Very few of us would confuse an advertising executive with a film producer.
One understands the art of the sale while the other entertains us. Both are tasked with telling a story that captures our imagination.
While they both use cameras, actors, and a script, their similarities begin to diverge from there and, when all is said and done, their respective jobs are very different.
We also wouldn’t confuse a video surveillance system with a high-end television studio.
While it’s true that both require cameras, monitors, and cabling, each one is built for an entirely different purpose.
Using the studio equipment for security surveillance would not be cost-effective.
Using the surveillance equipment to make a movie would not produce the quality required.
Individual tools, technologies, and skills are commonly used for different purposes. Various degrees of sophistication, quality, and expertise are required to achieve those different purposes.
The digital world is no different. But, unfortunately, it is so new that we are still confusing its advertising and surveillance with movie-making.
Digital Advertising is the art of using digital technologies to promote your brand and drive sales. It is a craft, in and of itself, requiring unique skills with various degrees of sophistication, quality, and expertise in order to drive demand.
Digital Integration is the science of using digital technologies to improve the operations of your business. It is also a standalone craft that requires a different set of skills with varying degrees of sophistication, quality, and expertise to drive operational efficiency.
Digital Product Development is the discipline within which we use digital technologies to create the good or service that provides value to our end consumer. The tools, technologies, and skills required to do it successfully look similar to those used by Digital Advertisers and Digital Integrators, but they require a completely different mindset, totally different expertise and degrees of sophistication, quality altogether.
Before your begin your “digital” initiative, you may want to figure out exactly what it is you’re really trying to accomplish.