“A good idea doesn't win
simply because it is good, it must be presented properly if it is to win.”-Josef Goebbels
Everyday around the
world, people are doing something new from fashion to food, from science to art;
there is a constant frenzy of creative people developing new ideas, creating
new apps, producing new gadgets and technology for almost everything. The
internet is buzzing with new information, advancements, updates and upgrades that
are coming in by the second. The amazing thing is, people are eager to share
their ideas and knowledge with the rest of the world and today thanks to
internet and other social media; a lot of people are able to do just that. Advertisers
are on the other hand left with the task of pushing all these ideas into the consciousness
of people in the bid to capture the imagination of global audiences.
One of the theories
which explains how innovation can be propagated through channels to a particular
target audience to gain their acceptance is the Diffusion of Innovations Theory
as propounded by Everett Rogers.
He explains diffusion as
the process by which an innovation is communicated through channels of
communication over time among the members of a social system. Diffusion is a
special type of communication concerned with the spread of messages that are
perceived as new ideas. An innovation on
the other hand is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an
individual or other unit of adoption. The characteristics of an innovation, as
perceived by the members of a social system, determine its rate of
adoption.
The Diffusion of
Innovations theory can therefore be explained in my personal parlance as the
ability for any new idea, advancement in thinking or technology to be accepted
by a particular society, it must be done through the use of creative communication channels. It involves
the skill, knowledge and expertise used to ensure that an idea is able to touch
base with the people it is intended for by making utmost use of the correct
communication platforms available to sell the idea. The success of an
advertising campaign also relies largely on the ability of the creators of the
message to make it relatable enough to the social system or context the
innovation is going to be used in.
This means that new
ideas should make sense in the context and environment it is being used in. New
ideas will not miraculously gain societal acceptance until they are somehow
pushed and driven into the minds of people to accept and adopt it as the norm. Even
this process of adoption does not happen at once for everyone as everyone’s
rate of processing information is different. An excellent use of the right
communication channel will ensure that the message is able to penetrate the
barriers of the personal, cultural, environmental and religious consciousness
of the audience that may be obstacles. The process of diffusion is one that
allows the information to be broken down, simplified and spread from one person
to another.
