If you described today’s Internet to someone 20 years ago they might have thought you were a little mad. Perhaps not because of the technology (they should have seen Blade Runner!) but in how a lot of the content is created. They would have found it hard to understand why people write blogs, share their music, update twitter, upload to flickr, and do an array of things for which they don’t get paid. The truth is a lot of people still can’t get their head round it.
It might seem illogical to put in so much effort for no monetary reward. However, it is also illogical but accepted that people in the UK buy cars that go 150mph when they can only legally drive them at 70mph, or pay four times more for a t-shirt that says Diesel opposed to Dunlop, or buy a rolex when a £10 watch will still tell the time.
It’s human nature to search for status and respect, and in our culture this can be achieved with money and consequent displays of monetary wealth. But money is not the only path to achieve these goals, and in today’s digital society another path to status and respect can be found through recognition of your digital contribution. This could be why people choose to share music and video for others to download for no financial reward and with the risk of heavy fines. It might also help explain why the real leaders in the use of this digital currency are youngsters with limited finances.
So what should brands be doing about this? Brands need to give their customers the opportunity to create digital content, ranging from allowing comments on their content to encouraging video content uploads to their site. Brands need to bear in mind that not all people can be bought (in the conventional sense) and that money is not always the most effective reward. People could be rewarded with exclusive digital content that they can display on their social network profile and blogs.
Of course as well providing tools for people to enhance their digital status, brands can improve their status by providing respected digital content themselves.
image: cars-wallpapers-pictures
2 Comments
February 24, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I really like this idea that the relationship between the advertiser and the consumer has shifted to the point that an effective message is required to be additive, rather than interruptive.
The real problems arise when we start to think about how to provide this “exclusive digital content”. What will enhance the consumer’s online experience and how will it link with the brand?
With content available on mobile phones and netbooks becoming richer and richer, we are paving the way for synonymous online and mobile strategies.
What I want to know is, how will we take advantage of expanding technology to sell a brand?
November 25, 2009 at 8:26 am
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