The Fear of the Dream Realized
by Danielle Smith on 02/06/2009 at 12:26 pm in Observations, Opinion Editorial, PPC, Within Range
As most of my friends know, I have zero interest in outer space. I don’t know why, but it just doesn’t capture my imagination, and every time I see a headline about NASA struggling to find money to put more beeping, solar-powered appliances in space, I kind of hope the whole thing will fold. So I don’t care too much about NASA, but I can, however, appreciate the constant battle for bigger budgets. Ever since I joined this industry, one thing has remained consistent – we’re always fighting for our share of budget. I’ll admit in recent years, it’s gotten a bit easier, but don’t get me wrong. We, as online marketers, are usually woefully underestimated.
The frustration felt when you see a client throw hundreds of thousands of dollars at short-lived, easily forgotten campaigns while allowing their brand positioning in something as basic as paid search to be ignored is maddening. You go home after days like that and just beat your head into a wall. Then you wake up and go at it again.
That is until now.
Because now, in the ad world, while the news is bleak all around, the light at the tunnel is finally shining in our direction. It sort of feels like you’ve been in a one sided relationship and all the sudden the other one decides you’re the partner of his/her dreams. You’re expected to just accept this, but the history lingers in the back of your mind. See, I completely understand the decision process here – now we make sense to CMOs. We didn’t make a lot of sense when we asked you about branding or share of voice but dollars on spreadsheets? That feels real now. That feels painfully real.
I’m not ungrateful – Quite the opposite. It’s our moment to shine, but a couple of things stick out at me. First and foremost – we want your programs to not only work, but be wildly successful. I’ve gotta tell you, though, you sure picked a tough time. You can’t steal from Peter to pay Paul. People are scared, conservative and downright unsure, but that doesn’t mean they don’t watch TV or flip through the glossies or give the billboard 10 seconds of a loving gaze. I fear brands will dial down spend in one media channel hoping to make it back in the one that they’re currently fixated on. But then that’s our job and I suppose it always has been: to be honest and set expectations. Sure, I think we can do more, but all of the channels working together to support one another? It’s beginning to sound like science fiction to me.
