Are We Lost in History?
Why Advertising Research is Necessary...
By Judy Camp
(c) Paradox Productions, Inc.
Note: The following article was written about the decade from 2000 to 2009, but I think you'll enjoy the humor in it...
We are in a decade with no name. Most of us lived through the 70s, the 80s, the 90s -- and now where are we? The 00s? Sounds like a mistake. Uh-Oh, I goofed. The 2000s? That name will eventually mean a hundred years of time, until the 2100s take over.
What did they do about this dilemma in past centuries? I recall the history books referring to "the early 1900s," which generally means 1900-1920, encompassing two decades. Within that time, references often state something like, "around 1910."
Not very specific. So what does this mean? And who cares, you might ask. Well, we all like to identify trends. Not just the history buffs, but all of us. We like our time in history to be known for something.
The trend among teenagers and fashion moguls is 70s retro. Choker necklaces, crop tops, and hip hugger, bleached-out jeans are in style, just like in the 70s. The 70s were known for this trend, among other things. What will this time be known for? Will the history books say, "In the early 2000s, there was a strong 70s retro trend." Yawn!
Now, you might ask, what is this article doing on a marketing web site? Well, if anyone is better than history buffs at analyzing trends, it's marketers. We need to continually check the pulse of our audience to make sure we have up-to-date products, and our campaigns will be well received. We also need to make sure we are placing ads where our audience will see them.
The science of media buying encompasses a huge range today, including newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, trade shows and the internet, primarily. Many statistics and research graduates, the ones who don't teach, end up working for companies that compile huge amounts of data. These are looked at by marketing professionals and the media themselves. For a research resource guide, click on the following link: http://www.ourbusinessoffice.com/adresearch.html
It's our job as marketers to keep our eyes on who is buying what. If your products go out of style, or the radio station you run commercials on changes its format, and you don't react, you could go out of business, and not even know why.
So watch the trends, and keep your eyes open for changes. Years from now, when you write your glorious company history, you can write about your success in the early 2000s, rather than referring to them as the 00 years.
****
Judy Camp has been a writer and marketing manager for twenty years, and has focused on web marketing for the past five years. Her web site http://www.ourbusinessoffice.com provides resources for web businesses.
****
If you would like to place this article in your ezine or on your web site, please send an email with your request and your site's link.
