The global advertising agency TBWA’s Head of Digital and Content Strategy, ad man extraordinaire Aki Spicer paints a future-oriented portrait of marketing and how 3D printing fits into that equation – in a piece written for the Fast Company’s Co.CREATE.
As an exemplary of a disrupting tech, Spicer creates an often witnessed analogous link between personal computers and 3D printers – of which the former were also once something that were not expected to be seen in practically every modern household. Further on, Spicer recognizes people (eventually) working in the ad industry to potentially being the ones that could lead this ‘new’ tech to its proper place at the top – both market and penetration-wise – due to adaptable characteristics and skillsets possessed by many inside the advertising sector, which also attracts specific area experts to the business. This is a phenomena that perceives has happened previously (at varying levels) with other tech revolutions, first the television and more recently with social and mobile communicative dimensions. Basically the people designing marketing efforts of companies are first forced to think outside the box due to the arrival of new tech – and at a concrete level people from that sector infiltrating their offices – which eventually makes them an expert on the paradigm in general – alongside the newcomers, the original men in the know.
So who are these new experts – from the ad industry’s point of view – that need to be convinced of the user-understanding, dynamically attractive image advertising agencies often wish to portray to the public? Spicer underlines that at least people with CAD, architectural, display arts, fashion and jewellery making skills are potential candidates from their perspectives, the ones to take the baton to the (next) new age of advertising infused with 3D printing.
Despite recognizing the huge potential 3D printing possesses considering the Madison Avenue inspired operators already in the business, Spicer also notes that the new, even more physically present ways of creating will produce what he calls concrete ‘ad crap’ as well as added value to their clients. The ‘crap factor’ is what he sees to be the driving force behind having to actually create something truly unique and inspirational, which is in fact not, well, crap.
The last point Spicer raises in his article is the brand aspect and how 3D printing can help brands create synergy and evolve physically into something more than just their traditional, typically intangible components. The link between attributes often connected to especially high-end brands is clear – the image and mission of creating handcrafted top of the line products is a match made in heaven, when 3DP tech is properly introduced into the brand building process. Spicer notes that bringing 3D printing tech to agencies might also bring back the once lost true art of ad crafting, where everything doesn’t have to constantly revolve around Illustrator and Photoshop.
Read the full interview from the Fast Company by clicking the link below.
Source: Fast Company / Co.CREATE
