Another Channel

Interactive is this weird world to a lot of agencies and a lot of clients.
They don't think it's weird.  They think they've got it figured out. 
After all, just look at the cool new site.  Have you seen it?  No?  Hmmm.

I read a piece yesterday in Media Post about the trend among political consultants and agencies to shy away from the internet, because although Howard Dean's army made a lot of noise, it didn't produce votes.  "Internet must not work, then," is the basic take.

Wow.

The problem, as I see it, is that a basic understanding of how to communicate via emerging technology frequently gets lost in an attempt to understand the technology itself. 

"So, we build the site, and people come to it and buy stuff, right?  You know how to make a site - so let's make one!"

or...

"If we make a podcast, we can talk about how cool we are, and people will be able to listen, right?  Let's make a podcast!"

Um...

If agency A talked about TV advertising the way most agencies talk about interactive, agencies B through Z would eat their lunch every single day of the year.    Because creating effective advertising on television is more than knowing how to turn the camera on or how to edit.  It's about creating content that's engaging.  Agencies get that when they talk about traditional forms.  But way too many don't, really, when you're talking about something that's delivered via modem.

It's not just about understanding how to make something.  It's about how people interact with it, and the psychology of the content you put into it that makes it popular, hence spreading the message, hence, potentially, selling stuff.   And that's if you first understand that just because it's there doesn't mean anyone is going to look. 

The internet is not just another channel.

Technorati Tags: Advertising  Creative  Marketing  Interactive   Online Marketing

Comments

[Andy Woolard]

This is a great reminder. Thanks for such a relevant post.

[olivier blanchard]

Right on!

(Oh, and by the way, tag, you're it!)