Advertising Seeks to Connect With People, But People Are Already Connected

If only a company’s advertising moved as fast as the media advertises a scandal. If only the fact a place is selling nice products could get out to people as quick as the random horribleness that is on the news and on the internet.

Because we are ever closer coming to a hive mind, but only when the information is big and dramatic. Tell me: how did you hear about the newest political argument or extreme situation in the world? Was it by sitting down at the television and going with the mindset of: “I want to understand what is happening in the world today, I want to be a well-informed member of society”?

Or did you get it through osmosis. Or by accident.

I am a fan of the way the world is with technology. There are moments, because of technology, where I feel more connected to humanity than I ever have before.

But that same connection means I, and I’m betting I am not the only one, hear about things by osmosis—and with bias. The news of president-elect Trump being held as the winning vote (if he is not already the President of The United States by the time of this article going live) came to my attention because I was on Facebook and someone celebrated.

Now, I somewhat bemoan the dwindling of newsprint, as I’m sure does places like the Tampa Bay Times—as the romantic idea of the newspaper is such a beautiful thing. But it’s too fast now, the world, when it comes to breaking news. We know information almost instantly. Humanity is only one technological advance away from wireless headphones keeping us culturally informed via little unobtrusive voices—if we don’t already have that.

As another example of the quick information-spreading phenomena that various company’s advertising departments wishes it had, my timeline had people posting paragraph long, somewhat researched, rebuttals to Meryl Streep’s statements at the Golden Globes—a television moment which I only had glimpsed because the television happened to be on around me—in minutes. Almost like people had arguments prepared beforehand.

This Sort Of Reaction Speed Is What Advertising Wants and Needs

And though a business does not often have that kind of power, there is potential for it. If worked at hard enough. I am not promoting someone does something bad and horrible to ring the media circus’ dinner bell. But I am promoting the opposite. If someone does something good and wholesome, they may earn the same attention. If a company could, or would, stand up for something important, then that has the potential for spurring advertising at the fullest measure. Sure, it’s a little hollow, a little manipulative, but good actions for the world are good actions for the world.

Now, some might not like corporations weighing in on the world’s events. But, in this age, someone will always object, and if done with the right tact, you can have the hive mind of the internet focus on you for a moment, and the majority might not even be angered.

Cultural or societal news is beyond “trending” at this point. Trending does not even describe how society through the pulse of the internet can just know things. How it can be thinking about things like it was there witnessing the event in real time.

And, if you’re clever, you can have them thinking about you. Because that’s all advertising is about. And attention, is power.

If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work on The Hive, or at his website: www.coolerbs.com