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Oregon is…Oregon

This state is like no other

Image by Loren Kerns via Flickr

To start…Portland!

Meet a person and mention that you’re from Portland, you’re likely to hear one of two things: “Do you watch Portlandia?” or “So…how true is Portlandia?”. This show, which depicts the quirky, hip and authentic nature the city, has in no small part put Portland on the map. With this attention, Portland has gained national esteem, being ranked:

Food, Coffee, Beer

Portland’s world-renowned restaurants and food carts fill the city with flavor. But that’s just the start of its culinary excellence. We have amazing coffee. In fact, Stumptown Coffee and Heart Coffee Roasters were both ranked in the top 21 coffee roasters in the country (Thrillist). Coffee’s not for everyone, but not to worry, Portland also offers more breweries than any other city in the world (CNN)!

The Army

Filled with caffeine and buzzing on beer, Portland Timbers fans are one of the most ferocious soccer fanbases in the country. Articles claim that “Timbers fans can’t wait to become the most insufferable fanbase in Major League Soccer” and they are not wrong. The city is built around The Timbers, who have a season ticket waitlist of 13,000 people.

Image via Google Maps

The Culture

When they’re not cheering rowdily, Portlanders love to take off their clothes and parade around…literally. The naked bike ride, an iconic event in July, showcases the local mantra “Keep Portland Weird”. The city is also known for its festivals, which touch on topics from steam-engines to lavender. Events like these truly reflect Portland’s unparalleled confidence and unapologetic love for the unusual.

But Oregon has so much more to offer than just Portland

Oregon is home to a striking biodiversity. Lakes, mountains, rivers, canyons, desserts, forrests and waterfalls trace across our state, creating a powerful and visually striking natural landscape.

Thor’s Well on the Oregon Coast

Image by Bill Young via Flickr

Oregon’s Outdoors

The variety of Oregon’s outdoors is never wasted by its inhabitants. Oregonians ski, they windsurf, they mountain bikes, they kayak, they hike, and they camp. And in all these activities, they love their state. This love is what made Oregon the #1 moving destination in the US (CNN 2015).

But at the end of the day

It’s all about the people. Oregon, which was ranked the sixth friendliest state, has amazing, personable, and caring citizens. In addition, its growing diversity makes Oregon increasingly attractive. At the end of the day, Oregon is only Oregon because Oregonians are fun, weird, and themselves. They won’t change for anyone, especially not Californians.

#pollinate #thepost

The Perfect Ending

Always disappointed by movies?

Movies come close to perfect, but they rarely reach this illustrious goal. Think about your favorite movie: Is every scene perfectly to your liking? I’d bet not. That is about to change with the implementation of Disney’s new facial recognition software, which can track the facial reactions of movie-viewers, even in crowded or dark theaters.

Image via fastcodesign.com

How it works

By tracking the facial expressions of movie-goers, this software creates millions of data points. Disney then uses super-computers to synthesize this data into usable information that gages people’s reactions to different content. Essentially, Disney is able to precisely monitor the interest of an audience to a given scene.

Some applications for movies

Disney can use this technology with early showings of the movie, helping the company pick which scenes garner interest and which do not.

Eventually, Disney may be able to tailor the entire movie experience to your liking, switching between alternate plot lines and cinematography based on your reactions, much like like a non-voluntary choose your own adventure book.

But it goes so much farther than movies

Disney believes that this technology “can even capture the intricacies of real-world movements, like trees blowing in the wind, with applications in animation. At the very least, one can imagine Disney bringing this technology into its parks, like the upcoming Star Wars world–customizing the space and the characters you interacted with to your liking” (Mark Wilson, FASTCO.DESIGN). Other companies are engaging with similar technology. Snapchat, for instance, uses this tech to gage interaction with their AI selfie-goggles. The communication company is similarly using this technology to shape its future products to customers’ liking.

Image via fastcodesign.com

Applications: Everything

With this technology, every aspect of life can be tracked, tabulated and perfected for your consumption. As this technology continues to advance, it is very possible that it will reach into every aspect of life. Your reaction to every part of life will be measured and changed to your exact liking. That’s pretty cool...in some ways.

But what about surprise

What is happiness without sadness? Light without dark? Satisfaction without yearning? These clichés are cliché, to be sure. But they reveal an important truth about life. We need the bad to understand the importance of the good. So now we need to ask ourselves a question: Are pain, unhappiness, disappointment and other negative emotions an important part of life or can they be eliminated? The answer to this question will shape our attitude towards this new software.

Applications to advertising

Curious to discover if advertising works, BBC partnered with CrowdEmotion to measure 5,000 people’s responses to content marketing on BBC.com, using both their conscious and subconscious emotional responses.

“The facial-recognition software uses webcam tests with each participant activating the tech via their desktop. For the unconscious measurement, facial movements were recorded on a second-by-second basis and then divided into six possible emotions: sadness, puzzlement, happiness, fear, rejection and surprise.”

-Jessica Davies, BBC

The results

Using clicks, likes and comments is a flawed method for marketers to gage consumer interest/engagement. Facial recognition software may prove to be a much more effective tool for this pursuit. This study showed that though improvements in technology will be needed, with the HSBC campaign, “The facial-image recognition tech showed that the emotional involvement with the campaign was heightened when the brand labeling was made clear” (Jessica Davies, BBC). This software was thereby able to make advertising more effective.

#pollinate #thepost

Think Cigarettes are Dead? Meet the Juul

Image by Steven Baillie via stevenbaillie.com

“The iPhone of E-cigs?” -Ben Radding, Mens Fitness

The Juul, a creation from Pax Labs, is an attempt to redefine the nicotine vaporizer. It is simple, sleek and subtle. But the Juul is more than its elegant design. The Juul outperforms competitors, with a solution designed to mimic the uptake of nicotine from a cigarette and quirks that tap into the habitual fixation of smokers.

“Cupped in the hand, with the business end barely protruding from the thumb and index finger, using a Juul looks almost demure.”

“The nicotine kick, on the other hand, is eye-widening”

-Joel Johnson, CO.DESIGN

Quick Facts:

While many other e-cigarette brands are experiencing diminishing sales, Pax Labs is stretched to its capacity. It is manufacturing around 1 million pods per month, but estimates demand is closer to 5 million.

Juul solution is different from its competitors, using nicotine salts which mimic the structure of nicotine in nature. This creates a smoother feel and makes the nicotine content in one’s blood peak after 5 minutes, similar to an actual cigarette.

One pod has roughly the nicotine content of a pack of cigarettes.

E-cigs are more popular among teens than real cigarettes.

Costs around $50, with each additional pack of four pods for $25 more.

Habits, Habits, Habits

The first smoke in the morning…the last smoke before bed…two taps on one’s palm before lighting up. These habits become ritual for smokers, as intertwined with a cigarette as the very paper that holds it together. Eventually, they become equally as addictive. This makes the transition from cigarettes to other nicotine products difficult and ultimately unsatisfying. But Pax Labs thought of this. Tap the Juul twice on its side and a small LED will display its battery level. Shake it from side to side and the Juul will display an assortment of colors. Though simple, these features are critical to aid smokers in the transition, helping the Juul come as close to replacing the cigarette as possible.

New Meaning, New Purpose

Everything about the Juul, from its design to its marketing, speaks to its target. The Juul was created for young people. For the future. The Juul makes no attempt to reach towards the past. The Juul does not want to recreate a cigarette, it wants to redefine its very purpose.

Image via juulvapor.com

“Pax wants the Juul to be an evolution of the cigarette, not a technologically advanced approximation of it.”

-Josh Valcarcel, WIRED

A Social Contraption

The Juul was made to share. First, the Nicotine solution is put into disposable pods which easily plug into a battery stick. Therefore, the mouthpiece is constantly replaced with a clean new stick. Second, the variety of flavors offers Juulers options, and makes the product appealing for all people. Third, the marketing portrays the Juul as a source of fun for a group. Advertisements show groups of attractive young people, dressed for a night out, sharing the Juul.

Image by Steven Baillie via .stevenbaillie.com

Implications for the future

“The temperature of the heating coil is controlled to give you the largest possible cloud of vapor, but none of the dangerous chemicals or compounds, like formaldehyde, that come with overheating the coil or the juice.”

“Vaporization is an excellent way to consume everything from weed to cancer-fighting drugs, and being able to exactly control delivery could be hugely powerful.”

-Josh Valcarcel, WIRED

Sources Used:

http://www.mensfitness.com/life/gearandtech/pax-juul-iphone-e-cigs

https://www.wired.com/2015/04/pax-juul-ecig/

https://www.fastcodesign.com/90109059/this-is-the-keurig-of-vaping-and-i-love-it

https://www.juulvapor.com

#pollinate #thepost

Why You Remember... Why You Should Forget

Image via spring.org.uk

Fighting to survive

While looking at your two screens from behind polarized Ray Ban sunglasses, it’s easy to forget that you are an animal. Nothing more. Nothing less. You are designed to survive. Everything about you is programmed for this end. Especially, recent studies have uncovered, your memory.

How it works

When we are presented with stimuli, our brain records this new information, storing what it deems most relevant and important in a more easily accessible ‘location’ and hiding the rest in the depths of the subconscious. Because we record all information but are only able to access some information easily, it is more accurate to equate ‘forgetting’ to ‘retrieval failure’ than memory loss. This is a critical function for survival because retrieval failure allows us to prune away useless information. If all memories were easily accessible, it would be difficult to quickly process what is important and what is not, especially in high pressure situations.

Infused with emotion

Memory is used often in tasks that require us to reason. But reason is tightly intertwined with emotion. And in fact, we recall the feeling associated with a memory much before we receive the memory itself, a function that allows us to make snap decisions and thereby allows us to survive.

Predisposed bias is natural…and necessary

Because we recall the feeling of a memory before the memory itself, we create a lens through which we see the memory. Essentially, we bias ourselves. For instance, when presented with something with which we disagree, we immediately react negatively, and therefore retrieve memories that justify this negativity, trenching us in our disbelief.

“In other words, when we think we’re reasoning, we may instead be rationalizing. Or to use an analogy offered by University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt: We may think we’re being scientists, but we’re actually being lawyers”

-Chris Mooney, Mother Jones

The role of science

Modern science was invented to prevent the subjective lapses involved with predisposed bias. Peer review and institutionalized skepticism were created to ensure that only the best ideas survive, even if researchers fall in love with their own theories. But, it has been proven that people tend to construe objective fact to support their own beliefs.

Sometimes...the truth backfires

“Take, for instance, the question of whether Saddam Hussein possessed hidden weapons of mass destruction just before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. When political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler showed subjects fake newspaper articles in which this was first suggested (in a 2004 quote from President Bush) and then refuted (with the findings of the Bush-commissioned Iraq Survey Group report, which found no evidence of active WMD programs in pre-invasion Iraq), they found that conservatives were more likely than before to believe the claim.” -Chris Mooney, Mother Jones

Education doesn’t help

“’People who have a dislike of some policy—for example, abortion—if they’re unsophisticated they can just reject it out of hand,’ says Lodge. ‘But if they’re sophisticated, they can go one step further and start coming up with counterarguments.’ These individuals are just as emotionally driven and biased as the rest of us, but they’re able to generate more and better reasons to explain why they’re right—and so their minds become harder to change.” -Chris Mooney, Mother Jones

So is there an answer?

Yes...just forget

The inability to retrieve information is critical to our survival, and has a plethora of benefits. We are able to more effectively spot connections hidden to us previously, engage in better reasoning and remember information at a higher level if we learn it again.

“In a study released in 2011, a group of psychologists gave some subjects a problem-solving exam. Known as the Remote Associates Test, it requires a subject to read three words (like ‘playing,’ ‘credit’ and ‘report’) and then come up with a word that would link all three ideas (’card’). The researchers added a wrinkle to the test, and they provided the subjects with some ‘misleading’ training, giving the subjects the wrong cues before they took the exam. The results showed that people had to push the misleading association out of their minds to solve the problem. ‘Creative cognition,’ the authors wrote, ‘may rely not only on one’s ability to remember but also on one’s ability to forget.’”

-Ulrich Boser, The New York Times

Sources Used:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/opinion/sunday/forgot-where-you-parked-good.html

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/04/denial-science-chris-mooney/

#pollinate #thepost

Feeling Down? Chat A-Bot It

Image via PC Magazine

Therapy is consuming

Emotionally, fiscally, and time-wise, therapy is a large endeavor. One that most will never be able to incorporate into their lives.

But it’s soooo important

Cognitive behavioral therapy, a technique in which “patients are encouraged to talk about their emotional responses to real life events, and then stop to identify the psychological traps that cause their stress, anxiety and depression” (Megan Molten, WIRED), is proven to be incredibly effective. In fact, it is referred to as the gold standard for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Currently, we’re screwing up

Though C.B.T. is proven to be the most effective method for the treatment of anxiety and depression, 69% of therapists use this strategy only part time or in combination with other therapies to treat patients. This “a little of this, a little of that” (Harriet Brown, NY Times) approach derived from therapists’ biases and trainings fails to aid patients as much as possible.

Along comes Woebot

Created by a team of Stanford psychologists and AI experts , Woebot is a talk therapy chatbot. For $39 a month, Woebot checks in on you daily, supporting patients without the time or money for interpersonal therapy.

How it works

Woebot asks questions, such as “What is your energy like today?” or “How are you feeling?”, processing any text or emojis that a patient may enter to gather mood data. The bot then traces the branches of a decision tree to offer personal responses for up to 10 minutes. This process is modeled after C.B.T.

Image via Popsugar.com

Why it works

The success of C.B.T. is based in part by the ability of the patient to pinpoint and share the exact thought associated with a negative emotion. Research at the University of California’s Institute for Creative Technology in 2014 showed that people who communicate with a robot, rather than a human, are much more likely to fully reveal their emotions because the stigma associated with their insecurities is removed. Therefore, using a program like Woebot is potentially much more useful than going to a real therapist.

Its limitations

Though potentially incredibly effective, Woebot is currently far from perfect and cannot promise real medical results without introducing a horde of new legal and ethical issues. Rather, Woebot is more like a “choose your own adventure self health book,” (Megan Molteni, WIRED) which can help you based on the amount you are willing to share. Additionally, at least for now, Woebot operates only through Facebook Messenger. So Facebook, not you or even Woebot, owns all of your conversations.

Sources Used:

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/looking-for-evidence-that-therapy-works/

https://www.wired.com/2017/06/facebook-messenger-woebot-chatbot-therapist/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19664756

https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21612114-virtual-shrink-may-sometimes-be-better-real-thing-computer-will-see

#pollinate #thepost

CamelBak was a major hit at Interbike 2016

Julius Achon: A story you need to read to believe.

For the past several years, Pollinate has had the pleasure of lending our creative and technical expertise to the Achon Uganda Children’s Fund (AUCF), a charity created by two-time Olympic runner Julius Achon in response to the dire situation faced by residents of his home village in Northern Uganda. Julius lived and trained in Oregon while running for Nike’s Oregon Project and we met him through a mutual friend who had become involved with AUCF.

While Achon may not be as well known as many other athletes, few have a more compelling or inspirational story to tell. Well, that story is finally out in book form.

“The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon” was just released by Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group. Written by award-winning journalist John Brant, the book traces Achon’s improbable life journey from his abduction and forced participation as a boy soldier in Uganda’s brutal civil war, to his eventual escape and rise to NCAA champion and Olympian, to his election to Uganda’s Parliament.

Find a copy on Amazon or at your local bookseller.

13 Steps to Building Your Own Arcade (and a stronger team)

Remember when you were a free-wheelin’ kid and you wanted your own video arcade game that you could play whenever your kid heart desired? We do. That’s why the Pollinate dev team - comprised exclusively of gainfully-employed adults - decided to make that dream come true. Follow along in 13 easy steps (or cut to the chase and just watch the video).

Step 1: Gather the tools. Assembly is required. The bucket buddy is optional.

Step 2: Layout the pieces. The only way to get an idea of what you’ve gotten yourself into.

Step 3: Libate. We are, after all, making dreams come true. Replace this step with “Refresh” if you are under 21.

Step 4: Read the Instructions. Sometimes they include pictures.

Step 5: Assemble the Cabinet. Here’s where it all starts to take shape.

Step 6: Use Power Tools. Even if you don’t need to.

Step 7: Ignore Extra Pieces. Because there are always extra pieces, am I right?

Step 8: Record it All. Because our dev team has an amazing filmmaker to do cool stuff like this.

Step 9: Install Gaming Software. You’ll need Pac-Man, Pitfall, Mortal Kombat… you get the idea.

Step 10: Map the Controls. So the games will respect your authority.

Step 11: Make it Your Own. The only thing cooler than your own arcade game is your own arcade game with a custom design.

Step 12: Bring it All Together. Form meets function right about here.

Step 13: Get in Line. And let the games begin.

Interested in challenging us to a game of Dig Dug, or just want to know more about what it’s like to be part of a dev team that loves technology, design, filmmaking, and all around fun? Drop us a line at [email protected].

Pollinate’s Spectrum lets consumers collaborate with their favorite brand

By: Levi Patterson / Director of Client Services

A basic human truth is that we, all of us, love to create. Exploring our imaginations to build something tangible is a powerful weapon and a special gift. We are creators, some better than others, but we value the personal contribution and collaboration required to make things more beautiful, more functional, more tasteful…simply, more better.

I witnessed this effect profoundly when conducting qualitative focus groups for kitchenware retailer Sur La Table, a client of Pollinate who sought to reveal why key audiences love to cook. A recurring theme, regardless of cooking acumen, was that people love to learn, discover, feel empowered and build in the kitchen—especially for others. There is so much “work reward” in the emotional feedback loop that it blew all our minds. If a brand can provide a hint of inspiration, access and materials, people will flock to it and become true Brand Fanatics.

This insight eventually prompted Pollinate to develop the co-creation software we call Spectrum. By harnessing the basic human truth of CREATION, we enabled the access, education and inspiration a consumer needs to co-create with brands and products they love. It was now up to the consumer to get creative. The rest was up to us and we made their dream a reality.

Unfortunately for many brands, they see their product portfolio as purely merchandising (“We sell in X verticals”), only a consumable product (“We’re more of a mass product”) or restricted by manufacturing (“What we do is hard to make”). The issue is that “we” isn’t a consumer-facing issue and this is why new category challengers enter and immediately grow their share. It’s about the consumer.

With Spectrum, the resulting growth in revenue and positive consumer sentiment is proof that, by looking beyond the challenges, you can create a brand shift. Averaging 35% increased margin and 45-75 minutes of consumer engagement within a branded custom interface, the ability to get users high on brand is exponential. This type of impact is beyond portfolio management, but consumer management.

By giving inside access to the brand via co-creation, a consumer gets to fall more in love with what it offers. Go ahead, let them satisfy their basic human needs. Let’s co-create!

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#pollinate #pollinatepov #businesspov #customproducts

Creating Brand Fanatics

The Power of Fanaticism: Brand Fanatics are 75% more likely to share a great product experience with others. In a world where simple word of mouth drives more than $6 trillion in annual consumer spending, we call that next level of consumer engagement, Brand Fanaticism.

What is Brand Fanaticism? Becoming an influential force in a consumer’s life isn’t easy. It doesn’t happen overnight and requires the brand to constantly evaluate their role in a consumer’s life.

Sounds like a real life relationship, huh? Honestly, we love that it isn’t easy. It makes us appreciate the delicate, ongoing relationship each consumer has with a brand, plus it distances brands from one another. That intimacy of the relationship is vital in creating, what we call, Brand Fanaticism. Simply, that’s our north star at Pollinate - turning consumers into Brand Fanatics.

Not every agency or brand can offer this. But those that do, win.

Why? Fanaticism fuses a brand into our culture, it gets interwoven into our everyday language, and best yet, it’s an organic conversation spurred by the consumer about you. That is what sets it apart from loyalty or “affinity.” Fanatics go beyond passively thinking about a brand or “please come back” emails they receive, but to expressing and sharing their emotional brand connection.

It’s a borderline obsession that includes rational, insightful knowledge of a brand and its offering. It catapults consumer actions into being contributors, providing product input, sharing, conversing and, of course, buying. These are Brand Fanatics.

Over the past four years, we’ve dedicated serious resources to defining and creating the Brand Fanatic journey:

We’re convinced the power of fanaticism will continue to strengthen as more distractions, media and entertainment permeate consumer live. They want to join your brand on the journey to navigate the changing times, not just watch from the outside as a passive viewer.

Pollinate launches free beer machine designed to quench whatever ills the advertising industry may be throwing your way.

A rather different looking vending machine was installed in the Pollinate World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

The machine prompts users to choose whichever color-coded phrase best describes their current industry related woe - push the corresponding color-coded button on the machine and caclink! a free can of chilly beer, selected for that very woe, is dispensed.

Special coasters were also handed out as to not ring up the Ikea work stations.

Client Work Earns Ad Age Gold Award

A word with Simeon Roane, Executive Creative Director at Pollinate.

What did you do last week?

Last week, we trekked to the east coast to work with some of our clients and then pushed up to Boston for the Advertising Age Small Agency Conference. I would call it the event for small-to medium-sized independent agencies. It was a great gathering and allowed us to meet like-minded entrepreneurs, with discussions around creativity, technology and experiential marketing, just to name a few.

What was the biggest surprise at the Ad Age event?

Hands down, the biggest surprise was winning the Northwest Small Agency of the Year from Advertising Age. And with more agencies than ever before entering this prestigious competition, it was a true thrill to pick up the award on behalf of Pollinate.

Biggest take away?

Lots of small-to medium-sized agencies are competing for the same pieces of business. So, there needs to be a differentiator beyond just doing great work. For us, it's the focus on Turning Consumers Into Brand Fanatics. Pollinate's Spectrum is just one of the many tools we use to make that statement a reality for our clients each and every day; real, measurable results that demonstrate increased sales, increased margins and increased affinity for the brand.

Pollinate Moves Up, Out

PORTLAND, OR – Portland-based brand development agency Pollinate announces 10 staff additions and a move to new office space resulting from growth of new and existing business. “We are excited about Pollinate’s continued growth and the opportunity to move our headquarters to a larger facility to match the ongoing demand in the marketplace,” said Ben Waldron, Co-Founder of Pollinate. “I’m thrilled to welcome new employees to our diverse team at the agency, and continue to take business to a new level for our clients.” The agency welcomes Account Director Ami Martin, Sr. Project Managers Mikki Veatch-Bogue and Lindsey Perkowski, Art Director Bryan Padovano, Human Resources Manager Laura Runkle and Usability Analyst Katelyn Kerns. The technical team adds Sr. Front-End Developer Tom Falkner, Sr. QA Engineer John Fisher and Software Engineers Bill Shenk and Joe Simon. The agency is now headquartered at 315 SW 11th Avenue in Portland’s West End neighborhood.

#pollinateNews

It isn’t just about Uber

Photo credit: Uber Blog

By: Ben Waldron / Partner at Pollinate

I recently sent an email to all of Pollinate encouraging them to participate in a hearing about bringing collaborative businesses like Uber to Portland. In that email, I wrote:

I send this out because it is good for Pollinate. Allowing disruptive services like Uber and Airbnb to operate within Portland is a small but necessary piece of the overall pie to continue to attract talented people and companies to our fair city. We want Portland to be center of the creative tech industry with Pollinate on the top of the pile.

Now, we don't love all of the tactics that Uber employs; however, the point remains that blocking forward-thinking services is completely inconsistent with the way Portland wants to be viewed as described in the Portland Plan. More than that, it hurts the chances that bright, innovative companies and people will choose Portland over the Bay, Seattle, or even Boise.

This whole debate isn't just about Uber competing with taxis. It isn't about safety either. It is about ensuring that Portland is embracing the collaborative economy and adjusting policies to allow for three things that we at Pollinate hold dear: creativity, adaptability and forward thinking.

#pollinate #pollinatePOV #business #growth #innovation #ideadriven #businessPOV

SXSW Panel: Mastering Adaptive Marketing

We had the chance to chat with these smart folks about adaptive marketing at SXSW. They did a great job of sharing their perspective but rooting it in their recent work. Brief introductions:

Matt Soldan, Ford. Speed Dating

Chris Perry, Weber Shandwick. Fisher Price – Wishes for Baby

Billie Goldman, Intel. Social Films What Lives Inside teaser

Moderator: Seraj Bharwani, Visible Measures

Seraj was incredibly engaging and articulate despite wrapping up the conversation with a hefty plug for Visible Measures. (We’re sold!)

Here’s the breakdown:

Matt gave us a great sound bite: “Data is our proof point but there is a breaking point. Don’t trust the gut of the computer. Trust the gut of the human." Robots and computers can do an awful lot with data but they’ll never have the intuition or insight to drive creativity.

Only humans can choose whether or not to be a slave to the editorial calendar, and the recommendation here is the latter. Have a plan and be ready and willing to break from it in response to cultural serendipity and human happenstance.

Billie explained that 60% of her media budget goes to “people as the medium,” referring to influencers and the importance her team places on building relationships with them.

When it comes to social content, it’s time for brands to grow up. It’s fun to be irreverent at times but Matt says you and your people need to be disciplined. Make sure you are firmly grounded in your brand and have purpose behind what you say. We must be meaningful and also plan to be lasting.

Chris pointed out that from an agency perspective, you cannot be adaptive if you do not have the relationship with your client that allows you to be agile. This is where it hit home for us account people. In our role, we must be asking the questions: Am I leading clients in such a way that we have the opportunity for adaptability? Does our partnership facilitate the communication flow and tact required?

Key Takeaway: Brands are maturing and in order to master adaptive marketing they must know WHO they are. Know WHAT they stand for. And know HOW to articulate that. For all of this you need consumer insights and a disciplined team that can not only react to, but anticipate, the next opportunity.

P.S. We love the charming city of Austin with its huge succulents. Trash can for scale.

#pollinate #pollinatePOV #sxsw #sxswinteractive #pollinatenews #businessPOV #digital #adaptive #Social

SXSW: Day One

A few of us are at SXSW this year, and what a great trip it has been. It is everything you’d imagine and then some. Austin has as many weird things as Portland, including beards, flannel and pedicabs. That said, they do boots whereas we do sneakers. But fashion aside, Day One sessions were fabulous. Here’s the quick recap of Day One.

Tip: Get in line for the session you want. Don’t think you’ll be too early. You won’t be.

Learning: "Social and content are a launch pad, not a web property. The innovators and influencers in social channels are innovating outside of that channel as well. We will see more and more people naturally integrate social, and good social, into programs. It’ll be in the DNA.” -From the session Content is Content: TV, Social and Everything else.

Learning: “Stop thinking of each of these social platforms as mandatories. You don’t have to have a Facebook page if you aren’t going to do it right. The platform has to bring something unique and specific to an even more specific audience. It has to be good and it has to add to the overall experience. Can’t be forced or surface.” -From the session Content is Content: TV, Social and Everything else.

Trick: Evidently you can still ride horses as a mode of transportation in Texas.

Learning: The Future of Retail Session couldn’t have been more interesting. The topic started about how the web disrupted a traditional model of brick and mortar retail. This session provoked so many questions of how and why we accept status quo, how metrics should change in business and how experiences need to be what we create, not products and brands. It deserves its own post, which will be forthcoming. Biggest takeaways:

Web is not necessarily disruptive. Online shopping didn’t disrupt retail, but developing products that give people and experience they like, enjoy and augments their lifestyle has been what is disruptive.

The psychographics of women have changed. It’s time to accept that they seek out products and services that affect their life and enable them to take on the world.

VC funding has to change. Pattern recognition has to go. It kills innovation. We have to think differently at the funding level and generate more diversity there.

Never be afraid of the idea.

Learning: Back to the Future of Media was also a fascinating take down of how a media company, as it stands, isn’t serving its customers as well as it could. Why aren’t media companies becoming commerce companies? A deeper dive on this is also forthcoming, but Ben Lerer from The Thrillist has some good points on how users want to interact online. And what content can really mean to them. Some great points:

The distance between inspiration and point of purchase has come together. Digital collapses the gap.

Media companies should be thinking not just share of attention but also share of wallet.

Working with brands to create not content that is relevant, makes a difference, and unique is the only way in which digital advertising can sustain itself. No one wants just the banner ad anymore. And brands do a disservice if that is the only way they engage.

Stop trying to be everything to all, and don’t worry about the number of visitors or unique page views. Think about how loyal your core audience is. Then you have something real.

Tip: Some real bad two stepping happened at one of the best-known dance halls in Austin. But the taco truck on the patio is a must.

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The swap

To really appreciate the various disciplines within an agency, you need to take a moment to really understand what it is that the other does. In this case, we took not just a moment but a full day and literally swapped positions. That’s right, Creative Director became Account Director and Account Director became Creative Director, for a day. Following are a couple of excerpts from their diaries.

Creative Director turned Account Director for the day, Simeon Roane

My alarm went off at 8:30 AM sharp. Why so early you ask? Well, Account Directors are known to start their days at the crack of dawn. And, as it turned out, my day as an Account Director started with a 9AM meeting with the client.

Yeah, 9AM. Who does that?

Anyway, the meeting turned out to be pretty productive and by 10AM we had all the information needed from the client to begin working on a creative brief. And I’ve got to say, it’s a lot of work to distill all the needs of the brand down to a few key points that a creative team can work with. Speaking of Creatives, as I was coming out of that marathon-of-a-meeting, I noticed that Kate, Account Director turned Creative Director for the day, was just arriving to work… and I think she actually had some confetti in her hair?

Account Director turned Creative Director for the day, Kate Malinoski.

After sleeping two full hours past normal, I walked out to my car, somewhat groggy from the night before, thinking, ‘Wow, so this is what it’s like to be a Creative Director?’ And, just then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that two Opposums… or is it Possums I always forget?… we’re duking it out over my spilled garbage can for a piece of fruit from last nights punch. So, I did what any Creative Director would do in that situation and filmed them with my iPhone. After all, you never know when you might need such a film for social.

Anyway, twenty minutes later, I’m sitting at my my computer drinking lukewarm coffee from the agency kitchen with something like 32 Base Camp notifications, 7 Skypes and a project manager at my desk asking me for stuff that I’ve never even seen a brief for. I suppose this is what being “resourced” feels like. I ask for a brief. There isn’t one.

I leave for an early lunch and ‘work offsite’ on a creative presentation that’s due at noon. I can’t figure out Photoshop so, I wing it with PowerPoint instead.

Turns out, the meeting was at eleven but, no biggie, the entire budget has just shifted over to social media. And then I think, ‘Hey, I got a film for that.’

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