The Internet has changed the way we connect with our audience. Mass marketing has lost its effectiveness. Why?
Internet media content is centralised and delivered to customers on request. Mass media messages by comparison are too general to meet the needs of Information-seeking Internet users and therefore have very low impact in today’s media rich environment.
This phenomenon has given rise to the concept of Permission Marketing, a term originated by Seth Godin.
Here is the Wikipedia definition of Permission Marketing:
http://en.wikipedia.org
Permission marketing is a term used in
e-marketing. Marketers will ask permission before they send advertisements to prospective customers. It is used by some
Internet marketers,
email marketers, and
telephone marketers. It requires that people first "opt-in", rather than allowing people to "opt-out" only after the advertisements have been sent. The term was coined by
Seth Godin in his book of the same name.
Marketers feel that this is a more efficient use of their resources because advertisements are not sent to people that are not interested in the
product. This is one technique used by marketers that have a
personal marketing orientation. They feel that marketing should be done on a one-to-one basis rather than using broad aggregated concepts like
market segment or
target market.
Godin’s ideology combines three elements. First, the end of the "TV-Industrial complex" means that marketers no longer have the power to command the attention of anyone they choose, whenever they choose. Second, in a marketplace in which consumers have more power, marketers must show more respect; this means no spam, no deceit and a bias for keeping promises. Finally, Godin asserts that the only way to spread the word about an idea is for that idea to earn the buzz by being remarkable. Godin refers to those who spread these ideas as "Sneezers", and to the ideas so spread as "IdeaViruses". He calls a remarkable product or service a purple cow. Yahoo! currently has a model of a purple cow in the lobby of its Sunnyvale campus.
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The rise of Interactive Media
In the 1950’s, the new medium was television. In the 1980’s the buzz was cable TV. In the late 1990’s, the spotlight shifted to Interactive Media.
What differentiates Interactive media most from the more traditional forms of advertising is that it is more buyer initiated. The communication process basically begins when the consumer requests some specific information about a product or service. The consumer now plays a direct part in the communication process, choosing both when the message is delivered and, to some extent, the actual content of the message. Instead of an advertiser developing one message, sending it out to the masses and hoping that it is the right message delivered at the right time, the advertiser can send out a wealth of information, letting consumers select what they feel is most important. Interest and attentiveness (and therefore sales conversions) are at extremely high levels, since this is the information that has been specifically requested.
There are many advantages and opportunities in the Interactive world, some of which are:
The advertiser is not limited to a page in a magazine or a 30 second timeframe in which to communicate the key product benefits to a broad segment of the target market.
Consumers can potentially find answers to specific questions at a time of their choosing.
The advertising has the potential to be significantly more effective, due to the higher interest and attentiveness levels.
Read More on Permission Marketing by Seth Godin >
Cracker Brandware Core Services – Permission Marketing
Developing Permission Marketing Strategies
Designing email campaigns
Techniques for growing your opt-in database
Managing Lists
Designing Ad banner Campaigns and landing pages
Media Planning
Measuring & reporting response rates
Search Engine Marketing
Keyword Advertising