The decline in traditional TV advertising is not in dispute. Maurice Saatchi acknowledges it in this interview for BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme and outlines a new model for marketing.
If you’re over 25 you’re a ‘digital immigrant’. If you’re a ‘digital native’ you’ve learnt the digital language; the brain of the digital native is different. It’s literally been reworked. It’s faster. It sifts more; it recalls less… A new model is required for marketing. What I’m describing is a new business model, one in which companies compete to establish one word equity. That is they aim to define in one word the particular characteristic that they most want instantly associated with their brand around the world. I would say this is the most priceless corporate asset of the digital age.
An example: Google ‘which has global ownership of the one word search.’
UPDATE: Maurice Saatchi’s written an article on this topic for the Financial Times.
PR Studies 
Although I think one word might be stretching it somewhat, (can you imagine how many companies with products from champagne to toilet rolls would choose ‘luxury’ as their word), I think that finding the right words to describe products/services will become key to success in the digital age.
Despite the rise and apparent importance of the visual in web marketing, (Flash movies, videos etc), I believe the focus will change to achieving the most concise, clear, keyword-rich content. This will ensure that Google correctly indexes the page and the ‘digital native’, with its short attention span and highly developed sifting abilities, can glean information quickly and easily.
Copywriters will rule the world – someday!
From one digital immigrant to another: I’m also banking on copywriting retaining and increasing its importance. Wordcasting (in ‘one word equity’ speak).
Boodlehook speak….
And the ‘word’ has to be in context. The context is, of course provided by conversation which is (should be) provided by public relations.
Meantime Maurice Saatchi has to shout loader.
Without context there is no equity.
Unless you know that Boodlehook is the new ‘word’ that describes Maurice Saatchi, it has no equity at all.
Neither does Maurice to those who don’t know what we mean when we talk about him.
Overly friendly is the word
“Overly friendly” is fast becoming the new “activist judge” or “staying the course:” words or short taglines that are repeated so much that they become an identifiable message dealing with an identifiable issue; identifiable just from one o…
I fully appreciate Lord Richard’s call for one-word equity as a coherent summation of the brand meaning into a simple trigger that allow for brand appreciation
I believe that every great brand becomes stronger by integrating its multi-variegated points of mental association into a central word that can diffuse its substantive meaning to the consumers