The long time tail of digital marketing

Mitch Joel blogs about advertising campaigns where the traditional campaign is long gone, but there still is a digital trail on YouTube and the likes, now leading to no longer existing microsites, etc.

In a traditional ad campaign, Marketers could get in and out in the span of a couple of weeks. Times have changed. The length of an ad campaign in the Digital Marketing space is dictated by the audience not by when the ad spend dies.

Interesting thought that has sparked a debate about purchasing the (digital) rights to media assets of integrated marketing campaigns. Here is my two cents which I put into Mitch’s comments:

Purchasing the rights to actors, directors, photography and such really depends on negotiations. I remember from my own experience that the guys at the classical advertising department were always shocked when they had to buy the rights for the internet, too. Because all of a sudden, they didn’t just buy the rights for, say, 1 year in Germany (in this case), but for world wide, because that is what the internet is: a medium that is globally accessible. It made each campaign relatively more expensive all of a sudden.

Just imagine what it will be like if they have to buy the rights not for Germany, and not for one year, but for worldwide, for ever!!

Advertisers won’t be able to not buy the digital rights. So the conclusion will have to be either: better rates in the contracts, or second rate actors, directors and photography. Not the most ideal setup.