Uniquely the Epitome

CREATIVITY AS COMMODITY

2008-07-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

I recently tried to present this at a PKN event. I didn't do so well and frankly, it wasn't the right venue for discussion/debate or tomato-tossers. PKN= 20 slides, each slide presented in 20 seconds... No fuss.

Chris Wodja and Kellie Osgood put this little shin-dig on and have successfully completed 2-out-the-4 meet-ups required by PKN.

Tonight, while writing this post, I received a ping from Paul Isakson's blog. Once I followed, I noticed a recent post containing a presentation that compliments mine in various ways. It seems that everyone is starting to see the same things happen. Actually, its been happening for a while, some just refused to admit/embrace it.

Please keep in-mind, I was talking through portions of this to keep pace, so slides may disconnect conceptually. Feedback is always appreciated!

IMAGE LABELER

2008-06-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

Google's Image Labeler... As I mentioned here, there is still a lot of work needed to support relevancy for search. I have no idea how long Google's Image Labeler has been around, but I think this tool will help clarify my crazy little illustration from a few posts back

So, maybe there is a chance Macro Marketing will succeed. ;)

Below is a screen grab of my partners scores. We labeled things fairly well compared to other guests.

I can't believe my partner passed on an image of Rage Against the Machine!

Google / Yahoo

2008-06-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

My concern lies with the [potential] homogenization of creative and ad *spaces* as we would see even less flexibility within search, to create unique experiences for users. I've expressed a few thoughts before regarding the internet as an operating system versus a neutral network for open source development.

I think it could potentially force advertisers to develop tighter ad networks with portal sites and aggregated content/industry specific sites/blogs. It could cause a predominate *first tiered* network for the internet built exclusively on ad spaces. Which in-turn, could become a wasteland or repository of useless content. I realize this might sound like a faux-future problem, but its a concern.

In expressing the concern, I'll counter this argument with a potential positive;
Distribution and serving up ads might become easier for small businesses and ultimately leverage the field for the entrepreneurs and start-ups.

CREATION OF VALUE–VALUE IN CREATION

2008-06-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

OUT-THINK EVERYONE OR OUT-CREATE THEM?

Creativity is an intellectual labor. The truth of the matter, no idea can be considered a potential failure until it's respective execution has been experienced or utilized in some fashion.

Show me something that is not art. Show me something that was not created, for a purpose. Even if it's purpose was defined after it's inception.

RAPID INNOVATION AND CREATION BASED ON EMPIRICAL OBSERVATIONS

I used this and it made me think this.
So I did this and this happened.
What will everyone think about that?
Do you like it?
Why not?
What can I do to make it more valuable to you?

Practice your creativity, or you'll never know what might work in the future.

MARKETING ACROSS MACRO REGIONS, HMMM.

2008-06-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Even with a successful implementation of a semantically-driven web, this will be very difficult to introduce.

Without user's contributing concise and accurate data of their own, sites will always sell advertising to the masses or be forced ( as always ) to generate better ideas with each campaign. Micro-market or not, it's still about insight and creative application of this insight. And the ability to provide relative content. Fair-enough. The semantic web claims to offer this...

Please humor this hypothetical model;

Sites would have to per cap the amount of ads served up, based on length ( :1s, :10s, :15s, :30s or 'x' amount of time–whatever ) and then prove that 'i' amount of users would see these ads. Never mind that we haven't established or proven that a user(s) 'i' will click or interact with the ad beyond an initial eye-ball acknowledgment. It's possible but, only within an existing social network. The web is to diverse and complicated to accurately refine this data.

At this point, a site could technically charge fees based on the number of users expected to see it–fair enough, quantify the users and qualify the views. But, there isn't enough physical time in the day to qualify and quantify these stats. Simply because the internet(s) are not globally/universally regulated. Consistent rules and regulations do not exist for the internet against a continuous and common revenue stream, let alone a physical timeframe. There is no global standard for money, time or products either.

What is being suggested is:

1) Pavement Shoe is gauranteed 300 views and billed accordingly, per view.

2) Nike gets 30,000 views and is only charged for those specifically.

Neither company pays for wasted eyeballs; i.e., 200 cars drive by an outdoor board and only 3% respond.–yet, we still pay the same amount of money for the board, regardless of our client's ROI.

None of this works unless users have provided accurate data within their profiles in order to serve ads up correctly. If this data is being mined based on profiles, then we're all screwed. A profile may state, "I like the sun and the moon." This data must be mined rather quickly and verified in some way as an actual ( legitimate–a real person ) profile with meta data being complied instantly, to determine relevancy. And context of the words must be concisely defined. The site would then have to compile data that demonstrates there is a market for Pavement Shoe's type of business. This can only happen if the user has been honest and true to their profile data. Let's not forget about the power and ambiguity of personal context.

Ultimately, the sites would then have to assign a monetary value to the user's respective profile and their friends; connections; network–whatever the site calls them, as well. A user would be classified by a system designed to gauge and evaluate the value of this user, based on geography and key words within their profile. Again, we're limited to the context of these words, sentences, phrases, etc. Tracking is crucial here; where is the IP coming from? Is it static or dynamic? Is it even real? Is it assigned specifically to one person? Chances are, no–of course not. ( all-though mobile technologies will change this. But that is a different question entirely )

This is a failed model considering most participant networks are still used for escapism and entertainment purposes. Granted, there are a lot of sites popping up that require validation and verifiable credentials but, who the heck wants all that info cached? The mass majority doesn't. The prosumer, doesn't–for sure. The only other option for accurate tracking is; financial data. And as of now, legally those companies cannot disclose that information for any reason.

Paid-words strive to solve this in some way but it does not give the ads ( whatever they might be called ) definitive contextual relevancy. The context of the words themselves, remains subjective. Nothing is truly obvious, especially to a program ( da bots ) that works linearly, as opposed to, episodically like our brains. *Obvious*, is always understated. We would also need to develop a database of visuals that every user in the world, has agreed represents ( roughly ) the visual context of the item.–We must all agree what color value best represents Blue and then agree what color value/shape-object represents Blue Chair.

In the end, if you're not on a community-social-participant-driven site with paid placement, a brand must create unique content and work it's way to the top of natural search. This is empirically-driven search, as the web was designed initially. The brand must develop a rich reputation. This is the reason we have so much rapid-protyping of social networks. Advertisers need street corners for prosumers to gather around. Insight, occurs here–sure, but it's being compiled through empirical observation. Data mining or ethnographical data can be researched more concisely within a controlled environment–no problem, makes sense, but this is still subject to personal context. And whether or not the user has provided accurate data about themselves initially.

The web is an aggressive medium. I must search in order to find. If we try to constrain users to a controlled environment, with an exact set of question fields, with a set and discriminant list of answers–then perhaps this model may work. However, at this point, privacy will become the new commodity versus any other commodity.

See a previous post regarding a change in morality.

"A user couldn't be involved unless they have contributed in some fashion. If this transparency is merit-based, it would neutralize the delusion of surveillance."

And to further the reasoning behind this and advance the idea of transparency, unless a user can contribute to the overall development of a brand, the merit-system fails as well. If a user could, literally, assign a picture with every word they've typed within their profile, it might be possible to then aggregate this information accurately. But this still requires a large amount of user control and ( I can't even guess as to, that amount of server power, bandwidth and hardware it would take ) to allow a user to edit this information on the fly. And then have the old data refresh instantly! Hmmm.

RYTHM IS A DANCER, DRENCH IS A QUENCHER

2008-05-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

"Brains perform best when they’re hydrated. Your brain is 75% water, so keep it topped up"

eh–a little digital mixed in. The butt jiggle is pretty funny though. This spot for Drench, a product of Britvic, is fun to watch.

See how well your brain does before Drench, Stay Drenched, on this micro-site. Test your manual dexterity with a little finger play on the keyboard.

FIGHT HUNGER, OR FIGHT YOUR CO-WORKERS HUNGER

2008-05-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Scavengers Part 1

The Scavengers Part 2

CREDITS:
Agency: DraftFCB/NYC
Creatives: Billy Custer, Derekh Froude, Jakop Nazaretyan, Anthony Santiago

These are funny. The opening title sequence is great. This concept ties a familiar working environment with a familiar style of TV programing while communicating a message we're all familiar with. We tend to do crazy things when we're hungry. So–imagine how starving children would feel or act.

Billy's belly looks great on screen. ;)
Nice job guys.

LASTMINUTE.COM

2008-05-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Via Buzz Attitude

Great use of experience as the message. And the concept relates directly to the service. It even has a nice theatrical appeal. Just when you thought it was over–

THE ORIGINAL MOBILE TECHNOLOGY, BUT COOLER

2008-05-27T04:47:00.001-07:00

Via Godspeedz

Nice to see the technology come back to it's roots, but I'm curious to know–how does one talk with the device. I don't think people will want to hold their wrists to the mouths constantly. It's hard enough to drive as it is.

I'M WATCHING YOU WATCH ME WATCH YOU

2008-05-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

There are several, loud and frantic concerns regarding brand-surveillance and controlling brand personas within this new 2.321423432 version of the web. *smirks*

I think it's worth pointing out that; its likely that a person, at this young stage of a hypothetical transparency on the interwebs, would not be able to access a network of any type without providing their own personal data. Eventually this will be the norm.

A remedial example;
If you are going to comment on a blog, you are required to use your real name. In doing so, I'm provided with a link that traces back to your blog; network; portal–whatever the term would be for this example.

We'll also probably see an introduction of reputation rich people with profiles built exclusively by other users. This will ultimately change the value of personalized information. Transparency isn't the issue. It's validating the seeker/prospect against their existing contributions. A user couldn't be involved unless they have contributed in some fashion. If this transparency is merit-based, it would neutralize the delusion of surveillance. This could actually force a change in morality. We will get what we give.

Brands; controlling brands; products; services; ideas; will continue to be introduced into the public consciousness through controlled means but will not end up on the other side as intended. Top-down, does not work. When addressing the concerns of brand equity while trying to provide a valuable service or product, do not be fooled into thinking that because the market hasn't responded online, that their isn't a response overall.

The web is young. The economic web is young. The capitalist's web is young. Whatever you might consider yourself, join the overall conversation. It's worth it.

WEB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0

2008-05-21T06:55:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Noel Bellon for this find via Radar Networks.

I'm especially curious about Web 4.0's call out to The WebOS, as I've written a few times about this topic. I realize it is not the most original of thoughts however; it is a very natural evolution of the web.

Another point worth remarking on; Intelligent Personal Agents. Any thoughts, guesses–don't cheat. :)

FORGET TRANSPARENCY; WE NEED AUTHENTICITY

2008-05-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

We've unsuccessfully moved from being noise junkies to noise producers. We need creative value centers. We are coming dangerously close to losing our ability to provided well-thought out ideas. Let alone, long-term memory retention of the things we've created. Their respective failures and successes are instantly magnified and then consequently reduced to nothing, tossed out. Overwritten.

As a rapid-prototyping creative democracy approaches, we forget before we've learned. The most precious of commodities–exchanging, implementation, advancement of ideas through fair and ubiquitous streams of information, can potentially hurt us without a creative value center of some sort...

And as the micro-centralized thought/idea people collect, where or how, do we continue to provide unlimited access and information through a synchronized... operating system? ( the internet )

Just a few thoughts.

PROMOTE YOUR T-SHIRT ABOUT A...THINGY

2008-05-19T04:40:00.001-07:00

Take some of your product and add real tags, or fake ones–it's hard to tell with some tag designs. Be sure to include fake bar codes on them. Place the shirts in real retail environments next to other stacks of tees and let the fun begin.

Thrift stores are a great way to expand awareness as well.

I KNOW YOU KNOW HOW, SO DO YOU

2008-05-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

Mentoring, in any capacity, is a humbling experience. Especially if your one to provide individual attention to every person you interact with. Despite work environments hindering this process on some levels, I think it's important to remember how valuable the little bits of information we pass onto others can be.

A concentrated effort towards mentoring forces us to communicate outside of our own frame of reference, subsequently learning something new ourselves. We're painting the same picture with a different brush and another pallet. Verbalizing one's own thoughts and beliefs, hearing ourselves express an idea or thought can be a profound experience. And learning to communicate it in an entirely new context breeds innovation on those ideas. Then to hear someone reiterate those ideas and reinterpret them–I smile.

· Coaching assumes the coach has all the answers.

· Consulting is being talked at, not with.

· Management does not allow for deviation in routine or ritual and is generally pragmatic.

· Mentoring allows for exploration with trial and error. Guide without pontificating. And in most cases it is a reciprocating process. We're all intelligent beings and quite capable learning just about anything given the proper time.

In retrospect, I've been fortunate enough to have been surrounded by some inspirational and frankly, very patient mentors. Just a few observations.

Meaning, by opinion, for: logo, symbol, identity, brand, icon

2008-05-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

LOGO
A unique graphic designed to represent a company, service or idea. There is no reinterpretation or alternative to this graphic. It is used consistently to identify the same idea, product or service. No matter how abstract the idea, product or service is.

SYMBOL
A geometric shape/shapes designed to correspond/represent a phrase or word derived from human syntax, in any language.

IDENTITY
A broader visual system of language that uses a Logo as the foundation for establishing a recognizable system of colors, shapes and typography.

BRAND
The emotional context in which an individual associates themselves and their respective experiences with an idea, product or service.

ICON
A literal/graphic representation of an idea, product, service or object, designed to appeal to the broadest set of narrow-minded perspectives with a clear and unanimous observation by all.

NOTE: One thing to remember, these are defined by the end-result of their usages.

Any additional thoughts? Ideas? Disagree? Agree?

BREAK AND RUN LAW-BREAKERS

2008-05-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Creativity has already been redefined in many ways. Those of us that spend a considerable amount of time online have had the opportunity to experience some rare design pieces/works. Very inspirational. And we'll see a lot more of it.

Through this transition, I've noticed and heard a few cries of disenchantment and general jaded and derogatory comments from senior design people and high-level communication professionals. What is even more concerning is, they're saying this to their teams. Their young teams of professionals.

I think it's worth saying: it is important to remember that design has no true form and it is defined by the end-result of the experience. If you agree and this holds true, you simply need to design something else in order to stay a designer. Design is being redefined but, it is applicable to every aspect of life, business and especially the internet–interface design, user experiences, icons, etc. ( don't get cold feet cause print sales are down )

Technique is making the perfect mistake. In doing so, you create something new. No matter the medium ( print, online, collateral, packaging, houses, transportation ) and especially no matter the usage of the piece being designed. Don't get hung up on 'styles' or 'usages' of the things you create. Classifying design can often limit it. And when you give limitations to another creative, expect those limitations to be redefined and recreated entirely. Classifying the work can eventually lead us to talk ourselves right out of work. Which several designers have already done, along with several communication professionals.

There are some very important rules for design. At the very bottom of the list, some find this one: Break these when your comfortable with them.

RESEARCH THE RESEARCH

2008-05-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

An aggregation method is needed. A more accurate one rather. One problem with searching is; relevancy. And relevancy is a human characteristic precipitated by the information related to the objectives. When you have no objective, you find irrelevant information in most cases. Sales can sometimes be inherently dependent on face-to-face communications. Along with several other empirically observed qualities.

A little tool I enjoy while searching aim-fully and aimlessly; On a Macintosh computer, using Safari as your internet browser, there is a great feature known as 'Summarize.'

Highlight the copy from a web page and then from the Programs respective menu item ( next to the blue apple ) choose; Services > Summarize. A prompt will appear with a small slider menu for adjusting the size of your summary, based on the original content. At-the-least, this will cut the user's reading time down and allow for a more synchronous scanning method.

Surprisingly this has been very reliable for me and removes ancillary information in several cases, providing a nice one-sheet of info.

EXPERIENCE THE MOVIES™

2008-05-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

I've found that the experience of being as close to as possible to an immersive environment is simply the reasoning for choosing to go to most movies. Ideally it's the social aspects of sharing an event with friends and family however; this lies at the bear-bones of my reasoning. Sharing the experience.

Brick and mortar environments could benefit greatly from enhancing the experiences around the movie, the theater itself.

FLORIDA CREATIVES: JACKSONVILLE

2008-05-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

It might just happen... Chris Wodja and I are looking to meet-up in San Marco this Saturday for an informal introduction with either; coffee, banana splits, pizza or a tasty beverage.

Email me for information or sign-up here.

AGENCY MODEL IN RETROSPECT

2008-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

A visual look at the box, thinking inside the box, thinking outside the box and simply avoiding the box.

Rich reputations will sustain the core of every communications agency. I'm not entirely sure that micro–anything is worth exploring at this stage of communications within the existing media landscape. We'll be solely responsible for maintaining relationships with people and brands within any niche.

ART VS. DESIGN

2008-04-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Art requires no explanation. Design is an explanation.

There is no contest in my opinion.

INTERNET GROWTH/COMMUNICATIONS

2008-04-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Companies have already begun developing and securing specific portals/networks for their brands based on the social tendrils of their employees. Rich reputations for each employee will be key with a focus on validating knowledge and skill-sets of these brand stewards, from other networks. Eventually, everyone will have a web page or blog. Companies will then mine and seed participatory networks with brand stewards, developing rich reputations with users. There might even be networks with identities based on products themselves. Because of the very salient problem of contextual search, brands will begin to develop interactive store fronts where a one-on-one approach can be initiated with prospects. This might also include developing proprietary web applications and widgets, actually it is happening but I anticipate digital corporate stationary–sorta, a browser re-skinned when you visit a companies web site. Users really only need a few functions from within the browser itself. Menu options can remain within the computers respective OS with toggle options. We might even see the web browser traded out for widgets entirely. Simply because, a brand has more creative freedom with a widget. Skinning browsers and designing custom interface experiences will enhance brand equity. Currently, we're all stuck with a dual interface experience. Which can be easily overcome with widgets.

We've seen plenty of proprietary software and wed-based applications being developed by creative agencies too. Brands will need to start treating the internet as an operating system and develop websites like software companies develop programs. There is nothing more direct then a desktop widget that a prospect has downloaded and installed themselves. I'm not a huge fan of web based applications for a few reasons that I will address in another post–hopefully.

Following this, I think we might see a concentrated effort in bringing these experiences back to highly evolved brick and mortar environments. We'll probably see travel/tourism, clothing/apparell, and entertainment/gaming taking these first steps.
Retail environments can be greatly enhanced with technology and create a truly unique experience for the visiting prospect. Shopping online is very critical to the user but, so is basic social interaction. As newer generations emerge and grow with the tech-trends; smaller devices for connecting, etc., we might see entertainment travel full-circle back to a real tangible experience within these retail environments.

A thought on the global economy; This is occurring faster outside of the U.S market. Developing companies within new/smaller markets, aren't subject to the existing stigmas that lie within the US's existing/traditional agencies/companies–let alone their clients. And let's not forget about the rapidly developing countries that have changed economic and social practices within one generation. Implementation of more advanced communication is absorbed with less skepticism and restraint.

Web 3.0 isn't an adequate enough descriptor.

GRAPHIC DESIGN AUCTION SITES

2008-04-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Overall, these sites are still a merit-based system. Whether you are number one because of sales or creativity, you've earned it in some way. No one can fault you or your company for that. The only down-side that I've encountered, and confirmed with other users is; the language barriers that sometimes arise due to hiring outside your respective market/state/territory/country. It affects the work in some waya solely because the end-result is dependent on the initial client/creative interaction and communication.

I used a few of these sites years ago when they were fledgling beta startups. They were my first experience with a social network. They could be considered one of the first online-public social spaces. Some that come to mind; eLance ( beta orange ), bullhorn, smarterwork and guru.

Earning the work required the same tactics used by large companies, agencies, boutiques and freelancers.

The respective currencies of each user was the only true competition seen as 'harmful' to the industry. In fact, the long-term effect is far more valuable. Talent speaks many different languages.

8 THOUGHTS ON A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

2008-04-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Please allow me to qualify my list with this statement first; Establish a clear single-minded message or do not bother with a penetration campaign.

1) Cross-pollinate the online market segment with information about the company. Post information about the company on sister-blogs and find market segments that parallel your company/objective and connect with them. The internet is the largest social network of them all. All other participant networks are equivalent to different street corners in the same city. Simplify key messages. They don't have to be simple-minded, just easy to relate to. Prospects will need to be able to reference any offer proposed to them. They will look to validate the communication and find supporting facts. Participant/Social networks are simply really fast email with music and my most recent birthday pictures. Creating a place to hangout is not as effective as most advertisers think. Using passive techniques for an aggressive medium is silly. And for the user who is seeker-first, the street corner won't sustain their interests very long.

2) Don't forget there is a real world. The internet is still an infant in many ways. And it's constantly reminded of this as tech company after tech company perform rapid prototyping of software and web-based applications. There is a lot of user-education needed to make internet-based markets work. The typical user does not have time to learn something new everyday. My point; look for brick and mortar segments worth penetrating with street teams and penetration campaigns too. Experiential marketing efforts will help facilitate WOM and establish more relevancy. Create something that is worth talking about with friends. Something the market can discover.

3) Think relevancy, not marketing.

4) All employees, both agency-side and client-side, should act in the capacity of a brand steward for the company and campaign. I'm sure we've all experienced the power of conversation that has been reinforced with a raw experience. Those that are positive. The trickle effect begins with you and them and who they interact with.

5) Don't lie.

6) X-Factor. It's gonna happen. Try to smile gracefully if it has negative results.

7) Don't get to caught up in technology and web-based apps just yet. The turnaround is fast for us intrawebbers but there is a much larger market segment that has no idea what's happened in last 5 months. Most won't care either.

8) First question we ask of the strategy is; Is it creative? ;)

STAR WARS: SAUL BASS

2008-04-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

"If Star Wars was filmed two decades earlier and Saul Bass did the opening title sequence, it "might" look like this...

This was part of a school project. The song is "Machine" by the Buddy Rich Band off the album Big Swing Face (1967)."

Via Creativity Machine

I'm getting that "Cowboy Beebop" love again after hearing this tune. :)