Staying Relevant

This graph is not based on any statistical data, but on personal experience, perception, and extrapolation. I've been reading a lot lately about how brand experience is of utmost importance, so doesn't that mean my extrapolations are just as valid as stats? In this world, perception is truly reality.

This is about layers and intersections. The circles represent the amount (or perceived amount!) of media in a particular category, and the intersections show the effects of different aspects of media on each other and the general public. Something new, that many marketers and business owners have not seen before, is the burgeoning area of participatory media. Many will dismiss this area as a fad, or as irrelevant. Others will hail it as a major paradigm shift, but then turn around and attempt to treat it as an area to capitalize and exploit. Yes, this area is important, it is easily the most important development in recent media history, but for a very simple reason:

Consumers want a conversation.

I believe this is because of two things - technology and globalization. The technology is available so that people can have media wherever and whenever they want; they can also create media whenever and wherever they want. This aspect is easy to explain and understand - give a curious monkey a tool and see what happens. The second aspect of globalization is a bit denser, and involves explaining thousands of years of trade and economy. So I'll sum up: you can get the same cup of Starbucks coffee in Phoenix, AZ as you can in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and still get overcharged but buy it anyway. So, in this situation, where is the consumer, besides fulfilling a wallet to cashier function? (Hint the answer starts with a "no" and ends with a "where") This situation is not beneficial to either parties, the corporation and the consumer, because they are locked into extremely limited roles that can't adapt well, and are usually degenerative. This is why globalization hasn't completely happened yet.

Globalization, in a perfect scenario, will actually promote local cultures and benefit the world economy (see "global village"). However, this will not happen unless the consumer is included as a vital participant, rather than a separate entity from the corporation. So what does this all have to do with conversation?

The traditional model of advertising and branding can be seen as a one-way conversation, if that. A more apt metaphor would be a shouting match between companies all trying to catch someone's attention. This is because consumers did not have a platform to actively engage a company (aka. push-back). Now that technology has provided multiple platforms (all the ones that companies use) on a global scale, we are starting to move into the age of conversation. This means that it will be easier of companies and consumers to adapt, change, and specialize their relations, which in turn creates more win-win outcomes. So why is a designer taking about economies of global scale?

Branding is essentially the relationship between the consumer and the company, and it is this relationship that will lead to beneficial globalization. Branding is the conversation. It tell the consumer what your company is about and whether you're going to shout or listen.
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* note: this was all done really quickly to get the idea out of my head, so it may resemble bullet points rather than a finely crafted rhetorical chef d'oeuvre. I will expand on these ideas in further posts. Thanks for your understanding.