This recent article in Ad Age in which Mark Kvamme [formerly of CKS fame back in the day, currently with Sequoia] encourages marketers to think more like VC's -- points to the closing gap between marketers and tech. He encourages marketers to be more like VC's and go back to the model of the 50s creating content.
Ad Age: You talk about advertisers needing to think beyond the current buying mindset of reach and frequency and connect with people through engaging experiences. This new breed of funded companies offers those experiences. Do marketers need to adopt a new online "ad model" in order for these companies to make money?
Mr. Kvamme: I think they do. They have to look at it as reaching the attention-deficit generation. ... The thing I don't quite understand about agencies and brands is why they don't go back to the 1950s and create their own content. At the early age of this new technology called television, they created "General Hospital," they created the soap-opera phenomenon, game shows. Why aren't they doing that on the net?
Part of [the reason] is the marketing guy is risk-averse. They're not venture capitalists. ... To me, they are the fuel that makes this stuff happen and they should be participating at a bigger level.
I agree on his points of create content - and there needs to be more risk taking my marketers and agencies so that their value is greater than just creative. They need to also create meaning and value!
I have A LOT of thoughts on the huge gap that exists culturally between tech and marketers that is at long last being forced to the forefront!
Risk is also relative - VC's are some of the most risk averse people I know!
What do you guys think?
