One last note about connectivity...,

There have been very few technological issues this quarter except for when blogger went down for a few days in the May. The one difficulty I have had personally is that when I deployed to the Middle East 4 weeks ago my internet connection became extremely slow. This made it difficult to watch some of the streaming content and videos of the course that demanded higher bandwidth to support. Overall, I am pleased with the wide variety of information that has been presented in this course and it has made me reconsider a number of the traditional marketing concepts that I learned in my basic KD marketing course. Thank you for this quarter,
Cameron Radon
PS I apologize that my wife's name is on this account, she already has a Blogger account.

I agree with what Eric Clemmons is getting at, and I think it is something that I eluded to in a prior post. Similar to how consumers want custom service and custom products, they also want custom advertising, which is information that they search for on their own terms. People are getting good at clicking through the garbage to get to the content they are looking for, and they are more or less bothered by the distractions. Rather, when a consumer actively searches for a product and service and is then presented with websites or information relating to that search, they are not only going to be more receptive but there is a good chance they will actually purchase that product. Information is so easily accessible now for all consumers that rarely will a product search begin and end with traditional advertising. Consumers want to see options, they want to see reviews and they they want to know they are getting the best deal possible. This used to be too time consuming but it is a process that can be completed now in a matter of minutes with powerful search engines and useful websites. Advertising is increasingly a two way street. Marketing is no longer a passive activity, it needs to engage its customers and harness the opportunity when a consumer actively searches for a product.

Advertising is Everywhere --Video Games

It sounds like there is a lot of research to do as far as the effectiveness of advertising in video games. The revenue that is coming in from game advertising is an indicator that companies think it works, but the connection between the ad and sales has not yet been defined. I agree that too many people spend too much time playing video games, but they are definitely a source of human attention so I believe advertising in them can work, whether consciously or subconsciously. I think that video game advertising will most likely follow more traditional marketing principles such as target ads to hit key demographics--the ones buying and playing the games. I think online video games may adhere more closely to the Google models that are more complex and take into account browsing history to maximize ad revenue and effectiveness. Because of this, I expect online video game advertising to increase in the coming years because it is more dynamic and has the potential to be more effective. Traditional games that are sold to consumers will not be as effective because they will not have the advantage of browser history to more precisely place ads. Furthermore, people who buy games will play them quite a bit and the same Coca-Cola ad in a purchased game cartridge will be seen over and over by the same set of eyes. Online games will have the advantage of new ads every time that person plays the game based on their history on the internet. Furthermore, online game players will play a wider variety of games (such as the Orbitz three minute games) which will give them more exposure to more products. Overall, I think gaming advertising will follow the same marketing trends we have seen with the coming of the digital age. The more dynamic the ad, the more effective it will be and the more revenue it can demand.

Google

I had no idea Google brought in $21 billion in 2008. It looks like $29 billion in 2010 and $8.5 billion for the first quarter of this year. Has any marketing company ever had this type of cash flow? What I like about Google is that their success makes my life easier. The more money they make, the more efficient their search engine becomes and the more applications I can use for free that are developed by Google. I guess it is hard to imagine what it will take to unseat Google as the industry champion because its success just creates more success by adding viewers and creating more precise mathematical models for behavior.

GPS Tracking and Mobile Device Data Collection

The NYTimes article had me thinking about privacy issues with data collection in mobile devices. Similar to the Numerati argument, I am all for it. If I am walking down the street and I type restaurant into Google, I would prefer it to show me the menu, reviews, and prices for the restaurants near me. Just as I expect my products and services to be individualized to me, I would like my marketing and advertising to be personalized to me as well. If it means that the GPS is tracking me or what I have clicked on is recorded in a database somewhere, so be it. This just shows the power of the digital era in marketing. If done correctly, advertising can be placed at the right place and at the right time so that it is no longer advertising, it is information that people want. Mobile devices are the epitome of this characteristic because when people are on the go, the easier it is to find information/advertising, the better.

The History of the Internet

This video was a great synopsis of how the internet came to be and it posed a few questions that left me thinking. The first question being will the internet be regarded as one of the greatest inventions of all time and I think the answer to that is already yes. When considering impact on society, the internet is unparalleled in how it transformed how people live their lives around the world. It is not an expensive technology reserved for advanced economies and as the video states, the lack of discrimination in its use is unique. Nobody really owns it and nobody filters it. Not only will the internet be regarded as a great invention, but it will be known as the greatest invention of all time as it continues to transform every aspect of life on earth. Another question that was posed in the video was whether the internet's impact on society will be positive or negative. I think the transparency the internet promotes is important to answering this question. It seems as though so much of the conflict in our world is a result of misunderstanding and poor communication between cultures and people. As the proliferation of the internet continues, more and more people will gain awareness of others around them and the world will become smaller and flatter, as trite as that may sound nowadays. It is exciting that everyone has a voice and people can access more information than ever which will hopefully create more conscientious citizens on all continents. I think that as this movement continues, respect between cultures will increase as people realize they are not much different than those halfway around the world.

I welcome the Numerati

The concern in the numerati article that we have all become numbers does not bother me because of the benefits I receive from individual consumer preference. I like the fact that when I search a product on Google I find exactly what I want and that advertisements come my way about that product. It is so much easier to be a consumer in the era of the numerati because they are doing all of the work for me. No longer do I have to drive or call a store to look at products and services, it is all right there for me. Furthermore, the trends that the numerati focus on are most likely trends that I want to be part of. For instance, if I become interested in wine tasting, the numerati will have made equations that give me links to a wine tasting area in Argentina that I would have never have thought of otherwise. The numerati expand my horizons because they harness the ideas of humanity and give me suggestions based on what is working for other people which I like. I think that is why the internet is so exciting and people can spend hours just surfing--it is a testament to the power of the numerati and their importance in our lives.