I think I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard someone say that they are "putting digital at the heart" of their business or some such variation on the same theme. So much so that it would be considered heresy in some parts to suggest doing anything else.
Scott Donaton makes an insightful point when he talks about how peculiar it is that almost every keynote speech these days majors on two themes which are "absurdly obvious and contradictory at the same time" – the idea that you can put digital at the core of everything you do at the same time as putting an idea or consumer insight at the core of everything you do. "If a technology or platform is at the core of your strategy, then an idea or insight isn’t, and vice-versa."
Digital is of-course hugely important to what we do. It is transforming our business models. It is the focus of our investment. We are busy evolving our practices and structures and skillbases to adapt to the new environment. But in the end our businesses start and end with the audience, not the channel. What should be at the core of any communications business is the same thing that has always been at the core of any communications business – great ideas based on great consumer insight.
It’s the People, Not The Channel, Stupid
6 responses to “It’s the People, Not The Channel, Stupid”
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I totally agree with you Neil. I know that the only way to learn a new “craft” is by trial and error, but sometimes I feel that there are some people so desperate to be part of this digital hype, that they forgot everything we have learned thus far, i.e what matters is the audience, not the channel.
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I totally agree with you Neil. I know that the only way to learn a new “craft” is by trial and error, but sometimes I feel that there are some people so desperate to be part of this digital hype, that they forgot everything we have learned thus far, i.e what matters is the audience, not the channel.
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good point neil,
though, in response to the comment above,digital is no hype. Being audience-centric means putting digital at the heart by default. because thats where the audience is at (mostly). -
good point neil,
though, in response to the comment above,digital is no hype. Being audience-centric means putting digital at the heart by default. because thats where the audience is at (mostly). -
Thanks for the comments. Agree that digital is no hype but do think it is increasingly irrelevant (from a media perspective at least) to define things by channel.
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Thanks for the comments. Agree that digital is no hype but do think it is increasingly irrelevant (from a media perspective at least) to define things by channel.
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