Our historical reference for technology advancement is the telegraph versus the telephone.
We take from this that a new technology must replace the preceding technology. We think that newspapers will definitely be replaced by online media, that on-demand will replace on-TV, and that blogs will replace email marketing. (And in even more recent time LinkedIn hasn't replaced Facebook and neither did Twitter)
I disagree. I still watch the TV, although less than I used to. This reduction is due mainly to my time being filled with other distractions rather than a replacement technology. (I do tend to view podcasts and TiVo more than watch direct TV mind you)
I don't buy newspapers anywhere near as often as I used to. And in part this is due to the advances in technology. newspapers and magazines are nowhere near as up to date as the internet.
But if a magazine offers something that is scarce and of value, then I'm in!
I started thinking about this after reading that the Council for Research Excellence, sponsored by Neilsen published some research finding that Americans were now working across a range of screens (Mobile, PC, TV etc) but the television still dominated their viewing time.
If my hunch is right (and I am often wrong...) then this means a heck of a lot for those of us trying to capture the attention of Joe and Jane public. (Or Joe and Jane Corporate)
It means that relying on one channel to reach their target demographic is probably too narrow to capture the level of success most of us are looking for.
We race to run Adwords and other search advertising, but we neglect sponsored posts on blogs. We are flooding into blogging while we ignore the (very) successful medium of email marketing. And we put a lot of our time into connecting on Twitter and LinkedIn while neglecting traditional avenues such as the chamber of commerce, trade shows and other great connection generators.
It is very easy to get caught up in the latest fads being promoted by the Web 2.0 bloggers of the world - but don't be fooled - taking a step forward in one area doesn't necessarily mean that another area has to fade away to nothing.
it may reduce, it may just capture a different audience, but it will continue to exist it seems.
