Advertising is dead. That’s a bunch of baloney.

Advertising is still highly effective at reaching and influencing customers... But only when it's done right. Ads on TV or in the newspaper may not be the best choices anymore. To make advertising work, you have to focus on your target. I see advertisements on TV all the time that make me think, "how dumb do they think I am?" Well, I'm probably not the target for that ad.

Spending the time to clearly define your target market will pay off – when you identify how to best reach them and what to say to them. Maybe a video on YouTube is the key to your future profits, or the answer could be an ad on The History Channel. Or maybe it's something completely new. In any case, you need to figure out the best way to talk to the right people, by saying the right things, and not be tempted by the lowest common denominator. If you do that, then advertising is alive and well and here to stay.