LeftBrainVoid

Easy to say, and easy to claim. The fact that agencies are changing is a boring story, but it is interesting to look at the companies and categories that are driving change in society, and to think about what their needs are. “Advertising was at its zenith in the mid-1980s, when technology wasn’t the force it is today and agencies were being asked to differentiate parity products through building stronger emotional connections”. And that is still important for many categories today, but for tech services and tools, creative contribution can lie in finding valuable solutions for/ part of their products, which we can have a role in playing.

A great booklet from IdeaMensch with the wisdom from a host of entrepreneurs who talk about how to turn ideas into action. Click to read

Summary, those who day dream and live in their head don’t get anywhere - just fucking start making your idea happen and work it out along the way

If only…

What’s more evocative than a smell that you attach to a memory, place, or thing to - a new car, grass after it rains, box fresh trainers. Why don’t brands create and package their own smell?

75% of don’t think our country is living up to its creative potential

60% feel that creativity is important to the economy

50% of us think we are creative, however. Oh, and 70% of us like to be creative.. alone.

Where do you stand?

An idea. In a web banner. That you want to play with.

Nike are moving away from their midnight launches to release products on twitter with a first respond, first served basis. Brilliant from the pov that more people will be able to make a claim, it will build the nike community and act as a good fuel on the fire to get everyone buzzing every now and again.

On the flip side, the best ad in the world is a bunch of kids hanging out side a store at night. That’s pure brand fandom - i know there’s occasionally riots that steal the headlines, but that’s pretty infrequent. There’s something cool about having a real life presence on the street. You still need to pick your trainers up from the store, so all is not lost…

The shift from big campaigns to continuos smaller interactions - both because that’s true to how human friendships are built, and because that’s truer to how brands fit into people’s lives. Although I’d suggest that there’s room for the big fuck off ideas as well, just like there are such moments when creating friendships.

Zynga made $400 million profit off this last year… the string of digital prayer beads that our entire culture can twiddle in moments of rapture or anxiety. Games that force us (or give us) a series of interesting choices about what matters, moment to moment, in our lives. Mini rewards that keep us moving forward - ensuring we don’t ever have to deal with the anxiety of a scratch not itched. Still, it’s better than endlessly flicking through your itunes without ever listening to a track. The gamification of our lives.

juliancheevers:

It seems we have a long way to go before translating the power of digital connections into the physical world. Or more specifically, to get people off the computer and interacting in real life. But it’s good that these guys are experimenting with potential ways forward..

Part of the power comes from using the actual conversations captured in interviewing protagonists in a real event, for the dialogue of the play. Raw, real and and undeniable way to ‘experience’ someone else’s story