by Mark D’Arcy & Nunu Ntshingila (@NunuNtshingila) The idea of reimagining and reinventing everything we do, across our entire industry, for a connected world of billions, sounds like an incredible opportunity. It also sounds like an incredible amount of extra work. Do we really need to reinvent everything?
The answer is, happily: no. But we do need to learn to how to connect. For all of the hyperbole, the world really is changing.
Our new normal
Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic Forum, refers to the present era of connectivity as the “fourth industrial revolution.” The first one was powered by water and steam, changing the way we built things. Electricity powered the second and enabled mass production. In the third, electronics and information technology accelerated scale and complexity.
Now we are in the fourth, an era of connection between our physical, digital, and biological worlds; a new phase of massive creative potential, where everyone has the power to share anything with anyone. This era brings with it an avalanche of new, creative ideas and opportunities.
Connected, with better ideas
Take, for example, the case of Soko.
All over Africa, artisans make jewellery. But, for most of history, their goods were only for sale in hyperlocal markets. Those artisans who could export often received little compensation for their work. To address this problem, three entrepreneurial women in Kenya started an online network that allows artisans direct access to buyers. It’s called Soko, which means “marketplace” in Swahili. Connected, African artisans are now part of the US$32 billion jewellery industry from the US and Europe to Australia.
Businesses such as Soko are emerging from all over the newly connected parts of the developing world. These new businesses will come from places such as Lagos — not Davos — and New Delhi — not New York. And to thrive in this connected era, the marketing industry must evolve.
Organising for a connected future
Despite the global connection occurring, for the last 20 years, the marketing industry has become extraordinarily fragmented. Our challenge is to find new ways to organise talent so we may build together, not just on one brilliant idea, but to scale all ideas.
We do not need to reinvent it all. Our marketing revolution is not to simply be “more creative” but to be “more connected”. Marketers are best-equipped to do this because of the ability to connect technology with humanity, and to pair design and storytelling. The idea of organisational redesign is not a new one; it was central to the creative process developed by Bill Bernbach, one of advertising’s pioneers. When he sat art directors and copywriters at the same table, they were connected and equal. It also happened again in the early 1970s, when British advertising agency, BMP, created the Planning model.
Every time we take a step closer together, the process can get easier and the work will improve.
Connected, the greatest ideas may not be our own
In a connected world, ideas will come from anywhere and be worked upon by everyone. As a marketing industry, no matter where we sit, we must be able to identify, nurture and build upon the work of others with the same passion and enthusiasm as if it came from our own teams.
We need to be okay with embracing ideas that do not come from someone with the same logo on a business card or from the person without a business card at all. Let’s continue to build upon the work of others and, when someone asks us, “Who created that work?”, we can turn to one another and confidently say, “We did.”
Connected, we should build value — not vanity
We need to abandon our industry’s obsession with originality and focus more upon building better ideas that create value. In our relentless, annualised pursuit of originality, we miss the chance to convert award-winning experiments into long-term sustainable systems. We’ve lost some of the distinction between architecture and design; between structure and innovative expressions of structure. Good ideas should not be abandoned in the name of pure originality. The first two-page magazine spread was not the last. We do not need to re-invent the wheel. Let’s focus on creating better ones.
Connected, we can create collaboration — not combat
Finally, we need to work more closely together as an industry, as clients, as agencies, and as platforms. All of us have a role to play. We all need to put collaboration at the centre of the creative process. When it comes to being a partner to the creative industry, there’s a lot more we can all do.
Connected, we can create anything — but only if we are far more-connected in how we create everything.
Mark D’Arcy is the chief creative officer for the Facebook Creative Shop. Nunu Ntshingila (@NunuNtshingila) is the head of Facebook Africa.
“Motive” is a by-invitation-only column on MarkLives.com. Contributors are picked by the editors but generally don’t form part of our regular columnist lineup, unless the topic is off-column.
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