A piece in the January 21, 2008 AdWeek/IQ Interactive e-newsletter highlighted for me two increasingly important, and interrelated, facts that apply across the landscape of online marketing disciplines: viral marketing, online marketing, viral advertising or even buzz marketing.  The article not only helps to underscore the dramatic changes we are now witnessing in how companies reach and engage their audiences, but also how they are failing to tap into and harness a vast pool of potential influencers by being short sighted and internally-focused. 

The first fact is this:  the things marketers can do with technology is truly astonishing.  The spread of video, incredible animation, powerful graphics and intuitive interfaces on the front end are coupled with powerful, almost all-knowing analytics on the back end.  The content is engrossing and often share-worthy, and clearly people want to see it.  In fact, a survey by Burst Media shows that 72% of online surfers--they young, old and in between--watch online video content.  Which is all, of course, hugely attractive to traditional advertising that continues to search for new avenues to reach their audience...

Which leads to the second fact:  just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. The same Burst Media survey shows more than three-quarters of people believe in-stream ads are intrusive, with a large percentage tuning out before they even get to the video content they wanted to watch in the first place.  In consumer marketing, this is bad.  In B2B marketing, it can mean a very quick death to a campaign in an environment that is no-nonsense and all about getting to the point of a product or service's value.

The conclusion: we are all (even the ad folks when they are at home on their own laptops) screaming, "STOP INTERRUPTING ME!  START ENGAGING ME!" in as many ways as we can. If marketers can't hear us, then they're not listening.  If they can hear us, and they are listening to us, then they'll know that once they begin engaging us in ways that are relevant and meaningful, it is likely we will become not only brand evangelists, but may even make them better marketers. 

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Listen closely in the halls of this year's International Consumer Electronics Show, and you may hear the words of Marshall McLuhan echoing among a non-traditional mix of marketing influencers. As the regular guest list of techies expands to include mainstream CPG brand representatives, the medium and the message will meet face to face to explore new and different marketing ideas.

According to Ad Age [link], along with the usual suspects one would expect at CES, brands like McDonald's, Nike, Wal-Mart, Frito-Lay, Unilever and Kraft will attend. Why? Not because it's Bill Gates' last key note [link] - although that is the end of a time-honored CES tradition - but to consider how digital media and branding will effect the buying habits of peer influencers very much in the same way these brands are evaluating sustainable word of mouth.

In fact, a look at this year's key note list says it all [link]. Remember the game "one of these things is not like the others?" See if you can name which one of the five key notes is "not the same:" Microsoft Corp., Panasonic, Intel, Comcast or General Motors? If you guessed GM, you are correct. Amid discussions of Blue Ray and PS3, auto marketers as well as shoe, fast food and personal care brand ambassadors will explore how their products and consumer technology can work together.

While this is a sign of the times, it's also not a complete surprise. Many of the programs are devoted to marketing with consumer technology. That, along with the diverse guest list, explains the strong Madison Avenue contingency flying in from the Big Apple as opposed to Silicon Valley. If the stylish strip of Las Vegas wasn't pressure enough for techies to update their wardrobes, now it looks like they'll have to compete with the trendy likes of marketing and ad players too.

Kidding aside, CES is the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology. When French fries, "falling prices" from Wal-Mart and frozen pizzas enter the building, it's very clear that a serious shift in brand marketing is upon us.

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"What people say to one another can be as potent as what TV advertisments try to make them think...," states an OpEd in today's NY Times, referring to Huckabee's and Edwards's recent wins in Iowa.

The drumbeat for the importance of word of mouth in the upcoming elections is growing stronger by the day.  Politicos, like chief marketing officers, are recognizing the power -- positive and negative of WOM. 

The article continues, "It's crucial to understand who is taking part in these conversations. Some participants are more important than others, transforming themselves from mere "talkers" into advocates -- committed supporters who evangelize on behalf of their candidates."

2008 is unquestionably turning into the year for word of mouth advertising and influencer marketing.

"It doesn't take much -- just people willing to talk, and listen, to one another," the article concludes. 

For most marketers, however, that little bit represents a significant mindset and spending shift.

Let's watch and see who really gets it this year -- both in politics and business.

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