Interactive Marketing's Future

The article The Future of Interactive Marketing brought up some interesting points about the direction that interactive marketing is heading towards. For example, companies such as Pandora Internet Radio can gather information about an individual’s choice of music, and tailor ads that best interest that individual. According to Pandora's Wikipedia, towards the end of 2011 advertising compromised of 88% of Pandora’s total revenue. That is quite an amazing marketing strategy, and it is all part of interactive marketing. Thinking about this, I realize how much interactive marketing has spread over such a short period of time. It is definitely increasing exponentially as we move into a digital revolution. Three of the most important takeaways from this article include CORE, how interactive marketers can strength marketing’s CORE, and of a thorough discussion of the future of interactive marketing.

                The acronym CORE stands for customize, optimize, respond, and empower; it is the basic model for future interactive marketing.  As the article states “The future of interactive marketing is neither an ideal organization nor a set of characteristics to layer into a multichannel campaign. Rather, the future is for interactive marketers to master four directives” listed above. An organization must customize by balancing user and business goals; treat optimization as a discipline, not a technology; respond quickly but not exhaustively; and empower influencers instead of exploiting them. A main part of the article discusses what is meant by CORE.

                Interactive marketers can strengthen marketing’s core by managing critical junctions within the organization because they bridge the customer and the business, relate across the organization, and evangelize emerging tools. As an example of evangelizing emerging tools, interactive marketers are always eager to learn more about new technologies that can help them market more efficiently. As a result some interactive marketers are always discussing new ideas to internal and external audiences while others are teaching classic mass marketers how to think like direct marketers.

                The future of marketing is interactivity. It is a challenge because interactive marketing is unique to an individual’s interest. It is about relationships, and not media. It exists in media; for example giving each user the ability to change camera angles as they watch a football game online, ad tailor by hulu.com, etc. It is powerful because it targets individuals based on their likes and interests.