Information today is dispersed through a number of different outlets such as websites, television, newspapers and radio. Recently I came across a rather interesting graphical representation of a century’s worth of past, present and future changes to where people turn for information.

http://www.baekdal.com/articles/Management/market-of-information/

Understanding and being able to predict how information is consumed can put you ahead in business. By being aware of how to connect with your customers, readers, clients and leads you’ll be able to adapt more quickly. A current example is with newspapers; today less people are buying them and instead turning to electronic devices (such as Amazon Kindle) to receive news and articles.

Another communication trend involves interactive animation. Flash product demos are an effective way of showing off a product or service via CD-Rom or over the web. It’s an interactive medium that is much more flexible than a standard print document. Not only is it more cost effective but it can also provide a virtual tour of features — simulating actual use.

So the question is, what mediums and methods will you use to get information to your customers, prospects and leads? Are you ready to step out of the box to explore the opportunities of interactive media?

CGI recently teamed up with TopSprout, a Silicon Valley marketing start-up, to support their product launch marketing efforts for CA. Both of our agencies work with CA — CGI creating the interactive media and TopSprout providing the integral strategic pieces. Help TopSprout celebrate their 1 year anniversary by visiting their blog: http://topsprout.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Miguel!

Adage recently wrote an article about how with more and more people opting to watch online videos instead of standard television, advertisers are faced with a predicament. Their consumers are changing and so must the ways in which they are being advertised to. “Interruption advertising” has long been the standard for television, consumers have to watch commercials in order to watch their favorite programs. However, with NBC, ABC, CBS, Hulu, and numerous other platforms offering on-demand television experiences, advertisers are revising their plans to be more “on-demand” as well.

Hulu offers viewers a choice to either watch a longer movie trailer or several shorter commercials through out the show. An interesting feature is an audience rating system on whether a commercial was liked. Car companies are creating experience driven ads in order to allow viewers to interact, choosing which feature they would like to see or different videos to watch. These are just a couple of examples of how advertising is changing. Check out the Adage article to read more examples.

So what does this mean for your marketing plan?

Go where you audience is: Consumers are relying more heavily on Internet hubs where information is gathered for them. So consider distributing your content to different online platforms in order to increase its visibility and reach. Think outside the box about where people might find you. What you find may be surprising.

Think Interactive: If you don’t want consumers to tune you out after a few seconds, you need to give them something to stick around for. Consumers are not as engaged by online static video. If you are producing a product demo, you can use a tool such as Adobe Flash to program in choices, allowing audiences the ability to view the product the way they want. It will personalize the experience for the potential customer and give them a better idea of how your product will help their needs.

Although online advertising models can be considered work-in-progress, new formats of online advertising are flexible enough to quickly adapt to changing consumer habits. By being prepared, you can ensure that your customers are creating conversations about your brand and the unique way you engaged them.