Post-digital marketing. What is it and do we need it?

Since digital marketing is so well established, integrated into the marketing activities of most companies today, it is inevitable that we will question. What's next? "What's the next big thing" is the question I'm asked most often.

You may have noticed the recent comment pieces on post-digital marketing in New Media Age such as that by Mark Cridge and Mark Walley which proclaim we are in a "post-digital" world since digital has become a mainstream activity of traditional agencies. I side with Michael Nutley of NMA who argues that the danger in a post-digital mindset is that digital is just treated as another channel and it's not placed at the core of thinking and it's unique attributes exploited. Many succesful campaigns show the need for specialists in social media, search and mobile marketing for instance.

Recommended post-digital world presentation

The excellent presentation/book I have embedded below on the post-digital concept by strategic planner director Helge Tennø gives a different take on post-digital arguing that we need to move away from a focus on the technology to how digital can help dialogue, interaction and participation, which of course are core features of the Web 2.0 concept. He explains it this way:

I agree with many of Helge's sentiments, which I would summarise as:

• Digital technology is an integral part of our lives, so it needs to be integral to advertising
• Digital requires re-appraisal of core brand values to make brands meaningful and active online
• There is an imperative to innovate through using digital channels and online content and tools to add-value to the brand or products, e.g. Nike Plus or Fiat Ecomotion or simply engaging text content which I've called the online value proposition.
• Digital makes it essential we rapidly respond to new approaches and ignite new conversations, which occur through digital media
• We need to use offline media to spark and accelerate these conversations (remember www.comparethemeerkat.com, which although feted as an online example used offline brand advertising to generate initial awareness but achieving engagement through the web and social media)
• Building customer collaboration around the brand

Are these principles important? Absolutely, more than ever. Are they new? No. All these requirements for companies to engage with customer's differently were true in 1999, it's simply that in 2009 ubiquitous, high-speed access to the web and adoption of community tools have made it essential that digital marketing is embedded into all marketing strategies and activities.