In 1964, Marshall McLuhan introduced the phrase "the medium is the message" in his book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. Understanding "medium" in a broad sense, he stated that medium creates an environment by its mere presence -- not only by the content delivered over the medium, but also by the characteristics of the medium.
Not to sound cliché, but McLuhan's old "medium is the message" adage could not be truer. For the advertising industry, the Internet media has had a drastic impact on culture and commerce since the 1990s, including the rise of near-instant communications by email, IM, VoIP and the World Wide Web with its discussion forums, blogs, social network and online shopping sites. Not only has the Internet fueled digital advertising jobs, it has been fueling the careers and creativity in the burgeoning field of interactive.
This was a year in which social platforms, most notably Facebook and Twitter, played an integral role in the expanse of worldwide outreach. Brands and their agencies in the 21 century are looking at integrated social advertising and marketing campaigns in a more serious way -- to give voice to the voiceless, further awareness and save the planet. Agencies are pushing the boundaries of advertising and design and exploring what interactive media truly can bring to the table.
Creatives worldwide pulled out all the stops, using the digital medium to create groundbreaking work designed to entertain and engage consumers -- from edgy integrated branding campaigns to e-commerce sites to fund global causes that better the world in which we live. Like the economics of supply and demand, so goes today's advertising. Whether at work or at home, on computers or cell phones, the consumer demand for interactive content has reached a feverish 24/7 pitch. Happy to respond on behalf of their clients, ad creatives are producing more and better content across the multiple digital platforms, raising the bar of creative excellence each year.
As the producer of the One Show Interactive awards, The One Club always has taken pride in our ability to bring together the world's best and brightest creatives together to showcase their best work. But it's more than just about the work today for advertising professionals. It's about the passion from the true believers -- the creatives who seem always moving forward, seeking to break barriers for the change they hope to see evolve within our own industry and the shifting media landscape as a whole.
From edgy integrated branding campaigns to e-commerce sites funding global causes, interactive advertising has emerged a winner. Agencies and creatives ad brands are choosing the extraordinary, creating pieces of work that present what interactive digital media does best.
What an electrifying and game-changing year it was for interactive advertising. With a wealth of such inspiring work to go around, I can only imagine the Pencil winners of One Show Interactive 2013 and where, perhaps, our industry will go next.