FOCUS: 2001 PREVIEWS: Preparing to be a part of the digital future

<p>On the assumption that lots of people will talk about new media - </p><p>digital television, WAP etcetera - it might be worth recognising the </p><p>lead that Asia has over the rest of the world in this area, but also the </p><p>need for us all to be planning for the content that advertisers will </p><p>need in this new environment. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>DoCoMo's level of innovation and take-up with iMode and 3G technology is </p><p>truly amazing, but so too are the broadband connectivity opportunities </p><p>represented in Singapore and Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Technology development centres in Hydrabad and diverse and different </p><p>levels of Internet growth in most other parts of Asia is certainly worth </p><p>noting as leading edge in the world. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>We should all recognise that with the incorporation of these new media </p><p>channels into the consumers' daily lives, it doesn't necessarily mean </p><p>that we will all have to go out and get a whole new set of skills. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But we will need to be mindful of consumer uptake and how they're </p><p>actually using it not so much in terms of a media channel but more in </p><p>terms of the benefits and the desired response the consumer wants. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>That is, online banking, shopping, news, entertainment, email and so </p><p>on. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Once we've got a handle on that aspect it's then a matter of building </p><p>messages to suit. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But of course it's not going to be that simple because that messaging </p><p>will also need to be built around the premise of CRM principles to </p><p>ensure we get interactivity happening. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Some people will benefit from a deeper understanding of the drivers of </p><p>interactive trigger points but it really isn't Einstein stuff. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>What will this all mean? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The emphasis is clearly shifting away from the old thematic 30 second </p><p>spot, but there's also evidence that there will be a continuing role for </p><p>it, albeit in a less significant way. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>We'll see new and different media formats, and new opportunities to </p><p>communicate and cut through will abound. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This doesn't discount the potential for purpose-built programme </p><p>productions, that will no doubt abound in the digital TV world that's </p><p>just around the corner. Inevitably, we'll also see more campaigns with </p><p>multimedia communication platforms which means a greater need for </p><p>cohesiveness among key participants in the communications development </p><p>chain, such as brand planners, creatives and the media strategist. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It's not a brain drain to see that more integration will be needed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Under-standing the consumers 'context' of media usage, not just knowing </p><p>their 'contact' points is going to be a far more crucial contributor to </p><p>advertising 'content' development than most of the industry gives it </p><p>credit today. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ask yourself what steps in 2001 you are planning to take to be part of </p><p>the digital future. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>At Universal McCann, we've got it covered. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>