The Downturn’s Not-So-Obvious Upside.
Okay, by now you’ve read countless opinions and infinite blogs as to why marketers should continue to spend in a downturn. Historically, brands that spend in a downturn capture marketshare. Yada yada yada. Blah blah blah.
So here we are, closer to the end of this mess than the beginning. In the midst of all this darkness, something fascinating has been taking place in the world of media and marketing.
Innovation.
Driven by necessity, agencies have been finding new, low-cost ways for advertisers to reach their audiences. Even better, new technologies are making it possible for audiences find advertisers.
When the upturn is in full swing, these new technologies and methodologies are going to stick. And they are indeed going to generate increased marketshare for savvy clients. For creatives, the upside will lie in these new media: Because, as is often the case with new technology, the bar ain’t been set all that high.
There are brilliant exceptions out there. But reeling ad agencies and design firms have been leaping upon the bandwagon and taking an “us too” approach. They’ve opted into technology over creativity. Search Engines over ideas.
Baba Shetty leads the digital and media groups at Hill/Holiday. He penned a column recently in Communication Arts entitled “Humans vs. The Hype.” In it, Shetty concludes that, “…if a lot of people are jumping on the train then there must be something there. But left unchecked by our better instincts as students of human behavior, technology won’t help us as much as we hope.” Amen brother.
I’m out of the business of making predictions. But I believe these technologies will help us by evolving as they should—as tools. And we’ll create on these vast new canvases as never before.