Despite everything going digital, paper-less, and into the cloud, there’s one old-school business tool that appears poised to outlast almost every other piece of technology or communication device – the humble business card.
Why has the business card not died? Why don’t people use smartphone apps like Bump more? Why do we continue to print and distribute small pieces of paper with our names and contact details to everyone we meet at a convention or trade show? Perhaps, like the case of vinyl records, it is in fact because of the advance of technology in our lives, rather than despite it, that we look for something more tactile, more real and personal than simple the information it carries.
A recent story in the Economist does a great job explaining the significance of business cards in todays digitized world:
“A good deal of business life will always be about building social bonds—having dinner with people, playing sport with them, even getting drunk with them—and the more that machines take over the quantitative stuff the more human beings will have to focus on the touchy-feely.”
The article goes on to discuss the inherent trust value that can be gained from the more personal interaction of handing a card, not to mention the better recollection of the individual conjured up upon looking at the unique design and layout later when shuffling through a collection of them.
More subtle face-saving value can be attributed to the card as well. No need to ask for a name or position a second time after receiving someone’s business card.
“Exchanging business cards is not just a way of sparking a conversation. It is a way of placing people correctly in the pecking-order without the embarrassment of asking them their formal title. As “wearables” go, this is a killer app.”
To read the full article, visit the link at:
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21646226-why-business-card-thriving-electronic-age-cards
And just for fun, here’s probably the most classic movie scene parodying the business card’s influence in corporate culture!
