"Why Making Things People Want beats Making People Want Things" is a talk I gave at Ad:tech 2013 in London at the Kensington Olympia. It's nearly two years since I stumbled across the phrase as a galvanising idea for the work I do with clients and agencies here at Smithery, so it's been great to reinterrogate the notion slighty in the context of some other things. As always, a smattering of economics and maker culture infuses it all.

1. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
WHY
MAKINGTHINGSPEOPLEWANT
BEATS
MAKINGPEOPLEWANTTHINGS
12.09.2013
ADTECH
LONDON
51.4951°N, 0.2061°W
HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/ADTECH2013
JOHNVWILLSHIRE,SMITHERY

2. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
WHATISITYOU
ACTUALLYDO...?

3. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
NOWITELLPEOPLE...
THELASTTHINGIDID
THENEXTTHINGI’MDOING

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@WILLSH
THELASTTHINGIDIDMONDAY9THSEPTEMBER2013

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@WILLSH
WHYAMIHERE?

6. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
ISN’TITQUITEFAR
AWAYFROMPHDMEDIA?

7. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
WHATISMEDIA
NOWADAYS?

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@WILLSH
MEDIAISA
VEHICLEFOR
KNOWLEDGE
CESARHIDALGO,MITMEDIALAB
“
”

9. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MEDIAISTHE
CONNECTIVETISSUE
OFSOCIETY
CLAYSHIRKY,NYU
“
”

10. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MEDIAISHYBRID
JUSTLIKEBUILDINGS,DEVICES,
SPACES,EVENTSETC
NOTHINGISALL-DIGITALANY
MORETHATIT’SALL-PHYSICAL
DANHILL,FABRICA
“
”

11. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MEDIANOWSTARTS
ATPRODUCTCREATION

12. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

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@WILLSH
“WORKOF”

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@WILLSH
“GOODSMADE”

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@WILLSH

16. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MARKETINGHASBECOME
ADVERTISINGMANAGEMENT

17. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
IT’SHARDLYANEWPROBLEM

18. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“THEPRINCIPALTASKOFTHEMARKETING
FUNCTION…
SOURCE:ALANMITCHELL-HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/MCKITTERICK

19. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“THEPRINCIPALTASKOFTHEMARKETING
FUNCTION…ISNOTSOMUCHTOBE
SKILFULINMAKINGTHECUSTOMERDO
WHATSUITSTHEINTERESTSOFTHE
BUSINESS
SOURCE:ALANMITCHELL-HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/MCKITTERICK

20. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“THEPRINCIPALTASKOFTHEMARKETING
FUNCTION…ISNOTSOMUCHTOBE
SKILFULINMAKINGTHECUSTOMERDO
WHATSUITSTHEINTERESTSOFTHE
BUSINESSASTOBESKILLEDINCONCEIVING
ANDTHENMAKINGTHEBUSINESSDO
WHATSUITSTHEINTERESTSOF
THECUSTOMER“
SOURCE:ALANMITCHELL-HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/MCKITTERICK

21. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“THEPRINCIPALTASKOFTHEMARKETING
FUNCTION…ISNOTSOMUCHTOBE
SKILFULINMAKINGTHECUSTOMERDO
WHATSUITSTHEINTERESTSOFTHE
BUSINESSASTOBESKILLEDINCONCEIVING
ANDTHENMAKINGTHEBUSINESSDO
WHATSUITSTHEINTERESTSOF
THECUSTOMER“
SOURCE:ALANMITCHELL-HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/MCKITTERICK
JOHNMCKITTERICK,GE,1957

22. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“HAS
MARKETING
FAILED,
ORWASIT
NEVERREALLY
TRIED?”
1985PAPERBYSTEPHENKING,JWT

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@WILLSH
FOUR
MARKETING
ROUTESTO
FAILURE...

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@WILLSH
THRUST
MARKETING1

25. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
marketing
MARKETING
DEPARTMENT
MARKETING2

26. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
ACCOUNTANT’S
MARKETING3
JANUARY DECEMBER
PAYBACK

27. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
FORMULA
MARKETING4
success =
x Y
z
+

28. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
FOUR
ESSENTIAL
ASPECTSOF
REAL
MARKETING

29. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
STARTWITH
THECUSTOMER1

30. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
WORKING
OVERTIME2

31. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
USINGALL
RESOURCES3CEO
marketing
manufacturing

32. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
INNOVATION4
CREATIVITYTHAT
DELIVERSVALUE

33. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
ALLDEEPLY
LINKEDTO
PRODUCT

34. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
YETCURRENTLY,
MARKETINGISFAILING

35. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
PEOPLE
WOULDNOT
CAREIF70%
OFBRANDS
DISAPPEARED
HAVASMEDIAMEANINGFULBRAND
STUDY,2012

36. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
PEOPLE
WOULDNOT
CAREIF73%
OFBRANDS
DISAPPEARED
HAVASMEDIAMEANINGFULBRAND
STUDY,2013

37. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
BRANDSAREINBADSHAPE.
LITERALLY.

38. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/PYRAMID

39. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THEMODERNBRANDIS
LIKEABITTORRENTFILE

40. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
IMPOSSIBLE
FORANYONE
MINDTO
CONCEIVE...

41. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
@TOBYBARNES
“MARKETINGIS
WORLDBUILDING.
WITHUNLIMITED
BANDWIDTHWECAN
NOWSHOWYOUTHE
WORLD.”

42. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
TRADITIONALBRANDSARETHE
WORSTMODERNBRANDBUILDERS

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@WILLSH

44. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

45. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“LIKEYACHTRACING,
MODERNMARKETS
AREANENVIRONMENT
DEFINEDSOLELYBYTHE
POSITIONOFTHE
COMPETITORS,RATHER
THANBYANYABSOLUTE
GEOGRAPHY”
JOHNCRONK,2001

46. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MARKETINGWASTHEVENDÉEGLOBE

47. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THEBIGBOATS
CAN’TSEE
ALLTHELITTLEBOATS

48. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

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@WILLSH

50. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

51. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

52. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
YOURTONEOF
ACTIONISWHAT
ATTRACTSPEOPLE

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@WILLSH

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@WILLSH

55. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

56. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MODERNECONOMICS:
THEVALUEOFATHING
ISDETERMINEDBY
WHATONEISWILLING
TOGIVEUPTOOBTAIN
THETHING

57. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THELABOURTHEORY
OFVALUE
THEVALUEOFSOMETHING
ISDETERMINEDBYTHE
LABOURTHATWENT
INTOITSPRODUCTION

58. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
PERHAPSTHERE’SA
LABOURTHEORYOF
BRANDVALUE*
*ITMIGHTNEEDABETTERNAME

59. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
FIELDNOTES

60. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
£0.99 £3.33
PERPADPERPAD

61. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
“MARKETINGIS
WORLDBUILDING.
WITHUNLIMITED
BANDWIDTHWE
CANNOWSHOW
YOUTHEWORLD.”
@TOBYBARNES

62. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

63. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
LABOURTHEORY
OFBRANDVALUE:
YOUHAVETOMAKEEVERYTHINGWITHTHE
INFINITECANVASOFTHEINTERNETINMIND

64. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
WE’DRATHERBUY
THISWORLD...

65. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
...THANTHISWORLD

66. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
MARXWAS
HALF
RIGHT...

67. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
IT’SNOT
ABOUTTHE
MEANSOF
PRODUCTION

68. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
IT’SABOUTTHE
MEANING
INPRODUCTION

69. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THERE’SAFOLKSYAND
AFIELDNOTESFOR
EVERYMARKET,
EVERYPRODUCT,
EVERYSERVICE

70. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
SOWHATSHOULDWEDO?

71. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
COOPERATION
COMPLEXITY
FRAGMENTATION EXPERIMENTATION

72. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
EMBRACETHE
GRANULARITYOF
EVERYTHING
YOU’VEEVERDONE
FRAGMENTATION

73. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
ITCOULDBE
BLENDING
EVERYTHING
YOUDONOW
WITHARICH
TAPESTRYOF
YOURPAST...

74. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
ORITCOULD
BESHOWING
EVERYONE
EVERYTHING
YOUDOTO
MAKETHEIR
THING...

75. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
h
IT’SALLABOUTPEOPLE,
ANDWHATTHEYDO
TOGETHERTOMAKE
GREATTHINGSHAPPEN
COOPERATION

76. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
YEP.

77. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

78. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

79. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
HAVINGLOTSOF
PEOPLEINA
COMPANY
MAKESITEASY...

80. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
OWNINGLOTSOFBRANDS
MAKESITHARD

81. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
DON’TCONSOLIDATE.
FRAGMENTBY
SECTOR,
PRODUCT,
COUNTRY,
REGION...
COMPLEXITY

82. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THEREISNO
“ONESIZE
FITSALL”
INYOUTUBE

83. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
WITHTHERIGHT
MECHANIC,
COMPLEXITY
BECOMES
AMAZINGLY
COMPELLING...

84. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

85. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
EXPERIMENTATION
SHOWPEOPLETHE
FUTUREYOU
WANTTOLIVEIN
WITHTHEM

86. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

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@WILLSH

88. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

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@WILLSH

90. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH

91. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
YOUHAVETO
GIVEUP
SOMETHING
FOREACHOF
THESE...

92. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
PERFECTIONISM
FRAGMENTATION
CONTENT
GIVEUP
TOEMBRACE
SWAPITFOR

93. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
COOPERATION
GIVEUP
CONTROL
TOEMBRACE
SWAPITFOR
COMMUNITY

94. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
GIVEUP
CONSOLIDATION
TOEMBRACE
COMPLEXITY
SWAPITFOR
SPEED

95. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
GIVEUP
KNOWING
TOEMBRACE
EXPERIMENTATION
SWAPITFOR
LEARNING

96. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THENEXT
THING
I’MDOING

97. SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
THANKYOUJOHNVWILLSHIRE
HTTP://SMITHERY.CO
@WILLSH
JOHN@SMITHERY.CO
ARTEFACTCARDS-HTTP://SHOP.SMITHERY.CO