inluminent

Here is a great article entitled “Markets” by Doc Searls that really ought to be read by advertisers, marketers and the general public:

There also is a problem with conceiving broadcast service–especially the commercial variety–as a “marketplace”. Its customers and consumers are different populations. The customers of commercial broadcasting are advertisers, not viewers and listeners. In fact, commercial broadcasting mostly is an advertising business. The “content” it distributes is merely bait; the goods sold are the ears and eyeballs of “consumers”. That means commercial broadcasting’s real marketplace is Madison Avenue, not radio and TV dials. As a consumer of commercial broadcast programming, your direct influence is zero because that’s exactly what you pay. There also is a problem with conceiving broadcast service–especially the commercial variety–as a “marketplace”. Its customers and consumers are different populations. The customers of commercial broadcasting are advertisers, not viewers and listeners. In fact, commercial broadcasting mostly is an advertising business. The “content” it distributes is merely bait; the goods sold are the ears and eyeballs of “consumers”. That means commercial broadcasting’s real marketplace is Madison Avenue, not radio and TV dials. As a consumer of commercial broadcast programming, your direct influence is zero because that’s exactly what you pay.