Spinach Blog

 

It’s not news that the past decade has seen some of the biggest technological shifts since the invention of the printing press. The way people can now communicate with each other, and the way businesses can communicate with customers, was not that long ago the stuff of science fiction.

If you listen to the industry’s digital acolytes this has signalled a paradigm shift of apocalyptic proportions for ‘traditional’ advertising. At the forefront of this is the ‘television is dead’ position popularised - with an obvious degree of self-interest - by various new-to-world digital agencies. To different degrees established advertising agencies have joined the chorus, either not wanting to be seen as cavemen or wanting to recoup their investment in newly acquired digital capabilities.  

Marketers, particularly in Australia, have been a bit more circumspect about going along for the ride.  But you would be hard pressed to find a brand that hasn’t at least dabbled with social media. And, of course, what career conscious marketer isn’t lured by the need to have ‘digital’ on their CV?

Ironically, all of this may have led to a rampant case of herd behaviour within the microcosm of the marketing and advertising community.

In comparison, counter-point perspectives have had a much smaller voice.  The ‘emperor has no clothes’ arguments have come largely from a few of advertising’s elder statesmen and academics.  These commenters tend to see the digital revolution much like the dot com boom of the 1990s; full of unfounded optimism and unproven potential.  Where the fundamental principles of how people relate to brands are ignored.  And where the engagement of the few doesn’t even come close to having the same impact as the semi-partial attention of the many.

If accepting that the case for a new communications paradigm isn’t as clear cut as it seems, then agencies and clients need a more reasoned approach to developing digital initiatives.  An approach where agencies detail up front what proposed ideas are realistically expected to achieve.  And where the basic thinking about an audience around and beyond their digital interactions is always done.  More on this in the third post of this series.

The next post will outline a rare counter-argument to the digital revolution from the agency side by one of the UK’s leading agencies.

Glenn Myatt, Strategy Director

 

 

1. What is your favourite advertising commercial?

 

Geek references and Dogs - how could you go wrong?

The especially clever part this advertising campaign is realising that both those things appeal to niche sets of internet users, which meant it's share-ability (we don't use the word viral) is very high.

2. What do you love about Melbourne?

I moved to Melbourne from Sydney last year so I love lots of things about it as the novelty is still very strong. The experience of eating out in Melbourne, from a casual coffee and pastry to a full five-course dinner is by far and away my favourite part of living here - both service and food is always amazing. Trams are a very close second.

3. What's the most creative thing you've ever done?

I started, grew and eventually sold a digital agency in Sydney. It was the hardest thing I've ever done but it required that I be constantly creative. It also reaped a lot of rewards and taught me most of what I know about marketing digital services to businesses.

4. Sum up your career in 10 words:

1. Computers
2. Web
3. Internet
4. Hospitals*
5. Digital
6. Business
7. Advertising
8. Strategy
9. Creative
10. Geek

*A true child of the internet age, I was made redundant in the UK after the dot crash and worked as a medical secretary for the rest of my time there, which at least means I can type fast.

5. What does digital mean to you?

I eat, breathe and sleep digital marketing, but unlike a lot of my counterparts I see it as evolution not a revolution - not to say we're not seeing some fundamental paradigm shifts in the advertising/marketing industry and business as a whole.

I do believe social media will change the way big brands think about their customers. Consumers will start to actively seek out brands that listen to what they have to say. Those that refuse to listen and respond will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage very quickly.

We monitored the social media response and found it gained traction in forums here and overseas on Twitter and Facebook, and across online food and sporting communities. Interaction with fans via SpinachTweet helped to accelerate interest and flag supporter comments.

Not only did the campaign launch generate a great deal of free publicity, but we gained a huge surge in positive online sentiment for CSR Sugar.

Here’s a quick case study of what happened.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Swimmer Eamonn Sullivan to front CSR sugar advertising (mumbrella.com.au)
• The Scoop on Sugar (lifescript.com)