livingbrands

Myspace: the online local?

Some interesting stats on the growth of Myspace, and its arrival in the UK, over at Trendcasting.

The doom and gloom merchants are already saying the bubble has burst. I'm far from convinced though. It may be true for the really really cool uber-techno types, already off looking for the next in thing. And yes, it's becoming more commercialised, which will probably put others off. But as somewhere for the internet masses to just hang out and make 'friends', it will still be here for some while.

And this is not least becuase it has that most vital of network community currencies - loads of other people (I think it's Reed's Law that says the value of a telecoms network increases exponentially once you have enough users).

Some may want to mix it only with the chosen few, or in special interest groups. The majority though, just like to hang out with lots of other (normal) people - it's the difference between being one of the glitterati at the trendiest club in town or having a night at your busy local with the mates. And let's not forget, trendy clubs come and go, but your (untrendy) local always remains...and is where most would rather be.

It's maybe that Mypace is simply turning into the online version of your local...or hanging out down the park or the shopping centre if you're a bit younger. And there really is nothing wrong with that. After all, when it comes to the brands we work on, these are probably the people most of us are trying to engage with most of the time.

FutureScope 48

Just to let you know, the latest edition of my trends newsletter is now out: "emerging trends, new ideas and general thought stimulation"...or so it says on the cover.

Snakes on a Plane

ouGood article in the Guardian on Saturday, looking at the Snakes on a Plane phenomenon: for a film that has yet to be released, and which those involved are happy to admit is a bit of B-movie fluff, it has taken on an unprecedented life of its own on-line.

Get your copy of the player here

Big blockbusters like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars obviously enjoyed massive Internet coverage. But what's interesting about SOAP is the two-way nature of the dialogue, and the level of co-creation involved - the official site features their fan sites of the day (because there's so many of them); there have been (official) competitions to find SOAP based songs to feature in the film; and an extra scene was filmed (apparently) to incorporate a line of dialogue suggested on one site.

Though very different in form to the online hinterland that has grown up around complex TV shows like Lost (SOAP is anything but complex), this all goes to show how the Internet has fundamentally changed the kinds of relationship brands can have with their audiences (and which that audience expects to have). This needn't be limited to the worlds of media and entertainment, although that is definitely where the bridgehead of the new world is forming.

The Guardian sums the sea change up nicely at the end of the article, also making the point that it is the inherent honestly of SOAP that has engaged people, not the quality of the product. And I think that's really important: we always tell our clients it's better to tell the truth, to embrace it rather than hide it. The truth will always come out (and people respect honesty as SOAP shows). Plus it is in the truth (particularly in the truth you would rather not talk about, strangely enough) that the thing which most uniquely defines your brand will often lie.

Anyway, here's how the article finishes up...

"This interactive aspect is what makes Snakes On A Plane such a significant cultural moment. Previous Internet crazes have been passively consumed - someone forwards the link, you click on it, laugh, and resume pretending to work. However, something about the audacious, defiant stupidity of the Snakes On A Plane concept has tickled a creative nerve. Much of the online response has been clearly laboured over, and wryly witty, from people photographing themselves screaming at jelly snakes on planes, to the mock movie posters transposing the idea to other titles (Hamlet 2: Snakes On A Dane, is your correspondent's favourite so far), to the lovingly crafted songs. As a film, Snakes On A Plane is unlikely to inspire much more than a wish that one had brought a book. As an idea, it has turned hundreds of people into artists. Snakes On A Plane - the actual movie, that is - might be amusing viewing once, if only as the punchline to an in-joke already shared by millions. Its legend will persist, though, and it is hard not to suspect that the reason that Snakes On A Plane has been so warmly embraced is its essential honesty. In an age in which so much of what we consume is spun, marketed or just plain lied about, our natural scepticism is inevitably wrong-footed when something just is what it claims to be....Advertently or otherwise, the producers of Snakes On A Plane have made a singular contribution to the furtherance of transparency in public discourse, by demonstrating the depth of the public's desire for truth, and the affection we will return when it is granted us."

Interactive press ads

This is from an optical illsusions site (there's more here).

What struck me about these was...

1. what it implies about our requirements for interactivity in the media we consume: it is now pretty much the norm, and we expect even the most inert things to have some capacity for interaction...even if we impose that ourselves.
2. its commentary on our relationship with advertising and how, in good post-modern fashion, our quest for interaction is leading more and more of us to subvert and change the images and content that surround us for our own ends.

Does really show how fast the old top-down model of advertising is fading away. It's no longer a case of speaking from the outside and telling people what to do and how to think...even for those who think that IS what they're doing.

Star Trek 2.0

Don't know how well this show is doing in the States, but the ads are gloriously fanboy-tastic...

Karaoke:

Cribs:

Coffee House:

Poolside:

Cribs (Directors Cut):

21st Century Artisans

Just finished hand crafting new wardrobes for our bedroom out of a single piece of oak. OK, I haven't really: they were from Ikea. But as I stood back and said 'I did that' (with attendant glow of pride), it did make me wonder whether the Swedish design gurus of the masses (tm) are missing a trick.

Ikea sell 'affordable style'. But you have to make compromises to get this: you have to find things in the warehouse, carry it home and build it yourself. These are seen as 'bad' things, sacrifices you make for the sake of great value.

But for our generation, bereft as it is of any craft skills, sense of artisanal ability, and all that (peculiarly male) physical achievement stuff, I do wonder if these things could be seen in a more positive light: not as a benefit and reason to shop at Ikea (stretching things too far I think), but maybe more neutral than bad.

After all, was it 'bad' that, in previous generations, we would have had to go and chop a tree down before attacking it with our tools. Or was that just what you had to do...and something you ended taking great satisfaction in (blah, blah, blah...sorry, starting to get all 'Iron John' there for a moment: it'll all turn a bit 'running naked in the woods and discovering your primal man' if I'm not careful).

Anyway, my point is simply that, faff though it maybe, there is sense that all that foraging in the warehouse, sweat and effort, and putting things together yourself could be a bit of a surrogate for the earthy, honest endeavour of yore: less self assembly and more craft skills for the 21st Century artisan.

Not a new thought I'm sure, but maybe something for Ikea to be seeding into the mix of brand associations?

People talk

Some good word-of-mouth numbers over the Church of the Customer. Always handy to have. Most interesting: 92% of recomendation conversations still happen off-line, the majority face-to-face (we still like to see the whites of their eyes!!)

Brand Tarot

Is the name of John Grant's new book. Not read it yet, but it's getting some good notices. He's got a website here (with blog, naturally), where you can find out more. Or you could buy the book which contains the thinking here.

Though I think it works in a different way, I've written a couple of articles on archetypes myself...which is a bit 'tarotie' I guess.

Had even been considering Brand Tarot as an idea (at some point). Ahh well. The moral? Do it when you think of it!!

Let's all Skype

A little something from Skype, everyone's favourite tech company de jour and current 'saviour of the world' TM (now that Google's gone over to the dark side).

They're about to introduce a rather nifty new use of their VOIP technology (that's Voice Over Internet Protocol for you techno-laggards out there...not that I'm Skyped up myself, lest I give the impression of someone out surfing on the bleeding edge of Web 2.0).

Under the banner 'Skypecasting', this will be a service that allows spontaneous online conversations by groups of as many as 100 people. Live (i.e. real time) and moderated, Skype users anywhere in the world will be able to discuss shared interests: the conversational equivalent of blogs.

Anyway, if it works, it could add a whole new dimension to on-line focus groups: why type when you can Skype?

Never count your chickens

Joshua's an Arsenal fan, so our home is obviously in deep mourning today. But this is just too good...

Anyway, here's hoping Sunday night's Championship playoff final doesn't see the Mighty Leeds crash and burn in a similar fashion!!