Question: What is the future of Internet promotion? I believe it's bright. Through the Internet we have an opportunity to make promotions look and feel much different from what we're using to seeing in traditional media. The best execution will personalize the promotion's experience in a way that historically has not been possible. The challenge clients and agencies will face is to aggressively pursue a range of possibilities while determining how to measure the results-whether they be retail sales or attitudinal shifts.
-Bruce Orr, CEO, president, TLP, Inc., Dallas
Promotion marketing is already in full force on the Web. This has happened without any standardization of advertising formats or common measurement tools. That's because the Web provides immediate results through commerce or direct response mechanisms. What standardization will do is accelerate online promotions as it will make marketing on the Web more understandable and more comparable to traditional promotional marketing channels.
-Chris Bowler, vp associate media director, new media, CME Advertising, Minneapolis
Promotion marketing is compatible with the Internet. A great promotion on a great Web site will do more for a marketer's sales than a great ad. Some software programs eliminate banner ads within browsers, so you could be on line all day and never see a message. The most predictable area of promotional marketing growth on the Net is in the trade and sales promotion area. Extranets will see incredible growth. As more businesses add online customer service, procurement, inventory management, processing,and selling procedures to their marketing arsenals, we will be right there beside them. Creative promo agencies will collaborate with companies with proprietary interactive online tools to deliver specific information to sales and distribution networks.
-Bob Lipsky, president, QLM Marketing, Princeton, NJ.
