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Web 2.0 Demands Innovation from Marketers

The Washington Post (via Reuters) reported that old school advertising executives are frustrated with the digital media “revolution” that has descended upon the world.

Have ad executives just now figured out that Web 2.0 is here to stay? It seems they are so bewildered that they’re letting the youth of the world show them how it’s done. By hiring 13 year old bloggers, programmers and developers and other “young, talented people,” it seems they’re determined to crack the new marketing code.

Some debate that the young are immune to marketing and are only apt to purchase what is cool, while others contend that marketing has never been as crucial. Regardless, Web 2.0 is a force to be reckoned with and ad execs are slowly accepting “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” as their mantra.

From the insight provided at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston regarding the communication preferences of children today — which includes IM and texting and email only when necessary, to a recent survey conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton, the message is clear: Web 2.0 is changing the way companies communicate, operate and manage their messages.

Collaboration among users is essential as it is no longer a passive audience that is receiving messages. Users today are engaged and actively seeking out their needs and wants.

The BAH survey recommends that “corporations must be aware of what is taking place on the Internet and in social media spaces like MySpace, Wikipedia and Second Life.”

The results indicate that unless companies adapt business models to fit the new media initiatives, their “customer acquisition and retention will likely suffer.”

But did we really need a survey to tell us this? Hasn’t it always been a mainstay of marketing to know your demographic?

Web 2.0 isn’t changing the rules of marketing; its users are merely demanding that marketers think a little harder if they want their attention. As companies embrace new ways of attracting customers, especially those under 24, they will learn that life outside the box isn’t so bad; it may actually be kind of fun.

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