Silence Isn’t Always Golden

Recently, The Artist won the 2012 Oscar for Best Picture, and once The Artist won, my desire to see the movie skyrocketed. If movie experts liked it, then I had to, right? So a few days later, I found the nearest theater showing the movie and went.

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the gist of the movie:

George Valentin is a silent movie actor during the 1920’s when silent movies were king. However, after George’s latest hit movie comes out, movie producers started creating “talkies” (non-silent movies). George Valentin refused to “talk” and attempted to stay in the business by producing his own silent movie, while the rest of Hollywood created talkies. However, George’s career soon faded and he began a downward spiral.

I won’t spoil the rest for those that still wish to see it, but aside from the fantastic acting, I think there’s an important lesson to be learned from The Artist: Keep up with trends and adapt.

One day, George Valentin was Hollywood’s biggest star, but when he refused to adapt to the changing industry, his career turned for the worse.

Almost 100 years ago, technology changed the movie industry – and has continued to change every other industry along the way. In an already fast-paced PR and marketing world, it’s more important than ever to keep up with the latest digital and social trends that could soon rock our world. Businesses didn’t always need websites, but a business without a website now is unfathomable. They need a dynamic website as the face of the business, and they also need to explore social channels, e-mail marketing, mobile apps and more.

You don’t need to waste all day researching the latest and greatest digital trends, but set aside a few minutes a day to keep yourself informed. And if you can squeeze in a break, I recommend heading to a movie theater to check out The Artist.