The term "innovation" is thrown around a lot -- often times, it is used in a way that does not fit the actual definition of the word. Marketing and advertising professionals are particularly guilty of this frivolous use of the word. The inextricable link between technology and communications induces a fixation amongst advertising and marketing professionals on new ways to communicate and the technology that powers these new communication vehicles.
This phenomenon seems natural and fairly innocuous. However, complication does arise when industry professionals draw a direct line between technology and marketing innovation and bypass the necessary components of effective communications: creativity, problem solving, and storytelling, to name a few.
This year, the organizers of ad:tech have decided to reorganize the format of this iconic event. One may call the new conference format innovative. Instead of the typical back-patting, navel-gazing panels that exist at trade shows across all industries, the ad:tech organizers have decided to make a concerted effort to thwart conference norms and provide real value to industry professionals. A variety of tracks have been programmed, with each one concentrating on different areas of the digital advertising industry. Each track will be spearheaded by an industry leader who was been given a very strict directive: to provide a greater level of value through case studies and learning's from the trenches, as opposed to mere high-level pontification. Amen!
I have been given the honor of chairing the track entitled "The Bleeding Edge of Advertising Innovation." The focus of this track may be slightly different than what some may expect.
This track is not about technology, as innovation does not equal technology.
Many professionals in our industry equate innovation with technology. The misunderstanding of the word "innovation" makes this track especially important. My hope is that, with other industry experts, the notion that innovation requires new technology can be dispelled. At the same time, our goal will be to create a framework for thinking about innovation in the modern marketing world and how technology fits in this framework.
Now that we have discussed what innovation isn't, perhaps we can look at what it is.
My favorite definition of innovation is John Emmerling's definition: "creativity with a job to do." It is fair to say that as digital marketers, it is our job to experiment with new platforms, but the true strategic mind does not start with technology -- true innovation originates with creative ideas. At its core, innovation is about ideas.
The Bleeding Edge of Innovation will focus on three overarching trends in the digital advertising space -- trends that begin with ways of thinking, not new technology. Each trend encompasses myriad tactical flavors. This track will do a deep dive into the higher level trends in order to shed more meaningful light on the popular tactics of the day. The three trends I have defined as most important in the ideation of innovative advertising concepts are:
- Platform thinking
- Brand utility
- Participatory culture
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