Twiststl

It’s no secret that the advertising industry has taken a big hit in the past few years. With the myriad of media vehicles through which advertising can be delivered, the market has become diluted, making ad placement a huge challenge. The constant stream of advertising has created consumers adept at ignoring it and increasingly eager to avoid it altogether. So what does it take to capture consumers’ attention? Campaigns that are humorous, evoke an emotional response, include exciting special effects or breathtaking visuals are those that are garnering attention.

Since Apple’s unveiling of its iPad, it has been virtually impossible to visit any news or social media website without being inundated with information on the new product. While the Twitterverse was all buzz about the release of the touch screen tablet that is expected to revolutionize and revive print media, there was significantly less buzz about President Obama’s State of the Union Address. The annual speech typically garners a lot of media attention as pundits scrutinize and criticize the president’s every word. But this year, media coverage proved a bit lackluster, though not for lack of effort.

Watching the O’Brien/Leno debacle was reminiscent of watching a car crash: you’re horrified, but you just can’t turn away.  Jay Leno may have reclaimed his position as host of The Tonight Show, but with a little help from a good publicist Conan O’Brien’s career should be far from over. During his time as the host of Late Night with Conan O’Brien and his seven month stint on The Tonight Show, Conan amassed quite a following.  As the dust settles in the wake of the late night TV fiasco, his fans are left to wonder what he will do next.

Heard a story on NPR this morning about the pervasiveness of screens in everyday life.  TV screens, phone screens, GPS screens, video game screens.  With so much fragmentation, and so many "screens" to look at, how do we marketers get clients on the right screen at the right time?  Frankly, the same way we always have, it just takes a little more discipline, a  sense of adventure and a lot of brainpower.  A well defined target audience can always be "found," but it still has to be matched with a focused and relevant message.  The power of all those screens, is actually a benefit.  The message can be extraordinarily relevant now, in context, and ready for consumption.  We just need the discipline and patience to keep it all, very clearly, in focus.