony and more. An example would be the cell phone. From being a simple communication device, today’s cell phones provide a whole suite of services. This phenomenon is spreading to other consumer products as well - refrigerators with Internet capability, intelligent ovens, cars with built-in computers and more. Newer homes are being built to accommodate these new technologies.

From the marketers’ perspective, all this has opened a new path to the consumers’ minds. A whole new approach to direct marketing is now in the making. With consumers relying more than ever on a few devices to perform day-to-day activities, these devices are becoming targets of companies. Whether to sell products or services, such devices offer an excellent means of delivering customized or personalized messages to the consumer. So, don’t be surprised to see a day when your cell phone consistently displays ads or your car’s dashboard becomes an advertising medium. Advances are already being made in cell phone marketing.

With that said, there will be a new breed of spammers. Spam will no longer be unwanted email. Spam will be unwanted everything! Every electronic device used for advertising purposes will be the new target of spammers. And then what? Other devices to fight spam will be born. In this cycle of marketing/technological evolution there is a huge potential for a number of people:

Marketers – Easy direct marketing tool.
Consumers – Personalized advertisements tailored to their likes and dislikes.
Spammers – A huge market to target.
Spam-fighters – New ways to fight spam.

So, lets welcome the new marketing era!

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