lizogorman

[lizogorman]

Would Brunelleschi have used Twitter?

As well as studying digital marketing I am also studying Italian.  At a recent class at the Italian Cultural Institute, Dublin,  both interests converged when my eyes were drawn to an information leaflet with the intriguing headline ' Would Brunelleschi have used Twitter'.  An encounter between the Renaissance and the social web. The intriguing title and ideas are the work of a Florence based web company, Cantiere Creativo, who are currently working on a project for the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.

My immediate thoughts were, of course Brunelleschi would have used Twitter as well as other social media and digital platforms but how does the digital world apply to Renaissance Italy. The very concept of ‘Renaissance’ suggests innovation and change and who better to embrace the ‘new digital world’ while retaining the best of the ‘old world’ than the great artists of the Renaissance era and the custodians of their legacy today. 

The question remains as to how does the world of Renaissance Italy and digital and social media converge?  Italy has an incredible wealth of artistic work in every region and every community.  This is part of its rich tapestry of cultural endeavour and of our fascination with Italy.  Why and how does a centuries old museum embrace the digital world, decide to ‘go online’, to ‘be social’ and to do all of this in a timely manner?

Italy as a society is inherently social with a strong sense of community. The aim and result of going online, developing websites and a social media presence is to build awareness of the value of art and moreover, give the community a means to promote its culture.  What better channels to achieve this aim than paid, owned and earned digital media channels: websites, facebook, twitter, blogs etc.

If a centuries old organisation can become digitised and reap financial and non-financial rewards.. then the whole world can do it!

[lizogorman]

Becoming A Square

The day has arrived where it is okay to be labelled ‘square’.  I have just embarked on a 5-6 month long journey….. a new challenge to learn digital marketing skills in a virtual classroom environment.  I’m taking part in a new ground-breaking education initiative: Squared Online Certificate in Digital Marketing (http://www.wearesquared.com) a programme developed by Google. The central hub of Squared is the Virtual Learning Centre (VLC) where everything happens lectures, discussions, forums etc.

Squared Online will cover the fundamental skills like Social, Mobile, Search, Data Analytics and Cross Channel Planning.  Most importantly, ‘Squared Online’ is a practical course where I have the opportunity to collaborate with my fellow ‘Squares’ from different backgrounds to work 'hands-on' on different projects… the emphasis clearly on 'learning by doing'.

Why Squared Online?

As a client side marketer trained and established in the traditional marketing communications world, I’m labelled a digital immigrant.  Always eager to at least try to keep abreast of change and embrace new learning I took a course in digital marketing in recent years and applied my new found skills to brands.  This course introduced a whole new world, a world where technology must be embraced as an enabler to communicate and engage with our customers.

Squared Online will, I hope, give me the opportunity to refresh my skills…..to understand the latest technology, the best ways to use it and how to challenge and execute ideas in the most efficient way. The hands-on practical nature of the course will be a challenge: creating blogs, making videos etc.  However, it’s a learning ground where the concept of learning through making mistakes will make me truly 'frawsome'.

The Challenge for Marketers

Technology, its rapid pace of change and proliferation of communications channels are very real issues for marketers.  The upside is the opportunity for personalised one-to-one communications or continued mass communications.  The new challenge is the immediacy of communications and delivering truly engaging creative content as well as data management and privacy issues.

For me digital is an Evolution with the scope to create a transformation in how we communicate and build relationships.  As marketers we must be brave to cede control of our brands and campaigns to our followers.