Last week in Strasbourg, Public Affairs 2.0 came across two examples that show how people still fail to grab the ‘digital’ opportunity.
Andreas Schwab has a slick car. So much so that I wanted to read more about him online. I walked carefully around his car, but couldn’t find a website address. Enormous disappointment.
On the road to the Strasbourg Parliament
Imagine if I wanted to learn more about Dr Schwab’s positions. I would have whipped out my new BlackBerry, connected to Bouygues Telecom’s mobile network, and visited his sharp website www.andreas-schwab.de. But, too lazy to Google, I continued on on the yellow brick road, where all memory of Dr Schwab’s car was soon erased…
Et tu, Bruno?
Et tu, Bruno*? What if I want to learn how they are lying and ruining me? Where on your beautiful camping car can I find this information that I desperately thirst for? If only you had a website address for my idle BlackBerry thumb.
My point is simple: Real-world communications should be linked to online communications. In this day and age, neither are independent, nor is one sufficient without the other.
Both Schwab and Gollnisch are clearly investing time and money in campaigning on the road. They also both have websites. Schwab is even on Facebook and MySpace. But they haven’t connected the two sides of their campaign.
It’s as simple as providing people the means to get online to more information. Once a website is built or any other digital platform is set up, it does not cost more per visit, unlike setting up a stand at markets or handing out flyers. Everything should have a clear and distinct internet address where anyone can go for more information.
Ultimately, ‘online’ is no longer a bolt-on for niche audiences, it is very much mainstream and for many audiences the primary channel of social interaction, communication, information and entertainment. It’s essential to grab that opportunity.
* Yes, I’m aware that it’s Brutus. But close enough.
April 28, 2009 | 12:14 PM
i might be wrong, but if people want information online, they most likely look for it online. placing url's on cars and buses will highlight the fact that there's more to find online, but ordinary people won't grab a pen and paper to write down an url, then hours later go online in order to find more information. rather they would look up the website at google next time they are online...