Marketing in the 21 century

An attempt at breaking three
axioms:
1. From branding battles to fighting
for Rhizomatic spaces (Rhizome)
2. From consumers in search of a
brand to narcissists in search for
empowerment
3. from the “big idea” to the “long
idea”

The phrase was coined by the philosophers Deleuze & Guattari

Rhizome is the root known to
us from our neighbors lawn

The Rhizome has a special
attribute; it shallowly roots in
one location then moves on
to an adjacent location where
it sets shallow roots again ..
And so on

the rhizome is created by it’s dispersal to a million fragments
simultaneously spreading in all directions

The new world allows brands
to become rhizomatic spaces
spanning over billions of
superficial holding spots that
are weaved together into an
almost never ending net

The ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ turned each one of us into a
“three-person-rhizome” with each of them becoming a new
“three-person-rhizome”
‫המורכב‬ ‫ריזום‬ ‫יצר‬ ‫אדם‬ ‫כל‬
‫מהם‬ ‫אחד‬ ‫שכל‬ ‫אנשים‬ ‫משלושה‬
‫משלושה‬ ‫המורכב‬ ‫ריזום‬ ‫יצר‬
‫אנשים‬

The result :
17 million videos generated by people in 159
countries and watched over 10 billion times

Domino’s emoji ordering made them rhizome friendly and allowed
them to easily immerse into the rhizomatic realm of Tweeter

Facebook is another example or a rhizome
it has no homepage but is complied by billions of personal pages

Youtube is also a rhizome, dispersed across the web through
billions of links scattered everywhere

Crowdsourcing is another
type of rhizome

Candy crush is the first
rhizomatic game.
It used the rhizome not
only as a distribution
platform but leveraged a
wide range of our emotions
(showing off, frustration,
jealousy…) to create a wide
net turning it from a game
to a rhizome

Just to clarify:
rhizome isn’t a digital or
virtual matter. Rhizomes are
created in the physical world
as well

Tripadvisor created a rhizome
connecting the physical and
the digital worlds

All these brands chose to disburse into a billion particles that
create a confederation much larger then the sum of its parts

Not to unify brands into one source but to disburse them into a
billion infectious pieces

From branding a single word in the consumers mind to creating
thousands of contact points based on relevance

Once marketing battles were for shelf space,
Then for space in the consumers mind,
Then for owning a heart space,
today it’s for rhizomatic spaces

2. understand consumers are
narcissists in search for
empowerment
3. stop creating big larger than life
ideas and start creating “long
ideas” with true meaning and
value
In order for a brand to
become a rhizomatic space it
first has to break its barriers
between itself and the public

The hierarchy between
brands and consumers has
changed over the curse of
marketing history

Starting with Avis – We’ll do more for you

Continued with Nike – We’ll help you realize your potential

The “new brands” have taken this trend to the extreme;
an empty line waiting 24/7 to realize your every whim

This trend is going to farther
intensify. Since todays
consumers aren’t seeking
brands but are narcissists in
search of empowerment

Facebook gives us the sense of being the center of the universe
• my picture is at the top of the page and next to any post, comment or like
• Each of my actions is announced to the nation I’ve created, in order for it to
reply with a reaffirming “Like”
• I get a News feed about the actions of each of my subjects
• And I has sole control over how if granted entrance and who get banished

Smartphone games rewards
are also based on
empowering our inner
narcissist

Unlike “games of old” where a win would come along once in a
blue moon. New games offer positive feedback every 34 sec
‫סקאלות‬‫קצרות‬.
‫אינסופיות‬ ‫כמעט‬.
‫אין‬‫תצליח‬ ‫שלא‬ ‫סיכוי‬.
‫לא‬‫גיל‬ ‫באיזה‬ ‫משנה‬.
‫בכל‬‫אפיזודה‬‫תקבל‬"‫פרס‬"‫משנה‬ ‫לא‬ ‫כלשהו‬
‫שלך‬ ‫הביצוע‬ ‫רמת‬ ‫הייתה‬ ‫מה‬.

Unlike real life where we are often pressured to do better…
in the game world every small step is being celebrated for

The games create an
addictive conditioning for
positive feedback.
We don’t get hooked on the
game but on the positive
feedbacks it offers

Many brands have learned how to harness our narcissistic whims

Sharing our
“accomplishments” through
social media and developing
tools that allow us to gain
recognition for sharing

Creating virtual symbols that
grant loyal users a higher
status which they can show
off with

A brand wishes to become a rhizome must learn to empower
the narcissistic whims of thimbles with a superiority complex

The British Department for tourism is allowing Chinese users to
name sights throughout Great Britain

Iphone = everyone has a camera.
Iphone 6 Campaign = Everyone is a photographer

2. understand consumers are
narcissists in search for
empowerment
3. stop creating big larger than life
ideas and start creating “long
ideas” with true meaning and
value
Which brings us to our third
and final axiom

the “big idea” is a holy cow that became a milking cow

It was founded with the development of mass media channels

If you’re standing in front of a crowd and you have only 30 sec
it’s better to bring a bat

Media budgets grew, productions became grandiose,
larger than life presenter.. All time classic hit song ..

And brands were pumped up to ginormous size

Their sheer size and
pompousness made them
detached winded farts

Consumers have grown tired of larger then life promises

The 2nd free association to the word “ads” is “unreliable”
with 90% of the people claiming that ads have nothing to do
with the product their promoting
Quantitative research, 500+, gen pop 18+, panels

The distrust acts as a wedge
between brands and
consumers killing any
possibility of forming a
rhizome

However, think what would
happen if instead of an idea
that has a lifespan of 30 sec
we would search for ideas
that have a lifespan
of a year ?!

Then instead of big ideas we’d have long ideas
That create meaning and value over time
And allow consumers to unite around them like a rhizome

To become a rhizome you have to be connected to life,
not larger than life

The rhizomatic brands of the 21st century are all based on
long ideas that bring value to life

The world is moving from ads
to actions. The walk is
stronger than the talk. Doing
something real is worth much
more than any big
production commercial that
says a lot but actually
nothing

Always #LIKEAGIRL = idea that united women from all around
the whole world into one rhizome = 4.58 billion impressions

Volvo Life Paint creates a nighttime rhizome

An example of a long idea that empowers consumers
and unites them into a rhizome

‫אחד‬ ‫לכל‬ ‫המאפשר‬ ‫לכלי‬ ‫ולהפוך‬
‫להשוות‬ ‫מאתנו‬,‫להשתתף‬
‫באתגרים‬,‫וכמובן‬ ‫להעצים‬
‫להשוויץ‬‫בהישגים‬‫שלו‬

Allows users to challenge, be empowered and of course
show off their achievements

Building a community out of the rhizome they created

Gathering under rhizomes is a basic human tendency
Religion is a rhizome
Countries are rhizomes
Rhizomes are heterotopic spaces that connect people to
virtual & physical spaces which give them identities and
meaning
Brands are rhizomes as well
In the future brands that wont evolve into rhizomes will
vanish

Guy Weinberger
Chief Strategy Officer @McCann Erickson IL
CEO & Chief Strategy Officer @DDB IL
Deputy CEO & Chief Strategy Officer @Y&R IL
Partner & CEO @DOGFISH STRATEGIES
1995 - 2015 - Effie Awards Jury
2010 - Eurobest Hamburg Jury
2015 - Cannes Lions jury

Marketing in the 21 century

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