What is “IT” going to be next?

Once upon a time, it was all about being “digital first.”

Then it became social.

Then it was all about gurus, ninjas, and unicorns.

Then it focused on disruption, innovation, and transformation.

It was all about cross-channel, omni-channel, channels-with-channels.

Don’t forget about its apocalypses. What were they again? Is everyone OK?

We almost never call it like we see it. We call it like we think it needs to be.

So what might it become next?

Post Digital?

Agile Pivoting?

Optimized Presence?

Transformative Media Expansion?

Algorithmic Reality?

Tech First Simplification?

The Post Media Landscape?

Transmediative Storified Narratives?

What if we have no firm idea? And what if that scares the hell out of us?

In Stephen King’s It, the title character, according to Wikipedia, is:

“the eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to attract its preferred prey.”

Delightful, no?

Diving further down the Wikipedia Rabbit Hole we learn that It uses

“a variety of powers that include the ability to shapeshift, manipulate, and go unnoticed by adults.”

Are we feeling at ease? Hope not. Because we — people working in marketing, advertising, media, and communications — are Its preferred prey.

Charts built by asking the wrong questions, if any were even asked at all.

Claims of “this is dead” and “this is the next big thing” that lead us astray and into focusing on the short-term.

Targeting options with explanations founded in unknown jargon stolen from the land of code because talking this way must mean the offering is agile, tactile, and useful.

In a recent MIT Technology Review article, David Byrne writes:

We are beset by — and immersed in — apps and devices that are quietly reducing the amount of meaningful interactions we have with each other.

Byrne is referring to human-to-human interactions. But what if we apply his assertion to human-to-brand interactions and what if the latter interactions are becoming less meaningful? And what if that lost meaning is due to our assumption that the tech will do the work?

In short: Have we fallen under the spell of the Eponymous Being?

Technology changes. But this could also be looked at as shapeshifting. These changes create the perception that opportunity exists. But this could be seen as manipulation. And with so much change and perceived opportunity going on it all becomes hard to keep up with and fully understand. So then fear creeps up and jargon, false claims, and misaligned trust creep out like a clown ascending from a sewer drain.

Looking to another recent article, David McKee — the creator of Mr. Benn, a beloved cartoon character for over 50 years — was quoted by the Creative Review, saying:

“Mr. Benn was this idea that we all have things we’d like to escape from.”

Isn’t escape what brands are meant to provide through the moments they create? Because isn’t “escape” another word for “solution?”

You want to have the whitest teeth and freshest breath — so you escape away with a toothpaste and mouthwash brand into the bathroom.

You seek out moments with friends that are fun and memorable — so you escape with them onto couches and chairs and focus on a board game.

You want to quench your thirst while on your way to meet someone — so you escape into a store and seek out a specific beverage brand.

Speaking of beverage brands, Ivan Pollard, Senior VP Strategic Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company, presented some excellent words at WFA Global Marketer Week 2017:

“We as marketers are living in a complicated world. But the job of marketing remains fundamentally the same.

The digital world is amazing. What we can do is remarkable. But the real world should not be forgotten.”

We forget the real world when our fears and phobias set in.

Then the work suffers. Because we place hope in something that lacks empathy — one of the greatest tools in our tool box.

It pains me not to remember where I read this but have you ever tried replacing the word “target” with “person,” “people,” or “human?” I’m not talking about some grade nine attempt at a short story masked as a consumer journey, complete with the consumer and their dog’s name. I’m talking about speaking about people as if they exist and deserve our respect. Doing this over and over again will change your thinking.

And our thinking must change. It must be rooted — over and over and over again — in what has always inspired the grandest of things: us.

We must obsess over and understand how we act — here, there, and everywhere. Then plan, create, and implement according to that instead of relying on something predictive or algorithmic.

Because it will never save us. But it will cause us harm.

Thanks so much for reading.

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