"Digital Doesn't Matter" is a 562-page book that describes how digital content has become ubiquitous and how the medium of delivery should not be treated as an obstacle for advertisers. Digital pioneers, Josh Sklar and his former colleague, John Lambie, wrote the book as both an interactive tablet app, a digital eBook, and a conventional printed tome.
Sklar has said of the book's concept, "It's about the transformation of traditional agencies and marketers and the fact that most agencies have been very slow about embracing it. There's been a lot of fear and a lot of confusion. So focus is about getting the insights of people from all over the world to portray the actual situation. What we found is agencies that had not turned to digital have not earned their clients' trust."
Digital Doesn't Matter features a foreword by American advertising icon Jeff Goodby. Additional contributors include luminaries from the worlds of both digital and traditional advertising, such as, Valerie Cheng, David Sable, Jeff Cheong, Jon Cook, Steve Elrick, Andy Greenaway, Chris Kyme, Sean Lam, Ken Mandel, Thierry Halbroth, Dirk Eschenbacher, Craig Mapleston, Peter Moss, Chris Schaumann, Jim Speelmon, and Joe Zandstra. It is the result of more than 1,200 transcribed pages gleaned from over 500 hours from 130 interviews with the world's best branding and marketing professionals.
The book is divided into four sections:
1. The Good Old Days: takes a nostalgic look at the halcyon days of Madison Avenue, when strategy and creative were built on the four pillars of TV, radio, print/press, and outdoor.
2. Things Fall Apart: describes the appearance of interactive and digital media in the early 90s, and ad agencies' first forays into this strange new medium. We look at how digital pioneers and forward-thinking agencies adapted to advances in technology, adopted new work processes, and changed the conversation with consumers... and how they "rebooted" the agency model. We also look at the "head-in-the-sand" agencies -- by far the majority in the early 00s -- who dismissed digital as an annoying fad which would soon blow over. We look at the hubris behind this rigid thinking, but also ways agencies can still right the course.
3. Digital Takes Over: tracks the irresistible rise of Web 2.0 following the premature obituaries for digital after the dotcom crash. It also gives advice on how to be successful in this new digital world.
4. The Future of Advertising: points out that old-school advertising agency models are actually detrimental to the industry and its players. It looks at exciting new alternatives and speculates what agencies will look like in the future. Finally, it advises on the new skills and mindsets needed to survive and thrive in the medium and long term.
We also funded the early stages of development with a kickstarter campaign,
that raised over $35K (USD) in 4 weeks.
that raised over $35K (USD) in 4 weeks.
