ATOMIC CONFERENCE

A SYNOPSIS OF THE ATOMIC EVENTTORONTO, CANADA OCTOBER 4, 2011

THERE’S USUALLY ONE SENTIMENT THAT YOU TAKE AWAY FROM ANY CONFERENCE YOU ATTEND. IN THE CASE OF ATOMIC, I LEFT THINKING

“I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING.” LUCKILY, I WASN’T THE ONLY ONE. THE RAPID CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY AND THE QUICK ADOPTION RATES OF THE BEHAVIOUR (AND THE DEVICES) MEAN THAT NOW MORE THAN EVER, WE HAVE VERY LITTLE FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR HOW TO PREDICT THE FUTURE OR EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THE WORLD WILL LOOK LIKE 5 YEARS FROM NOW.

PREVIOUSLY, WE’VE HAD THE LUxURY OF HINDSIGHT. WE COULD LOOK AT OUR NEAR AND DISTANT PASTS AND DERIVE SOME SORT OF CON-TExT FOR WHAT OUR FUTURE HOLDS. WELL, ACCORDING TO THE SPEAKERS AT THIS YEAR’S ATMOIC CONFERENCE, THOSE DAYS ARE GONE.

PRESENTING TO A ROOM OF PREDOMINANTLY AGENCY AND MEDIA FOLKS, WE HEARD ABOUT DISRUPTIVE BUSINESS MODELS, MIND CONTROL AND THE SOCIALIzATION OF TELEVISION. ARE THESE IDEAS THAT WE WILL INCLUDE IN OUR NExT CLIENT PITCH? PROBABLY NOT. BUT THESE IDEAS CAN HELP US (EVEN IN A SMALL WAY) UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE FOR WHAT OUR INDUSTRY FUTURE MAY LOOK LIKE.

ALExANDER MANUTHE INTERNET IS JUST BEGINNING: DISRUPTION AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE NETWORKED SOCIETY

THIS CONTENT IS A SUMMATION OF ALExANDER MANU’S PRESENTATION

MANU OPENED WITH THIS QUOTE:“THE SUPPOSITION THAT THE FUTURE RESEMBLES THE PAST, IS NOT FOUNDED ON ARGUMENTS OF ANY KIND, BUT IS DERIVED ENTIRELY FROM HABIT.” (DAVID HUME, 1737)

BUT WHAT IF OUR FUTURE HELD SO MUCH CHANGE THAT HINDSIGHT AND HABIT COULD NO LONGER BE RELIED UPON?

FORESIGHT

HOW DOES ONE ATTAIN THE POWER OF FORESIGHT? HOW DO WE LINK THE FUTURE TO TODAY? WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO DEVELOP AND HAR-NESS FORESIGHT IN ORDER TO CREATE BUSINESSES THAT WILL MATTER IN 5 YEARS.

THE PROBLEM THAT MANY COMPANIES ARE FACING IS THAT THERE IS NO PROCESS FOR BUILDING ON THE INTELLIGENCE AND FORESIGHT OF TODAY.

COMPANIES ARE SUFFERING FROM:

LEGACY PROCESSESLEGACY KNOWLEDGELEGACY SUPPLIERSLEGACY METRICS

THE SOLUTION?

RETHINKING THE BUSINESS MODEL – QUARTERLY. IS THIS REALISTIC WITH OUR OWN BUSINESSES? UNLIKELY. WITH OUR CLIENTS’ BUSINESSES? ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

HOWEVER, THE CASUALTIES OF THIS REFUSAL TO CHANGE ARE ALL AROUND US, ARGUES MANU. YOU NEEDN’T LOOK FURTHER THAN BLOCKBUSTER OR HMV TO SEE HOW QUICKLY CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY AND USER PREFERENCE CAN AFFECT ENTIRE BUSINESS MODELS. AND THIS IS REALLY THE KEY: IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY OR THE DEVICE. THE REAL CHANGE IS COMING FROM THE CHANGING BEHAVIOUR OF SHOPPERS AND CONSUMERS.

FOUR THEMES EMERGE

1. THE NEW CONTExT2. SOURCES OF VALUE3. DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCIES 4. BUSINESS MODELS

1. THE NEW CONTExT

WE ARE A NETWORKED SOCIETY. AND TODAY IT’S ALL ABOUT SOCIAL, LOCAL AND MOBILE.

SOLOMO

THE LEADERS OF THIS NEW CONTExT ARE THE NETWORKED MILLENNIALS:

THEY WANT TO PARTICIPATE THEY WANT EMPOWERMENT THEY WANT TO BE ENGAGED

THE SHIFT IN MOBILEAPPLE IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THEY DON’T BELIEVE THAT THEY MAKE PHONES.

THE IPHONE IS A STRATEGY – NOT A DEVICE.

THE SHIFT IN MOBILEMANU WROTE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO ABOUT A SHIFT THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN TECHNOLOGY

“FROM SMART DEVICES WITH DUMB SENSORS TO DUMB DEVICES WITH SMART SENSORS.”

THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THEMSELVES IN EVERYTHING THEY DO. THEY WANT THEIR LIVES REFLECTED BACK TO THEM. THEY WANT TO BE RECOGNIzED.

THINK ABOUT THIS IDEANOW LOOK AROUND YOU. SEE HOW MANY ITEMS IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE HAVE BECOME A RE-FLECTION OF YOU: YOUR MOBILE PHONE, YOUR TV, YOUR COMPUTER.

NOW CARRY THIS IDEA WITH YOU AND YOU’LL START TO SEE OTHER WAYS IN WHICH MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION IS CHANGING TO BE A MORE PERSONALIzED REFLECTION OF YOU. FROM TRAVEL SITES, TO CHARITABLE ORGANIzATIONS TO SHOPPING, YOU’LL START TO SEE YOUR PREFERENCES, YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR OPINIONS REAFFIRMING YOUR DECISIONS AND BEGGING YOU TO PARTICIPATE.

BEHAVIOUR SPACEIT’S HERE THAT MANU STATES THAT IT’S THE ACTIVITY THAT IS THE ECONOMY. THE TECHNOLOGY ISN’T WHAT CAN BE MONETIzED, BUT RATHER THE BEHAVIOUR.

SO WHAT IS BEHAVIOUR SPACE?A PLACE OF POSSIBILITY. THIS IS WHERE HE SEES THE SUCCESS FACEBOOK. IT’S A PLACE TO SEE “ME IN YOUR EYES.”

2. SOURCES OF VALUE

PLAY VALUE“PLAY VALUE IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL FEATURES OF A PRODUCT OR SYSTEM.”

THERE IS A SYSTEM TO THIS, AND THE TRICK IS TO PLACE YOUR PRODUCT OR ExPERIENCE ON THE RIGHT PART OF THE CONTINUUM.

EMOTIONALUNPLEASANT PLEASANT

ANXIETY

BOREDOM

STATE

3. DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCIES

“THE CHALLENGE IS NOT ABOUT TECHNOL-OGY IT IS ABOUT STRATEGY AND FORESIGHT. NOT ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING, BUT WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO DO.”

SO, IT’S NOT ABOUT ‘GETTING TWITTER’ IT’S ABOUT LOOKING FOR THE NExT THING THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO AND UNDER-STANDING AND LEVERAGING THIS.

4. BUSINESS MODELSWHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

BRANDS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE BECOMING A MEDIA COMPANY – THEY ARE CONTENT CREATORS. THEY ARE CURATORS OF ExPERIENCE.

AND THIS ExPERIENCE ExISTS IN TIME AND PLACE, MAKING LOCATION-BASED DATA THE MARKETING-COMMUNICATION MEDIA OF CHOICE.

IT WON’T BE ABOUT WHAT YOU SELL, IT WILL BE ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ExPERIENCE WHAT YOU SELL.

“PEOPLE’S ACTIONS ExPRESSED AS DATA, WILL BE-COME A NEW FORM OF CURRENCY.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US?AGENCIES OF THE FUTURE WILL BECOME BROKERS OF EVERYDAY ExPERIENCES. WE WILL LOOK AT HOW TO TRANSFORM THE NAMELESS FACELESS CROWD INTO A CAPTIVATED AUDIENCE, AND EVENTUALLY A PARTNER IN THE CREATION OF ExPERIENCE.

WE WILL BECOME CONTExT AND CONTENT ExPERTS.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ALL OF US?BRANDS AND AGENCIES NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO MOVE AWAY FROM A TRADITIONAL MODEL DESCRIBED AS “AN INTERRUPTION OF A STATIC SITUATION IN A PREDETERMINED SPACE.”

OR, I’M GOING TO STOP YOU FROM WATCHING THE GAME TO SHOW YOU MY PRODUCT.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ALL OF US?INSTEAD, WE MOVE TO “ENGAGEMENT IN MULTIPLE LAYERS OF ExPERIENCE IN A DYNAMIC SITUATION.”

BUT THIS GOES BEYOND THE AGENCY CREATING BRANDED CONTENT. IT MUST BE PLACED IN THE BRAND’S HANDS TO CREATE ExPERIENCES THAT ARE ENGAGING. TO WELCOME SHOPPERS AND CONSUMERS IN TO THE BRAND ExPERIENCE AND ALLOW US ALL TO PARTICIPATE.

MARK HOLDEN 2016: BEYONDTHE HORIzON

THIS CONTENT IS A SUMMATION OF MARK HOLDEN’S PRESENTATION

2016IT SOUNDS LIKE A BAD MICHAEL BAY MOVIE. GOOGLE 2016 AND YOU’LL SEE LINKS TO OLYMPIC GAMES; AN ARTICLE FROM THE MAIL ONLINE, WHICH STATES THAT IMF SEES THIS AS THE YEAR THAT CHINA’S ECONOMY WILL SURPASS THAT OF THE US; AND ERICSSON PREDICTS THAT 35% OF THE WORLD WILL HAVE LTE (LONG TERM EVOLUTION), THE NEW INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FOR NExT GENERATION WIRELESS NETWORKS. AND WHAT DOES MARK HOLDEN THINK? THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE LIVING IN A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD THAN WE DO TODAY.

WHAT’S CHANGINGOUR FUTURE?HARDWAREOLED, OR ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES ARE HERE TODAY AND ARE STARTING TO BE USED IN A VARIETY OF DEVICES SUCH AS TV SCREENS, COMPUTER MONITORS, MOBILE PHONES AND WATCHES. OLEDS CAN BE PRINTED ON TO SUBSTRATES. THEY ARE LIGHT WEIGHT AND FLExIBLE MAKING THEM PERFECT FOR ROLL-UP DISPLAYS, THEY ARE INCREDIBLY BRIGHT AND HAVE BETTER VIEWING ANGLES AND HAVE BETTER POWER EFFICIENCY.

CONNECTED TVWE’RE ALL STILL WAITING FOR THE YEAR OF MOBILE AND THE DAY THAT M-COMMERCE MAKES A WAVE IN RETAILING, BUT WITH CONNECTED TV PERHAPS THAT DAY WILL NEVER COME.

ACCORDING TO HOLDEN, CONNECTED TV COULD HAVE A GREATER IMPACT THAN MOBILE ON THE WAY WE BUY. THIS IS WHEN WE’LL START TO SEE COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE START BIDDING FOR MAJOR BROADCASTING RIGHTS. T-COMMERCE WILL RESULT IN 15$ BILLION IN 2016. THIS IS JUST THE ECOM PORTION THE DATA WILL BE WORTH MUCH MORE

PROGRAMMING WILL BE THE NEW RETAIL.

CONNECTED TVSO HOW WILL THIS CHANGE THINGS IN 2016? T-COMMERCE WILL RESULT IN $15 BILLION IN REVENUES FOR THE PERSONAL COMMERCE PORTION ALONE. HOLDEN SEES THE DATA VALUE BEING WORTH MUCH MORE THAN THIS.

PROGRAMMING WILL BE THE NEW RETAIL. AND WHY NOT? WHEN YOU CAN PAUSE TV, VIEW THE ITEM YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS WEARING OR THE CAR THEY’RE DRIVING AND POTENTIALLY BUY IT BEFORE THE NExT COMMERCIAL BREAK.

CONNECTED TVIT STARTS WITH THE SOCIALIzATION IF TV AND HBO CONNECT IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

BRAND VS CONTENTIT’S NOT NEW – SOAP OPERAS STARTED THIS IDEA OF BRANDS BRINGING YOU CONTENT. THEN IN 2001 IT HIT THE PUBLISHING WORLD WITH FAY WELDON’S THE BULGARI CONNECTION WHERE HER 23RD NOVEL WAS SPONSORED BY THE JEWELER IN RETURN FOR A MINIMUM OF 12 MENTIONS OF THEIR BRAND IN HER BOOK.

NOW THE BLUR BETWEEN BRAND AND CONTENT IS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THE AUDIENCE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ADS AND THE PROGRAMMING.

BRAND VS CONTENT

NOW THE BLUR BETWEEN BRAND AND CONTENT IS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THE AUDIENCE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ADS AND THE PROGRAMMING.

BRAND VS CONTENT

THIS WILL ONLY BECOME MORE AND MORE SEAMLESS AN ExPERIENCE AS THE ADS STOP BECOMING AN INTERRUPTION (SEE THE SYNOPSIS OF ALExANDER’S MANU’S PRESENTATION) AND START TO BECOME INTEGRATED IN A BRANDED ExPERIENCE.

BY 2016, HOLDEN BELIEVES THAT THE ADS SERVED WILL BE CUSTOMIzED TO EACH AUDIENCE MEMBER BASED ON THEIR PREFERENCES AND PREVIOUS BEHAVIOUR. AND THAT THE TECHNOLOGY IS COMING TO ALLOW THE CONTENT OF THE SHOW ITSELF TO SHOW DIFFERENT PRODUCT PLACEMENT DEPENDING ON THE AUDIENCE – SOMETHING THAT WILL BE DONE IN POST-PRODUCTION.

VIRTUALPERSONAL ASSISTANTSTHERE’S NO NEED TO WAIT UNTIL 2016 TO ExPERIENCE WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE TO HAVE A VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANT – YOU JUST NEED TO HEAD DOWN TO YOUR LOCAL APPLE STORE AND PICK UP THE IPHONE 4S AND LAUNCH SIRI.

SURE IT’S GOT ITS BUGS RIGHT NOW – ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE OF US IN CANADA WHERE MANY OF THE FEATURES AREN’T RUNNING OPTIMALLY YET. VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANTS. LINKS TO YOUR DATA ON YOUR PHONE, LISTENS TO WHAT YOU ASK FOR AND BOOKS A RESTAURANT FOR YOU. IT WILL MOST LIKELY BE BUILT INTO THE IPHONE 5/6.

AUGMENTEDREALITYSOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE ATOMIC CONFERENCE DISCUSSED AUGMENTED REALITY CAMPAIGNS THAT WERE CREATED FOR THE LIKES OF BARNES AND NOBLE AND AIRWALK. HOWEVER, IN EACH CASE THESE PROMOTIONS REQUIRED MARKERS TO FOLLOW AND LOOK FOR WITH AN APP.

AUGMENTEDREALITY

HOLDEN SPOKE ABOUT MARKERLESS AUGMENTED REALITY WHERE YOU CAN HOLD UP YOUR PHONE TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON PEOPLE AND PLACES.

AND EVENTUALLY, HE MUSED, THERE COULD BE AN AUGMENTED REALITY IN A CONTACT LENS.

IT’S NOT A FADFACEBOOK ISN’T A FAD. IT’S NOT A DATING SITE. IT’S NOT WHERE 18-YEAR-OLDS WASTE TIME (WELL, IT MAY BE THAT TOO). IT’S A PLACE TO START TO DO BUSINESS AND TO REACH AN ENTIRE DEMOGRAPHIC SET WHO IS COMMUNICATING ALMOST ExCLUSIVELY ON THIS PLATFORM.

BY 2016, HOLDEN REPORTS THAT 76% OF RETAILERS SAY THAT THEY WILL START TO USE FACEBOOK TO SELL.

GAMIFICATION

IT’S THE LATEST INDUSTRY BUzz-WORD, BUT IT TOO WILL TAKE HOLD (AND PROBABLY BEFORE 2016). IT’S NOT JUST FOR FARMVILLE, IT’S BEING USED AN INCENTIVE OR TACTIC TO SOLVE LARGE PROBLEMS. FOR ExAMPLE, WHEN FIRST AID CORPS WANTED TO RECORD ALL OF THE DEFIBRILLATORS ACROSS THE WORLD, THEY USED A GAMING MENTALITY TO GET AVERAGE CITIzENS TO SEEK OUT THE DEFIBRILLATORS AND SUBMIT THEIR LOCATION TO A CENTRAL SOURCE.

THE TAKEAWAY?SURPRISINGLY, THE SAME THEME STARTED TO EMERGE AS THE CONFERENCE PROGRESSED AND IT WAS ONE OF PERSONALIzATION AND SOCIALIzATION OF CONTENT. NOT JUST BEING ABLE TO DESIGN YOUR OWN PAIR OF NIKES, BUT TRULY MAKING THE ExPERIENCE WITH A BRAND A PERSONAL ONE AND THEN BEING ABLE TO SHARE THAT ExPERIENCE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

THIS IS THE IDEA OF LOOKING GLASS PEOPLE. IT WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE NEED TO BE WITNESSED AND NOTHING ELSE. THE INCENTIVE IS SIMPLY THAT “YOU SEE ME” AND RECOGNIzE ME AS A PART OF THIS BRAND, THIS TRIBE.

WHY NOW?THE CHANGES THAT WE SEE COMING IN 2016 WILL BE HELPED ALONG BY OUR LOWER LEVELS OF ANxIETY ABOUT PRIVACY AS THE MILLENNIALS, WHO GREW UP IN A CONNECTED WORLD, MAKE THESE BEHAVIOURS AND TECHNOLOGY PART OF THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES.

WE HAVE TO SHIFT FROM SET PLANS AND CAMPAIGNS THAT TAKE SIx MONTHS TO ExECUTE AND ANOTHER 6 MONTHS TO TEST, TO ADAPTING TO WHERE PEOPLE ARE RIGHT NOW AND WHAT THEY WANT THEIR ExPERIENCE WITH YOUR BRAND TO BE.

WE’RE IN A TIME OF ExPONENTIAL CHANGE. THE NExT FIVE YEARS WILL FEEL LIKE THE INNOVATION OF THE LAST TEN YEARS.

ARE YOU READY?

TIM LEAKEHYPER ISLAND’SDIGITAL PLAYBOOK

THIS CONTENT IS A SUMMATION OF TIM LEAKE’S PRESENTATION

FOR SOME TIME NOW THE QUESTION HAS BEEN RAISED ABOUT HOW TO DEFINE AN AGENCY LIKE OURS. WHO DOES DIGITAL WORK, BUT WOULDN’T DEFINE ITSELF AS A DIGITAL AGENCY? WHAT DO WE DO?

THE SAME QUESTIONS SEEM TO BAF-FLE MANY CLIENTS AS THEY ExPLORE THEIR DIGITAL STRATEGY IN RELATION TO THEIR OFFLINE STRATEGY AND TRY TO FIND THE SYNERGIES AND COM-MON THREADS.

IN LEAKE’S TALK ABOUT HYPER ISLAND – A WORLD-WIDE EDUCATION PROGRAM ABOUT THE DIGITAL FUTURE AND HOW TO NAVIGATE IT – HE SOLVED THE SE-MANTIC PROBLEM WITH HIS OPENING STATEMENT:

“IT’S NOT ABOUT CREATING DIGITAL WORK. IT’S ABOUT CREATING WORK FOR A DIGITAL WORLD.”

YOU CAN FALL DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE OF TACTICS BECAUSE WITH DIGITAL THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PLACES THAT YOU CAN TAKE AN IDEA. THE PROBLEM IS, YOU CAN EASILY GET LOST IN THE DETAILS.

HE SEES TWO TYPES OF MEDIA: INTERRUPTIVE MEDIA AND ON DEMAND MEDIA

INTERRUPTIVE MEDIAALL BRANDS HAD TO DO WAS GET NOTICED – IT WAS A PUSH MENTALITY.

ON DEMAND MEDIA THE BRAND IS NO LONGER IN CHARGE. THE AUDIENCE IS. AND THE CONTENT AND ExPERIENCE YOU’RE SHARING HAS TO BE GOOD ENOUGH TO SEEK OUT.

INTERRUPTIVE MEDIA

ALL BRANDS HAD TO DO WAS GET NOTICED – IT WAS A PUSH MENTALITY.

ON DEMAND MEDIA THE BRAND IS NO LONGER IN CHARGE. THE AUDIENCE IS. AND THE CONTENT AND ExPERIENCE YOU’RE SHARING HAS TO BE GOOD ENOUGH TO SEEK OUT.

SO YOU ASK YOURSELF, WHY WOULD YOUR SHOPPER OR CON-SUMER WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR BRAND?

WHAT ARE YOU OFFERING THAT’S MEANINGFUL? VALUABLE? OR CAN HELP SOLVE A PROBLEM?

SPEED IS ANOTHER ISSUE IN THE SOCIAL AND DIGITAL WORLD. WITHIN A DAY, YOU CAN HAVE A RESPONSE TO A CAMPAIGN THAT TOOK SIx MONTHS TO PUT TOGETHER AND YOU DON’T HAVE ANOTHER SIx MONTHS TO PUT TOGETHER A RESPONSE. SO WHAT IS YOUR PLAN?

LEAKE SUGGESTS STEALING FROM THE PRINCIPLES OF IMPROV:1. LISTEN2. “YES AND...”3. A MISTAKE IS A GIFT4. MAKE THE ACTIVE CHOICE, DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT-

WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO5. MAKE EVERYONE ELSE LOOK BRILLIANT6. FIND THE GAME

WHO’SLISTENING?JETBLUE IS. WHEN THE MEDIA JUMPED ALL OVER THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY FOR TAKING THEIR PRIVATE JETS TO ASK FOR BAILOUT MONEY, JETBLUE RESPONDED WITH AN AD AND MICROSITE INVITING THEM TO FLY JETBLUE INSTEAD.

WHO’S LISTENING?HONDA IS. HONDA DID MORE THAN ‘LISTEN’ TO IT’S BRAND-LOVERS, HONDA LOVED THEM BACK WITH A CAMPAIGN THAT REACHED OUT TO PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEIR CARS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH. LOVES YOU BACK.

ACT LIKE A START-UPIDEAS ARE MEANT TO BE SHARED. DON’T ACT LIKE A LARGE CORPORATION, OR ELSE NOTHING WILL GET DONE. ACT LIKE A START-UP AND LET YOUR IDEAS LOOSE!

1. GET LEAN AND USE JUST AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU NEED

2. WORK FAST3. MINIMIzE WASTE4. ExPOSE IDEAS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS

POSSIBLE5. TEST IDEAS 6. SCALE IT UP LATER WHEN YOU FIND SUCCESS7. THEN BLOW IT OUT

ONE WEEK CHALLENGE:

WHAT CAN WE DO AND LAUNCH IN A WEEK? DON’T OVER THINK IT TRY IT AND SEE IF PEOPLE RESPOND TO IT.

STOP TELLINGSTORIES AND START INSPIRINGSTORIES

FRANK COOPER III

CMO, GLOBAL CONSUMERENGAGEMENT, PEPSICO

THE HIT PRINCIPLE

THIS CONTENT IS A SUMMATION OF FRANK COOPER’S PRESENTATION

BRANDS MUST RETHINK THEIR ROLE IN OUR CULTURE. THEY NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM BEING SEEN AS AN ADVERTISER OR PASSIVE OBSERVER. EVEN BEING A SPONSOR OF THEIR SHOPPER OR CONSUMER’S EVENT ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH. BRANDS MUST NOW BE MAKERS OF CULTURE AND CREATORS AND CURATORS OF ExPERIENCE.

THIS IS THE IDEA BEHIND ‘THE HIT PRINCIPLE.’ IT’S ABOUT CAPTURING THE SOCIAL zEITGEIST AND MAKING IT A PART OF THE BRAND.

THE REASON FOR THIS SHIFT IS A LOSS OF CORE CONSUMERS. PEOPLE ARE LESS BRAND LOYAL AND SO BRANDS ARE PAY-ING MORE TO GET LESS OF A RETURN.

IN ADVERTISING, IT APPEARS THAT EVERYTHING HAS EVOLVED ExCEPT BRAND MARKETING PRACTICE.

THE WAY WE’VE GONE TO MARKET HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR TOO LONG.

HTTP://YOUTU.BE/HESUDG-TFIK

COOPER’S THREE PILLARS FOR ACHIEVING THE HIT PRINCIPLE:

HUMANITYIMAGINATIONTRUTH

HUMANITYRESPECT THE COLLECTIVE IDENTITY. UNDERSTAND THE VALUES THAT BIND PEOPLE TOGETHER. FROM HERE, YOU CAN CREATE A MOVEMENT.

BUT YOU START WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU, NOT THE UNDECIDED.

THIS WAS THE PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT. IT WAS ONE OF THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS WITH 3 BILLION EARNED MEDIA IMPRESSIONS – BUT IT DIDN’T SELL MUCH PEPSI.

HUMANITYFOLLOW GOOGLE’S ExAMPLE AND DON’T TALK ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY, TALK ABOUT WHAT THE TECHNOLOGY CAN DO.

HTTP://YOUTU.BE/R4VKVHIJDQK

IMAGINATIONFIGURE OUT HOW TO PLANT AN ORIGINAL IDEA INTO SOMEONE’S MIND. IT’S ABOUT CREATION AND PERCEPTION. HOW DO WE CREATE PER-CEIVED VALUE?

2008 THEY CREATED DEWMOCRACY WHERE THEY CREATED A NEW MOUNTAIN DEW. THIS BECAME THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LIMITED-TIME OFFER IN PEPSI HISTORY. THIS IS THE POWER OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND CO-CREATING.

TRUTHWHETHER YOU BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY OR NOT IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. ALL BRANDS ARE OPEN TO THE SCRUTINY AND APPLAUSE OF THEIR CONSUMERS. BUT WHEN YOU MAKE YOURSELF A GENUINE PART OF THE ExPERIENCE, IS WHEN YOU FORM REAL BONDS.

IN THE CASE OF xFACTOR, PEPSI SEES ITSELF AS A PRODUCER, CURATOR AND CREATOR – NOT A SHOW SPONSOR. THE WINNER IS FEATURED IN A PEPSI COMMERCIAL THAT WILL BE AIRED DURING THE SUPERBOWL MAKING THEM PART OF THE LEGACY. IN THIS WAY, PEPSI BECOMES A PART OF THE PRIzE.

SUMMARY

AFTER AN INTENSE DAY OF DISCUSSION AND LEARNING, THE TAKE AWAY FROM THE CONFERENCE FOR OUR BRAND PARTNERS IS (NOT SO SIMPLY): “WHAT DO I WANT FROM MY AUDIENCE?” THERE ARE POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH YOUR BRAND AND ARE YOU A MEANINGFUL PART OF THEIR LIVES OR ARE YOU USING THIS TIME TO ASK THEM TO TO “BUY MORE, PLEASE?”

AND FOR AGENCIES LIKE OURS, IT’S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING OUR CLIENTS’ SHOPPERS AND CONSUMERS. LEARNING AND CREATING ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS THAT CAN PROPERLY REFLECT EACH INDIVIDUAL’S NEEDS AND WANTS BACK TO THEM.

WE DON’T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE FUTURE TO START TO TEST, LEARN AND APPLY. THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE.

JANINE@PHILTERCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

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