DIGITAL IS CHANGING EVERYTHING

While big ideas still matter most, digital technology is changing the very nature of advertising. At a conference recently, I got to hear and converse with Pam Evens, Global Web Marketing Manager for IBM. In talking about IBM’s global campaign called “Smarter Planet”, it became clear to me that advertising and branding is no longer about pushing out messages to the right target audience. Digital technology allows marketers to have a conversation with consumers at best, and be part of the conversation at the very least.

Events such as Smarter Planet, which took on a life of its own for IBM including 50 cities developing their own events called Smarter Cities, allowed the company to be at the hub of conversations about problems such as traffic and environmental issues that IBM technology can helps solve. By starting the conversation, and not necessarily controlling it but being at the hub of it, IBM got to listen to consumers, key influencers, and decision makers and leverage IBM’s intellectual capital to help solve problems. It led to huge surges in sales last year for IBM.

So, this combination of digital technology through the web, intellectual capital, and creating a meaningful event that takes on a life of its own and results in global PR, is the new way of doing advertising. 

PLAY has been re-organizing itself based on this model. We’re great at big ideas and strategies, but we have had to build our abilities to leverage technology to help clients have a conversation with target audiences. There will be more news on this front so stand by.