In John Oliver's hilarious take on net neutrality
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbOEoRrHyU), he highlights the fact that
Obama has picked a top cable and wireless company lobbyist to be the next chair
of the Federal Communications Commission - a conflict of interest akin to
selecting a dingo as a babysitter for a 2 month old.
In essence, the net neutrality issue could be described as a battle between Broadband providers and the FCC over whether all Internet traffic should be delivered at equal speeds (think 2 lane highways with different speed limits) – a lack of net neutrality could result in skyrocketing costs of doing business online. The video got me thinking about how legislation surrounding net neutrality could affect digital marketing in the future, and whether it was actually as black and white as Oliver claims.
The way the Internet is set up today ensures that small businesses and larger corporate entities compete on a level playing field when it comes to a pay-per-click marketing model. Though corporations have larger budgets for marketing, small businesses can generate clicks and conversions through compelling messages by taking advantage of search rankings that reward quality content and genuine user popularity. The end of net neutrality means the (more-or-less) end of the small marketer, as a lack of equal access to online tools and distribution networks restricts the art of “spreading the message” to the big guys. The worst-case scenario (perhaps more realistic than worst) involves a drastic decrease in creativity and innovation, and the eventual choking out of smaller businesses.
However, according to some, it might not be all that bad for marketers (or consumers). GroupM Global Chief Digital Officer Rob Norman states: “If you end up with a higher proportion of all screen time available to advertisers and the [broadband providers] spend incremental revenue and reinvest in providing bandwidth so consumers have a great experience, it's a decent value exchange.” This means that at the end of the day, consumers want free high quality stuff, and marketers can pay for it – think free Hulu!
Regardless of this window of opportunity, in the short run, the demise of net neutrality will probably a death-knell for a lot of small marketers. Personally, I feel that the Internet is a beautiful thing as-is and should not be messed with – Dingos be damned.
In essence, the net neutrality issue could be described as a battle between Broadband providers and the FCC over whether all Internet traffic should be delivered at equal speeds (think 2 lane highways with different speed limits) – a lack of net neutrality could result in skyrocketing costs of doing business online. The video got me thinking about how legislation surrounding net neutrality could affect digital marketing in the future, and whether it was actually as black and white as Oliver claims.
The way the Internet is set up today ensures that small businesses and larger corporate entities compete on a level playing field when it comes to a pay-per-click marketing model. Though corporations have larger budgets for marketing, small businesses can generate clicks and conversions through compelling messages by taking advantage of search rankings that reward quality content and genuine user popularity. The end of net neutrality means the (more-or-less) end of the small marketer, as a lack of equal access to online tools and distribution networks restricts the art of “spreading the message” to the big guys. The worst-case scenario (perhaps more realistic than worst) involves a drastic decrease in creativity and innovation, and the eventual choking out of smaller businesses.
However, according to some, it might not be all that bad for marketers (or consumers). GroupM Global Chief Digital Officer Rob Norman states: “If you end up with a higher proportion of all screen time available to advertisers and the [broadband providers] spend incremental revenue and reinvest in providing bandwidth so consumers have a great experience, it's a decent value exchange.” This means that at the end of the day, consumers want free high quality stuff, and marketers can pay for it – think free Hulu!
Regardless of this window of opportunity, in the short run, the demise of net neutrality will probably a death-knell for a lot of small marketers. Personally, I feel that the Internet is a beautiful thing as-is and should not be messed with – Dingos be damned.
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