2012: a year of turbulence, continued crisis…and opportunity by Paul Hood

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Marketers are in a unique position to help people see the brighter side of life and to feel more positive in 2012 says Paul Hood, director at Archant London.

In Chinese there is one hieroglyph for opportunity and crisis. While we may be entering the new year against a background of negative harangue about how bad things are and how much worse they will be, let us take a moment to reflect on the other meaning of the hieroglyph. There is a lot of room for positive and constructive thinking around business opportunities that exist during crisis.

Marketers are in a somewhat unique position to help our customers see the brighter side of life and to feel more positive, so let’s celebrate the year ahead and enter it with our minds made up to make 2012 a fantastic and memorable year.

In London’s Olympic year, our wonderful capital city will be in sharp focus. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic & Paralympic Games will see a surge of visitors to London. An independent report by Oxford Economics estimates that up to 5.5. million day visitors will come to the capital over the Games period in addition to 450,000 staying visitors, taking into account displacement.

With that number of people thronging into the capital city, there is surely a business opportunity for most of us, even if it means thinking creatively.

For those of us for whom the opportunity is clear, now is a good time to double-check that we’ve put everything in place to make the most of the business opportunities that London 2012 will create.

My three tips for a successful year in 2012:

1) Put extra effort into staying connected. As marketers we’ll experience common problems, but we’re more likely to find innovative solutions if we’re in active dialogue with other professionals. Stay in touch with your trade association. The Marketing Society has a full diary of events – commit now to attend at least one a month.

2) When it comes to digital and mobile, give yourself a head start by checking out some of the amazing tech-led solutions that have already been built within the vibrant startup community. In London, Silicon Roundabout (http://www.siliconroundabout.org.uk/ ) is a good place to get to know some of the exciting startups that are doing great things. Digital London (http://www.digitallon.com/), a summit taking place in March, is also one for the calendar.

3) Be sure to give something back to the community you serve. It’ll pay dividends sooner or later. At Archant Media we have actively supported ‘Team London’, one of City Hall’s key community initiatives through 2011. The initiative is about identifying Londoners who give their time to help make London a better place. The Mayor’s office is showcasing some of the winners at City Hall’s main picture gallery.

So, be bold, be creative, be positive, and make 2012 a great year for you and your business.

Read more posts from Paul Hood here and tweet @PaulHood.

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Posted: January 17th, 2012 | Author: Leah.Latimer | Filed under: Paul Hood | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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