I am not a big fan of "old vs. new". As a matter of fact, I am not a big fan of black vs. white or left vs. right or traditional vs. progressive.

Come to think of it, unless I am playing a video game or some kind of sport, I'm not a big fan of the concept of vs.

Aside from the topic of honesty vs. dishonesty, I tend to cringe at the thought of a rift being created in the marketing community when it comes to old vs. new or traditional vs. progressive. Here's what's really going on: Over the last few years, the Marketing industry has been going through an evolutionary leap. One that was sorely needed. One that was the direct result of a communications revolution that gave "consumers" a true voice and the power to control the very message of the brands they were once spoonfed through "traditional" media.

This isn't about philosophy or schools of thought. It's about following the evolution of a medium as it adapts to changes in the economic, scientific, social and cultural fabrics of our society (feel free to call them markets if you must). This isn't an academic debate. It is reality.

Things like social networks, WOMM (the good kind), open-source marketing, blogging, and PR 2.0 (for starters) aren't replacements for traditional forms of marketing. They aren't the enemy. They are simply the newest chapters of a book that is being written every day out here in the real world of customers, shoppers, clients, product design and 24-hour free shipping. To think that Marketing (or any field for that matter) is static is ridiculous. Advances are made in biology, political thought, film-making, athletics, warfare, foodservice, and the arts. Is it so difficult to accept that the same is true of Marketing?

We're all supposed to be creative people. Contextual interpreters. Trend spotters. Is it so difficult for some of us to accept so simple a concept? Do some of us fear change that much? Apparently so.

Aside from last week's Jack Trout episode, check out these citrus-fresh pieces from a few Corante contributors:

Being Reasonable's Tim Pollack:

A paragraph in the Adweek creative editor’s “Art & Commerce” column last week caught our attention, because it succinctly captured the core arguments of those who defend traditional creativity as the best weapon against the growth of DVRs… (Read the middle section here.) DVRs are a legitimate and growing threat to the effectiveness of TV advertising. The problem will not be solved by contrived defensive statements and self denial.

Or try this piece from the Marketing Diva blog:

"... When he learned that I was doing work in the blog the space, his immediate reaction was to tell me blogs were a waste of time ... nothing more than a bunch of rant opinions and oh by the way, people are getting fired for blogging and colleges are now demanding that students hand over their blogs to them. And who has time to write those things anyway forget reading them. Much too busy.
(...)
I don't want to give them that information. There's too much on the internet already, the doc declared. Great opportunity to make sure they have correct information, I replied. But they don't need to know all that, he proclaimed. It would only confuse them."

Or even Jennifer Rice's Brand Mantra piece on the backlash against Social Networking:

"People always used to approach me to try to talk about this or that. I wanted to punch them in the throat. Now they leave me the hell alone. Thanks, Isolatr!"

... Okay, that one isn't serious, but you get the drift.

Fact: Fear is irrelevant. Change is a given. It's a constant in our world. An absolute and cyclical certainty, like the seasons and the rise and fall of political dynasties and the ebb and flow of the tides. People were once afraid of the notion that the Earth might not be flat. They firmly believed that if ships sailed far enough, they would fall off the edge of the Earth. There was a time when the very notion of the world being round was vehemently opposed by "traditionalists". Their views eventually faded, thanks to... well, the evolution of knowledge. As humans, knowledge has always been our best weapon. Our ability to ask questions and investigate possibilities has given us everything from the wheel to modern medicine. This is no different. Progress happens with or without us. Either we adapt to change, or we get left behind. End of story. Those of us who refuse to accept "new" marketing methods as additional tools of the trade are missing the boat and will get left behind.

So I will say it again: It isn't a question of old vs. new. The issue isn't which between the two is better or smarter or more effective. The question is this: Given traditional methods and so-called "new" methods, which ones will benefit your specific client, company, or product line the most? Better yet, which one(s) will benefit your customers the most?

The question isn't about vs. It's about specificity.

The more we know about every marketing tool available to us, the more likely we are to make the best possible decisions.

We'll be back tomorrow with more. Have a great Tuesday, everyone.

Technorati Tags: service marketing, marketing, Marketing 2.0.

Written for Corante on 03.13.06