Thought of the Day

There is a wonderful Harold Innis quote about the impact of technology that speaks volumes about our changing times. He said that “changes in communications technology invariably have three kinds of affects. They affect our culture by changing the structure of our interests (the things thought about), by changing the character of our symbols (the things thought with) and by changing the nature of community (the arena in which thoughts are developed).”

It’s a brilliant summarization of what’s going on today in marketing, as the digital arena has taken us from messaging at people to having conversations with them. The niche communities that have emerged are enabling a new long tail of interests. And interactivity is changing the very nature of the way we think, as we move from a geography of knowledge to intelligence that is organic, not bounded by spacial constraints.

Think about it. How can you take advantage of changes in interests, symbols and community? It’s the next generation of branding.