DISQUS

It feels like I woke up from a really really awesome dream. I remember being that "UX guy" 10 years ago telling you this kind of stuff when you started your tradigitalist foray.

Agree with the assessment. Looking at real behavior of people is key, and it is sobering to a lot of traditional guys. Abstract sociodemographic milieu descriptions or attitudes are sooo much easier to deal with than actual behavior, and you can read much more into it that's malarkey. It is such a huge mindset shift to view consumers eye-to-eye and as people who you need to try make a qualitative difference in their lives for instead of manipulating them. It is equally as difficult to stop defining your brand with a brand promise, when all you have done is traditional advertising: that's how it used to work: promising stuff. Now you need something that speaks more to a reason for being for the brand in the context of people's lives, stuff that are proof-point experiences, not just promise-based messages. Maybe that's why some keep the blinders on: it's just not the same thing anymore, and some aspects of the business have changed so radically, (regardless of the channel you work for), that some people just aren't equipped to do the job at all. Unless they viscerally get inspired by human behavior and see their job in enabling that behavior, they will keep cranking out messaging that no one wants to consume.

Congrats, buddy!

Thanks for than Alan. It inspired me to write my POV:
http://culturalfuel.com/2008/08/18/context-is-t...

You know it really IS chicken or egg. But the fact is you can't have a yummy chicken cutlet without both, can you? Forget what comes first. When these debates continue while trying to find out which one is more important, I feel you're not gonna have that chicken cutlet, meaning, an engaging experience with a great idea behind it. The people that talk about storytelling are usually the traditional creatives because it all comes from a "big idea" and the people who say context are usually the experience designer folks from digital agencies. The biggest problem these parties have had since 1995 is that they were fighting a belief war on chickens or eggs. When you get these guys together and start with a strategy that includes traditional AND experience insights, you have a better chance of creating what both parties actually signed up to deliver.

Haha. Awesome. I couldnt agree more. Sometimes being "creative" isn't called for. Or at the very least, it is about redefining what being creative means in terms of strategy. However, this doesn't mean you can't name conference rooms. For example, our conference rooms are all shaped differently or have unique features, as our agency is in an old bicycle factory. So we named them after their most prominent features, while still having a floor based number, e.g. one room is perfectly round and has a glass ceiling. This makes it the 04 - Washing Machine. This way there is something for number guys and the creative guys to remember.

A social ad with people in it is still an ad. A concept, btw, which has been used for decades. I am wondering if they can save online advertising, or if it's just a reprieve to keep spening on media instead of creating valuable experience for people.
http://culturalfuel.com/2008/08/08/social-banne...