My mobile dream for 2010 - from Mobile Marketer

The start of the year was a very different kind of New Year for me. Whereas previous years have always started and ended with fireworks, festivities and a very big bang – and a massive headache to boot – this New Year’s Eve was an altogether different affair.

Subdued, reflective, calm and quiet. Huddled up on a snowy mountain top away from emails, news and the twang of social media, I finally had the brain bandwidth to think about goals and dreams for 2010, personally and collectively.

Yes, a very big change to previous years and indicative of the type of mental preparation needed for a new year, a new decade and a new era.

Gone are the brash excesses, hasty decisions and knee-jerk reactions. Out with insecurity and fear, and in with sensibility, logic and decisiveness. Oh, and accountability, all very welcomed, thank you very much.

Welcome to a very different decade in our lives as marketers. Bring it on, I say!

And so we begin this new era from a very different place to where we were in 2000, or 2001, if you are one of those calendar purists.

Saddled with choking debt and less money – but greater and more demanding expectations from consumers and our clients – marketers across all channels have a lot to sort through and sort out.

Although there seem to be startups blooming everywhere – and thank goodness for that: we need new blood, new ideas, new thinkers and revitalized innovation – there are fewer venture capital funds sitting at the end of the digital/tech rainbow.

Veni vidi VC
Whereas 2009 was a funding desert, funds are opening up their coffers once more. But they will be more demanding and expecting a lot more in return. Notice those two words again?

Gone is the era of throwing money at flashy and splashy campaigns and budgets, or reckless startups and the glory days of playing with other peoples’ money. Those days are so over – or at least until we relapse into a time of fake plenty again.

No, this is most definitely an era of thrift and resourcefulness, an era where clients will be tempted to say “You know, we’re going to try doing this ourselves,” or “We’re going to look for a more cost-effective partner because we need to achieve more but with less.”

Sounds familiar, right?

So what does this mean?
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The Glad Demise of the Ugly American

For a very long time America has been seen as the global Pac-Man - gobbling up everything in its path. The debt accrued in a quest for "more and better" (in addition to an international policy of exploitation and planet policing) has sullied the intended image of America as being a beacon of opportunity, democracy and freedom.

On a domestic level it has left many in more than a bit of a pickle. Strained personal finances and a shortage of work hours have left Americans with time on their hands to spend someplace other than a restaurant or a shopping mall. Yep. The bottom has fallen out of the bucket - and change, though painful, is proving to be a very positive thing. Rewarding, even!

According to an article in the NYT, in response to the "Great Recession," many Americans are choosing to spend their time and money on things like exercise, gardening and aesthetics, and are re-discovering the simple pleasures of "friend and family time." People are now being presented with the opportunity to internalize the notion of it being better to "do things" than to "have things."

And although retailers are suffering from the shifting value system, museums and the performing arts are enjoying an increase in support. People are still spending, but are opting for experiences over objects. Economists are concerned that the end of a spendthrift mentality could hamper efforts to revive the economy, but with people redefining their values, marketing just have to follow suit as in any market shift. In the big picture, we'll all be better off for it.

Will this change in priorities be permanent? One can only hope so!

Meanwhile, despite our struggles, here's to the hope that 2010 brings America happier individuals and families with a greater appreciation for their lives - and a greater empathy for the struggles of our neighbors around the world. After all, we're all in this together.

A Must Read from Media Post: 10 Things Changing Marketing In 2010

Read Joe Marchese's list of 10 of the hot issues facing marketers in 2010! (Well 9 really, as he's looking for input from readers for #10.)

Yes folks...mobile and social media are here to stay! Also, check out his post from last week on "Why Mobile In 2010."

Happy Holidays to all and cheers to a peaceful, profitable 2010.