Tech thoughts from Goa Fest

Last weekend was Goa Fest, the gathering of all advertising professionals across India. Once again we walked away with an award, this being the second award ceremony R K SWAMY Interactive is attending this year. Winning bronze in the interactive category where there were no gold and only three silvers indeed was a feat in itself. But what was more interesting was the underlying tech theme of the entire fest.

The internet has changed the media landscape and there is no doubt in it. Yet while I sat and listened to the masters of the field from abroad I couldn’t help but realise that when it comes to communicating on the internet, we Indians are in the prehistoric ages still. There is a long way for us to go to catch up with the West where the web was born. What’s wrong is that we still continue to use the web like we do any offline medium. We use it to push brand’s communication. Why, probably because the client can’t get his head around what should be done online after having been primarily in the print space, or perhaps because the new age interactive agency is still the new kid on the block of the tried and tested print and OOH agency. The result, online campaigns that fail the ‘talkability’ test. They very often fail to become viral.

But all hope is not lost. There are indicators that this is changing. We are slowly coming out of the woods. The Facebook 20-20 Cricket game that is seeing Indians spend an average of Rs. 800 online to buy players is an example of not only brand connect and talkability but also the importance this medium is gaining. 

The Greatest Story Ever Told – The Generation Gap

Now I am not referring to the Biblical movie by any chance. I am rather referring to the art of storytelling. Around a week back or so I finished Mass Effect 2. I was so massively impressed that I played the last level twice.  That’s a first for me. I also watched Clash of the Titans, in the cinema hall. However if I were to compare both experiences, the PC game was much more riveting and much more engrossing. Why? Because you are right in it, your every action affects how the story is told. This makes the story being told a more meaningful experience to the one who is watching it.

Is this a generation gap? Am I part of the next generation that finds gaming more meaningful than movies?  Today’s generations are now defined by technology they use and not age alone. So the SMS generation is different from the e-mail generation and the social networking generation. This becomes very evident by people you talk to who use these technologies.  Each uses their own jargon.  This new definition is even finding its way into the popular press. I noticed it in a newspaper article the other day. Something to ponder about.