Is all this technology actually helping?
Is all this technology actually helping?
By
Bill Thompson
SUMMARY
Is it just possible that technology might be alienating our audiences and creating a barrier to the arts? ICT is used to develop advertising and marketing strategies and to enhance sales and provide customers with information, but are computers getting in the way? This article argues that it is possible to do technology well – but it must be made invisible.
Arts marketing is about creating awareness and desire. We hope that the fulfilment of that desire will be straightforward (but that’s not guaranteed). In what ways are marketing strategies being determined by technology? Does the use of technology help? For example, if you buy in mailing lists then you only ever reach people who end up on mailing lists. And if you put up a website then you only ever reach people who use the Internet. And if you send flash-based e-cards promoting your work then you annoy even them. We cannot do it without the technology. Is there a way to do it well with the technology?
