Vive le Revolution!

It’s interesting to see how people react to change – many people in the marketing related industry remain slightly aloof from the new way of thinking, while others rush to embrace the new options available. 

For example, Sir John Hegarty, the highly respected founder and worldwide creative director of BBH, stands by mainstream advertising and admits that his agency is “very old fashioned”.* An interesting comment coming from the man who heads an agency renowned for award–winning, iconic campaigns. Meanwhile, a rash of digital marketers are telling us that the future is online, where science and information will allow us to connect more credibly with our customers than ever before.

Just to muddy the waters further, the high rating TV commercials that appeared during this year’s Superbowl managed to drive website traffic to peak highs. Not many clients can afford to advertise during the Superbowl, but there’s a significant point being made here – right now traditional mediums can work even more effectively when they work together with online communications, and vice versa.

What’s really happened is that the Revolution has forced us to adopt a new,  wider perspective, which means taking advantage of the plethora of new online options, rather than simply adopting default traditional options. So, we have new communications tools to play with, more directions to target and many new, often more affordable ways of communicating with our customers.

But, what if you feel the Revolution has passed you by? What if you don’t understand how Twitter can possibly establish you as a thought leader, how LinkedIn will build your network, how Facebook can build loyalty to your brand,  how YouTube can spread your word? What if you don’t know SEO from SEM, or a blog from a mini-blog? Yes, the Revolution has created a scary world for the non-digitally inclined, which is exactly why Highway 101 is running free marketing strategy workshops that explain what it all means and how it could work for you.

What we do know is that there’s not a new rule book, just a much larger one. Science hasn’t replaced creativity and technology hasn’t taken over from ingenuity. The winners of the Revolution are those without blinkers, willing to adapt and understand the new marketing environment. Vive la Revolution! 

*Ad News 27th March 09