This feels more like a rant than my recent reflections about communication and marketing. (I’m using Communication as a word because it’s a broader concept.)
I have been pondering a lot around where the web is going, how the web is getting old, and what I have learned from working in the field for over a decade (Written in Portuguese).
This one however will be short and it won’t be another post saying that “X is Dead”.
What I mean is that we need to stop adding “digital” to the end of everything that relates to Communication and Marketing. Not because it’s dead but because it is now an intrinsic part of the way we communicate and the way we exist.
If I present myself as a Digital Communication Strategist, as I often do, I don’t wish to be viewed as someone who disregards the importance of Media Relations, of a well placed outdoor, and even the branding efforts that go into architecture and interior design. Those are all points of contact that build a level of empathy and nurture feelings towards the brand. (Some of those feelings may be bland, but so are some brands.)
The less I know about a company the more you will find me sitting alongside someone who does know. Never a director or manager, someone at the operational level. Directors know the brand, employees know the people and their feelings.
And if my research starts offline, why would I brand myself as “digital”? For some feeling of superiority because “I know how to internet”?
The same goes for the way I design a strategy. If the client calls on me to design a strategy that only uses digital communication channels, fine. But given the freedom to go above we should look into every point of contact to coordinate the stakeholder journey from the outdoor all the way to the invoice and customer support.
Sure, sometimes 80% or more of a company’s communication efforts are online and therefore calling it digital strategy makes sense. But part of our job is also to help clients grow, and to advance our discipline in both knowledge and practice. The “digital” stamp is also a barrier between us and our colleagues who have years of experience and a great deal to contribute.
The way we communicate has evolved, our technology has broken away from the analog metaphor a long time ago, and our way to present our profession should follow.
Drop dead, Digital. Because all communication is digital at some point.
