The start of a new year always brings a plethora of prediction lists: Resolutions, trends and forecasts. A recent blog post over at MediaPost Communications highlighting Keith Kelsen, founder of the 5th Screen Project and a contributor to Digital Signage Today, lists 10 predictions for 2010. Including one of our favorites: Content!
“Content will continue to be the No. 1 trend. As always, the most important part of any strategy remains the most difficult. According to Kelsen, DO companies really only began addressing content seriously in 2009. Kelsen sees more custom content created especially for DO networks, but at the same time more ‘continuity’ between this content and content delivered via other channels like cinema, TV, PC and mobile.”
We agree with the magazine experts at Foliomag.com who are predicting that content’s role for publishers this year will expand and grow. The creation and execution of targeted content will be a huge asset for publishers and will help them connect with their readers who are looking to access content not only in a variety of places, but also with different platforms and tools.
“It will be imperative to respond to the readers needs—where, when and in the format they prefer—or see yourself being pushed out of the market. Print will still play a flagship role for most magazine enterprises, but there will be a continued drive to expand existing channels including print magazines and newsletters, digital magazines and e-newsletters, mobile, Web sites, blogs, podcasts, virtual events, video and many others.”
A recent Deloitte & Touche study found that 75 percent of consumers in the U.S. think of Internet ads as intrusive, and some estimates say that more than 90 percent of Internet advertising is totally ignored.
So what’s a company to do to get their message out online?
Adotas says that a good content strategy may be the way to go:
“More and more marketers are re-allocating some of their interactive advertising budget to create articles, posts, tweets, videos, contests, social networking pages and other content to engage customers in an ongoing dialogue — informing and entertaining them instead of marketing ‘at’ them.”
According to the study, “The ContentWise and Custom Publishing Council’s 2009 Spending: A Look at How Corporate American Invests in Branded Content,”released by the CPC, marketers spent more on custom and branded content last year than ever before. Highlights of the study include:
We’re not out in Las Vegas this week for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (we’re a bit jealous of anyone who is), but we’ll definitely be keeping our eyes on what’s coming out of the event.
The Business Insider is predicting 10 trends for this year’s CES, and we’re eager to hear more about #4:
Content generally takes a backseat at CES, but this year the show devotes an entire day-long track, called “Content, Creativity and Cash,” to emerging paid models for content and how net-connected TVs, e-readers, tablets and mobile phones enable this new ecosystem. Not surprising: CBS and NBC Universal both have big stakes in how the CE industry interacts with content and both have huge roles in this year’s show, the former as owner of CNET and the latter as official TV sponsor (CNBC broadcasts from the floor).