by DJ Edgerton (@wiltonbound)
Over the next five years,spending on interactive marketing will double, according to research from Forrester done for Ogilvy. What now are TV budget sizes will be interactive marketing budget sizes in 2016.
Heres a short Q&A on what this means for you.
Why is this happening?
Its simply a reaction to reality. Interactive digital devices are increasingly becoming peoples prime source of information and entertainment. Our faces arent tucked behind books or magazines or TVs nearly as often as theyre behind computers or phones. Marketing is simply catching up and planning ahead.
Is this just techno-hype?
Well, lets be clear: interactive will still be a small slice of the total marketing pie. This is not to say that it will become the majority – or even a quarter – of marketing spend. It will double, but it will remain only a piece.
Should you and/or your clients be making your long-term plans in line with these forecasts?
If you, like us here at Pixels & Pills, find your livelihood in interactive marketing experiences, yeah, this is big news. No, this doesnt mean that interactive marketing is taking over the entire world of marketing. But what the rest of the marketing world is doing is somewhat immaterial. You will have the opportunity to double your business – and if you dont think thats exciting as hell, then youre in the wrong business.
What should be shifting in your budget and in your planning?
You will find yourself needing to explain yourself less and execute more. You will find yourself needing to rely less on gimmicks and more on results. As interactive marketing gets a seat at more tables, it will continue to have to justify its presence there with the same ROI metrics as everyone else. If youre in this business for the novelty value, its time to get out.
What should you be thinking about?
Dont start thinking about how you can become the central showpiece of marketing efforts. Keep doing what – I hope – you have been doing: being an integral part of a cohesive brand effort. Look at where your brands will be in five years time. Dont worry so much about precisely what technologies youll use once youre there. Think more about what your brand will need at that point in its life, and what type of interactions with your audiences will be the most useful for it.
As the year is nearing its end, youre going to see lots of reminders for how best to plan 2012, how to get ready for the new year, and how to kick it off. I think thats thinking too small. Lets look five years ahead and get ready for that instead.
infographic source: OGILVY 360 DIGITAL INFLUENCE