Ad agencies everywhere are notorious for their envy of all things bright and shiny. They attract us. We can't keep our eyes off them. Their glow is like a supernatural force, pulling us into their orbit - and we can't resist. We chase new user experiences, new technologies -- the newer, the shiner, the higher the demand.
Why?
Because we think that if we aren't keeping up with new media trends, we will be left vulnerable. Vulnerable to opportunities, stereotypes, the widening digital divide, political marginalization.
Yet, (and, yes, this "yet" is for you Wendy) as much as we like to think it may be so, the newest technology isn’t necessarily the best - or the right thing to do for our clients. In an increasingly over-mediated, over-saturated, over-shiny advertising world, sometimes - it still pays to "simplify, simplify, simplify."
One of my all-time favorite websites belongs to one of the richest men in the world - Warren Buffett. Few would disagree with me that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, is a model for success for any business today. Yet, his website, http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/, appears to break all the rules.
User Experience design be-damned. There is no social media. No links to Facebook or You Tube. No Twitter feeds. No flew-flewbers or tah-tinkers. No Who-Whovers or gar-ginkers. The site can only be described as a throwback to the days of Compuserve and the Arpanet.
Yet, even without all the bells and whistles, in liquid reality, the site is armed with meaning and value. Without the glitz and glitter -- the bling bling of Bershire Hathaway is unmistakable.
However humble it is served-up, the content on the site reflects three major elements required for success in today's community-driven marketing world: collaboration, sustainability and education. These elements are not necessarily the bright shiny new things of the future. Instead, they remain the crux of successful marketing practice today.
It's about the content - not the creative.
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