I know everyone will be talking about this today, but then again maybe there's a reason for that. On New Years people like to reflect on the past, and look forward to the future.
Something is different this New Years eve however, with all the doom and gloom we hear in the media about the economy most people are not excited for what's in store in 2009.
All we hear is that 09 is going to be bad economically, with higher unemployment rates and more companies needing to be bailed out. So what should we do during this time of reflection and projection, as we leave a mediocre 2008 and head into what looks to be a turbulent 2009?
Well, we must all keep our heads down (or up?) and move forward. We must use this as an opportunity to push new ideas that would have never been accepted when things were going well. Now is a great opportunity, because nothing opens up a CEO's ear more to new ideas than a few turbulent quarters. Now;s your turn to capitalize on it.
With that in mind here is my hopes and dreams of things that will happen in 2009 in the marketing world.
1.It will get worse before it gets better, but in 09 companies will beat themselves up with so many sales and discounts that they won't work anymore (if they still are) and they will eventually understand they need to be listening and interacting with their customers. 2.Traditional media (TV, Radio, Paper, etc.) will continue to hop on the online bandwagon, the only difference is some of them will get it right. We will see more products like Hulu, and some big newspaper company will hire a big online exec and go 100% online. The line between traditional media and new media will merge. 3.Use of social media will continue to rise, and companies will find it impossible to ignore the online conversations going on about their companies. 4.Online video advertising will continue to rise as TV ad budgets are cut, and companies still want that rich visual connection with the public. 5.By the end of 2009 companies will stop acting scared and will start investing in things like marketing, R&D, and employees. (Smart companies never stopped)
Now I will take this list, and others I have, and will make plans for 2009 based on it. These plans will be both for me personally and for my clients and company. I encourage you to make your own list of projections and then figure out ways to capitalize on them.
Make 2009 a great year!
BTW, my 2009 goals for this blog are to write more, continue to improve my writing skills (or lack thereof), and finally update the theme.