New Content Economy? What’s Old Is New Again!
As the marketing ecosystem evolves, we can look to our past for inspiration on how to deal with the new challenges we face.
As the marketing ecosystem evolves, we can look to our past for inspiration on how to deal with the new challenges we face.
“What will it take to win in the new content economy? The best way for publishers to earn more is to interrupt less. The best way for brands to emotionally connect is through meaningful content. But for the new content economy to thrive, all of these efforts need to happen at scale.” – The Rise of the New Content Economy, VentureBeat
I was reading the above article – by now you know I read a lot; philosophically agreeing with B. Bonin Bough’s thought “I’m so scared to become irrelevant so I try to spend time constantly learning what’s new” – and struggling with a massive case of writer’s block for this piece when an epiphany hit: as with most things, we’ve been here before! I actually agree with what is stated in the article, that we, as marketers, need to think through how we properly engage with our audiences given the latest advances in technology. But with that said, the fundamentals of marketing are just that: fundamental. They still hold true even if we think of “modern” ways of applying them.
Recently I had the privilege of presenting at TEDxUniversityofReno. My talk was called “How Technology Can Make Us More Human,” focusing on how we, as people and as brands, are leveraging technology to enhance or interrupt our experiences with others. In preparing for my talk, I researched current data points, forward looking global trends – but I also reflected back on past predictions of what our future may hold. I re-read Fahrenheit 451 (written 1953) and 1984 (written 1949) – which, if you haven’t read in a while, I highly encourage you to do so! I’m also adding Brave New World to my “on deck” reading list – and was reminded how our human history is cyclical. Our discovery and re-discovery of how we engage with one another is both fascinating and humorous.
Currently in the headlines as being new and “must execute” trends:
What can we learn here? As we are faced with new and more complex marketing challenges, we can look to our past for inspiration on how best to use these seemingly new obstacles. Tried-and-true foundational marketing practices can be re-imagined and re-engineered to meet today’s expectations.
I love that that as people seek to engage with one another, they are looking for more “natural” ways to do so, a la Snapchat. “‘You know this conversation we just had? Snapchat is just like that. It’s like real life. It’s just between us and you’re left with nothing but the memory.’ It sort of puts the fun back in social again; just like when some of us were kids,” says Steve Tobak.
So, as we look forward, take a moment to look back – we’re an amazing human race, and we have likely already thought through similar challenges.
PS – I also love that Millennials have this affinity for nostalgia; I consider it a proof point of the above, plus it makes me smile to see the toys from my own youth on the shelves today!
Image via Shutterstock.