IBM report: The Advertising Armageddon?

I read with interest the recent report “The End of Advertising as We Know It” issued by IBM which forecasts “greater disruption for the advertising industry in the next five years than occurred in the previous 50.”. The report can be view here.

Whoa. Very doomsday-like with IBM predicting drastic upheavals in the advertising industry. I wouldn’t exactly call it the end of advertising. This is the beginning of a critical shift that will cause traditional advertising to evolve, NOT go kaput. We are beginning to glimpse the changes that are to come: Google’s OpenSocial and Facebook’s SocialAds, which delivers personalised advertising content based on users’ interests.

Remember the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report? There were scenes that showed him running through a metro train and a shopping mall in the midst of his escapade from the baddies. Very tiny machines scanned his retina and flashed personalised ad contents based on his purchasing history, interests etc.

When I saw that, it was all very wow and futuristic. In probably 10-15 years time, we may not be too far off from that future.

iDrool… iLike… iWant… the iPhone

Finally I managed to get my hands on an iPhone. Before anyone get all excited, no it’s not mine. And since it’s not an authorised handset, I shan’t reveal the source.

The first thing that hit me was how incredibly slim the iPhone is. Anorexic even. It feels very solid and not at all plasticky like how I’d imagine it to be. It just makes you wanna caress it, damnit.

The SMS function is simpler and easier than I thought. Even though the keyboard looked rather small, I managed to punch the correct keys most of the time. Maybe it’s because I have slim figure fingers. Still, I much prefer a tactile feedback especially since I SMS alot. The keyboard and spelling dictionary (not T9) takes some getting use to though.

The pinching actions when viewing photos or surfing the web is quite a novelty, IMO. Most of the other functions are a breeze and most users shouldn’t have a problem.

Having touched one, it just makes you wanna go out and buy one immediately. Should I get the iPod Touch as originally intended or just hold out for the iPhone’s Asia release? Decisions, decisions!

Updated 1 Nov 07:
P/S On hindsight, it will be better to wait. The second generation iPhone to be released in Asia will probably be 3G-enabled (and will hopefully contain none of the alleged hazardous chemicals).

Digital storytelling

Recently I watched a BBC mini-documentary about the Roman Emperor Augustus which threw up a really fascinating theory.

Without going into too much details, Augustus used the popular artform of his day to project himself as a pacifist to manipulate and gain the trust of the monarchists, who wanted Rome to be under the rule of a monarchy. He succeeded and came to power, placing Rome under his dictatorship. Interestingly, under Augustus’s rule, Rome flourished and enjoyed much prosperity because of his policies and reforms. BTW since this is the month of August, I did some checking and found out that the month of August was so named in honour of Augustus.

Throughout human history, across every language and culture, people have sought to articulate themselves through artistic expressions. We learn to tell stories and share ideas using images and sounds, from Roman sculptures to the wayang kulit and MTV. These mediums evoke powerful feelings and sometimes even alter our perception of reality. In today’s cluttered media landscape, we are constantly bombarded with media designed to assault our visual and aural senses. Art have always played a part and will continue to do so in the new media in the form of digital storytelling.

Politicians have long been able to skillfully exploit the media to engage and influence the masses. In this digital age, agendas are no longer set on canvas or cast in stone but enacted in the converging technologies of print, television and increasingly, the internet. We can expect to see and hear more politicians, celebrities and the average citizen tapping on the power of the new media in the now. Happy National Day.