When I was a kid in the late ’70s, I couldn’t wait until after the Year 2000. I thought for sure that we’d have jet packs and a three-day work week by now. History, shistory. I wanted to tear down all the old stodgy buildings and build brand-new, space age ones, all connected by levitating ramps that would allow us to saunter around in our aluminiumized body suits while eating lunches consisting of tasty and convenient food pills.
It was fun to be over-the-top optimistic about the future. Alas, things didn’t quite turn out how I’d hoped. Many buildings remain old and continue to crumble. Cars don’t float, but they still rust. And come to think of it, the “food pill” idea was never a really good one to begin with.
But maybe that’s why I find this video parody of “The Astounding World of the Future” so side-splittingly funny. I justify sharing it on the blog because it pertains to a concept that is commonly referred to as spin. The announcer is so earnest and optimistic, but the video tells a slightly, ah, different story.
Sitting in traffic on 128 the other day, I saw a bumper sticker that said: “Rapture is coming. Will you be ready?”
It got me thinking – not about Rapture, but about recovery from the current economic conditions. Like Rapture, no one knows for sure when recovery is coming – though they are sure it will. And, like Rapture, some are more prepared than others.
Now, regardless of your views on Rapture, from a communications standpoint, companies need to assess their readiness. If you have slashed your marketing programs, gone “dark” on advertising, scaled back your PR and tradeshow efforts – there is a good chance that the recovery will be much further off for you than others.
Here’s the catch – how do you get ready for recovery without breaking the bank? Here’s two thoughts:
Social Media – have your agency step up activity with blogs, podcasts, tweeting and forums. Start to get back in the swing of things.
Public Relations – Ramp up your outreach activities. Haven’t talked to the press in a while – now’s a good time to do a tour – even if it is by phone.
*Don’t have an agency, give us a call, we’d be glad to help.
If we knew the exact date of recovery (or Rapture for that matter), it would be easy to get ready. But one thing we do know – there are signs in the economy that are pointing in the right direction. Maybe now is the time to get some of your communications activities back in action.
Recovery is, after all, coming. Will you be ready?
There’s a natural desire among social media pundits and prognosticators to stay ahead of the curve. Their bread and butter depends on positioning themselves as being smarter and savvier than the average web surfer.
Steve Rubel is a talented and prolific blogger and web enthusiast who works diligently to be first among firsts when it comes to making predictions about where things are heading with marketing and communications.
But search the term “is dead” on Steve’s blog, Micropersuasion, and you’ll quickly find yourself believing in reincarnation.
Back in 2007 he said that Wikipedia is dead thanks to something called Google knol. Don’t worry – you’re not alone, I haven’t heard much about knol either. But I looked it up on Wikipedia and apparently it still exists.
And then back in 2006, Steve proclaimed that the term “social media” was dead. Funny, but I’m hearing the term “social media” so much these days that my head is going to explode. In fact, usage of the term “social media” is itself exploding. This Google graph shows that “social media” references are more widespread than ever:
It’s always difficult to make predictions, especially in our fast-changing digital world. But heck, I want to be first too. So to get completely ahead of the curve, I’ll say this: After Twitter peaks, as Steve predicts, it’s going to resume its rapid growth around the world.
