Yes, it’s a new year and we’re getting all emotional about eMarketing and what’s possible (we actually do that all the time, but don’t tell anyone). I decided to canvas the office for QuirkStar’s hopes, demands and ideas for the industry this year.

Scott Gray, our client strategy director, hopes to see more awareness in terms of the breadth of things you can do with the Internet: “I think people should educate themselves about what’s possible”.

Almost all of the QuirkStars

Lyndi Lawson – our Minister of Education - naturally echoes this view and thinks that an interest in eMarketing education can only be a good thing.

“Professionals need to realise that the only way to keep up is to upskill themselves. Tertiary institutions should also find ways to better equip their graduates in this sector – basically we’d like to see the formalisation of eMarketing education.”

And formalisation means that existing eMarketing efforts are approached in a more targeted mature way – which is something Sarah Blake would like to see happen:

“I think there will be more testing of sites and digital assets – which is a necessary thing. We need to measure what needs to be measured.”

Daniel Neville, our Idea Bounty Captain, is confident that this will happen because he thinks “a large number of brands and businesses will realise they are not doing enough on the net”, especially around 2010 and there will be “a mad scramble and rush to get things sorted out = lots more work for us!”

This can only support the changes our creative department envisions for creative execution. Emma Carpenter, our Creative Director, is hoping to see

“a lot more illustration and many sites moving away from the rigid grid system to a free-flow organic structure. I’d also like to see more video. I don't mean a square video in a page, but full screen video that integrates with the typography, copy and content of the page.”

And speaking of copy, our Princess of Web PR, Sarah Manners, had the following to say:

“Traditionally offline copy has been a lot more creative and fun, while online we’ve been practical, goal driven and focused on the importance of search engines and the keywords we use to attract them. I think this is really starting to change – across the board. In 2010 I hope to see a blurring of the lines between the terms “web copywriting” and “copywriting”. I think “online” copywriters, especially in countries where Internet Marketing is less mainstream, are going to start kicking some ass.

Perhaps the purists will start looking at us like creatives rather than typists ;-)

I’d also like to see online budgets go up so digital agencies (esp in SA) can show what they can really do.”

And there is a lot to do, both online and off. Andrew Kirkby our head studling (intern) would like to see  ”eMarketing integrate itself more with conventional advertising. Websites should be shown on all billboards, TV ads and radio- campaigns should be integrated seamlessly with conventional advertising.”

And finally, a wish from our CTO, Craig Raw, is that the Web become more open – with open source as the standard. “I think there will be a significant move towards this this year”.

There were tons more wishes and views, like PPC Guru Heidi Ocker’s wish for Google to integrate all its products into one super-system, but we’d like to hear some from you. What would you like to see happen in the online industry this year?

Also check out:

• Some Interesting 2010 Predictions
• Digital Wrap Up 2009