There is a digital revolution underway – and Cincinnati is positioning itself as a key change-maker in this brave new world.
It turns out the digital world is not flat … but it's not quite round either. Ask a few local experts how they see the future of digital media affecting our region and be prepared for a wide variety of responses. But one thing is certain: digital innovation is rapidly transforming traditional media – from advertising and marketing to TV, radio and print.
Put simply, "digital media is content you can interact with," says Josh Fendley, a partner with
Ample, a local agency specializing in starting and maintaining conversations between companies and their customers through a variety of design outlets.
Judy Thompson, executive director of AdClub Cincinnati, sees it as something even bigger.
"Digital media is indeed a significant development – probably the biggest thing since the 1940s, when television changed everything."
Perhaps most significantly, digital technology is transforming the power of the individual consumer by placing him or her in direct contact with brands and companies. Consumers, thanks to the innovation of the Internet, are now their own broadcasters. Once the sole realm of networks, media moguls and large brand names, the playing field is changing so quickly that experts barely have time to catch up.
Benjamin Palmer, CEO of the Boston-based
Barbarian Group, recently spoke to Cincinnati's digerati at the
Digital Non-Conference hosted by the
AdClub Cincinnati, just one of the many events held recently around town on this subject. In his keynote address, Palmer explored the impact of a marketing environment where the consumer has a big loud voice.
"What the Internet has done for marketing in general has given brands the same tiny or big voice as anyone else online," says Palmer. This realization has got many industry experts wringing their hands because "you're no longer controlling people's attention span like you would normally on television."
In its early days, interactive media was used to supplement mainstream outlets like television and print. But that's not the situation anymore. "In many cases it is becoming the focal point," Fendley says.
"The term 'digital' used to refer to a medium," says Josh Barnes, a partner with local digital creative firm
Openfield Creative. "Today, it's gone well beyond that to a point where it's describing a lifestyle. The way audiences use digital media to interact with brands is becoming so personal that it's an extension of their identities."
As digital infiltrates all modes of communication, a new school of "creative solutions" firms are taking the place once reserved for traditional advertising, marketing and print media agencies specializing in connecting to consumers through overhauling brand images, designing and launching interactive and relevant Web sites, as well as writing compelling copy.
Given that the work these firms produce is created almost entirely online, the industry is virtually location-independent.
"Advancements in communications technology have opened the playing field for Cincinnati-based companies," Barnes says. "We routinely compete for work in every time zone in our country."
These local industry leaders serve as models for the attraction and
retention of young creative talent to Cincinnati. This raises the question: with the abundance of local creative talent and the removal of distance from the equation, could Cincinnati potentially become a digital hub?
The verdict on this is still out, but the potential for Cincinnati to stake a claim is tremendous.
"The very nature of this industry doesn't really create the possibility for hubs," Fendley argues. "The online work environment opens up the possibility for anyone, anywhere to work together. Good talented people can live anywhere."
Barnes offers another perspective.
"There are a lot of positive developments that support the idea that Cincinnati could position itself as a hub for digital media," he says, adding that "there is a heightened awareness here thanks to events like the AdClub's Digital Hub Initiative and AIGA's
In Control 2009 Conference."
To be sure, there are others who share this optimism.
"Cincinnati is quite strong on the digital media front as compared to other cities," Thompson says.
"It seems a logical extension of our community's expertise in branding and with some of the big players here."
That's not to say this result is a given. Local expertise and corporate giants like Procter & Gamble may
provide the foundation, but these factors alone do not give Cincinnati
its edge.
"We're on the right road," Barnes says. "But until we hear people say, 'I moved to Cincinnati to work in this industry,' we still have work to do."
Some have suggested that it is Cincinnati's business culture and values that will continue to win large, national and international clients.
"Working with clients and partners from other cities and regions, we have found that they really gravitate toward our Midwest values, attitudes and prices," Fendley says. "We work hard and we're honest about it."
Ultimately, Cincinnati's growing, tight-knit creative community has the potential to play a significant role in shaping the future of the local and regional economies.
In addition to hard and honest work, Barnes and Fendley agree that collaboration, when skills complement, is the key to unlocking potential.
Fendley concludes, "Rather than the constant competition for clients and employees, we're excited for a future in Cincinnati where all these small digital agencies partner together and help each other."
With this mix of solid business infrastructure, affordability and talented, hardworking creatives, Cincinnati could very well be a regional, if not national, digital media hub in the making.
Photography and digital design provided by Ample and Openfield Creative
Ample, by Scott Beseler
Openfield Creative, Think Vine
Ben Palmer, Barbarian Group
Openfield Creative, Teri Studios
Openfield Creative, Bellevue Towers