The Shock Of The New (Again)
I’ve been working in the ad business since 1988.
That’s right, 1988. A long time ago.
A time of magic markers, layout pads, Rotring pens, cow gum, galley type and Letraset.
(Hands up if you remember any of these.)
I learned my trade hawking a battered A3 portfolio of hand-bashed concepts around the top London agencies, eagerly seeking advice from any agency creative willing to bestow it.
I’d be the first to admit that I’m steeped in the traditions and working methodologies of an age that’s quickly being usurped by new technology and social innovation.
But I’m not afraid of tomorrow. Far from it.
I’m as excited about the possibilities afforded by emerging technologies and feel as ready for the challenges they present as any fresh-faced creative straight out of Portfolio Center.
And the reason for that is simple:
Age has nothing to do with relevance. What matters is attitude.
That and a willingness to celebrate the new.
Yes, emerging social platforms and media are shaking up the way creatives like me have habitually gone about the business of creating memorable pieces of communication.
But then there’s always been an emerging technology ready to upturn the status quo and herald a switch in generational thinking.
In the fifties, television revolutionized the way messages were disseminated.
In the sixties, DDB transformed the process by which ads were created.
And more recently, in the nineties, the computer turned every last traditional working practice on its head.
So you see, “new” in this industry is in itself nothing new.
It’s just different.
Maybe the creative department of the tomorrow won’t be made up of Art Director/Copywriter teams.
Maybe the room will have to get bigger to accommodate the UX and IA guys, the Connection Planner and maybe a Content Strategist or two. Especially as it looks suspiciously likely that interactive and emerging social media will be more and more central to the marketing mix.
The advertising messages of tomorrow will have to be more than just fresh, innovative and different.
They’ll have to be shareable and invite participation.
They’ll have to recognize that the consumer is no longer an unwilling bystander in the transfer of advertising ideas, content to passively receive whatever the medium condescends to fling at them.
No, sir. Tomorrow’s consumer stands ready to interact, add its voice, supply feedback and be an active ambassador for the brands and services that he or she feels understands them and, better yet, offers them something of value.
I love that and say, “Bring it on.”
Because personally, I’m fascinated by the possibilities afforded by new media, social or otherwise.
Every day I’m floored by genuinely game changing ideas like Pepsi Refresh, VW’s Fun Theory or Panera Bread’s “Pay What You Can” store.
By the ingenuity of the apps streaming out of Apple’s App Store.
Or in the possibilities afforded by augmented reality or 3D TV.
Just last month Apple brought out the iPhone 4, a phone that allows video conferencing between two users.
Soon the ability to see the person you’re talking to on a call will be an everyday function we all take for granted.
How exciting is that?
This is what gets me up in the morning and gives me that same frisson of excitement I felt when I was first starting out with that portfolio of work under my arm.
Now, occasionally, a self-professed “expert” will say something that raises a red flag of bullshit in my head.
But then I’ll be knocked out by another intuitive blog post by Edward Boches, blown away by the timeless common sense of Dave Trott, or inspired by a self-confessed, old school ad-man like Luke Sullivan, who is embracing the new with the youthful vigor of someone half his age.
All three are fearless in their advocation of the future and the inherent possibilities it affords the brave, bold, inquisitive mind.
And what they are saying is that this isn’t really about traditional or new media.
It’s about the ability to embrace change.
To learn the skills commensurate with a new age of communication.
In this brave new world, where creating experiences is just as important as the originality of the idea itself, there is no young and old.
Just relevance and appropriate skill sets.
So, yes, the times they are a-changing.
But there’s no reason on earth why those versed in the communicative power of traditional mediums like TV, outdoor and print can’t survive and thrive in this time of profound change.
You just need to be willing to learn, adapt and, above all, evolve.
I certainly intend to.
Who’s with me?
