What I would like to touch on here was the feeling of empowerment and well, responsibility, on all of us to start breaking old paradigms and making things that are really going to work for our clients and ultimately restore our sanity.  It’s not going to be easy, but we have to do it.  It’s not change for change sake, or that we are a bunch of “rebellious kids”. It’s change because the WHOLE WORLD HAS CHANGED. It’s time to wake up.

We are in a radically different communications world than we were even a year ago. A statistic like 1 out of every 4 pages viewed in the US is facebook is staggering–it’s NOT A FAD. Social media is changing the way we communicate. As I’ve said many times before, Facebook won’t be “it” forever, but there will be something else that will take it to even the next level. It’ll only get deeper. And no it is not about broadcasting to the world that you’re eating a sandwich. Take that a step further…you (as in ANYONE with access to the internet) have the power to broadcast yourself. As mobile technology surges forward and becomes more accessible, it will empower MORE people to have this real time access. THIS is the nugget we all have to be thinking about. Bad review? Be prepared. That loud 5% is going to get EVEN louder. EVEN faster.

So what does that mean to advertising/communications? Well first and foremost, let’s not get any delusions of grandeur. We (advertisers/marketers) aren’t as important as we would love to think we are. Unless our brands are TRULY pervasive, smart and unyieldingly transparent, we’re in a bit of trouble. It’s not just about having a clever positioning, snappy tagline and a few nice pictures. You must mean more. It’s about actions. Actions born of beliefs. Ask yourself what your brand does in this world to make it matter to your audiences. That’s your new approach to advertising.

I believe a really great articulation of this came in the Advocacy and Conversation talk from Frank Striefler. Yes, I’m a bit biased, as I worked with him in crafting the presentation/workshop, but in all sincerity Frank is one of the most gifted thinkers I’ve ever had the honor to work with,  it was an incredible learning experience. Creating a framework that was complex, yet completely understandable was not a feat for the weak of heart (then again, creating advocacy is not easy either, and over simplification is a complete error). This is something I’m incredibly proud to say I was a part of, so please peruse. It’s truly built to provoke thought, so soak it in for a second! It’s fun stuff!!

And I encourage you to follow up on some of the readings suggested in the presentation. I assure you, they will change the way you look at what you do.

http://www.slideshare.net/strieflerf/planningness-conference-draft1

When I first saw Zulu Alpha Kilo’s “Thinking Inside the Box” experiment, I immediately drew this connection…they were acting as a modern day Lucy!

Thinking Inside the Box, had them set up a 9X14 box in the middle of downtown Toronto, and offered up creative problem solving for passers by. Questions ranged from the mundane (how do I convince my husband we should go on vacation?) to the complex (How do we use art to help bridge the gap between classes and cultures?) The result? An incredible online archive of creative thought and one heck of a PR move for the agency. And I would venture a bet, a feeling of camaraderie amongst agency creatives that would be difficult to rival anywhere else.

Their founding principle is the world could use more creativity and what a truly beautiful manifestation. It’s thinking like this that makes an ad girl PROUD to be a part of this wonky, wonderful community.

Go on. Think inside the box. I dare you.

Check out their work:

http://thinkinginsidethebox.ca/