4 things technology has made worse

Image courtesy of Feelart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I promise I’m not an old curmudgeon bemoaning progress. At least not yet. I don’t resist new technology or trends. On the contrary, I love the latest advancements. The capabilities we have at our disposal make work and personal endeavors so much easier it’s hard to imaging how we did things without them.

But for all of the advantages technology brings, there are drawbacks. Here are four things that have deteriorated in the technological age, and what it means for marketers and advertisers.

1. Our memories

Quick, what’s your best friend’s phone number? How about your brother’s? There was a time when most of us had these committed to memory. But now most people turn to their cell phones for this information.

And this phenomenon isn’t limited to phone numbers. Thanks to the Internet, we can look up almost anything on a computer, tablet or smartphone. And it’s actually changing the way we process information.

Takeaway: You need to provide consistent, frequent communications if you want any hope of building brand recognition. And you better make it easy for customers to find the information they need to do business with you.

2. Attention spans

According to a recent study, people these days have shorter attention spans than goldfish. There’s so much information, and it’s so readily available, that instant gratification is not just yearned for, it’s expected. 

How often have you gone online for one reason and ended up on a completely unrelated site because some link caught your eye? With the sheer volume of content and lack of time or patience, it’s no wonder we’re so easily distracted.

Takeaway: You need to immediately grab customers’ attention. If your headline, teaser, or the opening seconds of a commercial don’t stop people in their tracks, the rest of your message may never even be seen.

To keep peoples’ attention, your content has to be great. Educate, entertain and engage. Be original. And make every word count.

3. Star Wars movies

Perhaps the upcoming film will recapture some of the magic of the original trilogy now that George Lucas is no longer calling the shots. But the prequels have really tarnished Lucas’s moviemaking legacy for many fans.

It isn’t just annoying characters like Jar Jar Binks or wooden acting that make the latest movies pale so much in comparison (although that certainly doesn’t help). The bigger flaw with episodes 1 – 3 is that they rely on special effects and action at the expense of story and character.

Takeaway: The bells and whistles new technology offers marketers are great, but don’t lose sight of what makes a great story for your brand. A great creative campaign will work in any and all media. 

4. Social interaction 

Experts believe social media may actually be making us less social. You see evidence of it every day. People sitting around a restaurant table texting instead of speaking with each other…Boasting about how many “friends” you have on Facebook, most of whom are acquaintances you hardly know. Communications are more superficial. We’re able to display what we want people to see.  And it often comes at the expense of real, meaningful connections.

Takeaway: While we have more ways to communicate with customers and prospects than ever before, establishing relationships is more challenging than ever. To stand out and build a true following for your brand, go beyond the standard social media and blog posts. Humanize your brand. And look beyond vanity metrics to stimulate two-way dialog.