Dragging Dinosaurs into the Digital Age - A Tale of Tears, Tantrums, and Triumphs

Greetings, fellow lens enthusiasts, from Bigbobby of Studio L7! Gather your friends and family, for I have a tale for you today. It's the classic story of a lowly photographer, a massive responsibility, and a firm that believed Myspace was a cutting-edge marketing tool. And, yes, you got it, yours truly is the protagonist in this story.

Allow me to set the scene. I'd just started working at DinoCorp Inc., an aptly called business where typewriters clacked and faxes whirred and any mention of digital revolution was as welcome as a lens flare in a dark photograph. But, being an optimist, I reasoned, "Hey, Bigbobby, how difficult could dragging a company into the twenty-first century possibly be?" My pals, famous final words, famous last words.

If you've ever attempted to convince a black-and-white film enthusiast of the benefits of digital photography, you'll understand my predicament. Their eyes glaze over, they begin murmuring about 'the good old days,' and you can almost feel their spirits running for the next exit. For the first two weeks at DinoCorp, it was pretty much every discussion I had. 

I mean, I tried it all: PowerPoint presentations (which they loved because it was just one step away 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?)

My noble endeavor seemed to be on the verge of disaster. DinoCorp's gloomy passageways began to resemble a Silicon Valley black hole. But then there was a lightbulb moment. All of my erroneous efforts at persuasion had led me to disregard the one thing we creatives know best: the power of narrative.

I decided to change my approach. Instead of concentrating on what the firm may gain from digitization, I focused on what they were losing. Isn't it true that we despise change more than we despise the fear of losing out? 

I started by showing them how the world was passing us by. How other B2B organizations were using social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, and viral TikToks (I had to clarify what 'viral' meant, and no, it wasn't an illness) to connect with consumers and generate revenue.

Then I showed them our own digital potential. I launched an unauthorized DinoCorp Instagram account and began recording our everyday lives, odd customs, and the beautiful camaraderie that defined the organization. The account began to collect followers, and the first time a client mentioned it, you could see the dawning light of comprehension in my colleagues' eyes.

Then came the knockout blow. I decided to make a podcast (blatantly marketing Studio L7) in which I interviewed everyone of the personnel, from the CEO to the janitor. If I may say so, this was a masterstroke because it accomplished two things: it gave the firm a human face and gave everyone engaged a stake in the digital transition.

The corporation started to defrost as a result of these small steps. Conversations about digital transformation began to shift away from dread of the unknown and toward the exhilaration of new possibilities. In other words, they were finally getting it.

But, believe me, the war was only getting started. They weren't ready for it just because they received it. But that's another tale for another day and another cup of coffee.

So, my readers, if you ever find yourself in the apparently hard task of pulling a corporation into the twenty-first century, keep this in mind. It has nothing to do with technology. It isn't about the flashy new tools. It's all about the plot. It's about introducing them to the world they're losing out on, including them in the adventure, and giving them a taste of the future they might have.

Bigbobby from Studio L7 here, signing out and wishing you the best of success in your modernizing endeavors. Stay tuned for more stories of digital victory and adversity. And remember, no matter how difficult it seems, the tale has the ability to alter the ending.

Keep those shutters snapping and the podcasts coming till next time!