On the Ever-Changing Times, or How Science Fiction Became Not Only Respectable, but Desirable
We were in a business meeting yesterday with a new partner, who we will be working with on a major international brand. And, at that meeting, we were dealt this line:
“We chose you because you are science fiction writers.”
Which may be the first time–ever–that a line like this has ever been used on an agency.
But, let’s think about this a little bit. We’re already living in the future. Maybe not the Jetsons future we imagined 60 years ago, with flying cars and jetpacks and humanoid household robots, but a different future. One with instant video communications and free voice chat all over the planet and user-built virtual worlds and cellphones with more computing power than the desktop computers of a few years ago.
And we’re only beginning to unlock the potential of all these new technologies. Who better to imagine what they can do for a brand today, a year from now, or two years from now, than a group of science fiction writers?
The Power of Imagination
Look at it this way. The pace of change is accelerating. The avenues of communication are changing dramatically. The way people make their decisions about your brand is becoming less share of voice and more word of mouth. In a world like this, your ongoing success is determined less by what you’ve done, and more by what you’re planning to do. Teens are already abandoning MySpace. What’s next? People are multitasking their media. What does this mean? Agencies simply refuse to keep up with the pace of change. Can you even do a traditional full-year media plan anymore?
To succeed today takes vision. Imagination. And a commitment to doing something truly unique, different, and meaningful. A brain trust of science fiction writers imagine new ways to do things on a daily basis. They create entire worlds and economies. They see trends, and extrapolate them to see their impact. And other people pay to read their ideas. If there isn’t a better definition of creating compelling next-generation ideas, I don’t know what it is.
The Power of Story
But it’s not just vision. Why do people keep coming back to experiences like Star Trek, Doctor Who, Stargate, Highlander, Star Wars, or any of dozens of other movies, TV series, games, and more? It’s the power of story. A great tale, with compelling characters, human motivations, powerful conflicts and believable backstory–this is the foundation of every bit of meaningful human communication for thousands of years.
Story is more powerful than claims like “cleans faster” or “more technology.” Especially when people are so savvy to claims: “Cleans faster than what? What’s fastest?” or “What does ‘more’ mean?” These same astute folks willingly put down the money for a movie or a DVD, and spend two or more valuable hours of their lives being transported by a great story.
And science fiction writers, being writers, being published, and being paid, know how to create compelling stories.
So maybe it isn’t so strange that we were chosen because we were science fiction writers. Maybe it’s something that everyone should consider in this rapidly changing world.
February 7th, 2007 at 1:44 am
being a fellow marketing person-would love to chat with you about “advertising as we know it is dead.” I’m in full agreement with that statement and am testing new means of reaching my customer base almost daily.