Change it Up!

During winter vacation, I ended up at the Montreal Museum of Archeology and History. So, what does that have to do with marketing in 2010? The site of the museum contained evidence that Natives of the 14th Century once fished there. Eventually, traders came to the country and bartered. Fast forward to industrial times, when a warehouse and commercial offices were erected on the spot. Ironically, the basic use of the land hadn’t changed much, but the methods of commerce had evolved dramatically.

And so it is with business in New York. The past decade has shaken the foundation of what many small businesses held close as simply “the way commerce is done.”  The recession, the explosion of social media, and the rise and fall of financial institutions left some people paralyzed with fear and disbelief and others ready to rise to the challenge – change or perish! 

Change produces anxiety, of course. (By the way, the fear of change is called Cenophobia). As we get older and the truths we clung to are shaken by new ideas, we’re just not sure quite how to cope. The speed with which business is changing – especially the technology behind communications – has many experienced and wise marketers scratching their heads in confusion. “I just don’t really understand this stuff,” is a phrase I hear often from digital immigrants (those born prior to the Internet’s use in business). 

Unless what you do in your life and business produces flawless results every time (and how many of us can claim that?), we owe it to ourselves to be open to innovation. In the weeks ahead, I’ll tackle “the new and different” across a number of categories, starting with trade shows and events – one of the solid institutions of the marketing world. 

My last corporate job was at a major trade show and conference management company. Our events were well-organized, planned months in advance, and carefully structured. Presenters were invited to speak. Last week I attended Real Estate Bar Camp in New York. A bar camp is an alternative to a traditional trade show and conference. It is organized by volunteers and anyone can lead a session. It simply takes the concept of user-generated content from the Internet into the “real world.” Does the whole idea of participating in something potentially so random and unstructured freak me out a bit? Of course! But I went to the Camp in Philadelphia and came away with some great new insights and connections. Watch this space next week for insights and observations…