Future Web Trends

Future Web Trends Where brands, people, and technology meet. Presented at Colle + McVoy, January 23, 2009

Stop Chasing ‣Trying to find the coolest shiny object will not help you ‣Google has looked at over one trillion pages ‣How much information will be created this year? ‣Four Exabytes ‣(4.0x10^19)

Look for the larger framework ‣Don’t start with the story ‣Start with the narrative ‣The entire arc of communication ‣Pick the best parts ‣Create subtext ‣Make them technologically available

Aristotle ‣Poetics ‣The art of imitating life ‣Linear Narrative ‣Beginning, middle, end ‣350 BCE

Poetry is the Foundation of Narrative ‣Poets have always been civilization’s systems thinkers ‣Taking complex societal movements ‣Expressing these concepts in concise, evocative terms ‣Requires deft manipulation of narrative conventions ‣Billy Collins, “Aristotle”

The destination we cannot help imagining

A streak of light in the sky

A hat on a peg

And outside the cabin,

And outside the cabin, falling leaves

Classic 3-Act Narrative ‣Broadly, this is this is the framework we use to create stories Visible Story Beginning Middle End Complete Narrative Linear timeline

Classic Campaigns These videos, as well as the navigation above it are both examples of classic beginning-middle-end narrative convention. It works! Beginning Middle End

Circular Narrative What makes circular narrative different, in this broad stroke, is that the visible storyline is detached from the linear timeline which it refers to. story Circular Narrative Beginning Middle End Complete Narrative Linear timeline Story takes place after main timeline

What is the result of well- executed circular narrative?

Arguably the greatest movie of all time

Citizen Kane Structure We try to solve the mystery of Kane’s last word, “Rosebud” by ‣ learning about his life through the filter of those who were closest to him.

Rosebud

Mapping the Story Viewer ‣And if we were to create a Kane’s Wal ter Thatc her conceptual model of this Life interaction: M r B er ns tein J e didia h Lel and Character interactions with Rosebud Kane to explain Rosebud M r. Thomp s on Sus a n Al e x a nde r Exposed in scenes to the S er vant viewer through character filter

This is Social Media Community User Experience Public Internet ‣When Will Evans Brand visualized brand- Branded Public Content centered social Brand Brand media, it was clear Community this is the same model as circular narrative Brand Lifes t yl e/ Editor ial Find out more about Will at Brand blog.semanticfoundry.com

Circular Narrative is Interactive Narrative Linear to the viewer, circular to the brand

Circular Media Societal norms Opportunity to represent My norms? peers on TV via mobile Check peers

What Bridges these Devices? Widgets

ComScore reports: everyone uses widgets ‣77% penetration in the US ‣Just over 80% in Canada ‣Many Don’t even know they’re using them

Portable Brands ‣Where can I take it?

Portable Brands ‣Marketing through branded portals (free)

Portable Brands ‣To a Facebook profile

Portable Brands ‣To the Dashboard

Claus Facebook Page

Claus Facebook Page User Experience Viewer Each media object filters MP3s narrative from the brand to Claus the product, through the Claus character, to the Video e - c ard audience. Palm Centro Sadly, this nice, effective (90k+ friends) circular The Wal l G if t narrative was planned in a ap p l ic ation linear model, leading to.... Naught y or N ice Claus as circular narrative first published by Adam Broitman http://amediacirc.us/

Sigh.

Applications Deeper meaning in the context of brands.

The greater meaning of juxtaposition An idea from 1923 is what fuels Social Media Today

Sergei Eisenstein ‣At the Circus, discovered that each added ring (attraction) increased the subtext and meaning created depending on contrast. ‣In 1923, he applied this to film theory with the “Montage of Attractions”

Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions ‣With one image, the viewer can come to a simple conclusion about its meaning.

Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions ‣Juxtaposing two images of low contrast (similar color values) tells the viewer that these items are linked. ‣A greater subtextual meaning and interest is created.

Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions ‣Adding a third image of high contrast changes the meaning of all three pictures, creating even more meaning and interest to the viewers’ experience.

Sergei Eisenstein: Montage of Attractions ‣Even changing the order in which the contrast appears changes the subtextual meanings, and the story we take away.

Montage of Attractions: Visa ‣Creating a desktop RSS reader with low contrast in the application transforms the subtextual meaning of news to be within the context of the Visa brand.

Emotional connections in the context of a larger brand ‣Visual contrast of four main elements ‣Creates visual, auditory juxtapositions for my music experience in the context of Apple

Emotional connections in the context of a larger brand ‣The emotional, subtextual meanings created in the interface are transferred to the store ‣Audiences are persuaded and trained on how to shop by organizing the music that’s most important to them.

Create attractions for all audiences ‣The future trend for agencies is to create meaningful interfaces for external and internal audiences

The Brand At the Top Ultimately Wins ‣Following basic usability, top of the visual hierarchy is most important item. ‣Contrast and juxtaposition dictates meaning, value

Brands as a Platform APIs rule.

APIs ‣Application Programming Interface ‣Allows developers to take a controlled subset of your data ‣Create interfaces for their own niche audiences ‣The conceptual framework isn’t new at all

APIs Brand Developers Audience

This is Not a Website It’s the Twitter Web interface

How Twitter Works (in theory) Desktop apps Tweetdeck, Twhirl Web Apps Twitter.com, Search.Twitter.com, Web Widgets, Facebook Phone Apps Twitterberry Twitterific, et. al. TV

What Makes Twitter So Engaging? ‣Juxtaposition of images of faces with unpredictable text ‣API allows developers to design this engaging contrast in environment suited to their audience. ‣Montage of attractions = any text juxtaposition will make contrast of messages more sub-textually meaningful

How Twitter Engages: Juxtaposing images and text I’m walking the dog. This party is insane! I’m sacrificing goats.

Juxtaposition Between Tweets ‣More than any three-ring circus, the Twitter Web interface is driving almost endless possibilities of subtextual meaning via contrasting images and text.

Juxtaposition Between Web Pages ‣The experience of navigating Twitter.com is always juxtaposing contrasting images ‣The only consistency is in the Logo at top and ordering of objects

Juxtaposition Between Application Designs ‣Each App provides a more fine-tuned UX ‣for the media and audience

Miller ServerSpeak ‣B2B ‣Teaching Bartender Tips ‣Watch the video ‣Take the quiz ‣Win a prize

Solution: Common Engine Content ‣One inventory of content serves up experience unique to segment

But We Can’t Offer Prizes ‣We can offer prizes if they have no tangible value ‣How much is a Facebook Virtual Trophy worth? ‣115 exposures per win

Mapping the Experience Viewer Cl ub hous e Server Speak Par t y Central Videos, Quizzes, Prizes, User Data ‘Ol R el iab l e Sp otl ight Home Away From Home

APIs enable the “local destinations” of the information age Put the content, utility where people are.

Distribution History of the New York Times Newsboys API Newsstands Honor Boxes

This is Not Just Push Marketing

Why Use Social Networks for Pull? ‣Put brand in the context of friends, peer group ‣Social Proof ‣The crowded line, canned laughter

Bring The Social Network Back To You

API Push/Pull is Important For People ‣Portability creates stronger friendships ‣Positioning within the peer group ‣Makes usernames and passwords easy to remember ‣For the user ‣For the brand

Twitpic: Dual-Purpose API use ‣Put your picture on TwitPic ‣Sends it to Twitter This is not Twitter. Just using Twitter user data.

How Brands Collaborate for API Push/Pull

How Can Brands Take Advantage of this? ‣Start one step into their own registration process ‣Provide API-based functions that help users on their own site ‣But is there critical mass in social networking?

Top Four Most Popular TV Shows ‣M*A*S*H* 50.1M ‣Dallas 41.47M ‣Facebook 40M US users ‣Roots 36.38M

The Death of Mom Jokes in Social Networks When Everyone is on Social Networks: Social Networking in Small, Private Groups

Niche Networks Leveraging Time/Place/Exclusivity

Now That People Get Social Networks ‣Private Social Networks help facilitate: ‣Consensus for purchase ‣Big Ticket items like Diamond Rings, Wedding Dresses ‣Coordination purchases like vacations ‣Sharing pictures, conversation with small groups

Let’s Wrap This Thing Up. What the heck was he talking about?

The More Things Change... ‣Linear narrative has, and will continue to be solid ‣Interactive, circular narrative is how brands need to furnish content going forward ‣Provide ways for people to mediate societal norms ‣Think more in terms of sponsoring experiences

Preparing For Ubiquitous Computing ‣Look for visual relationships, contrasts, meanings in platforms ‣How do people express identity, hierarchy within peer groups? ‣Agencies need to think in terms of connecting people to content, with meaningful design and UX ‣ Inside and outside the organization

Think of brands as platforms ‣Widgets ‣Put value wherever people are ‣Applications ‣Brands must provide utility ‣APIs ‣The world is becoming networked

Help People Connect Or be left behind.

Thank you. ‣Michael Leis ‣Trellist Marketing | Technology ‣Senior Associate, Strategy ‣mleis@trellist.com ‣@mleis