The fuss and bother around Apple and Adobe, around HTML 5 and Flash, is raising issues at every turn.
Misconceptions arise over what constitutes ‘open’ as Apple use their closed portal to push open standards whilst Adobe use popular takeup to push their closed system.
It’s all very interesting.
It’s all very entertaining.
In some ways it is a fight over who controls the web and neither side represents a particularly attractive proposition. Even when Google enters the fray the potential for greater public harm doesn’t dissipate and web watchers are right to be concerned about the role of the Nation State.
But we will leave that weighty issue to one side whilst we think for a minute about what this means for communication, in particular for advertising.
When it comes to platform, the best use of the word in advertising terms is as something to stand on. It’s not important whether that be a wooden box or a Web 2.0 super site.
What is important is who is standing there.
And what is more important is what is being said.
It may seem like stating the bleeding obvious but looking around at web advertising reveals that more focus is going on the technology than on the message. Flash can do many things. It can animate text, connect to Facebook, manipulate the browser screen and generally astound.
Which is to say it can’t do diddly squat for your message.
It can’t urge consumers to click your banner because it can’t think of a good reason to give them.
And nor can HTML5.
You might be happy that your ads can be seen across multiple platforms, by multiple millions of people.
But are you happy with what you are communicating?
