Brian Morrissey penned a solid article recently in the pages of Adweek which I believe signals the idea of "purpose-driven marketing" as being anything but a fad. "My Vegas" which was done in partnership between R+R partners and CM was referenced, but aside from that, there were some really good nuggets that hopefully the mainstream advertising community will take to heart. Here are a few choice bits:
"Funny microsites are giving way to useful, sometimes entertaining applications; the showing off of flashy technology is yielding to design geared towards generating sales; and crafting for social interaction is replacing one-way experiences. Now that digital points exist far outside the browser, designing for the Web is passe, with digital design chasing the elusive goal of designing experiences that wrap all of the above together."
"Five years ago, people would muck through a site with non-standard navigation that was confusing because the whole Internet was confusing," he said. "Now the Internet is so big you can't do anything that's annoying anymore."
" Application design is also driving efforts to tap into the social Web, with utilities holding the promise of being able to build communities around brands. Take "My Vegas" from Critical Mass, part of the "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" campaign. On the surface, the social networking tool seems like another attempt by a brand to draw people away from more natural social environments into artificial ones created by advertisers. But "My Vegas" actually provides a useful tool for visitors who want to get the most out of their trips, thanks to Critical Mass bringing the "stays in Vegas" promise to life with social functionality. "
" There's a big possibility to deliver on your brand through the tools or functionality you can give people that are positive,"
"The next step: free the application from the confines of the site. The old build-it-and-make-them-come design strategy is being replaced by a fish-where-the-fish-are mind-set that's leading advertisers to not view their brand sites as the be-all and end-all."
Good stuff. and Amen. If there's one trend I believe in—it's giving people something that makes sense for they way they live—and makes life just a little better.
