New Terms Promoted To Explain Advertising - June 16, 2021
The mid-year advertising forecasts are out and there’s dancing in the streets, at least among the happy advertising people. Double-digit increases are expected all over, almost. Ad spending last year was, at best, tepid as consumers declined to part with their money, except for streaming video subscriptions, and advertisers followed suit.

Publishers And Big Tech Occupy Different Universes - June 9, 2021
Publishers are coming to terms with a painful lesson. They will never compete with big tech nor bring it to heel. The businesses are different, potentially synergistic but derived from different skills and processes. The primary intersection has been advertising sales. That, too, is changing.

The Spirit Of Digital Advertising - June 2, 2021
Advertising people are fixtures of positivity. It is an occupational necessity. They find blue skies and rainbows in every moment. The coronavirus put a slight dent in that. But only slightly.

The Passage Of Time Has Consequences - June 24, 2020
The great economic, if not social, unknown is the future. Almost anything about the future - two months, six months, two years - is up for grabs. As such we grasp at every forecast of anything. Mostly there is disappointment.

Social Media Is No Place For Nuance - February 13, 2020
Brand advertisers of a certain scale know quite well how to manage reputations. This is ingrained. They also know the value of risk, and the limits. Messages that walk right up to the line and dabble toes across it have long been rewarded. And not only with awards. Social media just increases risk.

Ad People Content With Bot Business, No Surprise - February 5, 2020
Our happy advertising people are happier than ever with through the roof 2020 spending forecasts. While not exactly stratospheric, a decent bump is sure to come from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, other big sporting contests and irrational spending in various election campaigns. Then there are all those new products and services looking to impress investment bankers.

Radio Broadcasters Feel Ad Pain, Beg For Patience - October 21, 2019
Pockets of turbulence strike every business segment from time to time. Advertising is very sensitive to macroeconomics; consumer spending related to overall confidence. Other factors have upset the advertising business model, digital transition a difficult adjustment. The printed media has been, largely, devastated and traditional TV is getting nervous. Two parts of the media sphere have resisted this: radio broadcasting and outdoor. Now, radio is getting a case of nerves.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Digital Transitions

Media's transition from analogue to digital has opened opportunities and unleashed challenges beyond the imagination. Media is connected and mobile yet fettered by old rules and new economics. Broadcasters and publishers borrow from the past while inventing whole new services. This ftm Knowledge file explores the changes. 88 pages PDF (March 2012)

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The Happy Advertising People

The advertising people are spending again. But things are different now and media people are feeling it. New media attracts attention and advertisers want to be where the action is. This ftm Knowledge file looks at the paradox of media and advertising. 120 pages PDF (September 2011)

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