Jonathan Levinson is director of marketing for MusicNet Inc., an online music provider. MusicNet does not sell on-demand music directly to end users. Rather, it creates the customized music download and subscription experiences that top global companies offer under their own brands. MusicNet's partners are world-class consumer brands that wish to generate new revenues and extend their customer relationships by offering a premium music service. They provide the established consumer base and the marketing resources required for customer acquisition, while MusicNet can provide everything else needed to offer the service, including a library of licensed content, technology and delivery systems.
iMediaConnection: How has your job changed this year?
Levinson: More interest in stunts and sweepstakes to break through the clutter.
iMediaConnection: What surprised you in the online world this year?
Levinson: Consumers have been more open to invasive ad technologies like Eyeblaster, especially for entertainment topics.
iMediaConnection: How do you determine your marketing mix -- and how has the role of online in it changed?
Levinson: It's set by the marketing partners I work with. They have always been online focused.
iMediaConnection: What haven't you brought into the marketing mix yet that you want to try?
Levinson: In-theater advertising.
iMediaConnection: What do we need to be doing as an industry to help you make interactive marketing a bigger piece of your marketing pie?
Levinson: We need better data testing and analysis tools, so as to identify what aspect of an ad was the success or failure: message, look, location, audience, time of day, etc.
iMediaConnection: Are you being affected by any consumer-generated marketing (CGM) -- blogs, user groups, etc.? Are you using any blogs or other social networking tools to market?
Levinson: Not yet.
iMediaConnection: What are you investing in now for next year's marketing program?
Levinson: Market research on messaging and audience segmentation.
iMediaConnection: What blogs do you read?
Levinson: gizmodo, engadget, gawker
iMediaConnection: What are your daily "must-see" Web sites and why?
Levinson: Gizmodo, engadget, digital music news: all are excellent at staying on topic, providing good editorial, and are comprehensive.
