CLARO, Youtube and the coming of WebTV

First, before I launch into my epistle, I would like to say that this advertisement about CLARO on YouTube in the Sunday Gleaner, published Sunday January 31 2010 was unforeseen by my part - which I why wholeheartedly endorse it.

Young people do not read newspapers or watch Television and mostly listen to music on their portable MP4 Players, but they do like getting their news from the internet.

By placing an ad on YouTube – (should I suspect a Twitter Feed and Facebook Page are in the works?), as Digicel already has followers on Twitter and nearly 100,000 on Facebook as stated in the article “Digicel gains 100,000 Facebook fans in under 100 days”, published Wednesday, 17 March 2010 by TechJamaica.com.

CLARO has not only stepped up the advertising ante by a notch by going on possible the largest internet video portal which guarantees a viral adaptation of their advertisement, but they also have pushed advertising into the new realm of youth Populism, as CLARO has decided to (finally?) take their gloves off and let the ‘OldCel” get some hammering from the section of John Public that lives on the internet.

“Brash, new, bold” – only a few of the superlatives that my online colleagues can dare to enunciate to describe the new advertising push which will endear CLARO to the segment of the population, the youth group that lives on the internet, which realistically, are the majority of the population utilizing their wireless broadband.

This is especially in the country areas, where LIME is yet to have 3G coverage, FLOW is yet to launch their broadband offering and Digicel is apparently far on the horizon. Their uncanny public quiet and lack of openness with regards to their soon to launched Wimax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) slated to launch at the end of the second quarter of 2010 as stated in the article “Digicel to offer mini laptops with 4G service next year”, published Friday September 4th 2009 by Lavern Clarke, The Daily Gleaner, is strange.

ZTE Corp of China as their build out partner of their new WiMax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) network as stated in the article “DIGICEL SIGNS ZTE AS 4G MOBILE WIMAX INTERNET PARTNER”, published Sunday, September 27, 2009, The Jamaica Observer.

Best of all it is cheaper, as the ad posting (https://www.youtube.com/goodbyeoldcel) costs CLARO nothing as it is completely free to upload to YouTube.

It also makes logical sense (something I rarely say) in light of the fact that advertising on Television and Radio, both paid services on the RJR Communications Group and CVM Communications Group Radio and Television affiliates, is too expensive to justify the high cost.

Despite TVJ’s claim that they have more than 60% coverage and the top Radio station, which is not possible, as from a purely anecdotal point of view most people do not watch television but are mostly immersed in Cable TV.

The RJR Communications Group cannot scientifically justify their claims via an alternate media survey company to the MRSL’s Media Survey, as statistical results, to stand up to the rigors of  scientific scrutiny, as any Pure and Applied Sciences Student would tell them, must be replicable when the statistical methodology of the previous experimenter are reapplied to the subject in question.

As the internet becomes more prevalent, there is a possibility that LIME and Digicel may soon be launching, aside from their planned cable TV offering LIME TV and DigiTV later this year.

A web portal to do their own advertising (Cable TV on the Web?) as Internet advertising is cheaper and directly reaches its potential advertising market.

Thus for the first time making the Marketing Department its own broadcaster of advertising, a possible reason for the below par performance of the Daily Gleaner as its readership decreases as stated in the article “Gleaner enjoys turnaround – Profit turns on cost reduction and Sangster’s divestment”, published Tuesday March 16th 2010, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Is this the forebodings of beginning of the end of paid advertising in Newspapers, Radio and Television in Jamaica?

Will Broadcasters and Newspapers finally see the light and make the DSO (Digital Switchover) or drastically start losing their lion share of lucrative advertising market as Digicel, LIME and CLARO take their business online?

Will they set up their own competing Web TV, Web Radio and Wireless Cable TV and do their own advertising, saving tons of money that is going to waste when advertising in Newspapers that young people?

After all they are a future potential target market for most advertisers) do not read, Television stations young people do not watch and Radios they rarely tune in to listen!

The writing was already on the wall when the Recession resulted in the cutback in advertising and the over-the-top Marketing antics of Digicel and their offering of a MP4 player in Christmas of 2009.

Already, there are signs that in the United Kingdom, the BBC will soon be going the route of DSO (Digital Switch Over).

The BBC Trust has approved the decision to do this, thereby setting up the possibility for demand for Internet Television or Web TV as stated in the article “BBC Trust approves Project Canvas”, published Thursday, 24 June, 2010, 11:00 GMT, BBC DAILY E-MAIL: UK EDITION.

The Broadcasting Commission here in Jamaica has already met but is still undecided as to how to proceed as alluded in the article “Slow road to digital switch-over - Cable groups mum; Flow ahead but network coverage behind”, published: Saturday August 15, 2009 by Mark Titus, The Jamaica Gleaner.