The technology of the ’60s was nothing compared to what we have today — I mean, they were just inventing the first answering machines — and Don Draper was not impressed. He called technology a glittering lure and hinted that they were mostly just for show.
Still, it’s interesting to see how Don Draper would use the technology of today for his life in the ’60s. Read on for the four ways in which Don Draper would use a smartphone’s convenience.
1. As a Normal Phone
Image via Flickr by Tim G. Photography
Okay, okay, I know this one isn’t groundbreaking. But let’s face it — Don Draper has never experienced the simple, taken-for-granted convenience of owning a cellular or portable phone. Just think, with a phone by his side, Draper could call a taxi instead of driving drunk. Countless lives could be saved.
2. As a Camera/Slideshow Viewer
Like in his carousel photo gallery presentation, Draper has to have an itch to go back, a yearning for the nostalgic, a longing to “travel the way a child travels.” He could store photos of his terrible parents for those moments where he wants to drink and forget, or he could keep stock in all the women in his life.
In between his multiple extramarital affairs, a smartphone would allow Draper to love his kids from afar. Just how he wants it.
3. As a Way to Work Without Going to Work
Image via Flickr by mezclaconfusa
Of course Don Draper loves his office — who wouldn’t? But he sometimes likes to venture out. He takes long breaks that have nothing to do with work and everything to do with mistresses, but maybe with a smartphone, he could stay focused and enjoy the flexibility he feels he deserves.
Working away from your office, or workshifting, is one of the great features of a series of newer smartphones. The new BlackBerry smartphones, for example, claim to reinvent the idea of enterprise mobility management. Draper could have the whole creative team from Sterling, Cooper & Partners working simultaneously.
Perhaps Draper can take advantage of this technology while sitting in a booth alone, sipping a lonely scotch, while getting some work done on his newest ad campaign.
4. As a Note/Idea Saver
The popular app, Evernote, is available on pretty much any platform of computer and smartphone. This app allows you to save ideas from most websites, as well as jot down notes of your own. After you save the notes, it’s extremely easy to access from any device, including smartphones. It’s all right there on the cloud.
With Evernote, Don would be able to capture those wild epiphanies he has in his everyday life — you know, the ones that usually result in a brilliant presentation that leaves the client (and the audience) in awe, thinking, “I want to be like that guy. Minus all the negative stuff.”
Don Draper could benefit from a smartphone, even if he would first try to resist the temptation. Just think of how much safer the roads would be after one of Draper’s many happy hours.