"Digital First" is an old way of thinking
What's a better approach? 'Digital First' or an 'Idea First' philosophy. 'Digital First' assumes that everything has to work in digital as a starting point. 'Idea First' claims that a great idea can exist and will reside in the best media for that idea to be successful. 'Digital First' has practical benefits relating to the fact that it's the medium of choice these days-- but like any media-centric directive (TV, radio, print etc.) it is an old and limited way of thinking. It assumes that the media choice does all or a majority of the work. It forces video, for example, to be constructed so that it can be chopped up into different lengths, which usually means there isn't much of an idea in the first place. It doesn't chose the medium to help promote the message--some ideas are just perfect for some media. In fact an idea that works perfectly for one medium but doesn't seem to work as well in another usually means that the creative and media are working together at a much higher level of effectiveness. And an 'Idea First' approach is often based on incorporating media choices that support the idea--few great ideas coexist without a media thought. 'Idea First' will always win and it's a matter of time before the 'Digital First' crowd learns that they are thinking like old media...and no better than just pushing to do a print ad.
Award-winning copywriting to tell your brand story while boosting engagement and conversions. I'm your second brain.
7yYou know Ellis after I lost the Office Depot account for the third time I went to Pitch Staples. They said they always envied my Taking Care of Business campaign because it worked in every channel whereas their That's Easy relied so heavily on humor that it worked only in broadcast. So "idea first" in multi channels is best!
"Digital First" = "We're cheap!"
Top Producing Realtor at HOME Real Estate, LLC
7yAgree with you Ellis; no question developing a brand starts with a strong, engaging logo which is shared through print as well as digital means. Graphics are at the root of it all.
Print Production Artist-Retired but still available for remote work
7yIt has to start and work across the board at the same time. Print, Digital and on-air. Just my 2 cents
Virtual CMO | Digital Business & Marketing Consultant | Ecommerce | Digital Transformation
7yGood point however when digital has been an after thought it does more harm. Content to fit the media is always the goal but with limited budgets you are forced to choose