CultureCasting: A New Movement in Socializing Media

DAY 1: CultureCas)ng A New Movement in Socializing Media Gunther Sonnenfeld Principal | Digital Brand Strategist ThinkState -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

“In order for BRANDS to be RELEVANT in the world, they must help IMPROVE the world.”

What is CULTURE? LOVE, actually… -‐ Nick Pla3, ECD, RAPP Worldwide

Great brands CELEBRATE the connections !people make with each other."

(and)" SPREAD" CULTURE."

CASTING is the process by which we establish those connections.

CULTURECASTING: The ways in which we SOCIALIZE OUR MEDIA… … in order to make everlasting brand CONNECTIONS.

ARE MEDIA

You may have noticed… PEOPLE OWN BRANDS not companies.

RESEARCH There’s a ton of to support this phenomenon.

On a deeper level, brands are the EXPECTATION of things to come."

They are the primary CONDUITS OF CHANGE within our culture."

So, let’s declare into truth that PEOPLE ARE MEDIA.

(and establish that) ALL MEDIA ARE INHERENTLY SOCIAL.

Digital OOH numbers are resurging… just one example of how ads and experiences can be ‘line’ agnostic.

THINK about it for a moment: … every type of interaction we exper ience …

… Is part of a larger ECOSYSTEM: US (as in you and me)

MEDIA as “conversations”.

All media can be VALUABLE…" … but CONVERSATIONS are the real currency we share."

SOME MODERN LORE: A friend is always late to meetings and social events. The reason for this is that he always wants to give each and every conversation its due course, so that the next conversation can build from the previous one and real progress is made. In other words, he understands that by fulﬁlling on every conversation, each relationship is advanced within the discourse of daily life."

The analogy is that a conversation is like a tree. If you cut the trees branches off before they've had a chance to fully bloom, then the tree can grow outwardly, but not up. But if we nurture the branches to their full extent, then the tree can grow up to its full potential, and help grow more trees. SEED CULTIVATE PROLIFERATE REGENERATE

Naturally, leaves fall from branches just as conversations can die off or fade away. But what we glean from those dialogues allows us to develop new perspectives and keep those branches growing. They are the seeds that enable our relationships to keep moving forward >>>

SOCIAL FORESTATION: The process of fostering conversation by providing relevant nutrition, enabling communities to develop, grow and develop.

BOTTOM LINE: we can EMPOWER consumers to do the heavy lifting for us.

At the end of the day, the inability of advertisers to reach consumers in a “fragmented” environment isn’t a function of ‘traditional’ versus ‘non-traditional’, ‘offline’ or ‘online’, or any of the disconnects brands and agencies share. It’s the inability, or unwillingness, to adapt to the world around us, a world that no longer cares about the status quo, and is telling us so right to our faces. The really sad part is that we look at this as a PROBLEM, rather than an OPPORTUNITY.

The PERCEIVED DIFFERENCES in media are only one part of the problem." CONTENT is a whole ‘nother issue."

“An interes0ng problem (we face) — some marketers aren’t interested in storytelling. Most storytellers aren’t interested in marke0ng.” -‐ Ivan Askwith, Senior Strategist, Big Spaceship

First, we must all focus on EMPOWERING &REDEFINING CULTURE.

We must transition from a ‘ME’ CULTURE >>>>>> … To a ‘WE’ CULTURE

“Instead of asking, ‘How do we BREAK THROUGH?’ Marketers should be asking, ‘How do we FIT IN?’” -Nick Law, Chief Creative Officer, R/GA

As marketers, we shouldn’t try to DISRUPT by pushing our messages and agendas. We should ADOPT people’s perspectives, and ADAPT to them. Adoption & adaption make our messages STRONGER.

A Brand formalizes a relationship with a consumer by virtue of a living, breathing, ongoing STORY."

A brand can add, shape and improve upon other stories, by weaving them into the LARGER CONTEXT of the world.

Of the places and EXPERIENCES in which people live and THRIVE.

EVERYTHING IS CAUSE RELATED. (the world demands it)

CAUSES DON’T HAVE TO BE PHILANTHROPIC, OR DESIGNATED AS “FOR PROFIT” OR “NON”. THEY JUSY HAVE TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO ACT .

“The paradox of prosperity is that while living standards have risen steadily decade aPer decade, personal, family and life saQsfacQon haven't budged. That's why more people-‐-‐-‐liberated by prosperity but not fulﬁlled by it-‐-‐-‐are resolving the paradox by searching for meaning. As Columbia University's Andrew Delbanco puts it, ‘ The most striking feature of contemporary culture is the unslaked craving for transcendence.’” -‐ Daniel Pink

Do you think that this is just a COINCIDENCE?"

Or THIS?"

“Objects of design and desire are never going to scratch the itch, in short. Only the moral imperaQve of self-‐actualizaQon (because we no longer have to struggle to survive-‐-‐-‐ the sheer nasQness of this global recession aside) will stand as the single most important driver in most people's lives. That's our talisman as marketers.” -‐Brendan Howley, Novelist | Screenwriter | AcQvist | Partner, Fresh Baked Entertainment

NOW, the primary responsibility of brands is to provide SOCIAL NUTRITION.

Through CONVERSATION and COLLABORATION… … COMMON INTERESTS (not special interests) rule the day.

By DOING GOOD." ! !And FEELING GOOD about doing good.

[the variables behind] USER ARCHETYPES HAVE SHIFTED… AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO.

COMMON INTERESTS often supersede AGE or ECONOMICS. They are what bring COMMUNITIES together.

COMMUNITIES can’t be placed into hierarchies or vertical categories as we know them. They function in just the opposite way. They reach across everything that will allow them to flourish. They are driven by PASSION, INSPIRATION and the desire to be EXTRAORDINARY.

Meet “DAN”, the 63-year-old iPhone user."

TRUE STORY: Dan and his family owned 6 car dealerships in Southern California. When the parent company’s sales started dropping by over 43%, Dan decided to reach out to the community.

Dan started by reaching out to other car aficionados."

But he soon realized that this group was connected to other groups. And other groups. And other groups.

AND SO ON…

Pretty soon, the interests of the local community were vocalized. Dan rallied car aficionados, musicians, artists, bakers and other culturalists to create special events held at the dealerships. The events were held to raise funds for local charities, and, for people to simply enjoy each other’s company, around things that meant something to them in their everyday lives.

He even used a nice MEDIA MIX of online ads, newspapers ads, local TV, social conversations, radio spots, mobile sweepstakes and direct mail to extend the message that his dealerships stood for something more than just places that sold cars.

Despite the economy, sales at Dan’s dealerships were higher than they’ve been in 35 years. Dan accomplished this by realizing, quite simply, that PEOPLE SELL CARS TO OTHER PEOPLE.

(higher) BRINGING PURPOSE TO OUR PURCHASE DECISIONS.

‘CULTURECASTING’ IS JUST A FANCY WORD… 

You see, we can call “IT” whatever we want." !But at the end of the day, RELATIONSHIPS are all that matter." !" Relationships that can live beyond the life of a CAMPAIGN." ! !And that create LEGACIES we can pass on to our CHILDREN."

… To describe what all GOOD MARKETING can and should be." !A catalyst for HEIGHTENED HUMAN INTERACTION."

Dare we say, !ENLIGHTENMENT."

Through the 3 “E”s of SOCIAL CHANGE:" ! ! ECONOMICS" ! ! ! ! ! !EMPOWERMENT" ! ! ! !ENVIRONMENT"

BRANDS can continue to matter in an EVER- CHANG ING WORLD.

1. THINK ABOUT PEOPLE (BECOME THEIR NEEDS) 2. SOCIALIZE YOUR MEDIA (BE HUMANE) 3. CREATE SHARED VALUE AROUND YOUR BRAND (BE THE WORLD)

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING. (see you tomorrow ;)

CultureCasting: A New Movement in Socializing Media

by Gunther Sonnenfeld on Dec 07, 2009

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