This document discusses the concept of "CultureCasting" and how brands can build meaningful connections with consumers. It argues that brands should focus on empowering culture and fostering conversations, rather than disrupting. A story is told of a car dealership owner, Dan, who increased sales significantly by connecting with his local community through events that brought people together around shared interests. The document advocates that brands provide "social nutrition" by doing good and collaborating with communities in order to form real relationships with consumers.
CultureCasting: A New Movement in Socializing Media
1. DAY
1:
CultureCas)ng
A
New
Movement
in
Socializing
Media
Gunther Sonnenfeld
Principal | Digital Brand Strategist
ThinkState
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
2. “In
order
for
BRANDS
to
be
RELEVANT
in
the
world,
they
must
help
IMPROVE
the
world.”
3.
4.
5. What
is
CULTURE?
LOVE,
actually…
-‐
Nick
Pla3,
ECD,
RAPP
Worldwide
26. All media can be VALUABLE…"
… but CONVERSATIONS are the real
currency we share."
27. 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."
29. 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
30. 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 >>>
31. SOCIAL FORESTATION:
The process of fostering conversation by providing
relevant nutrition, enabling communities to develop, grow
and develop.
34. 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.
37. “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
38. First, we must all focus on EMPOWERING
&REDEFINING
CULTURE.
40. “Instead of asking, ‘How do we BREAK THROUGH?’ Marketers
should be asking, ‘How do we FIT IN?’”
-Nick Law, Chief Creative Officer, R/GA
41. 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.
42.
43. A Brand formalizes a relationship with a
consumer by virtue of a living,
breathing, ongoing STORY."
44. A brand can add, shape and improve upon other stories,
by weaving them into the LARGER CONTEXT of the world.
45. Of the places and
EXPERIENCES in
which people
live and THRIVE.
49. CAUSES DON’T HAVE TO BE
PHILANTHROPIC, OR
DESIGNATED AS “FOR
PROFIT” OR “NON”.
THEY JUSY HAVE TO
INSPIRE PEOPLE TO
ACT .
50. “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
53. “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
65. 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.
69. 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.
73. 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.
74.
75. 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.
76.
77. 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.
80. 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."
81. … To describe what all
GOOD MARKETING can
and should be."
!A catalyst for
HEIGHTENED
HUMAN
INTERACTION."