My friends and family who aren't in the industry may attribute to my passion for internet marketing and the company I work for to my inherent passion for life, but that's only a piece of it. I believe that we are in a time of change for humanity, change that is being facilitated in large part by the INTERNET. Communication, information-gathering, politics, music, art, religion, life, death and basically everything in between is somehow influenced or influencing online behavior whether it's behavior shifting online or online usage facilitating behavior change offline. So of course it's changing advertising as well and I am lucky enough to have a front-row seat to all of this exciting goodness.
I am pulling myself away from piles of work I have to do (why, because this internet advertising shit is BLOWING UP) just to put it out there, to practice what I preach and "keep fresh, interesting, and relevant content for the audience" by blogging. I'm also just reiterating what I experience with my agency/clients and what I read from others in the industry.
I just finished reading Socialnomics by Qualman which was a very inspiring purchase about business and the social nature of the web. Of course brands do not control their brands anymore, the public does! Is this different from back in the day when people didn't have the internet and relied on their immediate peers for product reviews? Well, it's the same general practice but it's blown up and syndicated a million-fold online. And it's different because it's now easy for brands to monitor this and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! Which every brand must at least acknowledge social media, it cannot be ignored.
So advertising is evolving. Does that mean the old model is gone? For sure not. Will it be gone in the relatively-near future? We'll see. Here is an interesting perspective called "Five Reasons You No Longer Need an Ad Agency". Now, I am employed by a very savvy ad agency filled with brilliant people who think all day every day about how we can better our client's brands and communicate to an audience. I know that our clients need us, as much as we need them, and that isn't going away. Will the agency role evolve? You bet! So while that was an interesting perspective I agree with the other side even more entitled "Why Every Brand Marketer Needs a Digital Agency", but I would argue that it shouldn't be siloed to just digital. People do not live 24 hours a day on the internet (yet) and agencies bring a 360 approach to communication.
So, it's the end of the world as we know it but I for one, am not afraid. Humans have survived for this long and social media helped elect a President dedicated to Change, it helps people unite on common issues and make a difference. Yes, advertising is a pawn in a capitalistic society but I believe, wholeheartedly, that is evolving. Dictionary.com defines evolution as gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development...?
So what do you think?
