eCommunications for global organisations

Cross post from Nathalie’s blog

A very interesting article from The Economist is actually stating the fact that we see in the advertising and whole communication industry: companies are really shifting to the web and it is a reality now…and not only in US. Europe is catching up and fast.

The article mainly focus on the shift in Advertising, a trend that we have seen coming for few years now. The interesting things is that advertising companies and professionals such as Creative Directors had for quite a while tried to ignore the wall coming towards them. And so many traditional advertising agency are struggling so hard in making that shift. They are sometimes at lost when we talk to them about Web 2.0 and things like YouTube, online communities. They now know the words and definition…but not really understanding their real meanings and consequences. They still were talking TV ads and print campaigns not more than few months ago. Online was just the little tiny thing to do on the side, but not that important in the whole scope of such huge TV/Print campaigns budget.

For sure, the recession will be the boost for the Internet. Not only in advertising, but as the main and driving communication tool at all level!! The first signs are all there. And being in the industry and talking to major international companies in all kind of sectors, we actually see the signs in real time here in Europe. 2009 is going to see major changes.

I have to admit that it feels good to read in a major media that “online advertising is making obsolete the old distinction between marketing spending “above the line” and “below” it. In the jargon, above-the-line spending drives brand “awareness” (probably on television) or “consideration” by a consumer planning a purchase (probably in a newspaper).” We have been saying at ZN for at least 10 years that Internet was really revolutionazing the whole communication industry and that there were no more boundaries and distinctions between below and above the line. Even more, for us the distinction between PR, CSR, PA, Advertising, Marketing no longer exist for quite a while. But most professionals, businesses, Industry Associations, politicians had a hard time really embracing the idea of such a change. It is not a small change. It is huge and require quite an adaptation and change in mindset and attitude. I was one of the lucky ones to swim into the online communication at an early stage in my career.

It is not only advertising that changes and shifts. It is the whole concept of communication. Now you have to have an integrated approach and no more think in silos. It goes for communication but for businesses too (externally; internally and structurally). The recession is going to force people to admit the shift and to really adapt to it. If you don’t, then you will be missing the train….and it is a fast one.

Check also interesting entry here from Philip Weiss on McKinsey report and article “The downturn’s new rules for marketers” from The McKinsey Quaterly.

If you watch this space and like what you read here…then maybe you are the new talent we are looking for. ZN is seeking an ambitious, motivated and experienced Account Manager to join our team and help take the company to the next level. Check the profile and fill in our form. Think creative, passion, different…in a word HyperTh!nk & Hyper@ct !!

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If you watch news and are a bit interested in what’s out there on the web, you must have came across the ‘GSM induced Pop Corn Video’ in the last 2 weeks. And now you might also know that the Pop Corn video is in fact a viral video from a Bluetooth Headset solutions’ company to do some brand awareness/eMarketing.

Some basic facts I took from TV (not my own): working GSM raise temperature about 10°C, but to pop a corn you need at least 100°C …so 4 phones won’t make it happen except if you warm the corn before hand. But honestly when I first look at it I wondered how this could be possible. But it is so big and incredible, deep down you want to believe it without looking too much into it. And to be honest, we all know that putting a thingy on you ear that raise temperature about 10°C cannot be that safe for your brain…but GSM are soooo practical! And then you can see on YouTube lots of video made by others people to verify this or to play along on this and then it even makes it up to TV news!

That is what one could call a successful viral marketing campaign…but who really looked up at the company behind this campaign and remember its name??

Being in this business I am all for viral effect of any good creative ideas. And this is very creative!! But is it a ‘good’ idea to promote a company brand? This campaign surfs on the edge of rumors and fear distorting the truth. One part of me is ‘whoa what a creative idea to create buzz!’. But the biggest part of me is ‘New Marketers be aware of your responsibility’.

OK this campaign is a little thing and won’t blow up the world but it made me think. The Internet is a great tool of communication and sure we are facing an overload of information which is not going to decrease soon. To be heard one need to do things differently, to amaze to create buzz and viral effects. But where are going to be the limits for us eMarketers.

It took 30 years to radio in the US to reach 50 billion of listeners. It took 1 year only to the Internet to reach the same numbers of surfers. We have a fantastic communication tool at our disposal and regulation won’t be able to cover/regulate that magnitude especially as Internet has no physical borders. One way to control it will be to close it, or restrict it in the way China is trying to do so…and even there they are not really succeeding. And we certainly do NOT want that to happen.

Somehow it will come to companies and eMarketers to create their own ethics and code of conduct. The Internet gives us total free will…but it is up to us, each of us, individually and collectively to decide what are going to be the limits and how we are going to shape it for the best if we do not want to pollute and ruin this fantastic media.

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For most Communication professionals, it is now clear (I hope) that the web and new technologies have proven that communication as we used to see it is no longer, and is changing at an incredible speed. The fun when you are working in communication and open to new changes is to figure out whether and/or how a new technology is going to change the way we communicate. My bet today is on print interactive advertising / magazine. I am not talking about so-called ‘e-paper’ - the flat-panel screen technology displaying newspaper. Now I am talking about real paper, real print opening up to the virtual world: the ‘augmented reality’!

I was watching a ‘reportage’ on Euronews the other day (click on the video button to view it here). They describe the ‘augmented reality’. If you were impressed in your young age by putting on your 3D binoculars and watching the images come to life in 3D, then watch out! Here it is the same but with the fantastic addition of actually interacting with the 3D images that forms once you put on your enhanced binoculars. You can give command to the 3D element, see it moving around (even going out of the border of the magazine and moving on the table you put your magazine on!) and if you have captors on your hands you can even feel it! Ok this is nothing new and cinema and some hi-tech museums have been using it. What is new is the cost of it - it is now affordable…so it is going to come very soon into our daily lives.

Watching this I was already dreaming about my future paper magazine (sorry but I actually love the feeling of paper in my hand) or my book with not only flat images but with elements and ads that are moving around, coming to life and with which I can interact and learn so much more.

For more info about this just Wikipedia it or Google it or YouTube it…and watch out for the first to actually use it for a print communication campaign!!

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