Complexity is the New Simplicity

You should recognize two points in this article that reflect what you've heard from me over and over -

1. Whereas advertising since 1980 has worshiped "simplicity" we now must embrace "complexity" (or perish).

2. All media "are interconnected to within two degrees of separation" meaning what is heard or seen in one "channel" jumps to other communities of people in other channels very, very quickly.

MediaPost Publications - How Deep In The Sand Can You Shove Your Head? - 05/30/2007

I am referring to an article that appeared in today’s New York Times, “Is Wal-Mart Too Cheap For Its Own Good?” You see, while the article may be all about how Wal-Mart is having a tough time breaking out of the low-cost, low-end market, the bigger-picture message is this: not only is the report likely right on the money from a brand equity point of view, it was leaked to the mainstream press via an online property, wakeupwalmart.com. Technology and consumers are playing a very large role in how the brand is able to transition from a world that was, by all accounts, fundamentally different 40 years ago, to one today where all media are interconnected to within two degrees of separation (if you are lucky).