Is traditional advertising losing its grip?

Is traditional advertising losing its grip? This article on MarketingProfs Daily Fix triggered the question again…

I have long ago become immune to most forms of advertising (I think … let’s not start about the subliminal influence). I don’t recall the last time I clicked on a web banner. The only ads I look at in magazines are the ones with gorgeous women on them (hey, give me a break, I’m a guy) but I wouldn’t know what they’re selling. My guess is either Dove or some perfume. And don’t even get me started on the ads on TV or the ones in the movie theatre I need to sit through before being able to view the movie I paid for.

But the question is: what does it get advertisers in return? Does P&G actually sell more detergent because of them? And if so, how do they calculate the impact of their ads? I’m curious, and sceptical about traditional advertising. How do you measure it reliably? How do you measure its influence?

Benelux Event Awards

I spent the past two days in the presence of a number of other event managers judging the cases for the BEA (Benelux Event Awards). It’s aways amazing to see what agencies can do if they and their customer get into the right level of creativity, be it with big or small budgets.

If you want to know who won which award, join us for the Awards Ceremony on February 1 in the Zaventem Sky Hall.

iPhone Trademark marketing

Is the iPhone apple’s or Cisco’s? Well, Cisco has the trademark (and a product), but Apple used it anyway to launch their last device, the iPhone. So Cisco sued for patent infringement.

Through Scobleizer I found out about the Cisco blog on the whole trademark issue from THEIR point of view, which is an interesting read. They claim they were in talks and Apple announced the product without closure on the matter. And then there’s this quote:

“If the tables were turned, do you think Apple would allow someone to blatantly infringe on their rights? How would Apple react if someone launched a product called iPod but claimed it was ok to use the name because it used a different video format? Would that be ok? We know the answer – Apple is a very aggressive enforcer of their trademark rights. And that needs to be a two-way street.”

They do have a point there. Sure, companies need to be protective of their names and products, but it is sad to see all the trademark wars being fought.

Well, at least it generates Buzz for both companies. And a bonus for Cisco, I now actually know Cisco has an iPhone product and what it does: a Linksys handset for use with Skype and other services.