"Stop, Look & Listen Baby, That's My Philosophy!" — SparkShoppe LTD.
We've all been there, distracted, face down in our favorite technological (de)VICES. For me, it's my iPhone. As for my daughter...Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I took this picture of her while we were on vacation in Puerto Rico with beaches, beautiful scenery and friendly people. She didn't look to take all of that in, instead her phone was her vacation. I was capturing her hypnotized by her Instagram or snap chat or who knows what else. I took this picture to show her just that. What I didn't know was that there was someone or something else watching her as well. He was probably thinking she might make a great meal for a shark if she doesn't look up and tumbles into the ocean!
As marketers, we all know the difference is in the details. The irony is that we won't see the details if we are so "face down" focused on the technology instead of on the consumer connectivity and engagement. New apps, devices and sites are the "shiny new objects" that marketers jump to be first to use so we look like we understand "millennials", the next big money generation. Often we spend precious marketing dollars on new technologies without vetting their viability when it comes to consumer receptivity.
So my advice to companies will often be to take a "wait and see" approach to new technologies that require a large investment of time or money. A CEO that I worked for once said, "the second mouse gets the cheese." Enough said, now stop, look and listen baby!!!