10 Highly Speculative 2010 Advertising Predictions Requiring No Proof On My Part

1. Webisodes – The future of TV gets [some] web exclusivity in 2010. Smarter television developers see that there's an increasing need for more than a once-a-week connection to their audience. This is where the webisode becomes the 'gap wedge' to your content golf bag. Watch as large prime-time shows create upwards to the same amount of "eye-time" for original programming, backstories, interviews, and fan discussion seeding with this medium.
2. "In Content" Advertising – I've been preaching this for years so I might as well claim it's going to happen in 2010. Trumping the DVR is going to require increasing demand for television programs and advertisers to work together to find suitable content where their product can be shown in a positive light. Watch as the gaming industry figure this out and a new influx of part TV, part game come into play.
3. Default Tactics added to every campaign in 2010 – The RFP's you knew and loved are going to require far more thinking than in the past to rope your next AOR account. Get ready for "Limited" traditional advertising supporting a 'story-seed' pushing attention to a foundational website; social media extensions; professional Twit (saavy internal voice that will voice your campaign against your social extensions); Mobile Advertising; oh and some clever concept.
4. Agency/Talent Clustering – Watch as the best agencies in the world look externally to smaller niché focused shops for such tactics as social strategy, storytelling, and various executional and development tasks.
5. Ninja TV – Slowly we're seeing television finally sneaking online (and mobile respectfully) as part of the content; Hulu, CNN, ESPN (Gamecast) etc. will be the grandfathers or this movement.
6. Client Media Purchasing – With the ease of Facebook, BlogAds, Ad Mob and other publishing networks be forewarned that clients are going to expect their internal staff to do more of the buying of online media. Of course when the campaign goes to pot you're still to blame – not to worry.
7. "Jumpseats" – Watch for advertising agencies to put more members of their team at the clients office full-time. Everyone's looking for the edge that will satisfy your clients increasing need for high-touch customer service and a smart extravert might just be the trick not to getting your ass on the list for a review.
8. Measurement Required – Agencies, start looking hard for staffers that can look, understand and make core recommendations on web metrics. This is going to start to become a crucial team that will make definitive reco's during the running of campaigns to best optimize and structure results.
9. Bulldogs – Watch larger clients higher staffers from the agency world as consultants to review, analyze, criticize and keep your markup as low as bootlegged Metallica t-shirts at a flea market.
10. Keep Your Eye On Your Hands – Mobile is going to explode this year with not simply phones, games, and smaller utilities to (supposedly) make our lives simpler, but keep an eye on net-books and tablets aimed at keeping you portable as well as connected. Additionally, I foresee the tablet craze as being short-lived, perhaps a couple of years before it goes back in your pocket.