Advertising is changing at the speed of Apple releasing another version of the iPhone. It is changing everyday and each day brings another set of facts.

Let me share some of these facts with you:

• 20 billion dollars were spent in adverting in the United States in 2009.
• 32% of U.S. smartphone users paid to use social media services last quarter 2009.
• Apple sold Three Million iPads in 80 days.
• United States newspaper ads declined 22% in 2009
• Internet ads are to reach 147 billion globally by 2012
• 276.9 million Americans used email in August 2009
• 57% of Americans watch TV and surf the Internet simultaneously
• 115 billion was spent on travel in 2009
• 63 million US Households to pay bills online by 2014

Can you feel the trends? Can you see what is happening with just nine facts? How consumers are reached with advertising far differs than where it was just a year ago. And let’s face it, keeping up is impossible. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tivo, Smartphones, digital billboards, streaming sites, blogs, interactive communities, Slingbox, Google, Yahoo, Direct Sites, Ad networks, Xbox, Digital Radio and the list goes on for pages. Targeting your audience has become a science and knowing what that “social group” is doing is the reason most companies are looking for marketing experts in every field. Advertising companies have just become popular again because creativity is king again.

So how are you incorporating your brand within your sectors of media purchasing? Are you touching your audience the most effective way? Today and tomorrow brings us more targeted marketing than ever before because of all the facets to chose from.

Let me give you an example of this. Imagine your product needs to be sold to 13-16 year old boys who are enthusiastic about using your product. You are third against your competition and you know that 19 million twelve-year olds will be turning thirteen next year. How do you reach them? The product is skateboards.

One approach to hitting this demographic is producing a poster they want to hang in their room which could be a direct mail opportunity with a contest on Facebook. With the poster idea comes a t-shirt giveaway, which begins a viral campaign. Be the first to approach an app that showcases your boards and some great videos of past champions using them which is placed on YouTube. Offer this as a free download for three weeks only to get your audience talking. Flickr would show stills of airborne skateboards pushing your logo while your sales force is out meeting with the store owners and having skateboard giveaways at each location.

Depending on your budget or your return on investment, develop or partner to highlight skateboarding with Xbox and a Playstation game. This will escalate your brand into the outer orbits if done correctly. If you don’t believe me, check out stats for RockBand and what it has done for Aerosmith. Actually forget the stats, ask any 14 year old to sing some Aerosmith songs. That alone is proof.

So now you need to focus on where 13-16 year olds hang out. Movie theaters, malls, concerts, and of course their form of communication is texting. So why not text them about your boards, or incorporate your boards into a movie, and of course, do you open up your own chain of stores to sell the boards direct? Vans did build stores in order to sell their own shoes which is still going. Same principles for Apple.

As you can see, the ideas are endless, but seriously what are you doing to move your product or brand? You might want to consider an agency if you don’t already have one because today’s buys aren’t what our parents were seeing or buying.