3 months until the end of the year!
Scary thought – it doesn’t seem that long ago since we were dismantling the Christmas tree and boxing up the decorations for another year.
2009 has quickly raced along and it feels like the digital media industry has been too busy evolving to take stock of the recession.
Only this morning (30/9) it has been reported that Internet Advertising has finally exceeded that of its closest competitor, TV. But what are we to make of this progress?
Is it because of the current economic climate that digital media has excelled, and the more cost-effective way of keeping your brand in the spotlight is the reason digital has flourished this year? Should we be thankful for the recession? Crazy I know but it may have helped company marketing gurus to focus their attentions on the possibilities within easily monitored online marketing strategies, as opposed to expensive TV ads that are difficult to measure conversions by.
The year has seen redundancies within the digital space and agencies have suffered but overall the industry seems to be in good shape. I spend a lot of time talking with business owners and the consensus of opinion is positivity and excitement for the future.
Recruitment wise there has been a lot of movement, particularly at senior level, however I expect 2010 to be about building effective business units both in-house and agency-side. Therefore expect particular activity across design and development based skills. Strategy, implementation, insight and analysis will also be in demand so keep sharpening those skills as next year could be a good time for career advancement. Mobile will also develop further as finally the public is awakening to the great advances in this market, check the Android 1.6 release as an example. Also keep an eye out for augmented reality – search it on Google and see for yourself.
It appears that recruiters have been sensible too, those that work in the marketing, creative and technical sectors seem to be still around and adding value – possibly with more streamlined teams but positioned and ready for bigger demand around the corner.
Digital Personnel is an agency that has been prudent through the last year and by building communities on various social media platforms is perfectly placed to quickly and effectively identify talent from across the digital landscape.
Let’s see 2009 off in style and look forward to further growth through 2010.
Ashley Seddon
ashley.seddon@digitalpersonnel.co.uk