Spinach Blog

 

Is the digital revolution overhyped and oversold?  Maybe. Certainly the points made in the previous post in this series would suggest this.

But without a doubt we live in the most disruptive and exciting times in the history of human communications.   Everyday new possibilities are being found and created for brands to connect and interact with people’s lives.   These will change the world in ways we have yet to imagine.  Though fundamental change will only occur where they add true value to people’s lives, not simply trade on novelty.  And this will happen more slowly than many would have us believe.  What can be done with technology is still different from what people actually do with it, and it is important to remember digital channels are still just a sub-set of how consumers relate to brands and consume media.
In the meantime some of the ‘old rules’ of marketing communications need to be respected.

The truth is everyone involved with it is still learning how the digital landscape does and can work.  And with its daily evolution what we think we know as fact today may be shown to be myth tomorrow.  

Some brands will seize the opportunities better than others.  Many first movers will as always benefit in the long run.  Fortune will continue to favour the brave.

But agencies need to stop selling digital solutions to everything just because they can build them.
Clients need to stop asking for a facebook, twitter or viral campaign just because everyone else seems to be doing them.

In practice, agencies and clients need to have open and constructive dialogues about what they are trying to achieve.  Two key points are:

• When proposing a digital idea to a client, agencies need to be up front about whether it is likely to engage large numbers of customers or whether the opportunity is about experimenting and learning from it.  Or whether it’s about the halo effect of showing the brand or the business to be innovative and at the leading edge.


• The basic thinking about any given audience always needs to be done - how they live their lives, what they prefer to do, how they really interact with a category, its brands and media including digital and social.

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.