Plugged in
Traditional companies are plugging in to get noticed.
Are you taking advantage of technology for your company?
Living in Portugal I have the privilege to be an observer, as well as part of the culture. During my time here I have seen the old traditional companies struggle to keep themselves alive in the advent of technology. The master craftsman: Shoe makers, locksmiths, wool spinners, glass blowers… all those charming traditionally family run businesses.
Is technology, or rather the non-integration of technology, the primary reason for their loss to today's marketplace?
Possibly, as economic factors are making sure that struggling back street shops are finding it ever more challenging to sell their products. However, tradition is becoming synonymous with not wanting to change.
It doesn't have to be that way though: change is going to happen whether we like it or not — that is called business. It always happens, irrespective of the type of business you own.
If technology was created to be a tool, there are surely numerous ways in which to use it: to help, to advertise, to show your unique skill set to the world.
Case study : Glass blowing master craft
A glass swan, hand made in Portugal.
The following videos are about traditional glass companies who have infused technology into their marketing to reach more potential clients: Vista Alegre Atlantis, a highly respected Portuguese brand, and Bristol Blue Glass, which has become a traditional British association with blue glass.
The first video is an example of the artful Vista Alegre Atlantis advertising campaigns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhbiLflxRHk
Bristol Blue Glass have taken a different approach, showing you the process of making a product, instantly having you emotionally connected to their brand — for life.
There is a valid case for staying true to your business and keeping traditions alive. But co-existing with technology, to show your uniqueness to the world, allows you to spread your potential client base much further.
And even with all this technology, tactile senses are (for the time being…) deprived: the touch of a product, the feel of quality — even the smell of the materials — aren’t something that everyone has surrounding them. But that is something you can show in the traditional markets and marketplaces… after you draw your newly found public in.
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