by Cory Treffiletti, Featured Contributor, December 28, 2016
Happy holidays to everyone who regularly reads this column, and all the other columns within the weekly editions of the Online Spin!
It’s not easy coming up with a topic to write about every week. Still, I’ve been doing so since 2000 without missing a week. I regularly receive great feedback that helps me refine my thinking.
It’s your input to this column and others like it that propels the industry forward. Your commitment to reading and engaging should be applauded, and I don’t think anyone ever takes the time to do so.
I remember when the digital media business was just a twinkle in the eyes of many people. The industry was small, but the digital ad part was even smaller, made up of about 300 people who were engaging with one another to help generate new thoughts and ideas. Conversations launched new concepts that eventually grew into companies and categories and created whole new ways of delivering messages to the consumer.
It may not have been “Mad Men,” but it was certainly intoxicating in its own right. There were banners and pop-ups and pop-unders running wild all over the Web, but it was a great time to test it all before the mainstream audience got involved. We survived a bubble that burst, and another one that almost took us down, but we all emerged stronger and smarter as a result.
The digital media business has become core to everything and drives the majority of consumer interactions with brands. It’s come a long way and it has even longer to go.
The banner has evolved, and video became more important. Mobile is taking over, and digital TV is so close you can taste it.
This coming year will be exciting as we work out the kinks and leverage data in new and interesting ways. As more consumers become cord-cutters and find ways to engage with content on new platforms, we will find more solutions to uncover.
The iPhone 8 will hopefully surprise us all, while Google and Facebook continue their paths toward industry domination. New players will hopefully emerge and the new hopefuls will blossom (that means you guys, Snapchat and Pinterest). It’s going to be fun!
So cheers to you all, and cheers to your businesses. May the coming year be a fruitful one. Please continue to read these columns and provide us with your feedback. It’s this interaction that creates new and better ideas.
Thank you, and happy new year.
MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily
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