Digital Marketing

Where we are. How we got there. Where we're headed.

"PEOPLE LET THE TECHNOLOGY scare them and say they don't know what to do. Yes you do. It's what you do all the time. It's marketing," Jayne Spittler of Leo Burnett Company tells marketers challenged to make the most of their organizations' Web presences.

New communications possibilities offered by digital technology -- namely addressability, interactivity, accountability and access-ability -- intrigue marketers, she says.

Also attractive are the statistics. Spittler notes that, in just two years, there's been a 28 percent increase in the number of homes with a PC and an 80 percent increase in PCs with modems
Internet access has grown wildly; today 50 million people -- 35 million in North America -- have Internet access "Commercial Web sites rule," she adds, and Web advertising will be a $300 million business this year.

Also users are increasing the time they spend on the Web. "People are moving from light (less than 4 hours/month) to medium categories and usage will continue to spread," says Spittler.

Marketers have evolved from the "Got to have a Web site!" approach of two years ago to today's use of other peoples' sites -- banners as billboards in cyberspace -- and toward tomorrow's increased use of Intranet functions.

What will digital marketing be when it grows up? According to Spittler, "Anything it wants to be. More than TV, print, radio and outdoor advertising, digital technology offers multiple marketing communications possibilities."

When will digital marketing grow up? "Craft and insights need to catch up with technology, " she says. "The best Web creatives will combine technical and brand expertise. You need people who really know your company, your brand and how to tie it all together.

"We're just beginning to understand how people want to do things. Understanding the consumer experience will make sites better." Spittler's predicts:

the shift from one-way to two-way communications means marketers will speak less as "cheerleaders" (from a distance, to crowds, using simple, intrusive, linear messages) and more as "traveling salespersons" (in door to door, customized, in-depth dialogs)
personal responsiveness will be a key measure of success
digital applications will use the functionality of the technology to engage consumers and to be personally responsive
new research and evaluation tools will be developed and used
new business models will emerge
goals and measures will be specific to each brand, each application
digital applications will be integrated into the marketing communications mix
it will become a situation-specific world, and generalizations will be dead

"The Web is only a stop on the road. Fasten your seat belts and take notes!" she advises.

Spittler's comments were shared at Chicago AMA's first Internet Marketing Strategy Conference.

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