He's here, the modern consumer, that is. He's always on the go, either online or on his cellphone. He's everywhere but at home watching television and soaking up whatever advertising message he's being fed.
In developed countries, his change in media consumption is leading to the demise of traditional media, especially print and television. The modern consumer has swapped these for the new media: video-on-demand, social websites (MySpace, YouTube and Facebook) and mobile.
To protect himself against unsolicited advertising messages and clutter, he's also built walls around himself. One thing is certain: he's in charge.
Despite acknowledging his evolution, advertisers and media owners continue to battle to find effective ways of breaking down these walls - a mission that is possible, says Gavin Rooke, CEO of Trigger, a Johannesburg-based full-service digital agency. His advice: it's about creative advertising coupled with a strong emphasis on interactivity.
"Instead of waiting for your readers to come to you, you need to go to them," delegates at the 60th World Newspaper Congress were told during a seminar on how print can survive the predicted new media carnage.
Brands like Nike and Adidas are using new media to remain relevant and attract the youth market (18-34). Even politicians have jumped onto the bandwagon. Barack Obama became the first politician in US history to use new media to promote his campaign. He used Internet adverts and featured in 18 games available through Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live service to promote his online voter registration campaign, especially among young male voters.
The ads appeared in the games as banners or billboards with an image of Obama accompanied by the slogan, "Early voting has begun", and a reference to his VoteForChange.com website which allowed users to register online to vote or find a polling station.
The rise of the Internet, up 125%, according to the SA Advertising Research Forum's 2008 All Media & Products Survey (Amps), is attracting the attention of advertisers and media owners. A word of caution though: campaigns using this platform can be effective only when done correctly.
A big change taking place in marketing today is that consumers are taking direction from their social networks to find out their experiences of a brand.
"If a brand wants to embed itself in youth culture, it not only needs to use the media that are shaping youth culture, but must also embed itself in the message. Art, fashion, music and digital media heavily influence youth culture," says Rooke's colleague, Roelof van Wyk, creative head at Trigger.
He says these need to be integrated into the brand, and vice versa, rather than companies simply trying to advertise their way into the market.
But it is the mobile media space that will be the most exciting next year. Cellphone operator Vodacom has launched into this sector and so has pay-TV giant MultiChoice, which wants to launch mobile TV next year.
The medium's high penetration makes it attractive, along with the predicted advertising spend. Vodacom predicts mobile media ad spend in SA will reach R1,5bn by 2011.
The department of communications says it will announce the award of mobile TV licences in 2009 - a move sure to increase pressure on traditional media, but which should present South Africans with a wider choice. Now, who can say no to that?
