Direct to the Source

Have you ever had someone try to avoid you? If you're a marketer you know the feeling. Consumers avoid marketers with TiVo, pop-up blockers, email white-lists, caller ID and that last defensive mental moat, selective perception.

In the not-so-far-off future, a new advertising model will emerge: direct incentives in exchange for accepting ads. The perfect way to do this is with mobile phones. Mobile marketing is micro targeted, efficient, personal, location based and relevant. Of course, if people get advertising on their phone, they'll also want to be incentivized with cash or a subsidized phone bill.

Effective mobile marketing goes right to the source, cutting out traditional media entirely. As marketers pay consumers to view their ads directly online and on their phones, traditional media companies lose power, but it will be a positive overall because advertisers will have permission to connect directly to consumers, and consumers will have more control over what kind of marketing they get.