The way it was:
During boom times, marketing was often delivered with the emphasis on letting the world know we are GREAT!  Noisy ads were placed for all to see and little thought was given to how the customer could engage with the campaign. Back of bus campaigns promoting websites failed, billboard advertising promoting online failed and text message advertising on subways failed, for obvious reasons.

The way it is:
Traditional media and advertising is in massive decline.  The general consensus is that recession is to blame; however, statistics show that marketing budgets are simply moving to more effective channels.  Recession busting companies are taking this on board and moving to the Internet.

As a nation, we are now becoming experts at ignoring other people’s vanity and are tuned in to any attempts to push their brand or products and services under our noses. 

As Google connects the searcher with the sought, it skips out the middleman.  The big question is, where does this leave ad agencies and business’ built on old school advertising and the channels to market they use? The answer is that they need to change.

The way it shall be:
Marketing is becoming more practical.  It is no longer about big brands dominating the skyline and customers believing in their promotions. It is about creating connections and conversations, engaging your audience and creating a buzz using innovation. 

I’m not saying that old advertising methods no longer work, what I’m saying is that the new economy just has a different way of making judgments.  Those that innovate in terms of being different, market in a way that encourages customer engagement and create debate and buzz will lead us into a new era.