Delivery, Touches or Communicate?

I do have a solution.

If you have never read the 1995 book “Being Digital” by Nicholas Negroponte, you should. “Being Digital” details what some have described as the first shot across the bow in the battle to win market share between the old world of print and the new world of digital media.

I see—and have always seen—the book as diplomatic document of peaceful coexistence and cooperation between what Mr. Negroponte calls Atoms and Bits. In short, items that are made up of atoms—take paper, for example—are old, things that are made up of digits—such as e-mails—are new. (My confusion is that I always thought that everything was made of atoms, a small and unimportant point.)

Peaceful coexistence you say? Yes, in fact this cooperation could be called Bitoms or Atots (Forgive me, Mr. Negroponte.), since recent trends and data indicate that to get the best of any delivery program you need to link atoms and bits into an integrated, combined force.

In our example, unlike the real world of politics, peaceful marketing coexistence can and will work. Need another example, look to the latest issue of National Geographic, February 2011. A lead story on the cover is titled, “New Brain Science on Football Concussions.” It just so happens that the inside front cover spread has been placed by Toyota, and the ad copy is—did you guess—how Toyota can use it’s injury simulation software to make football helmets even safer.

Nice idea Toyota; you too, Saatchi & Saatchi.

Here the delivery supports the message and the vehicle of delivery is the very well respected magazine of exploration, science and adventure, National Geographic, kudos to all.

Delivery is too simple of a term to define the process in the world of atoms and bits; distribution is not that much better. I am as always open to your suggestions.