Just ask Mick and Keef

Nothing to do with banking and technology you may say, but this actually has everything to do with banking and technology as it is all about Marketing in the Digital Age and the way we use new channels.

To start with, I was intrigued to spot  that some very old rockers have been hired as mouthpieces for online entertainment channel, most of which is user-generated: YouTube.  Mick Jagger and Keith Richards  launched YouTube's Living Legends today, with the idea being that you can ask them any question you want ... and you may even get an answer.  Just go see what the word is:

Then there is another advert creating quite a stir using old media broadcast channels - what is known as Television - to market a car.  The car is the new Citroen C5.  It is very irreverent about Germans, so much so that it's almost unbelievable.  For example, the tagline is "Unmistakably German ... Made in France".   Worth a look:

Finally, there is the recent brilliant Cadbury's advert with the Gorilla.  It started as an online viral campaign, and later moved to mainstream TV and created another hit for Phil Collins re-release of "In the Air".  Have a look at it, if you haven't seen it already, as it is rumoured to have resulted in a 5% increase in sales  for Cadbury's, specifically as a result of this ad:

The Gorilla ad has now been followed up with this, not quite so inspired affair (depending on your view):

although the website is great.

The reason for posting these three advertising campaigns, is that they all demonstrate the wonders of marketing in the digital age, and banks and technology firms can learn something from them ... bearing in mind how bank brands suck.

First, you have YouTube spending a load of dollars to attract more volume - the Stones don't come cheap - and they are not even putting the Stones on TV. It's all viral.  Yet the video has over thousands of comments, viewings, favourites and links already ... in other words, folks are asking questions and loving it.

You then have humour working well to create a debate about nationalities and borderline racism.  The fact that an advert can create a debate online about it, when the old days of one-way media meant some of us would laugh whilst other would fume and have no voice, shows how powerful it is to have YouTube in this world.

Finally, you have lavish productions and expense that again, can be debated, critiqued, loved or hated online.  In other words, you create your campaign and the world can now converse with you about how good or bad it is.

With viral working well for some, quality for others, and  big ideas brilliantly or poorly implemented by a few more, the fact is that the world of marketing in the digital age has never been more vibrant or more challenging.