ID Strategy Conference 2006: Snake Oil + Creativity

Clement Mok was absolutely right when he talked about the Advertising business containing “snake oil salesmen”. He was equally correct when he added that some of the most creative minds work in this industry. I’m really glad that Clement dared to use the “A-word” at a conference that draws designers, design thinkers, businesspeople and creative problem solvers. What Clement describes as “Advertising 2.0” is happening in real time—and has been for a while. And it’s picking up steam in a big way. I like to refer to it as “Marketing 2.0” as that covers a little more broad ground.

Clement referenced two leading shops who are paving the way in this field. R/GA and Crispin Porter. They are leading the pack—but there are others right behind them waiting to pick up where traditional advertising has left off. I’ll name some names: AKQA, Critical Mass, Organic, Avenue A/Razorfish and Digitas (Full disclosure—I work for Digitas). These are all firms who understand that Marketing has gone from “push” to “pull”. As Clement beautifully presented in visual format, the next generation of marketing depends heavily on integrated media placement and measurable results.

So—back to the world of IIT, and the intersection of business and design. Why is this relevant? The next generation of “marketing firms” are employing creative problem solvers not unlike what IIT produces. The caveat is that we take these design thinkers and creative problem solvers—then pair them up with copywriters, planners and brand-focused individuals. Marketing 2.0 is a big deal because it combines brand with experience—resulting in the hypothetical goal of heavily influencing the customer experience across a variety of touch points and channels.

I really enjoyed Clement’s presentation—and the fact that he chose to talk about the next step in advertising. His deck was beautiful and simple—he brought the value of design to his presentation. The only thing I thought it was missing was a few examples of what Marketing 2.0 can look like. So, from my perspective—here are a handful.

Mini Cooper (design an build your Mini)
Nike ID (Customize footwear and clothing—be sure to click customize)
American Express (Consumer generated media)
Shop Composition (Rich shopping experience)
Nikewomen in the news (R/GA vs. 30 second spot)

As someone who sits somewhere between experience design and marketing, I'm glad Clement brought this topic to the IIT venue.