The Revolution Will NOT Be Televised

I recently gave a presentation that spoke about the upcoming trends for 2010, I know, I know you are all probably kicking yourself for having missed it  but please try not to dwell on such disappointments! In that talk one of the things I mentioned was that advertisers will not only continue to shy away from the traditional forms of advertising in favor of a greater online precense (just what the newspapers hate to hear), but that they would have to find creative ways to grab our attention in the process. The first major change of strategy has been announced and it's a pretty significant player in the advertising game.
Pepsi has decided against doing any TV advertising during the biggest football game of the year, the Super Bowl (or as  the Cleveland Browns call it: "That game we watch on TV every year with the rest of America"). You may be sitting there thinking "big deal". It costs millions of dollars for 30 seconds, that is a smart business move. While bringing up the financial aspect is a fair point, it was 3 million bucks for 30 seconds last year, that is not the reason Pepsi gives as the reason for not reaching into their corporate pockets. According to spokesperson Nicole Bradley the game just doesn't work for Pepsi's goals for the next year. "In 2010 each of our brands has a strategy and marketing platform that will be less about a singular event and more about a movement" she said.
This move by Pepsi signals the first in what I am pretty sure is going to be a mass movement from traditional broadcast media into new creative means of getting your message out. I recently read that there is a projected 43% increase in online advertising expected in 2010 over this current year. If this is successful starting in January I have a feeling that increase could end up being much larger. When you have a "big dog" like Pepsi deciding to stay on the porch for the Super Bowl, you have a major player shifting gears and you can expect more to follow. The real question for Pepsi is this: Will their new mode of advertisment lead to greater visibility? They have decided to launch a campaign entitled "Pepsi Refresh Project" which will allow communities to submit ideas for refreshing areas of their communities that could use a facelift to better meet the needs of its residents. The web site will launch January 13th and they will give away 20 million dollars, so I am guessing they will have more than a few people visiting the site. On top of it, they have gotten me to write more about them NOT advertising during the super bowl than if they actually HAD done it for the 24th straight year.
All of this leads us to think that at some point one of two things is going to happen. First, the traditional broadcast media companies are going to have to respond with a different approach themselves in order to remain a viable force in the marketplace. The DVR and satellite radio has made broadcast commercials a thing of the past in most cases. Pop up ads are blocked through our virus protection online so its harder to reach a customer through those tradtional online methods as well. It will be interesting to say the least, but I can assure you the TV people at least will figure out a way. I have ideas on how, but that will have to wait for another blog.
So as we head to the holiday's and we move on through the New Year the times will continue to change and so many of those messages are going to fall on deaf ears. Which leads to an interesting question: If your TV advertisement has a tree falling in the woods and nobody is watching, does it still make a sound? (I don't know that answer, but I know it still cost you money!!)

Happy Holidays!