Event Spotlight

Philly Ad Club :: Advertising Outlook 2007
by Colleen Lynch and Brett Chaloupka, 1 Feb 2007

The Philadelphia Advertising Club is a non-profit organization that represents Greater Philadelphia Ad Agencies, Interactive Agencies, Media Buying Agencies, Broadcast and Print Media, and more. Visit www.phillyadclub.com for more information.

Colleen and Brett are senior advertising students at Rowan University. They cover and photograph various events for the Philly Ad Club.

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Multi-platforms, consumer empowerment, cause marketing, creativity and creating emotional connections were some of the topics discussed by experts at the Philly Ad Club Breakfast Seminar on January 10th at the Union League. Featured speakers included: Moderator was Dave Huddleston, Co-Anchor, Fox 29 News. Panelists were: Jonah Bloom, Editor, Advertising Age; Mona Doyle, President/Founder, The Consumer Network; John Galante, VP Advertising Director, Travel + Leisure Magazine; Steve Seraita, EVP Sales, Scarborough; and, Ken Smikle, President/Publisher, Target Market News. More than 200 attended the event.

What better way to forecast the upcoming year than by reflecting back on the previous one? 2006 ended with the $1.4 billion Google deal of YouTube, the most popular video sharing site on the Internet. It has been said that the purchase's genius not only lies in the capability that Google has to turn YouTube into something bigger and better than it currently is, or to even own the patent, but more so for the simple fact that they have successfully bought an audience- a huge one! How does this impact the Advertising world? Google now has access to what all agencies and media planners are trying to accomplish every day--segmenting or finding a specific target that would be most beneficial for a brand. This is projected to have a dramatic impact on advertising in 2007.

An emphasis of the breakfast was that 2007 will be a consumer driven year. Now more than ever, nearly everything will seem to be impacted by or revolved around the consumer. You can bet that as interactive as video games are becoming (like the Nintendo Wii gaming system introduced in November), that the top agencies will be also be attempting to make their consumers interact just as much with their advertising. Even prepare to see some of the first few consumer generated commercials during this year's Superbowl.

2007 will also be a year where health, convenience, participation, the environment, variety and design will be on the top of consumers' minds. In addition, there are certain essentials advertisers should focus on: First, "Authenticity in your messaging" is vital. Secondly, it is important as advertisers to focus on "More product and less hype." Though hype can help initially build image, the consumer wants the real thing. They want the product or service to do what it is supposed to do. Next, "Maximalism" was discussed. Super luxury is "in" right now. Advertise and appeal to the consumers by gearing towards their senses.

Environmental awareness is also an essential element; Consumers are becoming more and more environmentally conscious. Therefore, it is extremely important for advertisers to address and stay conscious of environmental issues when advertising their product or service.

Lastly, consumer empowerment is vital to thriving this year. Getting the consumer as involved as possible and making them feel they have a say or getting the message across that the brand truly cares how they feel about their products or services and about them as a brand, will keep them loyal and happy.

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