The writing on the wall is, get other ad vehicles. Basically I am saying try to think out of the box.



Talk to advertising professionals and they all talk about the slowdown in the growth of traditional media. It is the emerging media, such as blogs and websites that seem to be getting the lion's share of the growth in advertising dollars. But that is still too conventional. The online media has been around too long to really call it emerging media.

Am I think along utopian lines? .

Let me set it up for you. Why does one advertise in a newspaper? The choice of newspaper as an advertising vehicle is based on the fact that this vehicle enters people's houses and has a high degree of engagement with the reader.

Why do advertisers spend a bomb advertising during the super bowl? Once again it is about penetration and engagement.

We need to engage and we need to penetrate That is where creativity takes birth. What could these vehicles be?

I would think that anything that a consumer uses on a regular basis, e.g., their laundry bag, could be a good idea.

If I could afford it, I would find out consumer preferences about their favorite utility item, e.g., a pen, a cap, a pen stand, or any other thing within my budget. Then I would find a way to get to my topmost potential clients and gift them one of those utility items and a clear and unambiguous message from me.

Surely you think that is a good idea. After all, it is not every day that one gets to enter not just the home, but also the life of potentially great customers. Don't you think that is a good idea? I certainly do.

In fact the dilemma facing most advertisers is: Should they continue to pour money into a highly cluttered advertising space in the form of conventional media, or should they just quietly fade away into brand oblivion. Clearly neither of those two extremes is desirable.

It is more like a cat and mouse game. Anything that is good soon gets too expensive to use. Smart advertisers look for new hunting grounds. Early mover advantages exist even in media. So find the best way to advertise before everyone else does.