Brand Noise

The Machine Is Us

We've come a long way from HAL, the machine in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey that rebels at the plan to disconnect him.  The fear of machines in these films is rooted in the fear of them as a separated and uncontrollable force. They are not us.  But now it seems that we are clearly transitioning into a new period in which machine and human mesh.  The machine is us now.  We mod and mash-up the real and the virtual.  The challenge going forward is to balance the relationship.  To understand and negotiate the layers of real and hyperreal. This is the new narrative that defines us.

An article in Time Magazine this week discusses this fusing of man and machine as  seen in new releases like Iron Man and Speed Racer.  "We live in an age of sophisticated machines. They do much of our work for us; we spend most of our playtime with them. So let's recognize our symbiosis with machines--and celebrate our mastery of them--in movies that couldn't be made without them."  Read more

Building Brands as Character Actors

I am constantly integrating a cinema perspective to the way I plan brands.  In speaking on the topic of brand placement and integration in consumer experience, I described the process of managing these new strategies as similar in how one manages the career/brand of a good character actor.  The example I have used in the past was Christian Bale, but an interview with Alec Baldwin on 60 minutes this Sunday made the connection for me again.  It was something he said.  Good character acting is.. "learning to listen to the other actors".  I think this says a lot.  How often do brands imagine themselves as the leading man - only to realize that this position leaves them looking like a hollow talking head and disconnected from the scenes they wish to live in.  Brands need to channel the authenticity that comes from listening - the art of character acting - and cultivate a meaningful position in the mise-en-scene.  That is the formula for better experiences.

Profile of a Music Pirate

It makes for some interesting dinner conversation when when one of your friends is an intellectual property lawyer (he used to represent Apple Records while going through the DJ Dangermouse fiasco).  The topic certainly gets people's blood going.  It represents the shift into a whole new way in which companies and consumers relate to the value of goods and services.  And like other industries before them like cars and tobacco, reveals an attempt to dictate control over how the market functions. We must go through them.  The consumer sees things differently. The struggle to change gets ugly - and often results in singling out folks for litigation. In this week's BusinessWeek an article focuses on a 45-year-old single mother who, after being sued by the record industry, is now taking the record industry to court. Tanya Andersen is going after the recording industry under conspiracy laws. She argues the Recording Industry Association of America, the industry's trade group, and its affiliates worked together on a broad campaign to intimidate people into making financial payoffs.  Read more

All Over the World, Teens Crave Empowerment

Last season, Frontline/World ran a story from the Middle East that introduced viewers to the fastest selling comic book in the Arab world, The 99. The comic features characters with super powers based on the concept of Allah's 99 attributes, including wisdom and generosity, as taught in the Koran. Its creator, Naif al-Mutawa, is a 36-year-old from Kuwait who was educated in the United States and who, as a boy, devoured Marvel comics and the Hardy Boys mysteries.

Reporter Isaac Solotaroff followed al-Mutawa as he marketed his comics throughout the Middle East, hoping to spread a moderate, modern image of Islam to the world. In this update, Solotaroff catches up with al-Mutawa in Jakarta, Indonesia, where the comic creator is trying to sell his work to the largest Islamic country in the world, a country that accounts for one in six of all Muslims worldwide. An ensuing documentary, Wham! Bam! Islam!, is in the works. Go, Isaac!

Even more compelling will be to see how the Islamic comic fans evolve. Will the cosplayers take it to the next level? Spirituality already underlies many a Manga. And, apparently, you can even see lotsa hijabi girls in Malaysia attending cosplay events. Could cosplay become the common ground the world needs? Can kids who think change the world? In our own research we've found the cosplay kids to be some of the most open-minded serious global thinkers. It belies the initial impression often viewed simply as kids in costume. These are not the Star Trekkies of past generations.   

Apple..Stop acting like a stalking ex-girlfriend

Just when I get through writing nice things about you Apple, you go ahead and remind me of your lingering flaw.  Stop fooling yourself that I am going to start using and upgrading Safari on my computer.  The laptop you sold me is already overloaded with every graphics, video and sound editing tool known to man.  I don't have room for your weird little browser - I moved on... to Firefox - she understands me better for that kind of stuff.  sometimes you have to reach down deep and let go if you want to stay friends.  Let it go Apple - I'm not buying into Safari - stop having it show up on my Software Updater every 2 weeks.  The stalking is really weirding me out and eroding our relationship.  Can't we get past this?

Being Young in China

Young & Restless in China tracks the lives of nine Chinese Gen X'ers over four years as they scramble to keep pace with a society changing faster than any in history. Raised under communism they are now making their way in China's blazing capitalist economy. Their stories of ambition, exuberance, crime and corruption are interwoven with moments of love, heartbreak and passion. Together they capture the changing values, hopes and dreams of a pivotal generation.

Verizon Wireless - Things that make you go UGH!

More reasons to see big Telecoms as evil and out of touch....Verizon has started adding text message advertising to all photos uploaded from Verizon cellphone cameras to services like Flickr.  What does this prove?  Except how out of touch they are as a mobile carrier. Shouldn't mobile be leaders in mobile best practices?  What do they expect to gain from this advertising.  Is someone looking through my photos on Flickr supposed to read this badly written text and go - "hey maybe I should get a Verizon Phone?"  This one gets the "Out of Touch" award" for the day.  I wish Apple could be my mobile carrier.  That says a lot - and I know that I am not alone in this.  Mobile needs to understand that it is selling experiences - not phone plans - if you mess up the vibe of those experiences you can never expect people to jump on to new services.

Redefining Luxury: From Excess to Stealth

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Generational Synergy

I've been thinking a lot about generations lately, and specifically how developing pairing strategies of segmentation can offer new insights that are missed when looking at any generation alone.  The idea is that we often decide we want to reach a particular age group and we dive into that generation as the only source of data that will help unlock the code of reaching them. Could it be that the relationship generations have with other generations can be a way of opening up new ways of seeing them?  Developing pairings that unlock shared codes for specific tangibles and intangibles?

For example, there are opportunities to see where Gen Y is going by sometimes looking at their relationship to codes of their Boomer parents, and other times in their shared code with Gen X.  Codes of caution and status (Boomer) and codes of instigator and notoriety (Gen X). The reality is that generations are shaped by the ways they choose to assimilate or differentiate from the other generations in their world.

This idea of generational synergy can play out in all possible pairings between generations.  It can help develop bridges that broaden the market for products and brands.  It can help better identify as much the "i am" as the "i am not" when thinking about any given generation.  How they share and differ in translating trends that are impacting them as consumers. It can also help segment within those generations to see personas that give a better sense of where they may be going next.

An interesting current example is in the current political season.  When we see the poll numbers on Obama rising among Boomer independents, is this shift being propelled to some degree by how they see the way Gen X has embraced and validated him as a candidate?  Is there a point at which people see ideas from "the pack" hit a brick wall and start looking outside to see where we need to move next on certain issues? I think this is especially interesting as part of the essential DNA of Gen X is CHANGE.  They are the birth of the creative class and  invented sampling, tweaking and 2.0. Obama is the nuanced candidate - he is the first (at least in spirit) Gen X candidate.  While Obama is certainly popular with young voters, is the pairing of Gen X and Boomers the key to shaping the message that will likely result in  votes on election day?

Good Placement Fat Boy

I managed to catch the new film by David Schwimmer called Run Fat Boy Run this last week.  Pretty harmless and amusing with some cameos from top Brit comedy folks like David Williams and Stephen Merchant.  Another cameo I didn't expect though was Nike.  The film focuses around the Nike River Run and places the brand rather well in the story.  There is even a scene in which the main character is given a pair of top Nike trainers to motivate him to run.  A small story - but a very simple human story that places the brand in a less "pumped up" context.  This is good - and it left me liking the brand in a different kind of way.