LOGO

Digital: even the Reluctants can’t avoid it. On one level, there’s the digital switchover in the TV sense; on another, there’s Digital with a big D – the new way of behaving. Digital is a way of life, for better or worse.

Technology providers are obsessed with instantaneity, streamlining, accessibility and novelty USPs. They’ve turned us into automatic – point – click – upload people in a world of mass-participation. And digital technology and its platforms feed each other in an endless cycle, dragging us along.

I’m a strong believer in the principles of Digital. I’m all up for time saving, quality and sharing, but Digital Convenience and Ease are now life. And in this rush for what is perceived as advancement, it seems we’ve lost track of some crucial elements of human nature – certainly the time, passion, skill and manual touch that were necessary for analogue predecessors, but more generally in an analogue (or physical) way of life. There’s less effort, less do, less want, and less need for a motive: for us as consumers, and for brands too.

Big brands have to use digital platforms, particularly social media, not just because they’re the mod-con points of interaction and loyalty builders, but because they need to be seen to have loyalty, the Facebook Fans – it’s Catch 22.

Long gone is the monologue of traditional ad campaigns, it’s all profile-to-profile dialogue and continued communication. This usually equates to a strategy of a few main activations bumped up with lots of rushed/unfocussed fillers and content for the sake of it, just to maintain that dialogue.

Ironically, whilst tech providers streamline our lives with incredible tech tools, consumers are then tempted into spending (or wasting) time utilising completely unnecessary digital applications. Are these simplified lives of ours quickly becoming overly, digitally fussy?

We’ve ended up with an obsessive Digital overdose, from and for all parties. At the end of every TV ad there’s a Facebook symbol. On every package there’s a QR code (that’s too small for a Smartphone camera to focus on!). Ultimately, it’s invasive and disrespectful to the consumer. Maybe we should blame Facebook, not the brands that use it. But brands should earn their fan base with a little more integrity – not just with a chance to win a year’s supply of product by clicking Like.

Reduce the digital retro-fitting, and a genuine brand message will come through.

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