Looking back over our blogs posts through the years, we’ve been chronicling the way marketing is changing before our very eyes. This week two articles drove this home for me. The first from the NYT announced that the Audit Bureau of Circulations, or ABC as we know it, is changing its name to the Alliance for Audited Media. Founded in 1914, ABC is well known to any media buyer as the auditor and verifier of circulation figures quoted by magazines and newspapers.
After nearly 100 years, what prompted the name change? Digital media. To quote Michael J. Lavery, president and managing director
“We’re certainly proud of our roots and will continue to be rooted in print for years and years to come, but as we’ve been extending our audit services we’ve become platform- and channel agnostic, including online, digital editions, newsletters and apps. We felt the need for a name change to communicate our new role, our vision, to our members and the industry.”
Translation: if we’re only covering print, we’re headed for extinction.
The second article was from Forbes, with the provocative title: The End of the Expert: Why No One in Marketing Knows What They’re Doing. It excerpts an interview with Clark Kokich, Chairman of Razorfish, who admits while subject matter experts exist in specific areas, there aren’t experts in making the transition from traditional to digital media. We’re all figuring it out as we go along. While I admit that we’re all going to this transition together, not all of us are paying attention. Some of us are studying this intensely; educating others and advocating for change. Here’s the money quote for me. He says:
“What you need more than expertise is curiosity, someone who’s interested in what’s happening, loves change, and wants to develop ideas and drive change. If you’re not one of those people, you’re going to hate what’s going on in marketing and you won’t be effective. I have friends who have told me they’re just trying to hang on before people realize they don’t know what they’re doing. But I don’t think you can fake it another five years. You’re just not relevant if you’re fighting the reality of what’s happening.”
Wow. As direct as that is, I’d up the ante and say nobody has five years. If you’re not educating yourself and driving change now you’re behind. You don’t have to do this alone though. We’ll be your partners in managing this marketing transition with your brand and channel partners. What we learn and apply together will help all your retailers reach more consumers and sell more. The good news: You don’t have to fake it anymore.