The fourth version of "Fracking The Social Web", a talk I give on the Squared programme led by Google in partnership withthe IPA and Impact International

1. 6.11.2013
SQUARED
LONDON
51.5207° N, 0.1345° W
ARE BRANDS FRACKING
THE SOCIAL WEB?
JOHN V WILLSHIRE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

2. “WHAT IS IT YOU ACTUALLY DO...?”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

3. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

4. “WORK OF”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

5. “GOODS MADE”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

6. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

7. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

8. A STRONG
WORKING
PRINCIPLE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

9. AND A HEALTHY DOSE
OF SPECULATION...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

10. “...MEN OF SPECULATION, WHOSE TRADE IT IS
NOT TO DO ANYTHING, BUT TO OBSERVE
EVERYTHING; AND WHO, UPON THAT
ACCOUNT, ARE OFTEN CAPABLE OF
COMBINING TOGETHER THE POWERS OF THE
MOST DISTANT AND DISSIMILAR OBJECTS.”
ADAM SMITH, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS, 1776
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

11. FOURTH TIME AT SQUARED
WWW.WEARESQUARED.COM
WWW.GOOGLE.COM/+WEARESQUARED
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

12. LET’S TALK ABOUT
FRACKING...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

13. “FRACKING IS AN
AGGRESSIVE, INVASIVE
TECHNIQUE FOR
EXTRACTING VALUABLE
RAW MATERIALS OUT OF
HARD TO REACH PLACES”
PHIL ADAMS, BLONDE DIGITAL
(AND CHEMICAL ENGINEER GRAD)
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

14. ATTENTION
IS THE
MOST
VALUABLE
RAW
MATERIAL
THERE IS
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

15. ONE QUESTION I’M WRESTLING WITH:
ARE BRANDS
FRACKING THE
SOCIAL WEB?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

16. “I BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE OF BRAND
COMMUNICATIONS LIES IN FINDING A
WAY TO BECOME PART OF COMMUNITIES,
AND COMMUNICATE WITH THEM IN A
WAY THAT IS SHARED, PARTICIPATORY
AND RECIPROCAL”
ME, FIVE YEARS AGO, BEING A DICK
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

17. THAT SOUNDS
REALLY ANNOYING
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

18. YEP, REALLY ANNOYING.
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

19. “OUR
CHALLENGE
IS THAT
PEOPLE
REALLY
DON’T CARE”
martin Weigel, W+K
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

20. PERHAPS BRANDS AND THE
SOCIAL WEB ARE JUST VERY
DIFFERENT TYPES OF THING?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

21. LET’S THINK
A LITTLE ABOUT
“CONVERSATIONS”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

22. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

23. WORKING WELL
COOPERATION
THE CRAFTSMAN
2008
TOGETHER
2012
WITH “CITIES”
TO FOLLOW...
THREE BOOKS ABOUT THE SKILLS PEOPLE
NEED TO SUSTAIN EVERYDAY LIFE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

24. COOPERATION
“AN EXCHANGE IN
WHICH THE
PARTICIPANTS
BENEFIT FROM THE
ENCOUNTER”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

25. IT CONTAINS A
VERY USEFUL
WAY TO THINK
ABOUT
CONVERSATION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

26. “WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT
COMMUNICATION SKILLS, WE FOCUS
ON HOW TO MAKE A CLEAR
PRESENTATION, TO PRESENT WHAT
WE THINK OR FEEL...”
RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

27. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

28. CONVERSATION IS
ABOUT LISTENING
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

29. BUT MORE IMPORTANT THAN
JUST LISTENING IS
LISTENING WELL
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

30. “ LISTENING CAREFULLY
PRODUCES CONVERSATIONS
OF TWO SORTS...
THE DIALECTIC
AND THE DIALOGIC ”
RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

31. WHAT THE F***?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

32. DIALECTIC
FROM WORK OF
GERMAN PHILOSOPHER
GWF HEGEL
THE INTERACTION AND
RESOLUTION BETWEEN
MULTIPLE IDEAS
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

33. DIALECTIC:
“THE AIM IS TO COME
EVENTUALLY TO A COMMON
UNDERSTANDING”
RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

34. Cb
C
Gf
AD
AD
bA
A
b AD fAD
g
CD
b
C
Fe
D
E
Ge
F
G
H
DIALECTIC WANTS CONSENSUS
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

35. ...NO MATTER
HOW GOOD THAT
CONSENSUS IS
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

36. DIALOGIC
FROM WORK OF RUSSIAN
PHILOSOPHER MIKHAIL BAHKTIN
“A DISCUSSION THAT DOES NOT
RESOLVE ITSELF BY FINDING
COMMON GROUND...”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

37. DIALOGIC:
“[PEOPLE] BECOME
MORE AWARE OF
THEIR OWN VIEWS
AND EXPAND THEIR
UNDERSTANDING
OF ONE ANOTHER”
RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

38. E
A C
H
G b
F D
IN DIALOGIC
CONVERSATION,
IDEOLOGIES COEXIST
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

39. E
A C
H
G b
F D
THEY
CONSTANTLY
INTERACT AND
INFORM EACH
OTHER
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

40. E
A C
H
G b
F D
EACH IDEOLOGY
CAN HOLD MORE
SALIENCE IN
CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

41. E
A C
H
G b
F D
CHANGES CAN BE
MADE IF A
STRATEGY DOES
NOT HAVE THE
DESIRED EFFECT
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

42. THIS MIGHT NOT JUST APPLY TO
“CONVERSATION”
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

43. THIS INTERPLAY OF
IDEAS IS VERY
REMINISCENT OF
THE SOCIAL WEB...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

44. WHAT IF THERE
ARE DIALECTIC AND
DIALOGIC
STRUCTURES &
CULTURES TOO?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

45. ARE TRADITIONAL
MARKETING
STRUCTURES LIKELY
TO BE MORE
DIALECTIC?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

46. ARE SOCIAL WEB
PLATFORMS AND
COMPANIES MORE
DIALOGIC IN NATURE?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

47. IT WOULD HELP
EXPLAIN THE
CULTURE CLASH
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

48. ARE BRANDS
INTENTIONALLY
FRACKING THE
SOCIAL WEB?
PERHAPS...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

49. OR IS IT THE FAULT OF A
MASSIVE CULTURAL DIVIDE?
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

50. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

51. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

52. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

53. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

54. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

55. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

56. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

57. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

58. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

59. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

60. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

61. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

62. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

63. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

64. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

65. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

66. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

67. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

68. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

69. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

70. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

71. YOUR TONE OF
ACTION IS WHAT
ATTRACTS PEOPLE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

72. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

73. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

74. MODERN ECONOMICS:
THE VALUE OF A THING IS
DETERMINED BY WHAT ONE IS
WILLING TO GIVE UP TO OBTAIN
THE THING
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

75. THE LABOUR THEORY OF VALUE
THE VALUE OF SOMETHING
IS DETERMINED BY THE
LABOUR THAT WENT
INTO ITS PRODUCTION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

76. PERHAPS THERE’S A
LABOUR THEORY OF
BRAND VALUE*
*it might need a better name, mind
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

77. FIELD NOTES
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

78. £0.99
PER PAD
£3.33
PER PAD
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

79. “MARKETING IS WORLD
BUILDING. WITH
UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH
WE CAN NOW SHOW YOU
THE WORLD.”
@TOBYBARNES
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

80. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

81. Labour theory
of brand value:
you have to make everything
with the infinite canvas of
the internet in mind
@WILLSH
http://rivetin.gs/legoinside
SMITHERY.CO

82. WE’D RATHER BUY
THIS WORLD...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

83. ...THAN
THIS WORLD
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

84. BRANDS OFTEN
FIND THIS HARD
BECAUSE OF THEIR
HOLLOW FACTORY
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

85. THERE ARE TWO
OPPOSITE FORCES
OF INNOVATION AT
WORK IN MOST BIG
BRANDS TODAY
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

86. MAKE PRODUCT
VERY EFFICIENTLY
MAKE MARKETING
AS INTERESTING
AS POSSIBLE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

87. MARX WAS
HALF RIGHT...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

88. IT’S NOT
ABOUT THE
MEANS OF
PRODUCTION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

89. IT’S ABOUT THE
MEANING
IN PRODUCTION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

90. OVER HERE, IT’S WAY
EASIER TO CREATE
MEANING IN PRODUCTION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

91. BUT IT DEMANDS
DRAMATIC CHANGES IN
HOW WE WORK
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

92. COMPETITION
SIMPLICITY
COMPRESSION
CERTAINTY
COOPERATION
COMPLEXITY
FRAGMENTATION
EXPERIMENTATION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

93. COMPLEXITY
FRAGMENTATION
EXPERIMENTATION
COOPERATION
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

94. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

95. FRAGMENTATION
EMBRACE THE
GRANULARITY OF
EVERYTHING YOU’VE
EVER DONE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

96. “
I’M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE MAKING
OF ‘IT’ -WHERE THE MAKING IS PART OF
THE STORY OF THE ‘IT’...
”
THOMAS HEATHERWICK
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

97. IT COULD BE
BLENDING
EVERYTHING
YOU DO NOW
WITH A RICH
TAPESTRY OF
YOUR PAST...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

98. OR IT COULD
BE SHOWING
EVERYONE
EVERYTHING
YOU DO TO
MAKE THEIR
THING...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

99. COOPERATION
IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE,
AND WHAT THEY DO
TOGETHER TO MAKE
GREAT THINGS HAPPEN
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

100. YEP.
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

101. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

102. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

103. HAVING LOTS OF
PEOPLE IN A
COMPANY MAKES
IT EASY...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

104. OWNING LOTS OF BRANDS
MAKES IT HARD
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

105. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

106. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

107. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

108. COMPLEXITY
DON’T CONSOLIDATE.
FRAGMENT BY SECTOR,
PRODUCT,
COUNTRY,
REGION...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

109. THINK OF IT THIS WAY
YOU ARE AN OPERATING SYSTEM
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

110. THERE IS NO “ONE
SIZE FITS ALL”
IN YOUTUBE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

111. WITH THE RIGHT
MECHANIC,
COMPLEXITY
BECOMES
AMAZINGLY
COMPELLING...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

112. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

113. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

114. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

115. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

116. EXPERIMENTATION
SHOW PEOPLE THE
FUTURE YOU WANT TO
LIVE IN WITH THEM
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

117. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

118. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

119. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

120. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

121. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

122. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

123. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

124. “IT’S NOT RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT, BUT
PERSISTENCE OF VISION...”
STUART WOOD
HEAD OF INNOVATION
HEATHERWICK STUDIO
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

125. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

126. WHICH ALL SOUNDS AMAZING
BUT HERE’S THE CATCH
YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP
SOMETHING FOR EACH OF THESE
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

127. TO EMBRACE
FRAGMENTATION
GIVE UP
PERFECTIONISM
SWAP IT FOR
CONTENT
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

128. TO EMBRACE
COOPERATION
GIVE UP
CONTROL
SWAP IT FOR
COMMUNITY
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

129. TO EMBRACE
COMPLEXITY
GIVE UP
CONSOLIDATION
SWAP IT FOR
SPEED
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

130. TO EMBRACE
EXPERIMENTATION
GIVE UP
KNOWING
SWAP IT FOR
LEARNING
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

131. “LEARN, THINK AND
THRIVE IN THE
CONTEXT OF WORKING
WITH MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES AND
ULTIMATE
UNCERTAINTY”
RUPERT WEGERIF
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

132. MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES...
MAKING SENSE OF BROAD BRANDS
EMILY HARE, EDITOR, CONTAGIOUS
HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/CONTAGIOUS
JOHN V WILLSHIRE, MARTIN WEIGEL, MARK EARLS,
SARAH WATSON, MARCUS WENNER...
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

133. @WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO

134. THANK YOU
JOHN V WILLSHIRE
HTTP://SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
JOHN@SMITHERY.CO
ARTEFACTSHOP.COM
@WILLSH
SMITHERY.CO