OK, so ‘digital’ is just another media, right?
In Medieval times, let’s say, about 1500 AD, when the ruler of the kingdom wanted to talk to his subjects, most of whom could not read or write, he would send out bizarrely dressed men with large bells and they would shout at people.
They would shout things like declarations of war, or tax increases – important things, things that mattered to the people.
And, slowly, over time, some of the important merchants, they saw that this form of mass communication would be good for business. They figured that, while they were funding the King in his wars, and paying him large amounts of tax, they were effectively paying for his town criers. And so they stared using them to.
And that’s when the advertisers moved in.
And for five hundred years, nothing much changed.
Sure, the media – the way of reaching the masses – changed. People learned to read, pamphlets became newsletters, which became newspapers which in turn became television, and the advertisers were never far behind. Someone had to pay for all this stuff, after all.
The media itself changed, but the process, the advertising philosophy, was always the same – the messages were delivered to a passive audience. And sure, some of the messages were more effective than others, but the audience itself was not invited to participate, to discuss, to question – the audience was invited to believe, to do what they were told.
‘Guinness is good for you’ ‘Go to work on an egg’ ‘Don’t be vague, as for Haig’, ‘Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach’’ Just Do It.’
Then along came the internet, and lots of advertising and marketing people said ‘Oh, another media we can use to reach our audience.’ And their clients said ‘Oh, another media we can use to reach our audience – and it’s cheap!’
And all the time there were a few tiny voices, and these voices said, ‘but look, it’s different.’
And these voices are getting louder - louder than the advertisers shouting at us and still expecting us to buy into them. These voices want crave more information, they want to discuss, to question. And these conversations are taking part on the internet.
The internet is a first; a paradigm shift. Much more than just another channel the internet is an infinite number of channels going in all directions.
And it’s moving fast. And woe betides any advertisers who ignore the voices.
We still want ideas that grab our attention. Of course we do. But we want to do more; we want to watch, to watch again on YouTube, to forward to our friends, to strangers connected to us by the same idea, who want to come on this journey with us.
If you can get us on board, and then come along for the ride, you’ll find, if you can do that, then we’ll be your evangelists, the word will spread, and people will connect to your ideas and then connect them to others.
This is not a single straight road that defines its audience simply through the use of it - it’s a myriad of pathways, and all of its travellers are unique. But all are connected.
We’re using digital connections to collaborate. We are well-informed. We talk to each other. We share experiences. Through interaction and dialogue we create the value of your brand and other people’s desire for it.
We control your destiny. You can shout all you like about it, but we’re already whispering to each other. We’re talking in language that is natural, open, honest and funny, and not marketing speak.
And if you’ve got something to say, and you speak our language, there’s a good chance we’ll listen to you and make you successful. But talk to us in the boring monotone of the boardroom, then at best we’re likely to ignore you, and at worst we’ll ridicule you. And then you will fail.
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