This Again?

We've seen this play out before.

First Voyage, Departure for the New World, August 3, 1492 by L. Prang & Co., 1893 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

It's a new year and a new decade.

Or is it?

I've recently seen articles and posts on the importance of things like community, storytelling, and listening to your customers in 2020.

Umm…

These concepts aren't new to marketing and communications, yet we're finding people shouting it from the rooftops like they've just discovered fire.

What's going on?

I've seen some commentary on it, with some folks expressing frustration that marketers and communicators still haven't learned "and probably never will."

I think it's a little more nuanced than that.

Yes, there's always a need to educate and inform — even if it's a concept that's been around for a while. Maybe I should say especially if it's a concept that's been around for a while.

As the digital aspect of marketing and communications has evolved, much of the tactics have been relegated to agencies to execute (particularly on social…