Digital transformation, while two steps forward for marketing and mankind, has been arguably a giant step back for brands. The seismic cultural shift initiated by digital media and personal devices opened the door for an explosion of new entertainment channels, technologies and consumption behaviors.
But it also meant increased media fragmentation and the loss of a controlled, linear consumer journey. So while opportunities to create compelling and innovative content have grown exponentially – so has competition for consumer attention. If you’re intrigued by the possibilities of digital transformation, here how you can survive it through engaging creatives.
Open Your Mind To Newer Ideas
Today’s workforce is packed with creative technologists, consultants, business strategists and inventors whose days are spent thinking up new ways to innovate alongside clients in the fast-moving age of digital transformation. And let’s agree: They’re extremely good at it. The world around us is an innovation lab and, as a creative, you’ll have to get used to the fact that everyone around you is pitching an idea that could become the next big thing.
Learning On The Go
Commit to increasing your depth as a specialist, while gaining perspective and context about the world around you. This education-based tactic is a big part of how we can apply design thinking to the digital world. There are teams that are competing for the client’s trust and attention and are jam-packed with individuals who possess highly specialized knowledge (e.g., mobile cloud strategy), understand how their expertise plays into overarching customer experience and adeptly apply those skills inside industries we serve (e.g., global automotive). Companies like Airbnb, Netflix, Uber and their contemporaries have made a huge impact on our perception of possibility inside this brave new world.
Their innovation opened our minds, brought the convenience of choice to our lives and brilliantly illustrated the basics of digital transformation—its processes and potential. The businesses at the forefront of that tectonic shift are now the fabric of our everyday expectations. We’re more demanding and empowered and less patient than ever before. And those demands accelerate every time we experience the magical comingling of creativity and technology. There are no rules for how to transform successfully, but creatives have a unique perspective on how to move and inspire people—a key role, as our relationship with technology dramatically influences the next chapter of human history.
Business Has Always Been About Inspiring People
While creativity finds new mediums and avenues for expression, the most beautiful trend in digital transformation is our renewed focus on humanity. The convergence of technology, data, and creativity provide boundless opportunity to improve people’s lives. Through continued focus on brand purpose, empathy and two-way conversation inside innovation, we elevate everyday experiences and benefit from deeper, more personal engagement. Even more, than we want a great product or service, we long to be drawn into the magic of a powerful story, the shared ethos of a community and the beauty of artistic expression. In a thrilling shift for creatives, human beings and our values are beginning to overtake technology as the focus of digital transformation.