New media, Old-skool discipline

I am a media professional – and I am an addict. I would happily spend some hours pouring over the Apple website, absorbing Steve Jobs’ latest keynote speech. And I have spent many a precious moment bouncing across the office following the discovery of a new Creative Suite tool that provides a texturing effect that you will most likely never need. And I have experienced too many long evenings with the bedside light still glowing bright, as I devour yet another guide to “essential marketing” which relays more or less the same information as every other guide to “essential marketing”, yet it still cheers me to see that we are all in agreement.

I have been working within the media industry since I was 18. Therefore I feel that it is as much a part of me as my vital organs (I am equally fond of both). However, this innate adoration does not come without the bi-product of some griping at the seemingly lackadaisical attitude to today’s accessible marketing tools.

I still believe that every item of printed artwork should be thoroughly spell-checked, colour proofed and beautifully presented on a carefully chosen paper. I grieve for the process of yester-year that allowed time for thorough client approval, a CMYK review and cromalin reference. Websites should, indeed, have a wow-factor that makes the most of all the best technical advances, but you should also be able to navigate from one page to another without an honours degree. And whilst I am a number 1 fan of social media, I do wish that the majority of the world’s population had more interesting things to report than the contents of their breakfast or the 5-day weather forecast.

There is a science to media and marketing that is a skilled combination of art and psychology. I embrace the fact that with the continuing emersion of the internet and all that it provides, we can all be part of this very exciting world. But, it is important to remember that about half of coca-cola’s value is due to its brand strengths not simply its market capital. And Google’s brand value did not grow 36% in 2010 by simply being a functional search engine.

We can increase your brand value www.first-logic.com

Text: Jenny Seed