Switching from traditional to digital advertising - A suits view

First up, this is not a rant at digital, no matter how it sounds. I’m not against advertising in any sort of digital format, nor am saying it's the wrong thing to be doing. There’s sooooo many benefits that i’m not going to sit here and bore you with. Because you’ve all been in as many presentations as I have from people telling you about it being ‘the future’ of advertising and I don’t necessarily disagree. I’m not here to preach, i’m here to try and give some simple advice from someone that’s made the switch, and yes there is a little bit of me that misses the power a great piece of TV or Print used to have without having to integrate digital into the mix. Click here, go there, sign up for this, download this app, share this, like that for a chance to WIN this amazing prize, for this product I haven’t told you anything about yet because I was too busy wanking you off with my digital toys. All of which are great, used in the right way, with the right mix of other toys, for the right product. I’m a huge believer that if a traditional ad has the right creative idea, backed up by the right media, you don’t always need these bells and whistles to sell more product.

Before making the switch to digital, think long and hard about it. What aspects of the digital are you working on? Because there’s so many. Are you a website based, a social campaign manager, a display campaign manager? Are you all of the above? 

Yes, digital is the way forward. So, if you do decide to make the jump, DO NOT forget your roots. There’s so many transferrable skills, a few different technical terms and practices to pick up along the way, but fundamentally you can pretty much match up digital and traditional methods fairly easily. Everyone will try and over-wankify everything, that’s the nature of digital. My advice, keep it as simple as you possibly can, otherwise you end up confusing yourself and in turn the client. A confused client is probably one of the worst things to have to deal with, even worse than angry. At least you know what you need to do with any angry client.

Go forth and conquer, you’ll be great. 

Couples, who first?

I was writing a card to two friends getting married today. I’d written them a lovely heart-felt message and was feeling pretty pleased with myself. They’ll like this card, I thought to myself as I closed it up and managed to muster up some spit to lick the glue on the back of the envelope, god I love the taste of that. Do they flavour it especially for it? I’d love to get my hands on a pot of that there glue. Maybe I could become a Glue licker instead of a Glue sniffer, I know i’d be having more fun.

Anyway, after all the excitement of the envelope licking had died down, I came to the all important names on front of card. How else will anyone in world know who this card is for if I don’t put some names on the front? As I came to put my pen to the envelope I paused, I was stuck, who should I put first? Chris or Hannah? Hannah or Chris? Chis and Hannah or Hannah and Chris?

I stopped, as this now had me thinking, who had a I put first in the past? What do I say when i’m talking about them? I was literally blank. It really shouldn’t matter, they’re both my friends and the fact that i’m giving them a card with both of their names on is fine, why are you even thinking about this? I then started to think about my other couple friends, damn those smug lucky people. I think I found the formula. The person with the most syllables goes first? Same amount means it’s luck of the draw who comes out first. What a lottery.

Does anyone really care I thought to myself. I myself have not given one solitary shit about whether or not my ex girlfriends came before or after mine when we were referred to as a couple. BUT! I have met couples that do, which is weird. Maybe weirder than me writing way too many words about the subject, probably not.

Anyway. I went for Hannah & Chris / Chris & Hannah. These two definitely would’t care. Have I unearthed one of the worlds great unknown formulas? I could be the next Einstein of social taboos. Maybe not, but I look forward to putting my new-found theory to the test.