Embracing Change

I have a friend who still uses a film camera, which in itself isn’t a crazy notion, but she refuses to go digital. To her, no matter the advances in technology, digital will never fully capture the same look and quality of film. She’s probably right. Look at the record. Nothing has ever been able to replicate that sound. So now, oddly, she becomes a relic, holding onto something that most people have long abandoned.

For my friend, this isn’t a big deal. Her photography is more on the art side of things, so it’s maybe even better that she sticks with film. In the end, it’s only she who is affected by the use of film and not digital. There are times, however, when refusal to embrace new technologies can be greatly detrimental.

As an advertising, marketing, and production company, it’s our job to stay on top of emerging technologies. As a company focused on innovation and custom development, we usually lead the pack. Take photography for instance, we were the first digital photography studio in Pennsylvania. There are many more traditional and interactive marketing and advertising services we helped to pioneer including the search engine marketing (SEM), website design and development, and video production industries. At DDA, we don’t hold onto the past and are always looking to the future.

Oftentimes we find ourselves up against people not unlike my friend. People who cannot see the value in a new technology or who refuse to change. This is when it can become detrimental. Take websites. Some companies swore them off in the beginning and refused to get on board. Now, the web has become a powerful marketing tool and all of those companies that could have been establishing an online presence and building search engine rankings all along, are way behind the pack and left scrambling and fighting against millions of competitors.

It pays to be innovative. It pays to be receptive to change. It pays to think ahead. Just look at DDA as an example. Still going strong after 15 years and we have our long  list of Firsts to thank for that.