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Communities are the future. The bleeding edge of digital marketing is less about technology
than how organisations use it to become more social, believes PR pioneer Stephen Waddington
Given the accelerated and exhilarating
evolution of digital, it is easy
to be so distracted by the rapid
changes around us that we mistake
technology for innovation.
Omnipresent smart screens, an
ever tighter mesh of networks, and
the exponential growth of internet
access – 6 billion people are likely to be
online by 2030 – offer marketing and
PR professionals unheard of analytical
power and potential, right?
But as Stephen Waddington points
out, the bleeding edge of innovation
in marketing right now is less
about technological developments
– which nonetheless continue
apace – and more about how we
use tools already at our disposal.
“Technology moves really fast but
organisations change slowly – so there
is a paradox there,” he explains. “For
most marketing organisations the
bleeding edge of technology is still email
marketing and web marketing – branded
forms of media are essentially a push
form of broadcast, and that’s going to
remain the way for some time yet.
“But if you look at the technologies
that have been around for five to 10
❝
FOR MOST MARKETING
ORGANISATIONS THE
BLEEDING EDGE OF
TECHNOLOGY IS STILL
EMAIL MARKETING
AND WEB MARKETING
– BRANDED FORMS
OF MEDIA ARE
ESSENTIALLY A PUSH
FORM OF BROADCAST,
AND THAT’S GOING TO
REMAIN THE WAY FOR
SOME TIME YET
42
SME
years, they are starting to be used in
innovative ways within organisations,
in particular by helping them to become
truly social.”
Waddington is partner and Chief
Engagement Officer at Ketchum,
responsible for driving the digital and
social capabilities