Direct Mail vs. Electronic Marketing

Typically when new technology comes in, it replaces old technology. However, for some reason e-mail and the internet have failed to completely phase out our aging system of snail mail. There are many factors that play into snail mail's resiliency, but in any case the fact of the matter is that it is still practical. This is proven in the article "...Snail Mail Marketing" in which certain companies profiled their success with snail mail. Based on the examples from the article, snail mail still offers a more personal and harder to ignore form of advertising. In the article, one business owner says "I think it's easier to delete electronic junk mail without taking a second look."
Although many companies still stick to snail mail, there are many new forms of advertising that seem very promising. Barcodes are one of the latest trends to take off in marketing, they have yet to become a staple in advertising but they are certainly on the rise. Barcodes use the technology in modern day smart phones to automatically link customers to products companies are trying to advertise. The technology is fantastic, and I think it is a great form of marketing. As American's we live in a world of convenience and instant gratification, what is more convenient and instant than seeing something you like, scanning it and being able to buy it right then? I think that barcode technology is a great way to advertise, but it unfortunately limits itself. The only customers that a company is marketing to when they use barcode advertising are those customers that have smart phones, and although that number is growing daily, it is still limiting. I think that electronic forms of advertising are certainly on the rise, but I do not think that e-marketing will completely phase out traditional forms of marketing. I think that as long as people are reading newspapers, magazines or any other forms of paper, traditional forms of marketing will still be around.

Advertising on Ice Hockey Boards

Recently while watching a hockey game on TV, I noticed a digital advertisement on the glass boards around the outside of the ice. After thinking for a minute, I realized how great of an idea this was. The rink pays little to nothing to actually digitize the company's logo and show it on the boards, while reaping full benefits of a normal advertisement. The advertising is extremely flexible because nothing is actually physically on the boards and advertiser's logos can be changed at a few key-strokes of a computer. I think that this will inspire alot more of this type of advertising because it essentially creates advertising space where there is none, and any television network can't turn that down. Do you think we will be seeing much more of this type of digital advertising? Do you think it is as effective as conventional advertising?

Apple's New IPad... Jewel or Junk?

Apple recently released its newest creation this month, the Ipad which is a multi-use, portable tablet. The Ipad is a touch screen computer very similar to the Iphone but much larger. The Ipad is roughly the size of 4 Iphones put together and its intended use is as a personal computer. Critics and the media have met the Ipad with mixed, but mostly negative views. The reason that the Ipad is not being accepted well is it's lack of functionality, it basically is capable of the same functions as an Iphone and is not as portable. I have to question the marketing department at Apple with this creation as to who their target audience was. The Ipad is not small enough to fit in a pocket, and at the same time, does not have a large enough screen to be enjoyable for use at home. It also remains in limbo as far as its uses, it is not capable of as many functions as a home computer or laptop. Basically, what Apple has done, is created a larger, less portable Iphone that isn't really sure what it wants to be.
Usually Apple can be counted upon for great products such as the Iphone and Ipod, which have both changed the way the world works. However, Apple's latest concoction just doesn't seem to make sense. It is possible that Apple sees a niche for this product that the rest of the public hasn't seen but as it stands, this product appears as though it is set-up for disaster. The rest of the marketing was equally surprised with Apple stock dropping as Steve Jobs was making his key-note speech introducing the product. Hopefully Apple can recover from this bobble and continue to make great products. Do you think the Ipad has the potential to succeed or is it doomed for failure?