This weekend, I visited my parents in Vegas. While my daughter was entertained by Grandma and Grandpa, I settled in to a routine that I’d long forgotten—I read an actual hard copy of the Wall Street Journal. With newsprint dotting my fingers, I read cover to cover.

I usually get my news online and it just isn’t the same. When I got to the Opinion section and this article by Bill Wyman, “What Newspapers Can Learn From Craigslist,” I couldn’t help but think there was some cosmic alignment at this particular moment.

Wyman opines that newspapers need to put readers first and get rid of the unwanted navigation elements, like multiple links to different sections of the site. Instead, newspapers should take a page from Craigslist, which has been criticized for its simplicity. Craigslist gives users exactly what they want and puts very little on the site that isn’t useful to them.

I think Wyman’s right. It’s high-time newspapers think about online readers and what we want. I’d be thrilled to get to the editorial without the other garbage crowding my screen.

All marketers could really do a better job of this. Sometimes, we’re too caught up on what we want to put on the page, rather than what the user wants or needs from it.

Maybe I’m wrong. Could newspapers be making the online experience so miserable that we‘re driven to pick up a hard copy? After all, I flipped through my parents’ copy of the WSJ over a cup of Verona this weekend, and today I’m a returned subscriber.

Today marks the celebration of George Washington’s birthday, a.k.a. Presidents’ Day. It is one of 11 permanent federal holidays established by Congress. I’m sure the majority of you who are off work today are celebrating good ole George’s birthday and the rest of the faces that grace U.S. currency in your own special way.

Speaking of money…in 2010 marketers will be looking for more ROI than in years past and are shifting budget investments to more trackable online media and search marketing. According to a recent study by ExactTarget and Econsultancy, marketers plan to increase their online marketing budgets by an average of 17% this year. Therefore it’s more important now than ever to implement a SEO strategy and create effective online campaigns that will resonate with your target audience.

Are you planning to shift more of your marketing budget to online media this year? Do you have a favorite president or amount of currency?

With the biggest sporting, and advertising, event of the year upon us, now is the time when viewers tune into commercials, especially when there are celebrity spokespeople backing the advertised brands.

But, there is one familiar face that won’t be present, at least for the commercials, during the big game. Although Peyton Manning will be starting for the Colts on Sunday, he won’t be spotted during commercial breaks as he frequently has been in the past. It’s not because he’s no longer one of the biggest names in football and advertising (he is still one of the most used spokespeople in ads), but because the brands he endorses, like MasterCard, Sony, DirecTV, Gatorade and Sprint, have all pulled their Super Bowl advertising spots.

Does this mean that times are changing for advertising? Are big-name advertisers no longer willing to fork over millions of dollars to run a 30-second spot during the game? Has the explosion of social media caused companies to rethink budgets and reinvest money that was traditionally directed toward advertising to other areas?

Maybe paying big bucks for ads isn’t the way to go anymore. It’s time that marketers strategize and rethink to ensure that marketing dollars are being spent wisely, getting the most bang for the buck and reaching customers.

So, what do you think? Have you seen companies redirecting advertising dollars to other areas? Are you going to miss seeing Peyton in commercials? I know I’ll miss seeing him, but I’ll still be cheering for the Colts during game time!

photo courtesy: www.flickr.com/photos/Leyinglo

Despite theories that direct mail will one day cease to exist, I’m still a firm believer that print – when properly executed – is far better than using digital media alone. I was recently forwarded this article from the Wall Street Journal that echoes the same feelings.

Marketers are discovering the value in coupling print with digital media. While digital media may be less expensive, it lacks the personal touch that can be added to a printed piece. When combining the two, they can compliment each other and prove to be a more effective solution.

We have used this approach for our “Name that Super” campaign currently running for our client Phoenix Environmental Care. We found that combining a website with several e-blasts and direct mail has resulted in a great response we might not achieve by just e-mail or direct mail alone.

What do you think? Is snail mail on the endangered species list or will it always have a place in the marketing mix?