Picture yourself living a middle class life at the beginning of the last century. Let’s say the year is 1904. The times feel modern and technology is rapidly expanding and seemingly improving our lives. Amazing things are happening in this new century, back on December 17, 1903 the Wright brothers actually flew an engine-powered aeroplane – magnificent! Later, in 1904 a Canadian by the name of John E. Kennedy would define advertising as “salesmanship in print”. This would ensure from that point onward, new technology would be marketed as a product or benefit that every consumer needed – now.
The onslaught of newfangled technology such as radios, the new Gillette safety razors, vacuum cleaners and even Crayola Crayons had to be marketed and the public was soon immersed in the wonderment of being able to consume and live the life of modernity.
Back then there was a sense of excitement and a feeling of anticipation with the introduction of each new technological marvel. Because so much of what was becoming available could hardly have been imagined only the year before it was a magical and incredible time.
Of course marketing and advertising helped promote this “idealistic world” that new technology offered in ever-growing abundance. Over time consumers became accustomed to the “what’s new” marketing formula. As a result, what was once “new and incredible” soon became old, dated and years later would stand as a marker of history. Look at any old photograph and it’s the clothes and “products” around the subjects that truly dates the photo.
When was the last time you were watching a baseball, football or hockey game and the stands weren’t filled with almost all of the fans wearing their team colors? If you look at any major sporting event these days it appears quite normal that the vast majority of fans are wearing their favorite team colors by way of jerseys, shirts, hats, jackets and more. And aside from seeing old film clips and photos from the 50’s and 60’s it seems as though this type of fan expression has always been the case.
Branding sports fans is so common now that it’s easy to forget that not so long ago very few fans wore their team colors to the game. Today, you stand out if you’re not all decked out in team colors.
In fact, it has only been in the past fifteen or so years that so many sports fans have become totally immersed in their team’s brand.
As blogger Willypopsstated when describing his experience at major league ball games in the 60’s, except for the occasional team ball hat, nobody wore any type of team apparel. For the most part fans were dressed casually. I guess back then nobody, not even the league, figured that fans would be willing to fork over their hard-earned dollars to buy jerseys, t-shirts or even a polo shirt in their team’s colors.
The famous Henri Cartier-Bresson 1950′s photo, aptly named Sports Fans, shows passionate fans at a game – without a team hat or jersey in sight.
Over the past year several US and Canadian small businesses have been seeing an increase in their business by being outsourced to outsourcing companies. Companies in India, China and through out the Asia-Pacific region have been championing the drive to hire North American and global talent that has become known as reverse outsourcing. The reason is simple; these companies are constantly seeking expertise and the best value across the globe.
Many outsourcing companies that have traditionally offered their low cost services (data processing, call centers and accounting, etc.) to North America and Europe are now finding that North American professionals still tend to provide the best insight, expertise and ability in areas that include marketing, PR, branding and web content. As a result they have been quietly seeking out these services from small businesses and freelancers as well as developing partnerships with larger companies.
Connecting Globally
However, it’s not just in North America where these enterprising outsourcing companies have been seeking knowledge capital. Over the past few years many Asia-Pacific based outsourcing companies have been setting up satellite offices in South America, Europe and Africa to facilitate the demand for a variety of vertical based industries that include healthcare, logistics, insurance, mortgages, finance, engineering and more.
Seeing Opportunity Everywhere
Outsource providers have come to recognize that different countries provide different areas of expertise, accordingly, they have seeking boldly seeking out the required services from the countries that are able offer the best products for the best value.
For instance, India is well known for its skill in software and IT-related services, while China has a reputation for deep expertise in manufacturing and engineering. But did you know that the Philippines is known for its expertise in customer support and also provides animation and financial services? Or what about Kenya now being pegged as one of the world’s leading providers for transcription services? Most Americans probably don’t know this but it’s true. And get this – after India, Peru is the now fastest growing outsourcing destination with outsourcing companies gaining access to the latest technology, software and a rapidly growing infrastructure in that developing country.
This is the part of the global economy that many people in North America may often overlook; specifically that with the advance of today’s vast connectivity (including wireless and mobile) and superior technology, more and more countries have been joining the global network to compete in areas where they have quietly developed expertise in these niche areas.
In the US and Canada we still have a (perceived) lead when it comes to providing marketing strategy, branding, web content creation as well as online and traditional PR capabilities, so it’s imperative that we continue developing our own areas of expertise. The offshore outsourcing companies have taken notice and are employing more and more individuals and small firms to manage and develop these areas – but you can bet they are always looking to see what’s available elsewhere.
Providing some Marketing Muscle
In fact, Science Creative is a great example of a branding, marketing and advertising (cloud based) firm that has been working diligently with an offshore outsourcing company. The India based company partnered with Science Creative to develop, plan and execute an entire marketing and branding campaign for the launch of its new online global business platform.
