Thursday, May 3 2007

THIS WEEK, we’re going to philosophise a bit. What is the Internet, really? And we’re going to try to keep it short, sweet and in layman’s terms.

The Internet is the wow medium of your generation.

You should consider yourself blessed because you were able to witness the birth and quick growth of the newest medium of communication: the Internet.

More than millions of interconnected computers around the world, the Internet is a new medium.

It is the “wow medium” of your generation. Right now, people are still “wowing” over it.

However, most people don’t seem to get it. Most people don’t quite yet seem to realise that the Internet is a medium just like television, radio and newspapers.

For example, the wow medium of your great grandparents would have been the printed press. The wow medium of your grandparents may have been the radio.

The wow medium of your parents may have been the television.

Now, your wow medium is the Internet.

People are learning fast and furious that the Internet is a serious medium like any other and can burn you badly if you play with its fire. Don’t believe me? Well I am writing down a list of people with whom you can verify that statement: - US Senator John Kerry who lost the elections versus George W Bush - CBS star journalist Dan Rather whose story had a gaping hole in it and this was discovered thanks to the Internet.

- Europe’s second largest telecom whose profits fell below expectations because they didn’t pay attention to the phenomenon of Internet telephony.

- Miami florists whose business shrunk thanks to online florists - Now, the pastor’s 14-year-old daughter Deena “Danah” Alleyne is coming to grips with the reality that the Internet is as powerful as TV when shaping public opinion.

- The singer Akon, who was caught on camera doing dirty dancing with the teenager, may also have learnt some harsh lessons from the Internet but with stars, you never really know; it could have very well been a planned publicity gimmick that backfired.

The bottom line is that the Internet flexes its muscles every now and then and it must be made to form part of your marketing mix as all the other media.

It has several very unique characteristics that in many regards, makes it an immensely more powerful medium than all the others you’ve ever known.

Too often we overlook the right medium for our message and we need to think outside the box, outside of TV, radio and newspapers.

An ad in the right monthly magazine that only 500 people read could produce better results than the multi-million dollar superbowl ad you always thought you needed.

Maybe the postal service has a medium you can use, or your telephone company, or maybe the loudspeaker is your thing.

Think about it carefully because it might just be time for you to GetYourNameIn.com and start your own channel.