When is a vast left-wing conspiracy not a conspiracy? When the co-conspirators are openly solicited and given the tools to act:

Two interesting posts at Advertising Age in the last 24 hours–both taking different angles on how to deal with the fracturing media and marketing markets. The first, looks at how media properties must create partnerships, specifically communication and marketing partnerships that have specific audience reach, that together can wrap and intersect across the collective audience.

This requires a well-organized set of partnerships with the collective experience to extend a brand idea across a spectrum of disciplines, audiences and media channels. And identifying the best way to strategically align all respective talent will require new ways of thinking about business integration, new ways to approach brand management and new ways to collaborate with marketing partners.

What do you think Obama did?

Political campaigns, for example, employ many strategists, each honing “brand” communications to resonate with the issues, values and social culture germane to a particular constituency. In a great collaborative effort, Barack Obama partnered with Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, to develop a web presence and better employ the social networking that helped engage younger voters and clinch the Democratic nomination. The campaign also had a very well-organized grassroots effort with first-hand knowledge of the political climate and voting protocol in each state and the expertise to resonate with local communities. The collective skills of these local partners helped the “Obama brand” connect with its audience and raise capital in record proportions.

Embedded in the article, is the notion that these partnerships might not be with expected national partners, but might be a niched interests: local partners, representatives of specific audience segments, etc.. And last but not least, technology is the major tool to support that effort.

The internet, social networking and related media technologies have introduced many new media channels that permit audiences to group according to their vertical interests and to share and react to information in real time. Marketers need to harness the same technologies to combine resources and form marketing partnerships that can develop engaging conversations with these very specific audiences and realign quickly to maintain the conversation as the target, media or subject change.

The second post is actually a three minute video podcast (did you know Advertising Age has those? I just found out!) containing reflective and future looking perspectives on the impact and opportunities of vertical advertising networks. Vertical advertising networks are a response to to the fragmenting business and advertising markets for advertisers, publishers and hey, even consumers.

Will Morrison of ThinkPanmure noted how the VAN space was already cluttering up in the last few years. “Back in 2000, 2001 there were roughly 15 to 20 ad networks. Latest count, this Spring, we have got over 300.” Morrison also noted he saw the creation of a new high end, secondary market in the form of mobile ad networks and video ad networks, making it a more complex and overwhelming market for marketers and publishers.

I won’t go back to transcribe the whole thing, but I can say, you won’t waste your three minutes watching/listening.