The media – trends for 2009

It became apparent, after reading Parker and Partners’ Trends for 2009 that all media, even the online species, are going to struggle in 2009.

In Trends 2009, Parker and Partners (P&P) note that 2008 was categorised by the decline of traditional media and the substantial growth of social media, yet even affordable online advertising will struggle in 2009. “Things are going to get much worse before they get any better,” said P&P.

“The print media will continue to face the dilemma of trying to maintain strong sales while putting content online for free,” asserted P&P. “Even online revenue cannot replace the revenue that was generated by print – particularly classifieds – and a major overhaul will be necessary to make the print media profitable.”

Interestingly, Parker and Partners also note that Australia’s current crop of ministers are generally far more tech-savvy than their predecessors, presenting some interesting opportunities to engage with both them and the broader community people through new channels like social media.

“It seems that everyone is reaping the benefits of social networking including Barak Obama,” Parker and Partners said. “He changed the course of political engagement forever, engaging voters through social media and raising over US$600 million through small online donations into the bargain.”

Overall, Parker and Partners believe that with the current economic situation, marketing and advertising through the social media will continue to grow as companies look for cheaper options to reach their audience:“2009 will be a watershed year for web 2.0”, so say the P&P brains trust.

To read more about Parker and Partners predications for 2009, please email pr@howorth.com.au for a full copy of the report.