Conversation Architects


Conversation

Quickly, think of an advertisement or marketing message you saw today. No really, take the time and really try and think of one. My guess is that you’re struggling to think of even one. Well, strangely enough a conservative estimate from the Texas A&M University Digital Library suggest the average American consumer is exposed to more than 850 commercial messages per day. And to think that you can’t even think of one. As marketers we’re a victim of our own craft.

Our job is to get our client’s messages out and break through the clutter – yet by doing so we’re only contributing to the clutter. Definitely a catch-22.

Ok, now think of a conversation you had today with a friend or co-worker. Chances are you were able to remember at least one. Maybe you don’t even remember what the conversation was about – but I bet you do remember who you had it with. This is because you were engaged, participated and contributed. There was a 2-way dialogue. You may have even been interrupted – but you tolerate it. You don’t ignore it.

This is our challenge as marketers – to become conversation architects.

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June 25th, 2007
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Andrew Verescak
Posted on:
June 26, 2007 at 10:21 am

Interesting thought. I think that it’s funny how so many companies are still in the mindset of pushing information out at you, when dialogue is the obvious way to go. Why do you think that more comapnies aren’t apdopting this method? Creative challenges? Lack of history in the space?

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Gary Collins
Posted on:
June 28, 2007 at 10:01 am

Ben, your comments are very interesting but you may be too harsh on his industry. Many industries fail at being perfect so marketers are not alone.

With regard to the adoption and transition to ‘conversation architects’, we must consider the means of communication available to us today and in the past. For the longest time, TV, Radio, Newsprint, Billboards were the only methodology to deliver your messages. It’s only now, since the internet has become ‘ubiqitous’, that we can identify alternative communication methodologies that will assist in constructing true ‘conversation architects’.

With any luck, this will become the new business paradigm.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
The Marketing Blagger » Blog Archive » The Bloggers Choice Awards - The Unsung Heroes (part 1)
Posted on:
September 19, 2007 at 11:14 am

[...] important. With White Board Diaries it seems the blog owner Ben Kelly has taken to the concept of conversation marketing, the idea that as marketers we are responsible for encouraging conversations between companies and [...]

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Liz Lewis
Posted on:
October 15, 2007 at 4:08 pm

Conversationa architects- you assume that the other guy/audience needs to physically participate- not neccessarily so- a well-crafted “story” type ad which allows the audience to participate, by thinking or dreaming themselves into the “story” so that they can participate intellectually or viscerally is actually a communication- if intrigued, the audience will place themsleves into the story and thus it becomes a part of them- they will ponder and think about it-I think some obscurity or “huh?” “what was that about?” teaser would pique curiostiy about the message and thus begin the “conversation”. The idea being that the audience then participates (converses) by thinking about the open ended story (what was that?)and thus the participiation beigns…