Post #7 - Timeless Wisdom And Advice For 2014 And Beyond (Free Post)

For my free post this week, I read an article in Forbes in which an interview was held with Jeff Olson,  an author and senior marketing executive from a marketing agency called ThomasArts. The first question asks Olson what kind of effect the emergence of technology and social media has had on business professionals. His response mainly states that "great marketing is simply great storytelling". He then goes on to discuss how new technology is a way for us all to connect with each other and share our messages. Comparable to when the Mayans left handprints and messages in caves, just like so, today we do the same by sharing through social media which allows back and forth communication. "Being more personal, more endearing and more creative is the integrity of making connections as we engage around the online fire." Here, Olson is describing the importance of bringing emotion to the storytelling, which ultimately is what gets people to listen. Another intriguing question that Olson was asked was what advice he would give someone who is just starting out in Marketing. He says it's important to be honest, interesting, relevant, and authentic. The last thing I found interesting was when Olson describes how he sees Marketing evolving in the next 5 years. "Humans will still have a desire to connect. They will still have emotions to feel with and there will be yet another fire to gather around," says Olson. 

I found that last sentence really intriguing. Although Olson claimed that he had no idea where Marketing will be in the next 5 years, he knows how much we as humans will still want to connect with each other. What I learned from this interview is how important connecting is and how much Marketing revolves around it. 

Work Cited: 

Williams, David K. "Timeless Wisdom And Advice For 2014 And Beyond." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.