Steve Barrett took me on as Media Week’s “Digital” blogger nearly a year ago to comment on stories and events in digital media.
But there are many indications that describing media, or marketing involving the internet, as “digital” is becoming as much use as calling grass “green” or Andy Murray “muscular”.
There’s no need for the word "digital" because the lines between online and offline are now being blurred.
Digital TV is set to be the norm. Media power players are getting into advertising delivery on radio and TV using internet protocols. Research companies and search technology providers are getting better at being able to measure the impact of the internet on sales in the physical high street. More and more people are shunning the morning paper in favour of pouring over mobile devices on their way to work. Sports stadiums are using electronic billboards for outdoor advertising.
Even Microsoft dropped “digital” from its advertising brand because all advertising will be digital in the next 5-10 years – so says Mr Ballmer.
So are we ready for this shift? It makes perfect sense doesn’t it? How do we adapt and embrace any positive fall out?
In a “high speed/low drag” kind of a world we need to create efficiencies, and efficiencies come through understanding and making better sense of data.
Data isn’t all about the numbers either. There are plenty of tools out there that turn the digits into pretty graphs and pictures where trends can be noticed and acted upon.
We have to get used to dealing with data – “digital” is dishing it out like never before and in places we never thought possible.
