Jeff Jarvis at BuzzMachine has posted an interesting piece predicting the end of the advertising-based revenue model for publishers, and, by extension, the end of advertising. Rupert Murdoch's decision to erect a paywall around The Times website has received a great deal of publicity and it seems as though Condé Nast may be following in his footsteps. However Jarvis believes that there is little chance that publishers will ever achieve the sort of revenues that they are used to simply through selling their content. Instead he thinks that the only way that publishers can survive in an era where scarcity has been removed as a means for inflating value is to enter the world of commerce. In other words start competing with the brands that used to supply those advertising dollars and sell the stuff themselves. Of course, having expertise in writing about fashion, for instance, in no way qualifies you to start operating as a fashion retailer.

I think there will be some tough times ahead for the publishing industry it has yet be shown whether consumers will ever be willing to pay a price for content that realistically reflects the true cost of generating that content - they are so used now to all of those free-to-access websites and magazines with cover mounted gifts. Sooner or later someone will develop a business model that works, and, who knows, maybe publishers will all become retailers. They will need to radically shift their areas of expertise first though.

Libertine have been working with longstanding client HMV for both the UK and ROI, on their new Sale Campaign, which broke yesterday.

The TV campaign is also being supported in press and instore.

I had the opportunity to attend a very interesting NMA live event recently on how Apple’s new Ipad is set to change how brands and agencies market themselves to consumers. So far the Ipad has sold over 1 million units in 28 days (probably more as I write this); thats twice as much as the Iphone did which is a very positive sign that future in this area is set to change. This is great news for many media agencies who will start developing a whole host of applications for consumers.

One of the key discussion points around the event was how much high quality work will be required from both content producers and advertisers in agencies. The user interface (IU) and user experience (UX) is far more engaging than previously used on other website applications and other devices. New methodologies around interactive design and usability are leading many agencies to rethink how they work in this area. Many of the applications that have so far been developed are starting to extend to users spending twice the amount of time on engaging with brands. This is great news for advertisers and the like wishing to get a ROI.

With this is mind the Berger has developed the Popular Science + digital magazine with a rich media interface.

Their project can be viewed here 

With the emergence of the Ipad and the applications the future certainly looks exciting for many as traditional print media platforms moving across on to a digital platform. Its not just about print moving into digital – it about digital moving into spaces previously dominated by print.

Stay tuned for more articles on all things Ipad.

We recently helped Spitfire Ale launch a trade campaign called Operation Landlord. Spitfire wanted to give landlords not already stocking Spitfire on a regular basis, added reasons to do so. This first phase consists of a two-pronged attack: edgy, funny, point-of-sale, for deployment around pubs was sent to landlords, and an on-cask text-to-win prize draw has been created where landlords can win their rent paid for a year. The campaign was promoted via trade press advertising and a campaign website where landlords can request the POS to be sent to them. The  campaign is now nearly over and so far it has been a fantastic success with sales up around 15% year-on-year.