I define “old school dynamics” in human terms…basically, anyone with a minimum of ten years of hands-on marketing communications experience. And I define “new school dynamics” as the early adaptors of developing technologies, with less than ten years of experience.
Why ten years? Two reasons. The first one is that ten years ago – in 1999 - we were still working out e-commerce infrastructure, and its relationship to brick-and-mortar. Anyone calling themselves a “marketing professional” back then had been schooled in traditional marketing practices. The second reason? I firmly believe that ten years of hands-on-experience is necessary for someone to be considered an experienced professional practitioner.
For everyone who “follows” smog talk, my point of view is probably quite simple: Technologies advance at a much greater rate than society itself. And new technologies require new terminology, not necessarily new rule-sets and business-model choices.
In the hope of supporting this belief, I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately…about our industry’s best and brightest “shared conversations” on social networking branding strategies. In no particular order, here’s what they’re saying:
1. “Great brands and projects are built on real value and a real advantage. But great marketers use this as a supporting column, not the entire foundation.”
2. “People will help if you make it easy for them.”
3. “Product speaks louder than ads.”
4. “Determine objectives.”
5. “Build a following.”
6. “Do something attention-getting.”
7. “Measure results.”
8. “Be genuine.” “Be relevant.” “Be accessible.”
9. “Empower the customer.”
10. “Customer service is marketing.”
And last but not least, my personal favorite…
11. “Advertising, marketing, and public relations need to work together.”
You’re joking, right? I learned these principles in the early 80’s. It was called college. Can they still be relevant today? Absolutely.
As an industry, we really need to take a deep breath, and to stop confusing the issues. Developing technologies represent incredible opportunity at every level of expertise. But this is not a simple question of “old” versus “new”. The “rules of marketing” are not being re-written. And it really makes no difference whether it’s 1999, 2009…or 2019, for that matter. A brand will always be in the control of the end-user.
What is changing, however, are the dynamics of the marketplace. Please get your fingers off the “hyperbole” keypad…this is about ongoing school, 24/7/365. And, as marketing professionals, we should all be paying attention.
