(2002-05-13) j

John Ellis (Dec99) on the future of Advertising. You can block out advertising in your home, in your car, and on your laptop... If ever-larger numbers of people have the ability to block out advertising, the traditional model will become simply one more victim of digital technology, and Broadcast Row and Madison Avenue will come crashing down with it... Some will continue to rely on the old model, which will remain functional for a time - because the majority of consumers will be late adapters to the new technology. But at the high end of the market, where you find the "best customers" ( those with the most money ), the old model won't work at all... To reach best customers, marketers and advertisers will have to use what Forrester Research calls IRMs - "interactive relationship managers." IRMs are "infomediaries," devices that collect user data based on the surfing habits of ISP customers and then make appropriate suggestions as to what else those customers might like or need... This is the kicker of the IRM revolution: It makes everybody a marketer.