Do We Still Need the ‘Digital’ Label?
(An e-Article about Labels and the World Wide Web.)
Eleven years ago, we started our marketing and design company. Back then, our primary focus was building websites for brands. But first, we had to explain what a website was and why they were important for brands. The internet was in its infancy, marketers didn’t know exactly what it was, and they definitely didn’t have it on their mobile phone.
There was a learning curve to the web. Part of our job was not only the design and development of the website, but educating on the very basics of the internet, like clicking, emails, or what a URL is. Imagine trying to explain what a ‘hotlink’ was to a group of skeptical executives with blank expressions.
I was often asked to justify why any company would need a website. “What’s the ROI of a website?” It’s funny, we get very similar questions today about social media.
Today, however, there isn’t much of a learning curve. Marketing managers and executives, and most people in the world for that matter, are well-versed in technology. We’ve worked with some very sharp marketing managers who ask about the latest online trends and our opinions of them.
This has led me to wonder if there is still a divide between digital marketing and traditional marketing. If you’re hiring a marketing agency, do you just assume that marketing in this century mostly takes place online? Is there a difference between saying “We’re a marketing firm.” and “We’re a digital marketing firm.”?
I get invitations to quite a few marketing conferences, most are focused around the word digital. And I really don’t see any traditional marketing events. So is it even necessary to carry these labels? Isn’t ‘digital’ just the world around us now? Can’t we just call it ‘marketing’?
Years and years ago, we used the term ‘new media’ to describe the services Atomicdust offered. When asked, as we often were, what new media was, we’d reply, “Websites, CD-ROMs, Video, etc.” People would often ask us what the Old Media was.
Looking back it seems funny to think that CD-ROMs were cutting edge. Our so-called new media is now old hat.
I wonder if in 20 years we’ll still call cars ‘hybrids’, or if that thinking will just be built into our culture. Do you still call your phone a smart phone, or is is just assumed? Will these labels go the way of the Cybrary, and find themselves no longer relevant?
So what do you think? Is there a difference between a “marketing agency” and a “digital marketing agency”? Do we still need the label?
Mike Spakowski is Principal / Creative Director of Atomicdust and is involved with the day-to-day design strategy, art direction and studio management.
