The Communities Dominate Brands blog has long been a favorite. As pioneers in the engagement marketing movement, they “get it” in a way that few others have – though their ideas weren’t always embraced.
That’s changing.
Alan Moore’s latest post chronicles the rising chorus of names who see the writing on the wall. Interruption’s not dead, but engagement is rising fast.
None other than Ogilvy (the agency) now thinks engagement is becoming an imperative instead of just another buzzword:
Ogilvy it seems have become Messianic to the SMLXL philosophy
To influence the engaged consumers of the digital democracy, push marketing needs to be replaced by engagement marketing
Said Patou Nuytemans – who I do know. So nice one Patou – thanks for spreading the word.
An aside I would like to make is that, the emphasis on pure digital
is a little cul-de-sac of straight line logic (Not Patou’s fault – I
can assure you) because we live not separate from offline and online -
we live in a world of blended reality.
That last paragraph is important. My career began just as typewriters were being replaced by computers, and my background remains heavily rooted in “traditional” B2B media (advertising, direct response).
Yet I’m still fully capable of ignoring existing media channels in favor of interactive digital media – an error in perspective shared by many of my marketing colleagues.
If Alan Moore and Tomi Ahonen look to be reveling in the growing acceptance of engagement marketing as a viable partner to traditional marketing techniques, then they’re entitled.
From their blog:
All Companies must learn to move from interruption to
inviting participation. For all marketing initiatives, this no longer
means communicating by interruption, but by engagementIs what was written in CDB, waaaaaaay back in 2005 and in fact it was something I spoke a great deal about in 2002.
What we got back from the media, clients, – well you name them, was
something along the lines of a nervous twitch or a blank stare – or
some clever dickie leaning over the table and telling me his compliment
was a “double-edged” sword because I was a pioneer and they tended to
get shot.
As Moore notes, he’s still alive and kicking.
Stay engaged, Tom Chandler.