Gareth Kay is the planning director at Goodby Silverstein and before that Modernista. He’s smart. His presentation “the brief in the digital age” is quite thought-provoking and weighs in on a number of today’s pop marketing discussions. (Bob Gilbreath’s book “Marketing with Meaning” is another smart reference on the changing landscape of marketing.)
Mr. Kay’s presentation can be found here on Slideshare.
My favorite slide outlines the “before and after” environments of the “new” brief:
Pre-digital ——————————–Post-digital
Interruption Participation
Image Manipulation Value Creation
Saying things at people Doing things for people
Intangible Value Tangible Value
Perception Behavior
Back in the 90s, everyone thought interactive TV would change commerce. Never happened. The Internet did. Thanks to the web, the selling canvas has evolved. We are no longer just sculptors, but painters and singers. Of course we must do more than interrupt. The web allows us to create participation like never before. And it’s an awesome advantage, but there is a famous saying “Good advertising makes you feel something, then do something.” More often than not, that “do something” was get out of your chair and buy. The post digital brief is right on, no doubt. Yet let’s not forget “one way value,” value for the customer only, does not necessarily make the cash register ring. It should, but it must be played carefully. Peace!