The Economist held a Media Convergence Forum in October to explore the changing relationship between consumers and commerce in the digital age. Here's how the organizers described the purpose of the forum on their website: The surge of new technologies and social media innovations in today's environment is significantly altering the future media landscape for marketers. Consumer behaviour is changing and the way marketers reach their audience must also change. Marketers are searching for new ways to not only reach their customers, but to understand them, to peer inside their minds. As the level of consumer understanding increases, so can the knowledge of how best to reach them. However the plethora of tools at a marketers disposal is not easy to navigate and real learning comes from a real understanding of the future of media convergence. Interesting and compelling, to be sure. But they also had Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman put together a video/data visualization of the changing landscape, and it really captures your attention. Titled Did You Know 4.0: The Media Landscape , it presents, in less than 5 minutes, the current shifts in how consumers and businesses are interacting through digital media. And while much of the focus is on news media and advertising, the core issues connect to just about all facets of commerce in the digital age: (Hat tip to Chelsey Hoffman, University of Michigan)
Filed under: marketing, media, advertising, social media, The Economist, visualization of the US budget, convergence, Media Convergence Forum, digital technology, Did You Know 4.0: The Media Landscape, news media