Changing the Face of Marketing

Interesting article from BusinessWeek last week entitled, "Marketing to Kids Where They Live." The feature noted how marketing is moving away from conventional ad-based media planning toward marketing-based communications planning. This includes branded entertainment, event marketing and experiential marketing. This is a smart move that all companies need to embrace in the future. If you want to reach the younger generation, you have to "think outside the box." The story also noted:

"JP Morgan Chase, looking to foster loyalty among college kids who like to use their credit cards, recently hired students at 300 college campuses to produce sponsored food-and-game incentives that would appeal to young people. Instead of using its Web site, it chose Facebook as the medium to reach students. That's just one example of how social networks serve as bulletin boards to get messages out. Marketing initiatives that involve young people need to go farther than placing banner ads on a Web site. They have to speak directly to them, and give them something relevant, like a free meal. Other companies creating campaigns for social networks include Burger King, Apple Computer and Wendy's. Burger King's MySpace page for 'the King,' its new, wide-grinning mascot appearing in most of its commercials, has amassed more than 120,000 friends. How does a blatant marketing ploy land that many friends? Free giveaways of TV shows, like Fox's '24' and 'American Dad.' If you give these kids free stuff, they'll happily lap up whatever marketing message you offer. MySpace, with its 50 million uniques, is the right place to be."