Don’t Forget, We Live in Saskatchewan

“QR Code adoption up 1,135%”

“Forget a Website, all you need is mobile app”

“People are no longer using computers, just mobile phones”

There are a lot of headlines lately that are probably making you say WTF more often than Snoop Dogg at a Miley Cyrus concert.  Yes, technology is advancing at an alarming rate but don’t forget, we live in Saskatchewan.  As much as you want to believe the internet is “taking over”, it’s not.  We in Saskatchewan are very slow to adapt to new technology, and businesses need to understand that before they go to the snake oil salesmen with “shiny marketing toy syndrome”(you know, like when children see a shinier toy they gravitate towards it without thinking about the consequences).

Still don’t believe Saskatchewan is a late technology bloomer?  We finally got 3G wireless network coverage roughly at the same time Mount Everest got it.  The tallest mountain in the world has the same connectivity as our province.  This isn’t Palo Alto, that’s for sure.

By now you’re probably thinking, “Wow Jeph, why so negative towards our beautiful province?”.  Well, you have a lot of nerve calling me out.  My apologies, I don’t want to come off as a cynic.  What I do want to stress is that when you do go about your new marketing or business strategy take a very objective, in depth look at the landscape of where you are doing business.  Talk to people, get opinions, research the $%&* out of your industry until you are very comfortable with your understanding of the business atmosphere in Saskatchewan.  Then and only then start looking toward tactics that will supplement the way your target audience communicates or consumes information.

Developing a mobile app sounds cool but how many people over 40 years old in Saskatchewan have actually downloaded an app (that isn’t Angry Birds) on their phone?

QR codes are used pretty much everywhere in Japan but in Saskatchewan I haven’t seen an effective way to use them as of yet.  Well maybe one.

Whatever you’re thinking for your next big breakthrough in your marketing strategy, don’t forget, we live in Saskatchewan.