Things change slowly... and then rapidly.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity seems to have just ended, and its collaboration with Viral Nation - to put Social-First Marketing center stage - already seems nothing short of prescient.
Witness the following article in Ad Age by Ewan Larkin titled "How agencies are reinventing social teams and practices" -
Ever since I met Joe Gagliese and Mat Micheli - the remarkable Co-Founders & Co-CEOs of Viral Nation - two years ago, it became obvious that the only practical marketing approach left on the table was Social-First.
It's been 60 years since Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase "The Medium is The Message..."
And from a marketer's perspective, the most popular medium has always informed - if not dictated - where and how the message should be delivered.
By 1960 when McLuhan made his assertion, Network TV had usurped Print and Radio as the most popular medium.
By the 1990s, Cable TV's enormous growth in popularity further proved whoever attracts the consumer's eyeballs attracts the advertising dollars.
With the explosive rise of the Internet at the dawn of 21st century - specifically, search engines, email, and social media - advertising content and dollars increasingly deluged the seemingly irresistible websites and platforms that had captured the consumer's attention.
This brings us to 2024 - where global Social Media platforms like YouTube, TikTok Tok, Instagram, and LinkedIn can no longer be considered "alternative media," when they have become the most popular media.
So if you agree that McLuhan was right - and "The Medium is The Message" - then the message for marketers is clear:
If your marketing approach is not Social-First, there's something wrong with your marketing...
Welcome Felipe!