Heres an interesting post of the future of entertainment. Or at least, signalling a possible future. Essentially recording the growth of bloggers, youtubers and the like going mainstream.
'The search for talent' is a staple of the tired and wornout mainstream media - but now rather than expect people to come to them, they are going to have to go looking for them.
Also, I'm looking forward to seeing what impact this has on Britains crazy celebrity culture. We all seem to want to be famous, but we all seem to want someone else to do it for us. Who will be Britains first self-created, web2.0 celebrity?
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Come on Steph don't be shy
I'm on a blogging burn right now, and here's one more. I'm trying to shame Steph into writing on here - she's the only one in this office with anything interesting to say as the half-hearted collection of random musings below will testify.
Yet to date she has been remarkbly shy.
COME ON STEPH - YOUR PUBLIC AWAITS!
To help her on her way, I thought it might be helpful to introduce you all to Steph.
Three phrases that describe her are carbon-based, woman and alive.
Three slightly better phrases are american, intelligent and assertive
Three even better phrases are bacon-sandwiches, high-heels and long-lunches
She looks like this...
She sounds like this...
She thinks like this...
OK Steph, right to reply, over you go...
Yet to date she has been remarkbly shy.
COME ON STEPH - YOUR PUBLIC AWAITS!
To help her on her way, I thought it might be helpful to introduce you all to Steph.
Three phrases that describe her are carbon-based, woman and alive.
Three slightly better phrases are american, intelligent and assertive
Three even better phrases are bacon-sandwiches, high-heels and long-lunches
She looks like this...
She sounds like this...
She thinks like this...
OK Steph, right to reply, over you go...
Ra Ra Research 2
Oh, the other thing last night that was quite fun was talking to the recruiter, who told me how things had changed in the industry. Seems she has been doing it for twenty-odd years, and has noticed a real change in what we as an industy want.
Specifically, she started going on about ridiculously specific recruitment criteria
My favourite was men with less than 5cm of hair. What! How you supposed to recruit that one? And whats the difference between a man with 5cm of hair and 6cm?
(I should say at this point I have a very full head of hair, so to any and all baldys out there, ha ha!)
Also, she spoke about how absurd the tests were to measure creativity - 'give me 5 things to do with a brick' etc. According to her, people's ability to spontaneously answer questions like that in no way dictates their ability to contribute to a group as she doesn't have to measure the quality of their answer, just the quantity; give five and your in, but the person who thinks about it and gives one kick-ass answer? Sorry, not 'creative' enough.
Whats worse is some agencies give three or four of these questions, so every time she recruits she has to test them for 20 minutes on their creativity! Perhaps not surprising they don't respond in the groups when you've been put through the hoops just to get there...
Specifically, she started going on about ridiculously specific recruitment criteria
My favourite was men with less than 5cm of hair. What! How you supposed to recruit that one? And whats the difference between a man with 5cm of hair and 6cm?
(I should say at this point I have a very full head of hair, so to any and all baldys out there, ha ha!)
Also, she spoke about how absurd the tests were to measure creativity - 'give me 5 things to do with a brick' etc. According to her, people's ability to spontaneously answer questions like that in no way dictates their ability to contribute to a group as she doesn't have to measure the quality of their answer, just the quantity; give five and your in, but the person who thinks about it and gives one kick-ass answer? Sorry, not 'creative' enough.
Whats worse is some agencies give three or four of these questions, so every time she recruits she has to test them for 20 minutes on their creativity! Perhaps not surprising they don't respond in the groups when you've been put through the hoops just to get there...
Ra Ra Research
Just had some groups the other day and I was struck by how polite we are to consumers. How we take everything they have to say at face value and never challange them.
Oh, we may ask "why do you say that?" or "what makes you think that?" but do we ever say "really? are you sure?" or "I'm sorry, I don't believe that."
Strong language I know, but I'm worried we are indoctrinated to believe that the unadulterated word of the consumer is god when, as we all know from our own experience that most of what we say is unadulterated rubbish (perhaps I only speak for myself here...)
I think it's fair to say consumers sometimes just say what comes to mind, then try and justify it - and that with a bit of a prod we might get them to admit that and look at things in a new light.
Regardless, I want to see more moderators challanging the consumer to defend their thinking - to throw in counter examples, or ideas from other categories. Whilst it may not save duff work, it might help better to understand why it was so terrible.
Oh, we may ask "why do you say that?" or "what makes you think that?" but do we ever say "really? are you sure?" or "I'm sorry, I don't believe that."
Strong language I know, but I'm worried we are indoctrinated to believe that the unadulterated word of the consumer is god when, as we all know from our own experience that most of what we say is unadulterated rubbish (perhaps I only speak for myself here...)
I think it's fair to say consumers sometimes just say what comes to mind, then try and justify it - and that with a bit of a prod we might get them to admit that and look at things in a new light.
Regardless, I want to see more moderators challanging the consumer to defend their thinking - to throw in counter examples, or ideas from other categories. Whilst it may not save duff work, it might help better to understand why it was so terrible.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Video of the Week
I saw this the other day and fell in love with it.
It's such lo-fi, analogue, gritty grubby entertainment, a pure fuck-cares lets dance like weirdos vibe going on that is such a sweet alternative to the hyper-clean hyper-managed entertainment industry. You know there's no VIP sections, no champagne cocktails, no paparazzi. Just some nutter pilled up and dancing their ass off. Who needs Ant and Dec when people will do this?
And the music! I love it fast and hard (yes, write your own joke here) and manic and this is all of that. OK, may sound like chaos to many people but I think its great.
Nb, interesting trend to watch out for is the speeding up of dance music - I think 2007 will see it get ramped up faster than ever...
This film was taken at All You Can Eat
It's such lo-fi, analogue, gritty grubby entertainment, a pure fuck-cares lets dance like weirdos vibe going on that is such a sweet alternative to the hyper-clean hyper-managed entertainment industry. You know there's no VIP sections, no champagne cocktails, no paparazzi. Just some nutter pilled up and dancing their ass off. Who needs Ant and Dec when people will do this?
And the music! I love it fast and hard (yes, write your own joke here) and manic and this is all of that. OK, may sound like chaos to many people but I think its great.
Nb, interesting trend to watch out for is the speeding up of dance music - I think 2007 will see it get ramped up faster than ever...
This film was taken at All You Can Eat
The devil is in the detail
This is a prescient and alarming story about American overreaction to what was intended as a harmless advertising stunt.
What is really interesting to me is how this supports a long-held belief of mine - that what we think consumers will respond to and what we think will excite them is often so so wrong.
In this case, some simple neon signs were interpreted as bombs!
How many groups have you been in when the respondents say "will it be illustrated like that on telly" or "why is it green" or "well the waves made me think of storms and that made me think if sinking ships"?
And we sit behind the mirror and laugh at them for their failure to get the point, or their preoccupation with irrelevant details, or their stupidity at thinking such things matter.
And yet these details are relevant; they do matter. Respondents are assessing the stimulus not as marketers, but as people, with all the rich complicated interpretations and analysis that we give to our own lives. How many times have we got the wrong end of the stick over some random detail?
Respondents are no different. We pretend that their mistakes are irrelvant but often they are the most revealing thing they say becuase they reveal how small, minture details can have such a big profund effect. The colour of the clothes, the type of kitchen, the way the product is held - these all send strong cues that affect take-out in ways we might not be able to predict, but which we should never ignore.
And thats why I think its crucial that planning maintains its involvement throughout the creative process. We cannot hand over responsibility for casting, music and direction to the creatives in the beleif that because the strategy is sound, the advertising is bound to be effective. The slightest, most trivial details can have the most incredible effect and we must have a point of view on how these will work. By absconding these details to the creatives we run the risk of alienating the consumer through an apparantly trivial oversight that has profound implications on how they assess the work.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
What colour am I?
Saw this the other day - a rather fine test to find out what kind of house-paint you are!
Filled it in, but I'm not sure the program is working alright - I came out as 'Goth Black'! Now where could it have got an idea like that from?!
Which house paint are you?
Filled it in, but I'm not sure the program is working alright - I came out as 'Goth Black'! Now where could it have got an idea like that from?!
Longs Drugs "Goth Black" matte interior latex For the ultimate (but affordable) gloom&doom bedroom. |
Which house paint are you?
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monkey mayhem
I got quite a bit of stick for scalpaling my stuffed monkey to the door. In retrospect I guess it does send a somewhat disturbing image!
I've consented to the feelings of those around me and removed the little fella from the door. Those of you who care about the plight of stuffed animals will also be pleased to learn I have removed the scalpel from his chest.
It was some pretty major surgery, but I'm pleased to announce he came through unscathed. Well, almost. Unfortunatly the surgeon slipped and drove the blade through his hands - a case of simian stigmata.
Is it weird to think he looks cuter with bits of metal through him than not? Oh dear...
Planning Wiki
I've been meaning to link to Russell Davies' site for sometime, but I've been waiting for him to write something worth repeating. Well, I got bored waiting and settled for this instead!
Actually, its a brilliant idea, a planning wiki.
I always see these wikis as being a little bit like creches - somewhere to leave the nippers safe in the knowledge that high walls and strong locks will keep them in and everyone else out. And so you get these amazing micrcosoms full of happy, sad, shouty, quiet people all playing the same game but all playing in slightly different ways. And if there are any tantrums, well, they're only kids!
Actually, its a brilliant idea, a planning wiki.
I always see these wikis as being a little bit like creches - somewhere to leave the nippers safe in the knowledge that high walls and strong locks will keep them in and everyone else out. And so you get these amazing micrcosoms full of happy, sad, shouty, quiet people all playing the same game but all playing in slightly different ways. And if there are any tantrums, well, they're only kids!
Freedom of Information?
British MP's have rather connivingly excluded themselves from the Freedom of Information Act, under a very slippery piece of manourvering that demonstrates our elected representatives complete disregard for those they are paid to represnet...
Of course Britain is a far less democratic country than we imagine; the mother of democracy is well into her dotage and many of her most enshrined principles are rapidly being encroached.
This latest attempt places MP's personal finances and dealings outside of the Freedom of Information Act, thus securing privacy and freedom for their affairs. Perhaps a right for the ordinary person, but MP's have forefitted their right to be ordinary. Like celebrities they have made a pact with the public and have no right to complain or hide from our inquiries. Indeed, given their great power - and frequent misuse of it - we need more transparency, not less.
Particularly galling is this quote from David Maclean who introduced the ammendment.
""I am showing some of the younger hands how you can get a bill through parliament after long experience as a whip in both getting and blocking bills through parliament."
Alternatively, "I am showing some of the younger hands how you can subvert and ignore a centuries old legislative system through shameless tricks and weak-willed compatriots to institute an unjust and unnecessary piece of procedure that aids only us."
It strikes me that as the Labour Party have embraced private finance and outsourcing they have transformed themselves from elected representatives to an unelected board of directors. By removing themselves from the common fold politicians are transforming themselves into an oligarchy, a self-serving group who look out for each other almost irrespective of party. They are no more representing our interests than a company has to represent the needs of its consumers and so it is our responsibility to wake them up.
If there is to be any hope of safeguarding a culture of openness and transparency, the British political system needs to lift the portcullis and invite us in to see inside it the way an increasing number of brands are doing. But as long as MP's can pass self-serving hypocritical measuers like this, and not be subject the vagaries of the consumer, sorry voter, I guess that's not likely.
Of course Britain is a far less democratic country than we imagine; the mother of democracy is well into her dotage and many of her most enshrined principles are rapidly being encroached.
This latest attempt places MP's personal finances and dealings outside of the Freedom of Information Act, thus securing privacy and freedom for their affairs. Perhaps a right for the ordinary person, but MP's have forefitted their right to be ordinary. Like celebrities they have made a pact with the public and have no right to complain or hide from our inquiries. Indeed, given their great power - and frequent misuse of it - we need more transparency, not less.
Particularly galling is this quote from David Maclean who introduced the ammendment.
""I am showing some of the younger hands how you can get a bill through parliament after long experience as a whip in both getting and blocking bills through parliament."
Alternatively, "I am showing some of the younger hands how you can subvert and ignore a centuries old legislative system through shameless tricks and weak-willed compatriots to institute an unjust and unnecessary piece of procedure that aids only us."
It strikes me that as the Labour Party have embraced private finance and outsourcing they have transformed themselves from elected representatives to an unelected board of directors. By removing themselves from the common fold politicians are transforming themselves into an oligarchy, a self-serving group who look out for each other almost irrespective of party. They are no more representing our interests than a company has to represent the needs of its consumers and so it is our responsibility to wake them up.
If there is to be any hope of safeguarding a culture of openness and transparency, the British political system needs to lift the portcullis and invite us in to see inside it the way an increasing number of brands are doing. But as long as MP's can pass self-serving hypocritical measuers like this, and not be subject the vagaries of the consumer, sorry voter, I guess that's not likely.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Why aren't brands more individual?
So I was out at Antisocial on Saturday; a fantastic club if you like neon acid hands up flourescent dance music. Fortunately that sort of stuff rocks my boat gale force five.
Anways, there I was admiring the beautiful people - the boys, the girls, the somewhere inbetweens - when I thought, it's not beauty its bravery.
Being brave enough to brighten up put on the makeup and go-out for the sheer fuck of it without any care in the world. OK, it's not like thats a brand new phenomenon; people have been dressing up for centuries and I've got some great photos of my Dad in the 70s to prove it.
But when was the last time a brand dressed up? When was the last time a brand put on make-up and dared show another face? And here I'm specifically thinking a nice big juicy mass-market brand. Brands seem the equivalent of the sad old bastard who always goes out wearing the same clothes. How far would you get if you always said the same thing in the same tone with the same shallow smile? And yet thats what we continue to do as we crucify ourselves over words on a page - brand pyramids, onions, turtles and the like are all straight-jackets that inhibit flamboyance and personality. As brand guardians we are so paranoid about putting the wrong foot forward, we tie our shoe-laces together and trip over them.
And lets not overestimate the importance of flamboyance. It signals a great big unafraid of the world attitude that wants to change things and won't take no for an answer - and isn't that what brands are all about with their visions, manifestos and beliefs? One size beliefs do not fit all - we need to break them apart, find ways of dressing them that suit not only our target but our mood.
What if brands decided to have a extroverted phase? To die their hair red or get a clothes makeover? What if they didn't worry about saying the same all the time and adopted some of the unpredicatbility and individuality of their audience. I admit the results would be unpredicatable... but surely more interesting than the same smart-casual we get today...
Anways, there I was admiring the beautiful people - the boys, the girls, the somewhere inbetweens - when I thought, it's not beauty its bravery.
Being brave enough to brighten up put on the makeup and go-out for the sheer fuck of it without any care in the world. OK, it's not like thats a brand new phenomenon; people have been dressing up for centuries and I've got some great photos of my Dad in the 70s to prove it.
But when was the last time a brand dressed up? When was the last time a brand put on make-up and dared show another face? And here I'm specifically thinking a nice big juicy mass-market brand. Brands seem the equivalent of the sad old bastard who always goes out wearing the same clothes. How far would you get if you always said the same thing in the same tone with the same shallow smile? And yet thats what we continue to do as we crucify ourselves over words on a page - brand pyramids, onions, turtles and the like are all straight-jackets that inhibit flamboyance and personality. As brand guardians we are so paranoid about putting the wrong foot forward, we tie our shoe-laces together and trip over them.
And lets not overestimate the importance of flamboyance. It signals a great big unafraid of the world attitude that wants to change things and won't take no for an answer - and isn't that what brands are all about with their visions, manifestos and beliefs? One size beliefs do not fit all - we need to break them apart, find ways of dressing them that suit not only our target but our mood.
What if brands decided to have a extroverted phase? To die their hair red or get a clothes makeover? What if they didn't worry about saying the same all the time and adopted some of the unpredicatbility and individuality of their audience. I admit the results would be unpredicatable... but surely more interesting than the same smart-casual we get today...
Friday, January 26, 2007
Our front door
I got this little chap the other day, and combined my twin pleasures of scalpels and abusing toy monkeys - hence is ending up nailed to the door. Ain't he cute?
Tom tries to explain his strategy to The Independent
"OK, so carbon emissions will increase, and penguins might die, but this all part and parcel of our guilt trip lifestlye nowadays."
Welcome to Tom and Stephs' Office
Please please, come in, make yourself comfortable.
There's two red chairs, so put your feet up and listen to us prattle on about nothing much in particular. I'm tom by the way. I'm sure Steph will be saying hello soon.
For anyone whose interested though, at 12pm, Steph will be catching up with E&J to talk through some stuff thats already been reviewed. Fascinating!
I'll probably just be surfing the net.
There's two red chairs, so put your feet up and listen to us prattle on about nothing much in particular. I'm tom by the way. I'm sure Steph will be saying hello soon.
For anyone whose interested though, at 12pm, Steph will be catching up with E&J to talk through some stuff thats already been reviewed. Fascinating!
I'll probably just be surfing the net.
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