In the introductory comments in David Ogilvy’s advertising treatise entitled Ogilvy on Advertising, the author writes:
I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.
With the exception of the emergence of the television as the dominant advertising medium, Ogilvy’s world of communications remained rather static during his five decade career. As such, I suspect he could not begin to fathom the dramatic and sweeping changes that have altered how consumers, businesses and government agencies make purchasing decisions.
Today’s buyer is empowered and flush with insight. Thanks to Web search engines like Google and Bing that help organize the information-rich online world, buyers are no longer dependent upon vendors to guide and shape their needs and selection criteria.
In fact, research organizations such as the CEB have championed new methodologies to help sales professionals best meet the requirements of the savvy and informed prospect.
A second trend that has transformed the sales and marketing landscape is the ongoing and sustained shift in influence from traditional sources of credibility such as trade journals, business press, analyst firms and industry conferences, to the conversations that define social networks. I’ve chronicled this movement in this blog and in my writings for respected business periodicals like the Washington Business Journal.
Corporate marketers face a daunting world in which content creation, content distribution, technology integration, analytics and sales enablement are essential skills for success.
At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we are fortunate to have aligned ourselves with an innovative set of clients who have embraced a new way of thinking. My partner Chris Parente recently overviewed four of our new campaigns in his Work, Wine and Wheels blog.
Yet, despite the market altering shifts there continues to be an outcome that rises above all others in priority: sales.
We exist to help our clients more quickly capture revenue. That’s something David Ogilvy would be proud to hear.