Yes, Audi, Progress is Beautiful.

There's so much to say about the screen shot above, both with regard to Emerging Media and with the progress of our country, that I'm still a little speechless. Yesterday, the Inaugural celebration of Barack Obama was one of the most memorable and inspiring days in our lifetime, and as I watched President Obama's swearing in and inaugural address streaming live on my office computer, I couldn't help but think about the ease at which we all could be a part of this historic day. Even though I would have rather been on the National Mall squished between 1.5 million inspired Americans, there was something about cheering in my small office with my associate Icy Loury--who reminded me about Dr. King smiling down on us all--that just felt right. 

All of us couldn't make the trek to D.C., but because of the ease at which we can retrieve information--in this case, Audi's message as well--I knew I wouldn't miss out on being a part of this day in real time. 

Thank you abc.com. And thank you, Audi. 

Free advertising.

As it goes, nothing comes for free (except Papa John's dessert on the chain's birthday. YUM.), but the use of social networking certainly does stretch the dollar when it comes to reach and ROI. As Scott said on our board this week, it's the digitized version of word-of-mouth advertising...and as many of us know from being consumers ourselves, the very best form of advertising is an endorsement from a friend. 

The most important point from this week's discussion, however, is the necessity of choosing the right digital medium for the target audience. I wouldn't choose Facebook as a marketing tool for my B2B campaign and I'd be reticent to use an abundance of digital media to certain psychographics within the Southeastern region, where I work every day. I regularly do presentation consulting with brilliant professionals (most in the Baby Boomer generation) who have gone so far as to say, "If you tell me to turn that computer on, I probably couldn't do it." That's fine...that's why I get business, but I can't think of one of the mediums we discussed this week that would be an effective way to reach that member of my target audience. 

How do you respond in the workplace to those who are less tech savvy and underestimate the power of the digital marketplace?

The beginning of my commentary...

Welcome to my online commentary on the digital landscape and Integrated Marketing & Communications (IMC). I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the matter, but I can't promise a plethora of insight in this forum. I honestly plan to just use it as a medium to work out some of my issues with the industry and questions regarding digital media, so the more feedback I can get, the better. I invite you to comment on my posts, and I hope to learn more about IMC from this blog and my classmates (and anyone else who stumbles upon this). 

This isn't my first attempt at blogging. During my time overseas--and more recently again--my husband and I documented our travels and foodie findings on appetitiesforeverything.blogspot.com. Check it out. Especially if you like food and travel...preferrably when combined.

I do have friends who are true pros at blogging. Nicole writes and runs pinchmysalt.com, and has actually been mentioned the NYPost and LA Times, among other special awards. My friend Coleen keeps us updated on her life with the Balent Times, a hilarious take on motherhood and the growth of a family. 

So I hope all of you enjoy reading my posts as much as I will yours. Looking forward to it!