CPG companies finally get in the digital game

Ted Mininni wrote an interesting post on the Marketing Profs blog today regarding the latest comScore data in an Advertising Age article. The article, and his subsequent post, revolves around the increase (but still lagging) involvement by Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies' in digital marketing. Here are the major points he notes:

• First, even the most staid companies with product offerings in the most basic categories are learning that they need to have more of an online presence.
• Secondly, these companies understand that they have to do more digital advertising to drive traffic to their sites.
• Thirdly, if they build more of an online presence, they (the consumers) will come.
• Lastly, the Internet is increasingly becoming the place consumers turn to for information, and to shop. It’s easy, convenient, fast.

As a former digital marketing person for a consumer goods company (Airwalk) in an "old-school" industry (footwear & apparel), I know first hand the difficulties of getting such an organization thinking and acting the way they need to in order to get effectively involved in the Internet game, especially in these user-driven days.