Loud as F*ck – The Digital Ecosystem

For me, writing a book has always been a lifelong goal. I have spent the last few years slowly working to transcribe my thoughts and experiences in the marketing arena and I am beyond stoked to say, I’ve crossed that finish line. My first book, titled Loud as F*ck – Making Noise in the Digital Space, will be available within the next quarter. I wanted to share a snippet from one of my favorite chapters with you to give you a sense of what you’re in store for. The following chapter focuses on what I call the digital ecosystem, its importance, and how to better understand the system to allow your marketing efforts to thrive symbiotically.

My family currently resides in the cradle of what is affectionately referred to as the Silicon Prairie. Eastern Nebraska has seen a massive boom in technology companies and startups alike taking up residence among the rows of corn and overly humid landscape. In a recent article penned by TripAdvisor, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo was cited as the world’s number one zoo – a distinguished accomplishment and if you’ve ever walked through the park, you know this recognition was well deserved. The droves of wildlife, aquatic creatures, and family attractions have made this a favorite spot for team Tuzson.

In a recent visit to the zoo’s aquarium, it hit me. This example of wildlife is a perfect metaphor for understanding the symbiotic relationship between a company’s design and advertising efforts.

If you spend any time researching the relationship between wildlife and their habitats, you’ll quickly discover that they are intimately dependant upon each other for survival. Sure, spiders are gross as shit and while many squeamish humans would prefer to watch them all burn, remove them from our ecosystem and we would find ourselves drowning in a nightmarish sea of creepy crawlers.

It’s a delicate ecosystem we live in and most of its elements are interconnected – remove one player or species and the consequences quickly ripple out to all corners. Consider honeybees and the fact that around one-third of the food we eat comes courtesy, one way or another, through the pollination afforded by them.

Advertising should be viewed in the same light.

Each of your efforts, whether online or offline all lend themselves to the overall success and efficiency of your organization’s growth. I have attended many conferences over the years – as a speaker and an attendee. I have yet to encounter one of the events without a serious disconnect being presented as fact. So many speakers utilize the platform to showboat how important their solution for digital service XYZ is.

Be. Very. Cautious.

While digital solutions are incredibly powerful, where disaster lurks is the potential for upsetting your digital ecosystem. Let me explain.

These concepts are often described or explained as independent entities. Unfortunately, these approaches are typically prioritized by their importance with respect to their effectiveness. It is a terrible disservice that has wormed its way through the tunnels of far too many organizations. Throughout the process of developing a digital strategy, we have to admit one thing; these efforts are an ecosystem and require all parts to function.

That’s paragraph is a bit of a rollercoaster, so let’s simplify it. To grow your business, all of your advertising and design efforts must be a contributing member of your digital ecosystem. Your brand must be relatable to your primary demographic. Your website can’t suck. You must understand the difference between proactive and reactive advertising. You must be present when your consumer is in the mindset of consumption. You must understand how to leverage digital methodologies to keep pace with the technological evolution of your audience.

Something amazing happens when you view your design and advertising as one cohesive entity as opposed to a Frankenstein of marketing principles – your brand becomes loud as fuck. OMG, he said the title. That’s hawt.

This is the primary focus of this book. I am going to walk you through every current member of this ecosystem. I say current because it is very likely that by the time the ink drys on these pages, there will be a new platform, tool, or tech that warrants attention. Don’t fret. Understanding the concepts is key. Master that and you can easily pivot or append new methods to your overall strategy.

It is also important to identify that not all of these strategies are applicable to every industry, organization, or brand. This will become resounding clear when we talk through reactive advertising versus proactive advertising.

Before we jump in, I’ll leave you with this. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Windows, Linus, or Apple guy. It is undeniable that Apple has some of the best branding and advertising in the modern world. We will come back to Apple in our next chapter, but I want you to start paying attention to how they present themselves in the market if you haven’t already. Every experience with Apple is consistent, uniform, simple, elegant, and effective. They have the best designers. They have the best tech. They have the best of the best and they demonstrate that through every channel and medium that they utilize. Every member of their ecosystem is working together harmoniously to balance their efforts.

You need to strive to be the Apple of your industry.