Around the time radio started broadcasting, so too began radio advertising. It wasn’t long before entrepreneurs saw strategic opportunities in this highly-engaging new medium. Radio advertising began with basic sponsorship schemes and product placements. Their biggest challenge, however, was to develop a strategy that reached consumers effectively at a time when few consumers had radios. Often seen as the “geeks” by the “traditional” print advertisers, this new channel for advertising was greeted at most “traditional” agencies with skepticism. However, determination prevailed and a few big clients got on board and a couple of early wins generated results everybody could see (history). By now, radio had hit the mainstream and the radio evangelists could no longer be ignored. Radio departments began to appear in agencies around the world – although ghettoized in the P&L silo, placed on different floors, or sometimes even placed in different buildings than their traditional colleagues.
Consumers listened for decades and the radio department was slowly integrated into the traditional channels until radio prevailed as a major portion of media plans in spend and persuasiveness.
Around the time television started broadcasting, so too began television advertising. It wasn’t long before entrepreneurs saw strategic opportunities in this highly-persuasive new medium. Television advertising began with basic sponsorship schemes and product placements. Their biggest challenge, however, was to develop a strategy that reached consumers effectively at a time when few consumers had televisions. Often seen as the “geeks” by the “traditional” print and radio advertisers, this new channel for advertising was greeted at most “traditional” agencies with skepticism. However, determination prevailed and a few big clients got on board and a couple of early wins generated results everybody could see (First TV commercial to air: July 1, 1941, Bulova Watch Company. The ad simply displayed a Bulova watch over a map of the U.S., with a voiceover of the company’s slogan “America runs on Bulova time!” history). By now, television had hit the mainstream and the TV evangelists could no longer be ignored. TV departments began to appear in agencies around the world – although ghettoized in the P&L silo, placed on different floors, or sometimes even placed in different buildings than their traditional colleagues.
Consumers watched for decades and the television department was slowly integrated into the traditional channels until television prevailed as the dominant media in spend and persuasiveness.
Around the time the internet started networking, so too began internet advertising. It wasn’t long before entrepreneurs saw opportunities in this highly-interactive new medium. Internet advertising began with basic sponsorship schemes and product placements. Their biggest challenge, however, was to develop a strategy that reached consumers effectively at a time when few consumers had computers. Often seen as the “geeks” by the “traditional” television, print and radio advertisers, this new channel for advertising was greeted at most “traditional” agencies with skepticism. However, determination prevailed and a few big clients got on board and a couple of early wins generated results everybody could see (The first internet “banner ad” was posted on Oct. 25th, 1995 for AT&T history). By now, the internet had hit the mainstream and the net evangelists could no longer be ignored. Interactive departments began to appear in agencies around the world – although ghettoized in the P&L silo, placed on different floors, or sometimes even placed in different buildings than their traditional colleagues.
The first banner ad in history: For AT&T posted October 25th, 1995 (ref.)
Consumers “clicked for more info” for decades and the interactive department slowly integrated into the traditional channels until interactive prevailed as the dominant media in spend and persuasiveness.
Around the time social networks hit the mainstream, so too did social media. It wasn’t long before an eclectic mixture of marketers, authors, entrepreneurs, direct mailers, WOM experts, tv/web advertisers, public relations professionals and web developers saw opportunity in this highly-credible new medium. Social media began with insightful clients who decided it was time to listen to their consumers, so they looked to their agencies to assist with this new kind of engagement. The biggest challenge, however, was that ad agencies had little or no experience in listening. They focused on convincing their clients to pay internet, television, radio and print rates for this new type of engagement – which they didn’t really know how to do. Some agencies went as far as to open social media “departments” – although ghettoized in the P&L silo, placed on different floors, or sometimes even placed in different buildings than their traditional colleagues.
Even today, most are still trying to figure out how to bill for this new medium without destabilizing their “money making” mediums of print, radio, tv and the internet. In the meantime, clients, desperate to re-connect with their customers, are beginning to take the business into their own hands; recognizing that with such a dramatically-reduced production cost and little-to-no media buy, there’s no reason to engage the big agency for this service anyway.
People will talk for centuries to come, as clients get savvy in socializing their products and slowly integrate with their customers, until their conversation is the dominant media in spend and effectiveness.
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