Ramsey Naja is chief creative officer, JWT MENA
“You have to love the ad industry’s amazing propensity to talk about the obvious. Indeed, it does so to the point where it practically turns it into a social media phenomenon and a key feature of the lecture circuit. One dazzling example of that – a winner in this category and a classic in the making – is the talk of ‘post-digital’.
You see, we’re just about managing to work out who the hell does what the hell in this new world, learning stuff so fast it’s like being in The Matrix and, whadyaknow, the wise men and women are already waxing lyrical about ‘what’s next’. This would be a good thing indeed, and something we should take into consideration, seeing how quickly things change today… except that it’s about yesterday. And except that it’s so unbelievably obvious, it is the equivalent of Ms Obvious cuddling with you, wearing nothing but perfume, whispering “I am obvious” in your ear, and then adding, mysteriously: “We need to translate the virtual into real-world experiences.” That’s post-digital for you.
Over a year ago, Wieden + Kennedy’s Nike Chalkbot, a robot chalker that allowed web users to literally chalk up support for cancer patients all over the Tour De France roads, wowed us by turning a tradition over to the web and bringing it back to its rightful place – the street. It may have been spectacular but it is based on a no-brainer: brands and their agencies all over the world have been doing everything possible to bring digital initiatives into the real world, thus heightening engagement and closing the sale.
For as long as it has existed, the internet has had one, single, all-time, all-conquering, almighty, worldwide über master, and no, it’s not Google. It’s adult content. And for as long as it has existed, the key feature – indeed the very obvious purpose of adult content – has been to, erm, “translate the virtual into real-world experiences”. In other words, if you want to pontificate about exciting new trends, don’t give me industry jargon and half-baked theories: instead, look at what already turns people on.”