For far too long, the digital advertising industry has been griping about how it’s an afterthought for brand marketers. I think I’ve heard it all. “We deserve brand budgets.” “We should be getting television dollars,” and “We’re not getting our fair share based on time spent…” The reality is we haven’t earned brand dollars.As an industry, we’ve spent the last 10 years creating a direct response focused, non-brand friendly ad eco-system. From the creative formats, to the measurement, to the pricing structure – we’ve consistently valued all the wrong things for brands.The good news is that …

We focus on multiplatform convergence, fragmented attention, and precise audience targeting when we talk about the future of media, but frictionless sharing is quietly becoming one of the biggest forces dictating the future creation, consumption and spreading of content.We’re seeing the beginnings of frictionless, passive sharing on Facebook apps like Spotify and The Washington Post Social Reader. We cede control of curating our content feed, and anything we consume on these sites is automatically broadcast to our social network. Rather than choosing and sharing the best song we listened to on any given day, …

For the last two years, there have been more mobile phones shipped in America than there were desktops and laptops combined. And yet, the mobile ad industry has struggled keep up. In 2012, the mobile ad spend is projected to be only 4% of the total digital ad spend.There’s a clear disconnect here. Consumers love their smartphones and tablets. As for mobile advertising – not so much. People are not interacting with mobile advertising. Advertisers are not seeing returns from their mobile advertising dollars.This is because most mobile advertising models have directly been borrowed from the …

You say you want a revolutionWell, you knowWe all want to change the worldYou tell me that it's evolutionWell, you knowWe all want to change the worldIn 1968, John Lennon wrote this anthem, Revolution, as the world was changing around him. Today, I reflect on his words and think they apply perfectly to the radical digital transformation of the media industry and how it impacts our communication.This radical digital transformation is changing the way we communicate and can launch a movement, influence our discussions, and educate a community.Launch A …

If the past can be helpful in predicting the future, then there’s one thing we can expect from radio: consistency.Since the early days of crackling static and living room theaters, radio has heard audio challengers come and go. Yet throughout all of these technological advancements and innovations, radio remains one of the most powerful and yet intimate ways to reach mass audiences—a truly unique combination. And radio has proven time and again its resiliency and transformational power to deliver itself as a marketing solution that advertisers demand.To ensure its continued vibrancy and significance, the future of …

A common belief is that technology will shape the future of media. I’d argue that the consumer, and how consumers harness that technology, is what really drives the future of media.  Take, for example, geo-location services created in the early 00s. It was years before consumers adopted the technology – because they weren’t ready. Now look at Foursquare and its 10 million-strong community of users. The takeway? It’s all about how a technology satisfies consumer desires that make it hit. Our relentless research into our audiences’ attitudes and behaviors makes one thing abundantly clear:  there has never been a better …

With new technological possibilities and new habits of media engagement entering consumers’ lives, we are seeing no shortage of new ways for media and marketers to insult, annoy or impose on an audience. From the blaring gas-pump video to the popover ad, they grate and frustrate with seeming impunity.The fact that nearly all forms of content now have brand messages attached or integrated in some way may not seem to bode well for audiences to expect respectful treatment to be part of the bargain, whether formal or implied. But will future consumers really have no choice but to …

A few months back, I was sitting in the emergency room with my parents when the ER doctor asked my mother, “what other medications is he on?” referring to my father. As she scrambled to search for the lengthy list, I wondered, two things: why aren’t all his multiple medical records linked digitally yet? and why rely on a piece of paper, when her phone is in her lap? This experience was a personal reminder of the impact and opportunities presented by mHealth (Mobile Health) which is becoming a central focus forthe health care industry.Widespread adoption of …