• Retuers, Friday, March 3, 2006 10:16 AM

We all know media fragmentation makes it harder than ever to reach today's over-media-extended consumers. For the marketing community, this means--sadly--they have to work harder than their predecessors in the pre-online days, because fragmentation means fragmented media plans, which means mass media is dying. These days, you've got at least four or five different Internet channels to consider, mobile phones and other portable devices, even video games, not to mention traditional media. Not only do advertisers have to reach different consumers in their specialized little worlds, but they also have to reach more markets, including fast-growing countries like China, India and Brazil. For publishers, especially Web publishers who can provide more data to advertisers than their offline counterparts, the pressure to deliver the right audience has become tantamount to delivering the broad audiences of the past. The pressure on all sides to deliver the right metrics has forced media companies into unprecedented exploration with advergaming, mobile marketing, and online promotions and giveaways. These have resulted in success for some, but for others they wonder what's happened to the ground beneath their feet. "From the client's point of view, it becomes much more challenging," WPP Chief Martin Sorrell said at a Reuters media conference. "Ironically, we become more important in that process, because we're a purveyor of what clients spend and where they spend it," he said. That may be true, but you also have a lot more pressure on you to perform, especially when other ad shops are chomping at the bit to get your clients' business.

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