Interacting with the Future

This will be the challenge for us as advertisers of the future, to balance traditional values and techniques with cutting edge interactive technology. Youngsters of today (who will be tomorrow's big spenders) need to feel that they are unique and are being appreciated, because this young generation of X's are quite a complex kettle of fish. They consider themselves to be individual, unique and "chilled out" although they are sheep that are herded around by their pretentious, hedonistic and materialistic values. An example of this behavior is very evident in the fashion industry, where the young trendsetters search for a unique sense of style, but conform to a branded sameness. But don't be fooled by this split personality, because the consumers of today and tomorrow are extremely savvy. They are also very selective in what media they allow into their headspace; thus this mass media/interactive-marketing combo will allow advertising campaigns to really work hard for the client's brand.

Confusing, isn't it? So what will interactive advertising do? It's going to personalise the message and make the young feel wanted, because they all have a driving desire to belong. Interactive advertising becomes powerful brand contacts that attract the consumers on their own initiative; thus the interested interact and only need a small push to "dig deep." An example of a campaign that utilises this concept would be a Nike campaign that was run in the USA. The first ad of the campaign began with a snowball rolling down a hill, slowly gaining momentum and size while destroying anything in its path, then just as the ad was reaching a climax with this destructive snowball, the ad ended. You were directed to a website to see the end of the ad, which was the snowball desperately trying to get to the toilet. The snowball stops next to the urinal and relieves itself much to the horror of the guy at the next urinal. Utter brilliance, you are directed to the web-site by your curiosity and while there you can browse, buy and interact.