The roots of commerce start deep and moves through “spheres” toward the heavens – at each level impacting the econo-sphere and the lives of all. These “big” spheres matter all the more as the world becomes smaller, data gets bigger and communications intentions reach new levels in aspiration and “audience” engagement is refined in the “paid-owned-earned” media model.
Circles within circles and degrees of separation as these overlap are a simply beautiful social symmetry that help make the world go round and get things done… ask any maven, driver, politician or social butterfly.
Ultimately, it is about the economy – the global “econo-sphere” contributed to by the lithosphere, biosphere, datasphere and the sociosphere. Messaging and discourse about what is happening in these spheres and at their points of intersection make for the media that surrounds us and in which we engage.
Lithospheric activity is part of our daily news. The lithosphere, the crust of the earth going down about 50 miles, is home to oil, gas and water reserves. It contains tectonic plates that cause earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis as they shift.
The troposphere often dominates the news and defines our days as well as economic progress and outcomes. It is at ground level with its storms, droughts, heat waves, snowdrifts, UV rays, smog and other events, as well as overall changes in our climate.
The datasphere is the digital infrastructure of digital authoring, management, storage, connectivity and presentation that engages, informs and inspires. Based on binary bits of electronic charge being off or on, data in amounts beyond imagination are presented as numbers, words and images. Data becomes statistics becomes information becomes knowledge and wisdom as it is aggregated.
This pervasive datasphere enables cell calls and texting, file transfers, information access, detection, opt-in and observation with infrastructure from below ground level to the cell and microwave towers to the 13,000 or so communications satellites that serve in geostationery orbit (some 3500 of which are functioning and in their intended orbit – the rest being debris).
Life in the biosphere, where inhabitants evolve or perish, has spawned the sociosphere, which uses the ever-expanding datasphere for the publishing, sharing and consumption of information and perspectives. “Earned” media, virtual worlds, discussions and immediate information access as news of the world and our pace in it are a new basis of human potential and shifting influences in the econo-sphere.
The Marshall McLuhan observation that “the medium is the message” suggests also that “anything worthy of communications will find its medium.” We are now aware that the most note-worthy of messages will find themselves in multiple media, a reality that has helped define the “paid-owned-earned” media model and audience engagement objectives. And we know that other spheres dramatically impact consumer and staff behavior in the econo-sphere.
This indicates the importance of advancing marketing strategies. Marketing communications has been based on the calendar in a “3-date plus events” strategy. (i.e. by the 3rd each month government checks are received, 15th and 30th are pay dates augmented with major event dates such as thanksgiving, Christmas, Superbowl, Mothers’ Day, etc.).
Since it is the activities in the spheres that resonate with people, marketing and communications strategies are well served in better harmonizing with and using communications in these spheres.
The ability to author, publish and disseminate messages rapidly enables this, in particular in specific locations and to highly targeted audiences.