Dragging Dinosaurs into the Digital Age - A Tale of Tears, Tantrums, and Triumphs
Greetings from Bigbobby of Studio L7, fellow lens lovers! Gather round, because have I got a story for you today. It's a classic tale of a humble photographer, a gargantuan task, and a company that still thought Myspace was a cutting-edge marketing tool. And yes, you guessed it, the protagonist in this tale is none other than yours truly.
Let me set the scene. I'd just accepted a position with DinoCorp Inc. – an aptly named company where typewriters clacked, faxes whirred, and any talk of digital transformation was as welcomed as a lens flare in a moody portrait. But being the optimist, I thought, "Hey, Bigbobby, how hard could dragging a company into the 21st century possibly be?" Famous last words, my friends, famous last words.
Now, if you’ve ever tried telling a black-and-white film aficionado about the joys of digital photography, you might understand my plight. Their eyes glaze over, they start mumbling about 'the good old days,' and you can almost see their souls making a beeline for the nearest exit. That was pretty much every conversation I had for the first few weeks at DinoCorp.
I mean, I tried everything - PowerPoint presentations (which they loved because it was just one step removed from the overhead projector), impassioned speeches during staff meetings (where I managed to induce a collective coma), and even one-on-one 'digital' coaching sessions (where I discovered an uncanny number of staff were allergic to screens... who knew?)
I could see my noble mission teetering on the brink of failure. The dark corridors of DinoCorp started to feel like a Silicon Valley black hole. But then, a lightbulb moment. All the misguided attempts at persuasion had made me overlook the one thing we creatives know best - the power of storytelling.
I decided to shift my strategy. Instead of focusing on what the company could gain from digitizing, I turned my attention to what they were missing out on. If there's anything we hate more than change, it's the fear of missing out, am I right?
First, I showed them how the world was passing us by. How other B2B companies were harnessing the power of social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, and viral TikToks (I had to explain what 'viral' meant and no, it wasn't a type of disease) to connect with customers and rake in business.
Next, I gave them a taste of our own digital potential. I started an unofficial DinoCorp Instagram account and began documenting our daily life, quirky traditions, and the heartwarming camaraderie that made the company unique. The account started to gain followers and the first time a customer mentioned it, you could see the light of understanding dawning in my colleagues' eyes.
And then, the coup de grace. I decided to record a podcast (shamelessly plugging Studio L7 here), where I interviewed the employees - from the CEO to the janitor. This was a masterstroke if I say so myself, because it did two things - it put a human face to the company and gave everyone involved a stake in the digital transformation.
With these simple moves, the company began to thaw. Conversations about digital transformation started becoming less about the fear of the unknown and more about the excitement of new possibilities. In other words, they were finally starting to get it.
But let me tell you, the battle was just beginning. Just because they got it, didn't mean they were ready for it. But that's a story for another day, and another cup of coffee.
And so, dear readers, if you ever find yourself in the seemingly impossible mission of dragging a company into the 21st century, remember this. It’s not about the technology. It’s not about the shiny new tools. It’s about the story. It's about showing them the world they're missing out on, involving them in the journey, and giving them a taste of the future they could own.
This has been Bigbobby from Studio L7, signing off and wishing you the best of luck in your modernization quests. Stay tuned for more tales of digital triumph and tribulations. And remember - no matter how hard it seems, the story always has the power to change the ending.
Until next time, keep those shutters clicking and those podcasts rolling!