Don't Replace the Live Drummer with a Drum "Machine"

As I was sitting here on vacation it dawned on me that as we move headlong into the age of "digital marketing," that "creativity" is taking a back seat to technology and metrics. Whether a banner ad is blinking, partially or fully animated, swirling, etc. it's still a banner ad and it seems as thought the technology to make it dance and sing (along with the immediate tracking and desire of/for the all-important click-through) has taken the place of delivering a significantly "creative" message. When speaking to Todd (our CEO) about this yesterday AM he said, "sure, it's like all those bands out there who found that they could get by with a drum machine instead of a live drummer." The machine did a great and "predictable" job. But, with the live drummer you had a creative mind that could improvise and potentially make the song better and/or more interesting." This is what I would caution small businesses against these days...whether it's an in-house person you rely on for marketing, or an outside group, don't give up the compelling and otherwise relatable message in exchange for a simple/predictable "click through" vehicle. Now, don't get me wrong...we're ALL FOR DIGITAL MEDIA...we just believe that any banner or online ad you put together (or is put together for you) must still have a "Creative" component that the viewer will relate to and will therefore get them to view your product in relation to his or her own life. The Drum Kit is good, The Drummer is Better!