Podcasts and thinking. Just being out there.
June 9, 2019

Podcasts: Do we pay enough attention to what is going on?

There is a lot on the go in the world and staying up to date with it all can be challenging at times. Growing up I was never a great reader. It was difficult for me sit still for long enough to digest information. Luckily, I have been able to shift my mindset and now enjoy the learning channel that reading offers me.

How do you keep in the know with everything that is on the go? Or maybe I should ask a different question first, do you want to keep up to date with everything and do you trust that broader decisions are being made in our best interest? While trust is good and much needed, by actively contributing and paying attention we could create a better future.

I am going to refer to a response that I gave when Neo Matsei asked me to share if I was going to be voting in our National elections earlier in the year.

“We all have a choice, an opportunity and a chance to make the future better. Sure, this may sound very philosophical, but over the last year I have learnt that individually we can all contribute. I used to think that making a small change, like recycling your plastic, or standing up against something that you didn’t believe in wouldn’t really make a difference as individually our voice/action is a ‘drop tiny in the ocean’. My views have since changed, a drop in the ocean is better than no drop at all right?”

By not paying attention to what is going on around us we run the risk of alienating ourselves from reality, not understanding the really issues and in the case of marketing, this can result in a brand not connecting with their audience – completely missing creating a connection.

Navigating the expanding digital world is a continuous learning experience. If you try do it by yourself and ignore what is going on around you, I don’t think you will ever catch up or even be on the same playing field. Being digitally connected means that we have the opportunity to learn from others at our finger tips, so instead of ignoring it try understand it. Find what works for you, but let’s all make an effort to pay more attention and I am not saying that you need to know everything, sometimes focused attention is best.

This week’s podcasts look at strategic decisions from big brands, unpacking some of Disney’s latest partnerships as they look to the future; Data-Driven marketing – the more I learn about this space, I realise it’s just getting started; Nurturing and following intellectual curiosity, mistakes, decisions and learning; and understanding value chains by looking at some of the world’s most successful companies.