Marketing in an age of 'disengagement'?

The world of marketing often seems to be functioning on an edifice of faux efficiency when it comes to information, communication and brand planning. Pressures on cost and time have arguably pared down processes and resources so that whilst important things still 'appear' to happen - they happen at 'half cock' and much of what's important may hardly touch the sides! Research is caught in the midst of this current phenomenon. Insights and sound thinking, so important as our bases for brand strategies, can feel lost in the mad panic. Do you recognise this syndrome? A deluge of emails where critical things get lost or swamped? A Conference call where no one's listening or too busy looking out the window or at SMS's on their mobiles…. or worrying about the next meeting. So electronic communications are partly to blame - miraculous and efficient at many levels but so ignorable at others. Is the problem really to do with the downscaling of face to face communication with focussed tangible written material and good solid hard 'team' thinking? So often we see things where clearly the various parties have just buzzed things around on email and not really given the problem, brief or whatever 15 mins serious collective thought. Result - a brief or an idea that's half cock. Elsewhere important bits of insight that could really feed your brand planning get aired but effectively lost in lip service telecons, over rushed meetings or in barely read email attachments. It also feels like 'MORE' (alleged communication and engagement opportunities) = 'LESS'! It's pointless spending money on insight if you're not going to make time to digest it and think about what it really means for your brand. I know time is tight but there's got to be a more effective way. It's not just me that feels this - I know the sentiments are shared by client marketers and planners too. "…we seem to rush into things and keep making mistakes so we have to go back and start all over again" What's the answer. Well tricky given the pressures we're all under. But I know for sure that if you can get the right people together in the right place at the right time - you will get a much righter answer. A focused hour vs. the false efficiencies of intangible minutes (or hours) with email, telecons or meetings where I'm too busy to attend. There's a great adage in the PADI Rescue Diver Course when something happens… STOP BREATHE THINK ACT. Lets make that our mantra - half an hour in a room with all the key people can make such a difference.