Jump, but don't panic

The below is a result of a weekend spent looking at many predictions - those enticing pieces that start with '7 trends set to...' or '12 things you must know...'. A common theme around all these is a misleading sense of urgency that leads us into believing what we are doing is wrong and must be mended before 6 pm on the next day. Whenever I read one of these articles I am taken to the opening lines of one of the best books written for our kind and the lines say 'Dont panic'.

Now imagine a teenager just finishing school and packing his bags to get out of home to join college. He’s preparing himself for a world that, one way or another, will change his life. He knows what’s behind him but what’s ahead is a frosty window. He packs his bag for it nevertheless – the ‘must have’ books and CDs find their way so he looks smart, so does the latest smartphone so that he looks cool. A pack of cigarettes, some alcohol and essential protection for the days when luck might strike! And needless to say the family picture that keeps him grounded.

In more ways than one, right now, our world is just like this – preparing for the ride ahead. As much as we like to stay in control, we must admit that what’s happening today is many independent events with varied degrees of connections just taking place. Take for instance, the phenomenon of apps which are being released in droves every day. The really path breaking ones find their way into the balance sheet of a monolith or manage to float an IPO or cash out eventually leaving behind a bank of user data that either way finds it’s way into a walled garden or just evaporates.

We are undoubtedly in an age of consolidation whichever ecosystem we look at – clients, agencies and technology companies – all focused on improving value for their consumers and shareholders. Specifically within the marketing communication agency ecosystem this also ensures that no one is stepping on another’s toes and there is clear differentiation in positioning.

Now take the case of government regulation and policy. The laws of the land are not evolving at the same pace as new age business models which are creating sufficient disruption – the recent controversies that Uber has found itself in the middle of, is proof enough. Airbnb is another disruption which has lawmakers in a dizzy. For any brands wanting to associate with these new age business models, it is a tough choice because any negative PR could prove to be counterproductive.

We are now in transition.

So then how should brands think about engaging with their consumers in this complex but connected environment? Just like the parents of the teenager preparing for college. Anxiety will definitely be costly but patience will always pay.

I am still a novice but we all have a right to our opinions, even if we say the same things. So what we should do is:

• Watch but don’t pry: No teenage kid will ever want a call per day from their parents to check the status of their weight or grades. Every 1 am call from a teenage boy just entering college doesn’t mean that he has crashed his car. It could just be a wrong number.

Lesson for the connected world: The only way this situation is managed is by listening and watching and never losing focus on the real purpose. Every new app or startup is not a revolution and should not result in anxiety pangs resulting in over thinking and analysis.

• Be human: Most parents never realise that they were not born parents and were in fact teenagers too. They need to get a heart and stop taking the blame for every time their son violates hostel rules by jumping over the walls after deadline. Humans make mistakes.

Lesson for the connected world: Corporate communication policies are probably the ones in dire need for a reboot. They are robotic and lack heart and show up in the way most brands communicate on the internet and probably internally too. Brands and corporates carry very heavy baggage because they are constantly under pressure to deliver perfection. I would love to see them get rid of this by being human on the internet and not be available just from Mon-Fri 9 am to 6 pm on Twitter and Facebook.

• Get a distraction: As soon as a teenager gets into college every mother must get a distraction in the form of a hobby or a passion she has wanted to pursue so she can realise that there’s more to life than worrying about whether her son is keeping to rules, has the right virtues or is making a general idiot of himself.

Lesson for the connected world: Every large or small company has that bank of projects that never took off for one reason or another. A transient phase is the ripe time to dust the cobwebs off the old files that may have been forgotten but are worth a chance today and put into action a forgotten project or one that never saw the light of the day.

• Prepare for loss but don’t plan for it: Every once in a while the parents of a teenager will find themselves tending to bruised respect (probably from a trip to the police station where there son has been detained) or nursing a ripped wallet (from the son’s credit card excesses). What helps is never denying the fact that this is a plausible situation but don’t waste too much time planning for it. Instead, simply be prepared.

Lesson for the connected world: Every brand must have a ‘risk budget’ or simply put, it is a pre-allocated budget that is only to be used for never before made investments. This will ensure that brands don’t design test projects with the intention to succeed BUT with the intention to learn and the preparedness to fail.

The world, and all the worlds within this world like the world of politics, health, business, sports, has never seen a better period in its documented history and our world of marketing is not any different. We hope we can make the most of it and in it.