I saw two articles yesterday that seemed to be in direct contrast to each other.
The first, posted yesterday on CNNMoney (originally published coincidentally in Fortune Magazine) discussed Nike’s aggressive move into the digital space. “Gone is the reliance on top-down campaigns celebrating a single hit — whether a star like Tiger Woods, a signature shoe like the Air Force 1, or send-ups like Bo Jackson’s ‘Bo Knows’ commercials from the late ’80s that sold the entire brand in one fell Swoosh. In their place is a whole new repertoire of interactive elements that let Nike communicate directly with its consumers, whether it’s a performance-tracking wristband, a 30-story billboard in Johannesburg that posts fan headlines from Twitter, or a major commercial shot by an Oscar-nominated director that makes its debut not on primetime television but on Facebook.”
The second, on Reuters, highlighted findings from a Magnaglobal forecast which predicts TV ad spending to rise 6.8 percent in 2012. “TV is the king of media categories when it comes to branding,” said Vincent Letang, global head of forecasts for Magnaglobal, a division of IPG Mediabrands. “It is indispensable.”
TV, indispensable? How quaint. My bet’s with Nike.
Northampton Consulting 