The Engagement is over

Dear sweet Gavin.  Whose writing is more poetic than plain.  More insightful than mundane.

He has called for the death of Engagement.  And I think he is right.

"'Engagement' does not reach far enough nor adequately convey the restless desire we have to connect -- with brands, with organisations and with each other."

And the conversation he has awoken is beyond intriguing.

Valeria Maltoni speaks of where engagement fits in our lives.  "I think we are not content with 'engagement' to someone either, yes? We get married or we break up. In other words, engagement is just a phase of our relationship."

Matt Moore responds with "I don't want brands to transform [my] experiences, I want them to allow me to transform my own."  And closes with, "I don't want their spectacle, I want my own..."

The conversation haunts me.  I read the spectacle quote over and over, yearning to taste the insight that sparked this explosion of thoughts.  Missing it, I fight back and yet feel drawn in.

"It seems to me that brands who continue to invest in the spectacle will be able to 'engage' at least some of the people some of the time. But those brands wanting to delve deeper will need to find ways to transform our experiences -- one heartbeat at a time."

It makes me stop and ponder my approach to any campaign.  The use of a lifecycle that maps out the changing levels of engagement with an audience.  What would happen if I applied this to myself and my relationships with others around me?  (Let alone the brands I interact with.)

Would I move so easily and cleanly from one stage of "engagement" to the next?  Do I desire their meddling?

Gavin's full article is beyond worth a read.  It's waiting for each of us to join in the conversation.

So much death these past few weeks.  First Branding.  Now Engagement.  Is anyone giving birth anymore?