Cultural examination

Kevin and I have been discussing the fundamental changes in which the communications ecosystem is evolving. New tools have emerged amidst drastic cultural changes. Or is it the tools that are shaping the ways in which we view the world? Cause and effect continue to reverberate. To wit, the phenomenal surge in video uploads post iPhone 3G phone. Or the recent Mashable article announcing that the iPhone is rivaling the Canon EOS as the number one camera on Flickr.

Regardless of the chicken & egg, what we know is that it is time to get experiential. People want to participate and look for ways to get involved with their passions, connecting with others who share their interests.

Along with this shift there has been an increased prioritization of culture. Why is this? With the old practices of command central falling by the wayside, how do we best disseminate our messages? Previously, the limitations of communication (cost, control) relied on a game of numbers. This model focused on minimizing risk with measured placements against the middle mass of a brand's target -- maximizing reach with a silver bullet message. As opportunities and platforms for communication increase and interactions are made possible, decentralized efforts must be shared amongst the collective, increasing the importance for everyone to be steeped in the culture. Now, more than ever, it is important that brands know thyself.

Culture (third definition, wikipedia) the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.

What do you think?

Sep 01, 2009

DanThink said...

Very poignant. There are many free information catalysts to reach the edges (as well as the middle) of the market that go underutilized. The decentralization of traditional entertainment mechanisms along with the multi-generational longing for authentic communication and connection has created a profound platform for artists to do what they do best: synthesize the human condition. From the Olympus Pen Story video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Et7UQh1tg), to Flash Mobs, there are an overwhelming number of ways for companies to get their "vibe" to resonate and create word-of-mouth (or word-of-Facebook) buzz.

Brand messages are becoming more illogical and much more ephemeral. Great advertising has always been based on an emotional element, albeit a hard one to pinpoint in the boardroom. Value statements, for example, are often stale. Truelines that are grown into great taglines, however, can captivate an audience and empower the relationship between user culture and the company's brand.

Now, with the growing number of communication channels and the low marginal cost of bandwidth and disk space, we can create a greater number of message vehicles and tinker with the psycho-sphere of our ever growing audience to more effectively reach into new corners of "culture". In short, CMOs (if they still exist today) should spend less on their media buys and more on the creative. Maybe the media buy is the half of the marketing budget that has been so ineffective.

Perhaps the art room has more opportunity for competition in this emerging model as well. That includes pricing structure. At some point we'll have to make up our margins on volume as old and incongruent ads fall off the memory chart.

In conclusion, I believe that the proliferation of businesses and info channels has created a platform for explosive growth for advertising agencies. Here we can offer more content and audience for a low CPM. Art students rejoice.

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