Louis Halpern's View

Whilst the fragmentation of traditional media was already an unstoppable process a decade ago, there is no doubt that the digital revolution has added its own mix of rocket fuel which is becoming more potent with every technological advance. We’ve become a fractile society of individuals in a way that, as Lord Rees Mogg asserts in “The Sovereign Individual”, could eventually even undermine the power of nation states themselves. It will demand a radical re-assessment of the world we live in and the way that as humans we interact with each other.

As part of these seismic trends, marketers are ill-prepared for the changes in media that now loom on the horizon, all driven by the very industry we work in.…

Sara Kimberley’s upbeat analysis of digital media in Precision Marketing (29 July 2005) is a glowing evaluation of the sector’s current status. The direct marketing industry is now justifiably reaping the rewards of having stuck by a medium that in 2001 was the marketing equivalent of leprosy. Indeed, Zenith Optimedia substantiates the quoted IPA Bellweather report by estimating that whilst TV will grow by 1.5 % and press by 1.3% in 2005, online advertising will post a phenomenal 19 per cent rise. It’s an exciting time.

However, as an industry collective, this is no time to uncork the champagne and feel smug. Why? The key emerging digital trend is the amalgamation of many digital applications onto single platforms, most notably the…

James Curtis’ piece on ‘the future of media’ (Campaign, 17^th March 2006) makes for compelling reading but falls down because it barely acknowledges the power of individual data. With one billion people worldwide currently having access to computers and with more than 800 million new mobile handsets being issued this year alone, only those media owners holding the most valuable and precise individual data will survive.
Recent manoeuvrings by Google are a tacit recognition of the fact. As the number one search engine they already know what you’re reading, what you are interested in, where you are going (Google maps) and their forays into the VoIP and mobile markets are significant because Google will eventually know everything about you. Google’s strategy is replicated…