This is the annotated version of my presentation on the future of brand communications strategy.
It was written for the Breakfast At Jerwood event at The Jerwood Space, London, on 2 December 2010.
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War of the Worlds and the new brand principles
1. War of the Worlds and the new principles of brand communication Ian Thomas www.newtradition.co.uk
2. Back in 1938 â on the eve of war in Europe â a radio broadcast by Orson Wellesâ Mercury Theatre Company caused widespread panic in the USA
3. Their production of H G Wellsâs âWar of the Worldsâ began â without any formal announcement â with a series of âeyewitnessâ reports of Martian landings
4. Itâs an event that provided momentum to a â now extensively debated â âhypodermic syringe modelâ of mass media effects
5. Itâs a model which suggests that, if you possess the means to generate and control delivery of content...
6. âŚthen you enjoy a powerful position of control in relation to the recipient â and even over them
12. Boundaries It was alsoabout the way in which traditional boundaries â like the continuity announcement between programmes â were disregarded in order to play with listener emotions
13. In other words, Welles and the Mercury Theatre Company deliberately disrupted the conventions of continuity
14. And that had the effect of blurring the distinction between fiction and reality, and between broadcaster and listener
15. Welles successfully traversed the boundaries of convention â as well as the apparent physical barrier between the radio-set and the listener
16. So if you tuned in, you became part of Wellesâs drama â just as the headlines show
18. Rapid changes in media consumption mean audiences are able to subject brands and media owners to the kind of experience Welles exacted upon on his audience back in 1938
19. Because media consumption preference are profoundly shifting, itâs creating an increasingly fragmented and âlawlessâ environment in which it is impossible to successfully exert any kind of reputational âcontrolâ
20. Not only that, but the ease with which individuals can access publishing platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you like it or not
23. The first is the banking crisis and the subsequent crisis of trust among consumers over the integrity of corporate governance
24. Almost overnight, people who felt relatively secure, suddenly lost their sense of security and the comfort of continuity
25. And the reason for that was the apparently irresponsible behaviour of financial services businesses
26. But the effect has been to generate a widespread sense of distrust of business in general â and not just financial services businesses or the private sector
27. Second, thereâs been a huge growth in use of mobile platforms and devices which effectively disintermediate traditional media formats and channels
28. No longer do you have to sit by a radio or in front of a TV or pick up a newspaper in order to gain access to content
30. And then there has been the technological and social phenomenon of the rise of the social web
31. Free to use and easily accessible, the social web has encouraged individuals to formalise offline social connections via web platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
38. The way in which individuals used the social web to adopt, adapt and propagate Obamaâs campaign message â without losing the tone of his appeal â is remarkable
39. Whether Obamaâs team intended it to happen or not, they did not appear to behave like a conventional brand owner and seek to prevent it from happening
40. Obamaâ08 serves as an example of an emerging approach to brands and branding â the âadaptive brandâ
41. It requires organisations behind the brands to relinquish the idea of âcontrolâ and, instead, adapt to a continually changing social landscape in which brands are merely participants
42. Which doesnât necessarily mean that it is easy to tolerate or results in positive or desirable reputational outcomes
43. But in an environment where peoplesâ trust in the motives, claims and behaviour of organisations and brands has become so easy to express and spreadâŚ
44. How can a brand gain trust when 95% of consumers already distrust their advertising and promotions? Here are some suggested principles
56. T-Mobile has embraced the idea of propagation by creating participative events which encourage participants to share their role in the event with others in their social groups
57. Participants voluntarily âseedâ links and mentions via their social web statuses and activity. In turn, this generates whatâs described as âearned mediaâ coverage (but is, frankly, just âword-of-mouthâ.)
68. Research by Alterian suggests that participants in product development are more likely to tell their social connections about the resulting product or service
69. In addition to the ubiquitous iPod and sensor, Nike have built an iPhone app which helps runners create and monitor running routes
70. Itâs an example of how brands are increasingly using technology to help consumers do what they want to do and so build affinity with their brand
71. Itâs a strategy in keeping with John Kayâs idea of âobliquityâ: Nike and Apple are not directly pushing their products, they are cementing a connection with a consumer who may or may not purchase a product at a later date
72. Brands themselves are also able to grow thanks to participation of both individuals and businesses
73. Open source platforms like Facebook have enabled developers to build businesses and enrich the features, applications and tools of Facebook itself
74. Facebookâs Mark Zuckerberg has recently suggested that the popularity of applications like Zyngaâs Farmville have been a big factor in the growth of Facebookâs user population
76. The fragmentation of media has created collaborative ways in which both brands and artists are able to create and associate with original content
77. Steve Coogan and Armando Iannuciâs âMid Morning Mattersâ is original content that is created in collaboration with Fosters
78. It enables Coogan and Ianucci to create original content in a format that does not suit traditional broadcasting â episodes are approximately 13 mins long, for instance
79. And it allows Fosters to expand its existing association with comedy but in a role thatâs more akin to a âpatron of the artsâ than a sponsor
80. Elsewhere, âStormys in a Teacupâ is a photographic caper that is being produced in aid of Shelter
81. But the Shelter story is simply an extension of Stormys existing photo series which, by all appearances, is a just-for-fun project
82. Seeking out like-minded people and organisations, or inspiring and interesting ideas with an existing followingâŚ
83. ..is likely to yield a lower cost and more compelling way to easily communicate or associate your organisation or brands with ideas worth spreading
84. How can a brand gain trust when 95% of consumers already distrust their advertising and promotions? Here are those principles againâŚ
86. Picture credits and links War of the Worlds and the new principles of brand communication by Ian Thomas @mrianthomas @newtradition_ www.newtradition.co.uk New York Times headline image from Denofmystery.blogsport.com'Buckshot: War of the Worldsâ Syringe image: Thomas Weidenhaupt at Flickr Money note image: PhotoGraham at Flickr iPhone image: William Hook at Flickr Obama campaign images (from top left to right): Official campaign logo from âObama logo ideas that werenât chosenâ at Logo Design Love; âNew Gameâ from piccsy.com; âStonewashedâ from Cafepress images; âObama Prideâ from BarackObama.com; âFuzzy feltâ by Boltron on Flickr; âB&W button badgeâ from Koolbadges; âDonutâ from Profy.com; âHopeâ poster art from Highsnobiety.com; âHopeâ by Shepherd Fairey from Marksandmeaning.com; âThe Dreamâ by Ray Noland from Gotellmama.org Avatars via (from left to right) Greenpeace.org/kitkat; @BPGlobalPR and the UKâs Creative Review Call Centre image from Nationwide media centre library Screengrab of Apple UK iPhone support at Apple.com/uk Screengrab of Threadless support at Facebook.com/Threadless T-Mobile images: Main image (left) from Theapofcrap.com; (Top right) Screengrab of T-Mobile YouTube channel; Screengrab of Guardian.co.uk coverage (bottom right) Screengrab of Twibbon.com Mad Men focus group image via IliketowatchTV.blogspot.com Screengrab of Lego UKâs Create and Share Screengrab of Nike UKâs Nike+ iPhone app Screengrab of ZyngaâsFarmville homepage Screengrab of âMid Morning Mattersâ at Fostersfunny.co.ukâs YouTube channel Stormys and a guiness from Stormy Little AdventuresandStormys in a Teacup 1 4-9 23-26 27-29 38-41 42-43 46-48 49-51 52-54 56-57 58-62 64 65-68 69-71 72-74 76-79 80-83 References 1 44, 64, 68 & 84 74 âObliquityâ by John Kay (Profile Books, 2010): At Amazon Statistics drawn from research published in Alterianâs âYour brand. At risk or ready for growth?â Downloadable at Alterian.com Facebook founder Mark Zuckerbergâs comments on role of gaming in Facebookâs growth were made at the Web 2.0 Summit (15-17 Nov 2010)
Editor's Notes
you enjoy a powerful role in relation to the recipient
Itâs why a promotional model of communication â which has spawned advertising and media relations industry â exists
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Because peopleâs media consumption preferences have shifted, itâs created an increasingly fragmented and lawless environment in which to manage. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
Because peopleâs media consumption preferences have shifted, itâs created an increasingly fragmented and lawless environment in which to manage. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx.
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
s. Overnight, people who were relatively secure became insecure and the reason for that was the behaviour of businesses.
s. and the reason for that was the behaviour of businesses.
s.
s.
. No longer did you have to be by a radio, sit in front of a TV or pick up a newspaper to access content. Itâs in the palm of your hands.
Itâs in the palm of your hands.
. So not only to you possess the potential to access the content you want via the media you want when you want, itâs highly likely that your networks have become increasingly influential in editorialising your consumption of content.
. So not only to you possess the potential to access the content you want via the media you want when you want, itâs highly likely that your networks have become increasingly influential in editorialising your consumption of content.
. So not only to you possess the potential to access the content you want via the media you want when you want, itâs highly likely that your networks have become increasingly influential in editorialising your consumption of content.
. , itâs highly likely that your networks have become increasingly influential in editorialising your consumption of content.
. ,
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Because peopleâs media consumption preferences have shifted, itâs created an increasingly fragmented and lawless environment in which to manage. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Because peopleâs media consumption preferences have shifted, itâs created an increasingly fragmented and lawless environment in which to manage. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
This rapid shift in media consumption has done to brands and media owners as Welles did on his audience back in 19xx. Because peopleâs media consumption preferences have shifted, itâs created an increasingly fragmented and lawless environment in which to manage. Not only that, but the ease of access for individuals to social platforms means that fans and critics alike, have the potential to influence your reputation whether you know it or not.
The effect looked something like this. (check whether Mike mentions this). The cultural influence of the platforms has been huge. These days donât have customers, they have fans, followers and theyâre liked.example of an emerging idea of an âadaptive brandâ
The effect looked something like this. (check whether Mike mentions this). The cultural influence of the platforms has been huge. These days donât have customers, they have fans, followers and theyâre liked.
The effect looked something like this. (check whether Mike mentions this). The cultural influence of the platforms has been huge. These days donât have customers, they have fans, followers and theyâre liked.
The effect looked something like this. (check whether Mike mentions this). The cultural influence of the platforms has been huge. These days donât have customers, they have fans, followers and theyâre liked.
Except when theyâre not. Of course thereâs nothing new in this as an activity, but itâs the pace with which symbols, ideas, hunches and view can propogate that is hugely significant. Ironically, Gapâs recent run in with thousands of irate fans over its apparent new logo was probably more of a back-handed compliment. Hundreds of designers cared enough about what Gap had done to convince them that it wasnât such a great idea.
Except when theyâre not. Of course thereâs nothing new in this as an activity, but itâs the pace with which symbols, ideas, hunches and view can propogate that is hugely significant. Ironically, Gapâs recent run in with thousands of irate fans over its apparent new logo was probably more of a back-handed compliment. Hundreds of designers cared enough about what Gap had done to convince them that it wasnât such a great idea.
,but they also deliver a rich source of insight and understanding about a businesses product and service
,
and âobliqueâ strategy which
and âobliqueâ strategy which
that are out there is likely to be more rewarding than investing
that are out there is likely to be more rewarding than investing