Down the Track: What to Watch for on the 2010 Express

See that light in the distance, getting closer at a breakneck pace? 2010 is almost in the station. Here are a few issues to consider, and companies and trends to keep your eye on.

GOOGLE, EYED

Marketers will want to keep their scopes trained on Google for a whole range of game-changing initiatives that extend beyond search into other communication media. Some may turn out to be more ballyhoo than real; the hoopla around tests of the Google Wave platform sounds an awful lot like the pre-launch claims for the Segway. But never bet against Google’s engineering chops, or their impact on market rivals. For example, a simple announcement in November of a mobile Web navigation app caused stock prices for on-dash GPS locaters TomTom and Garmin to augur in. And as Web users migrate from simply searching for information to looking for people and content, Google’s drive toward universal search will now incorporate social-media posts and music, complete with click-through links for purchase. And expect a raft of smartphones in the coming year that build on Google’s Android mobile platform. — BQ

THE BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING DEBATE

Privacy advocates are telling lawmakers that advertisers have been going too far in tracking Web site visitors’ behavior, and lawmakers are apparently listening. The head of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC, David C. Vladeck, vowed this summer that he will examine the issue more closely. Says Trevor Hughes, executive director of the International Association of Privacy Professionals: “One thing seems clear with regard to online privacy: The issue is not yet settled. Debates over appropriate policy balances continue to rage, whether in the form of behavioral advertising, social networking, children’s online privacy, online libraries, or the convergence of online and offline worlds.” — KM

AMAZON.COM AND ZAPPOS.COM

Strong third-quarter earnings from Amazon.com — the most recent at deadline — will go a long way toward maintaining harmony in the firm’s boardroom. This is a good thing, given that one of 2010’s challenges for the online retailer will be merging the self-described “fun-and-a-little weirdness” culture of 2009 acquisition Zappos.com into its operations. Yes, Amazon founder Jeffrey P. Bezos has made the usual noise about preserving Zappos’ independent culture. But when — not if — the company’s stock price falls from its all-time high (again, at deadline) of around $125 per share, it will be only a matter of time before Amazon’s bean counters start looking at bringing costs in line. That impulse may not be good for the vaunted customer service model Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has advocated. — RHL

PRODUCT INTEGRATION

Expect content producers to continue turning up the heat under branded entertainment. Forget pre-roll: Today brands want to get closer to the creative story line. Witness “CTRL,” an online comedy about a computer jockey who spills Nestea on his keyboard and discovers it can now replay moments in time (including, luckily, multiple shots of the product). Ashton Kutcher’s “Katalyst HQ” documents hi-jinks at a West Coast talent agency while building in soft Web pitches for Cheetos and Nestle Hot Pockets. On the other hand, there’s no mistaking that Candace Bushnell’s series “The Broadroom” is backed by Maybelline, from the tab offering “Makeup Secrets from the Set” to the lipstick-shaped cursor built into the Web site. Expect this trend to continue as a way to get around fragmentation and media snacking. — BQ

NEWSPAPERS’ BATTLE FOR RELEVANCE

It seems like every day there’s another announcement of a newsroom laying off dozens of staffers (trust us, journalists tend to follow these sorts of things). In 2010, look for newspapers to continue to struggle to find a more effective way to monetize the Web to survive. To do that, many are considering the long poo-poo’d concept of charging nonsubscribers for online access. Rhode Island’s Newport Daily News gated its Web site to all but subscribers this summer, and in October Long Island’s Newsday.com instituted a fee to access the site for those who weren’t subscribers or Cablevision customers. Will it work? Time will tell. While a recent Ipsos Mendelsohn report suggests people are unlikely to pay for online newspaper content, they might have to shell out if they want to keep their local branch of the fourth estate in business. — BNV

THE CONTINUING USPS SAGA

President Barack Obama cut the U.S. Postal Service’s annual contribution to retiree health care costs by $4 billion this fall, a move many thought might breathe some life back into the ailing institution. For one thing, it prevented the ever-money-hemorrhaging USPS from seeking an exigent rate hike to cover its costs, which would have driven more marketers away from the mail. But will the windfall be enough? Or will Congress have to take up postal reform again? That’s a move the boys and girls on the hill don’t want to make. — Larry Riggs

STAYING ON DISASTER WATCH

So you’ve got that campaign or TV spot all set to go viral. Great! But are you monitoring the Web conversation just on the off chance that something goes horribly wrong in some way, predictable or un-? That’s the lesson taught by brands such as Motrin, Tropicana and Amp Energy, all of which fielded campaigns in 2009 that took a bad, bad bounce with constituencies from baby-toting parents to packaging traditionalists, forcing the brands to execute a marketing U-turn, with apologies. In each case, the storm signals popped up first on Twitter and the other social media. And once you’ve got your official campaigns under scrutiny, don’t forget to check what your employees are posting to social media. Both KFC and Domino’s can attest that video cameras and food prep can be a recipe for trouble once the results hit YouTube. — BQ