The Media Center

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How We Know What We Know

                                       The ancient Greeks believed that good health was a balance 4 humors, corresponding to the essential elements fire, air, water and earth. As the field of medicine developed, conventional treatments tended toward things like bleeding, purging, blistering or by administering medicine, all with the hope of bringing the humors back into balance.

The most popularly prescribed medicine of the time? A mercury based tincture called Calomel, which arguably killed more people than could claim benefit from treatment.

We don't have to look back long to find more instances of conventional practice losing favor to more "modern" ways. And nobody would say we are done "replacing" medicines, technology and science; in fact these areas tend to represent our most hopeful fantasies of the future. BETTER medicine, MORE ADVANCED technology, CUTTING EDGE science.

What we tend not to do is imagine how our culture and ethics may change, either in response or in tandem to, these types of advances, and how these changes may effect what "better," "more advanced," and "cutting edge," may mean? What we believe today is as transitional as it always was. But, sometimes, in the midst of it all, it sure is hard to see it that way. What are the contemporary humors? As a society where are we reaching for balance?

In case you need a more recent example, check this piece out about cocaine, the miracle cure!

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Learning To Love You More

People love loving the things that they love. I am proud of my connection to the things that I love; it's a way to talk about myself without having to be the individual at the center of it. I can decide how personal make it; it's nice to share some "me-ness": That I am the type of person into (or NOT into) X or Y.

Not everyone feels comfortable talking about himself, but almost anyone can talk about what he LIKES or DISLIKES. Good communication engages a point a view and reveals perspective. We talk though complicated problems, "trying on" ways of seeing, until we've got a grasp on our feelings and opinions. Culturally, this is why we need artists: their work the weight we use to ballast our own thoughts an opinions. This process of meaning-making is why marketing communications are effective, and stands out to me as reason why we can consider ways of selling things to people anything close to "artful".

Communication is a skill, and there are a million ways to do it. Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher made a website called Learning To Love You More that I always admired. It includes art assignments, many of them silly, but all of them sincere. If you don't fancy yourself an artist, but consider yourself a communicator, pick up a few new skills here. Getting your hands dirty in this way, no matter what your objective, is a great way to discover and present things about yourself you may never knew were there.

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People Invented This!

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Problem Solving With A Sledge Hammer

James Verone of Gaston, North Carolina robbed a bank for exactly one dollar, with the intention of going to jail. Having researched his options ahead of time, he determined that for the benefit of his health and future, he was better off in jail for committing the crime than he was a free man, unable to afford medical care.

With little money to his name and many medical problems, including a growth on his chest, two ruptured disks and an unidentified problem with his left foot, he said the "robbery" was his last resort. - NY Daily News

This is interesting problem solving. Desperate, yes. Unfortunate, yes. But on the day he committed the crime he also sent a note to the Gaston Gazette. "When you receive this a bank robbery will have been committed by me. This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar," he wrote. "I am of sound mind but not so much sound body." His efforts to publicize what he was doing draws attention to his actions, and reframes his actions from the personal to the public. He's not the only man who could "benefit" in this way, sure, which is why his story is interesting.

Why does this fit? Good question. Promotion and publicity aren't exclusively commercial domains, and neither is is hyperbole limited to the ridiculous or ironic. He's made his point AND (hopefully) gets the care he needs. And I HOPE he's pissed people off in the process.

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The End of Men

This article from the The Atlantic posits that women, because of how we've evolved socially, may be better suited for success in the postindustrial workplace. Being physically stronger than women made men more primed for success when we were busy with the heavy-lifting of the world, and in response to that strength, women evolved to become more nurturing and adaptive.

I include this article on my Tumblr because I think the same argument can be made for the structure of many workplaces... it's evolving. Quickly. The giants are growing stale (Yahoo, anyone?) and size is no longer predictive of how well an agency or company can handle challenges. Be nimble, be smart! Being agile and quick to adapt is a far better indicator of how well a company will fare. Sounds familiar, no?

This requires not just a shift in thinking but in organization. Having freelanced for so long, I think this may make more sense to me than it might to someone who's worked internally somewhere for years and years. When speaking with "old school" agency people, their understanding of "creative" vs "account" people indicates a divide that silos the two groups into massive inefficiencies, on the account side AND the creative side. I think that we'll start seeing smarter agencies restructuring and those unable to make the change simply unable to keep up.

Hmmmm?

[themediacenter-blog]

Awesome Sports/Crowd Idea

Just check this out. I found it on Adverblog, which means you may already have seen it. Presently over 20,000 people have tagged themselves in this 360 panoramic image, taken just one week ago.

I think this is especially clever, interesting and relevant to me, my work and my agency because it's a great use of technology that leveraged the passion fans have for the sport without detracting from or interrupting the experience. Two great tastes that taste great together.

The nature of technology today makes it easy to present "what's new" as a kind of magic trick, a cheap way to get someone's attention (no offense, magicians). As marketers it is our job to get someone to stop and take notice on behalf of our clients. How we do this depends on the brand, the opportunity and available tools, and connecting the three is where "real" magic (creativity!) happens. Expertly roping all three together creates a clear message, flavor and experience reflecting the brand image.

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I readily admit that my friend CODE OWL posts a bunch of the stuff I want to read and share in my world, so maybe you should follow him, too.

This article talks about EFFECTIVE INTELLIGENCE (the fraction of intelligence a user can (or is motivated to) apply to a task) and identified obstacles to successful experiences. Not only that, it makes recommendations in approach so those of us who design experiences can get people more actively involved.

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You can read the whole post here, but these are the two points I walked away with, on the topic of What's Next...

#1: "Most of the interesting things happening in networked media are coming directly from Silicon Valley."

&

#2: On the third of three types of agencies that will replace the old guard: "The third model is a hybrid of brand story telling and systematic design. This is the hardest and involves innovating and communicating. It's the model I'm most interested in."

Can you dig it?

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Kid Innovation

I admire the kid who made this: he thought creatively about a way to make a difference and then he followed through. Just as impressive is the parent who helped him.

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I came to marketing, initially, because I was in the arts. I ran a much-loved film festival, and despite our international reputation our budget every year relied heavily on sponsorships.

To create a marketing opportunity that worked for me, my audience and my funders was a challenge. It was when we could sell ourselves as "cheap" and "tastemakery" we were most successful. This article from the NY Times indicates a wonderful shift in perception on the behalf of brands. Where I relied on convincing sponsors that the cool-factor of my audience was the biggest boon to gain, I knew that my audience "noticed" and "appreciated" our sponsors, and that this awareness out-valued "cool people" at a party associating their good time with drinking whatever it was we gave them. Because, really, when it came down to it they drank what was free.

This article talks about how people perceive brands who sponsor cultural events and supports the idea that something deeper is happening when we notice a brand's presence at an event.

Straight up lifted from the link:

Sponsorships of the arts and culture have grown in their ability to help the sponsoring companies, brands and products, according to the Culture Track 2011 survey released last week by LaPlaca Cohen, AMS Planning and Research and the Alliance for the Arts.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said they were likely to “think highly” of a sponsor, compared with 42 percent in the 2007 survey. Fifty-three percent said they were “more receptive” to messages from such sponsors, compared with 32 percent in 2007. And 38 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a sponsor’s goods, compared with 31 percent in 2007. The effects were most pronounced, the survey reported, among those who most frequently attend cultural and arts events; for example, 61 percent of frequent attendees in the 2011 survey said they would be more likely to purchase a sponsor’s goods, compared with 51 percent in the 2007 survey.

I realize that there seems to be a shift in response, and that a few years ago people cared less about this type of sponsorship. But I still think it always mattered... so take that.

[themediacenter-blog]

The 5 Habits of Highly Effective CEO's are:

Passionate Curiosity

Battle-Hardened Confidence

Team Smarts

A Simple Mind-Set

Fearlessness

This article presents 5 Habits of Highly Effective C.E.O.'s and makes the point to say "The good news: these traits are not genetic. It’s not as if you have to be tall or left-handed. These qualities are developed through attitude, habit and discipline — factors that are within your control."

Do you agree that A) These are qualities just anybody can possess and B) That they are necessarily "THE" leader qualities. Afterall, there are all kinds of leaders. 

I'm more inclined to say these 5 habits make someone interesting and charismatic, which is a great way to get the attention of higher ups and, sure, to lead. But working to seem more confident when your ideas suck or providing over-simple solutions to really complicated problems is a recipe for a toxic work environment

I think these traits are awesome when naturally-occurring and leaders who possess them can be great, but I say better to understand and leverage your OWN skill set, to apply your skills where they're needed until the job is done and to take credit when you've done good work. Don't be afraid to try new things and trust in the tools you and your co-workers have collected along the way and I reckon you'll do fine.

Maybe I just know too many start up world dudes people who read these books religiously, quote them and insist they're bettering themselves because some bit of oversimplified advice "makes sense," even if it's a total square-peg-round-hole type thing. Just sayin'.

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This interactive video lets users pick which way they're looking. Is this just a novelty or something we can look forward to, especially as our whole world become more digital? I can't tell.

As marketers and storytellers we spend a lot of time encouraging people to see what we want them to: a stage, a product or possibility. We direct experiences. Experiential marketing is when we create an environment for people to experience on their own terms, but we're still pretty well controlling what people see (and what they'll likely thing about what they saw).

Does user control make it more fun or less fun to watch? In contrast to a console game, where there are certain risks and rewards for paying attention (or NOT paying attention!) maybe this is boring. I guess it depends on user expectation... and how we shape it.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT:  Here's a whole story told in one moment, albiet a whole navigable three-dimensional one. Just try it.

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This article posits that understanding and communicating the "story" of a product- the WHY it should exist- is an important tool that:

A) can facilitate collaboration between SILO-ed departments (technology, marketing, design, sales etc) so everyone is mutually invested... in the SAME idea

B) compels users/consumers more than a feature-set

C) can help map a product through its many stages of development through sales

Insights:

We make up stories on behalf of our clients all the time. Sometimes they're informed with what clients give us and sometimes they aren't. Often, especially with an existing brands, the story assumed or established and it's up to marketers to share it. How can we deepen our relationships with clients by helping them write the story/freshen it up or do something innovative?

Related: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future, Daniel Pink