Keeping Up With The Joneses: Tech Edition

It’s no secret that technology has a profound impact on the creative industry. Within our company’s lifetime, we’ve seen our client’s content needs progress from simple photography to motion to now interactive & 3D content to meet retailers’ demands and to stay on top of trends that garner the most engagement. In order to be competitive, it is essential for creative professionals to not only keep up but stay ahead of the curve with the latest technologies.

But how? That’s the question. How do you continuously advance yourself technologically when your team is always inundated with creating the unique and high-quantity content demands of retailers? All of your time is wrapped up in creating or managing which leaves little to no time for R&D in relation to learning new tech advancements. And, here’s the kicker: There’s a good chance that if you implemented some new technologies into your creative workflow, you’ll be more efficient, allowing you to create more content in an equal or less amount of time than before. If this sounds like a familiar struggle, hear us out…

We’ll be honest with you, we've felt this same struggle. Our team was so focused on creating content for our clients with the current capabilities in our toolbox, that we didn’t have the capacity to take a step back and learn the new tech advancements out there that could ultimately better our service offerings and in turn, better our clients. This is when we decided to invest in technology and create a position dedicated to R&D. With a Director of Technology now focused on developing a host of innovative research & projects anywhere from CGI to AI & VR to emerging motion tech, our team has a strategy to keep us ahead on the Technology Adoption Curve. And, we want to help you do the same.

In simple terms, the Technology Adoption Curve is a model that represents the general acceptance process and percentages of people reacting & embracing new technologies. Here’s a breakdown of each of the categories:

• Innovators: These are enthusiastic humans & who are ready to take risks.
• Early Adopters: Folks who are eager to adopt, yet less risky than the Innovators due to not wanting to lose their voice as an opinion leader if the innovation flopped.
• Early Majority: These humans need a little convincing but can jump on board if presented with adequate data to show the advantages & benefits of adoption.
• Late Majority: A category comprised of the hesitant & skeptical but will accept & implement when the majority is using it.
• Laggards: Folks who have an affinity for “old school” ways. This category will only consider adopting when it becomes mainstream, viewed as “traditional,” or forced to implement into their lives.
• The Chasm: This is the point in the process when the innovation is fully accepted by the risk-takers on the left side of the curve, but not yet by the non-risk takers on the right side of the spectrum.

Before our commitment to focusing on tech & innovation, our team fell in the Late Majority category on the curve. This is not because of our skepticism of certain technologies, but simply because we did not have the proper time allocated for research. Now with our Director of Technology on board, we’re shifting to the left of The Chasm & becoming an Early Adoptor to embrace new tech, and we want to bring you along with us.

Technology awareness is the first step to uncovering solutions that make your job easier. We can say this with confidence because our team has experienced successful technological journeys with our clients. You are experts in knowing what content keeps you connected to your consumers. And, we have the tech knowledge that keeps you connected to getting your content needs met with efficiency. If you have a tech strategy implemented, are creating 360 photography, and generating brand content every 90 days, you likely do not need our team's help. But if you aren’t, we want to talk! Our team can complement yours, or at the very least, we can introduce you to some new technologies & walk you through how to get started. We consider this the “Keeping Up with the Joneses: Tech Edition.” 

Kalman & Pabst – A champion for brand teams, good for your brand.