Vorsprung Durch Videotreffen
One of London's Soho-centred world-leading ad agency slogans from the 80s propelled Audi car sales.
Vorsprung durch Technik, as the Germans say... With Geoffrey Palmer's reassuringly smooth voiceover roughly translated as 'progress through technology'. A concept seemingly foreign to the buyer scorned, strike laden, breakdown prone British car industry of the time.
With a new broom talking growth yet with control, regulations and other priorities appearing worryingly contrary to it, I note this phrase enjoying a nostalgic moment.
Where the last government lauded AI as the fix for public sector productivity, its replacement do similar. Particularly hopeful with areas of the abomination that is National Health Service performance.
Indeed, I myself came across a piece of new health tech this year. Looking set to bring upheaval to radiography. RPA meets med school. At literally the touch of a button, untold volumes of x-rays now instantly scanned. Immediate readings delivered for clear, issues and those recommended for human opinion. Future savings in personnel, spend and time (not to mention lives) potentially astonishing. Those bearing witness to this in the field reducing a team of ten radiographers down to just two. It could've been to one, but administrators currently prefer to have staff cover.
Here we also see the bandwagon aspect of any tech improvement almost by default being labelled as AI. No matter what quantum of automation, processing power or insight may or may not be from actual 'artificial intelligence'.
Indeed, many a meme about chasing the 'hype cycle' trash this.
Got this forward today.
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) July 28, 2023
What sector do you think is next? 😄
VCs need to seriously reinvent themselves. Future needs scale, not FOMO. pic.twitter.com/RNznHVBYaU
Or;
Hi, my name is Lorenzo, and I'm addicted to AI tools. pic.twitter.com/evbWyO4qtL
— Lorenzo Green 〰️ (@mrgreen) April 21, 2023
Which reminds me of one supposed solution sell saying; nobody buys efficiency.
Well, they are right now. In droves.
If efficiency is doing what you do quicker, and productivity is doing more (from potentially less), then how have both proved so elusive? The joke counter, is that technology promised we'd work but an hour a week, and look how that turned out. And that's before we even get to the quality of what we produce.
When was the last time we made progress in selling? What was the source of such vorsprung? An app? A fresh manager? A gimmick?
I note recently Audi themselves still adhere to Vorsprung. For them today, encapsulating the tireless search for innovative new solutions. Building on that which spurs competitive advantage. Whilst bearing in mind that all the progress in the world is worthless unless you can maintain it.
In the rush to all hail the Sales Demigods of AI, I suggest let's not leave a previous leap unlept.
Gaining mastery of video calling is I firmly believe the quickest, cheapest and finest way of scaling the heights the step-change in your performance unleashes.
How's your video call sprung vor-ing?