We in advertising and marketing need to remember this, and embrace it. The technology may seem to make us closer, but in reality it is less intimate and personal -- less human.
This is a great article, and I applaud the author, adman Derek Walker, for putting it down on paper, albeit electronic paper. But, there's always a 'but,' in my experience, the problem with a lot of advertising/marketing people and technology is that: 1) they don't embrace technology so they're suspicious and doubtful about what it can do for them from the outset; and 2) they don't take the time to actually learn how to use technology in service of their goals, which as Walker states, should be in pursuit of making (brand) experiences more human. Absent any comfort with technology, and mostly filled with ignorance of its capabilities, all you have left is hype which, of course, is the domain of (m)admen.
So if the ad world is getting carried away with all this buzz about iPads, iPhones, Facebooks, Twitters, Foursquares, interactivity and videogames, ad (LOL) nauseum, it's because not enough ad people are building their technology skills. And yet, here we are living in a world enveloped by technology. Look, technology is just a toolbox, it's not a substitute for relationships, but used properly and with insight, it can certainly enhance, or hinder, real relationships. But you must learn how and when to use it, or all you'll ever be able to do with it is hype it, or complain about it. That's why people in the ad game are getting carried away: their lack of technological acumen, and their unwillingness to do the hard work to master the tools is at fault. Becoming skilled with technology will not make you, or your ideas, any less human, and it's not going to erase that opportunity to get drive-through cheeseburgers with your children. But step up your digital game first, then pop off.