Communication…

Nowadays, there are so many methods and avenues to communicate with someone. Take a look at a single contact in your cell phone, and think about all of the different ways you can choose to send a message to someone. Your cell phone alone offers an array of choices: CALL, SMS, MMS, EMAIL, FACEBOOK MESG, BBM, WHATSAPP, TWEET, GCHAT, FB CHAT… that’s TEN different ways to send a single message! How do you choose which method is best for that particular friend? Some friends prefer a text message, while others don’t even know what a text message is. Some only use BBM. Some require a phone call. Most experienced blackberry/iphone users have established the preferred method of communication for each of their contacts. Perhaps you have some contacts that prefer different methods for different types of messages based on the level of relevance and importance- as I am sure each of you do.

Today’s blog entry is inspired by a friend of mine who recently went on a date with a girl.  A few days after the date, he had to decide how he was going to reach out to her, and realized he had a slew of options.  Should I call her? Should I text her? Should I Facebook Message her? Should I email her? While each of these methods would give off a different message, his selected form of communication would set the tone for how he wanted the relationship to progress.

So what does this have to do with advertising? Well, think of a brand as a friend. As a brand, what type of relationship do you want to have with your consumer?  How intimately or not intimately do you want to connect with your consumer? With so many methods of reaching a consumer through a cell phone alone, how does one determine which method is the most efficient and organic way to connect with them? If the message is sent using the unsuitable method of communication: text vs. email vs. Facebook, it could cause a disconnect with the consumer. Within a single target consumer, you will encounter a variety of communication preferences. Our challenge is to find a way to integrate our brands into consumer activity as seamlessly as possible taking into account each person’s preferences. Of course, in addition to print, TV, billboards, bus stops, etc. there is a variety of new methods created just in the past 5 years. What will the next 5 years bring and how will that impact the types and methods of creative mediums we use?

What tone do you want to set for a brand as they move forward?