IanSchafer.com

Recognizing Memeoganda.

The onset of digital media has enabled communication, information, and news to flow quicker than ever before. The sheer velocity of information has had devastating effects on the newspaper industry (at least the printed elements) and consumers have changed their behavior to adapt.

No longer do we have to wait until the 11pm local newscast to find out what happened in our city. We don't even have to respect the anchorperson's request to stay tuned until after the commercial break to hear about a news story. We can just go to any number of websites to get that news before that brief break is over.

When an online news source breaks some piece of information (with our without fact-checking), blogs swoop in to comment, and news aggregator (i.e. Digg) users vote stories up, and they become 'the news'. And the more news becomes endorsed by the people reading it, the more 'true' it feels. Fact-checked or not.

I recently saw a panel at SXSW on the online behavior of teens and tweens, and when a few of the teenaged panelists mentioned that they got their news from Digg, it made me shudder. As great of a tool as Digg is for finding interesting pieces of online content, it's not a news source. Just an 'interesting content' recommendation engine.

But even journalists and professional bloggers use recommendation engines. They're out there; techmeme is an example. And sometimes those recommendation engines are other journalists and bloggers. In this new era of online journalism, these recommendations have become known as 'memes'. Wikipedia defines a 'meme' as consisting of any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that gets transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods and terms such as race, culture, and ethnicity. Memes propagate themselves and can move through a "culture" in a manner similar to the behavior of a virus.

While memes often reflect important topics, they also have the potential to create stagnant monologues that doesn't necessarily get us anywhere -- eventually just turning what should be solution-deriving conversations, into noise. That's when memes make the leap from becoming units of cultural information and legitimate conversation to being momentum-generated waves of propaganda. Or, as I will business cliche-ify, memeoganda.

What used to be called 'trend pieces' are now being ripped from the headlines of blogs and even other publications. The biggest culprits tend to be traditional (especially print) media, and overzealous bloggers (in fact, I randomly stumbled upon this post by Mark Evans on the topic of blog topics via Techmeme) looking to capitalize on popular conversations/memes.

When journalists in traditional publications stop having original things to say, or just have the same ruminations on existing problems without offering up solutions, we get classic memeoganda. Lately, I've seen examples of memoganda regarding the ad industry ranging from the 'death of ad networks' to 'facebook's demise' to 'google click volume' to 'the death of the music industry' to even the state of the economy/recession.

These trend pieces get written so quickly and so close to each other, that while they may raise awareness of important topics, they water down the depth of the coverage, and result in a stream of 'also-ran' stories.

I started writing this blog post last night, and right on cue, this morning Techcrunch tells us about a new startup called Publish2 that will make memoganda even easier by providing journalists and newsrooms with their own Digg-like resource for finding out what's hot.

You know, maybe it's just me, but I yearn for the days when journalists broke hot stories rather than write about stories that are already hot. Memeoganda is sucking the life out of investigative journalism and seems to be more about finding new and exciting ways to conjure up ad inventory than to publish content with depth and meaning. And while stories that yield more ad inventory (read: linkbaiting) can be good bottom-line revenue band-aid, they are not the solution to mainstream journalism's woes.

The long-term answer is to strive to be the best at what you do. Break the news that matters. Investigate the broken news deeper. Don't fall prey to the easiness of spreading memeoganda.

Henry Jenkins on The Moral Economy of Web 2.0

MIT Convergence Culture guru Henry Jenkins posts a 3-part essay on the cultural politics of Web 2.0 with colleague Joshua Green (together, Jenkins and Green organize the Futures of Entertainment conferences).

This essay focuses on the resulting reworking of the "moral economy" that shapes the relations between producers and consumers. "Moral economy" refers to the social expectations, emotional investments, and cultural transactions which create a shared understanding between all participants within an economic exchange. The moral economy which governed old media companies has broken down and there are conflicting expectations about what new relationships should look like. The risks for companies are high, since alienated consumers have other options for accessing media content. The risks for consumers are equally high, since legal sanctions can stifle the emerging participatory culture.

And I highly recommend reading it if you do any kind of marketing that benefits from engagement, content creation, and community. So that pretty much means all of you.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Happy Friday.

Mindlines

I recently read the book Breaking Open The Head by Daniel Pinchbeck on a recommendation and was very intrigued by the connection of the internet to shamanistic ideas.


One particular passage talks about the Burning Man festival which takes place in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada at the end of August.

"The rapid growth of the festival and it's flawless self-organizing structure are direct products of the Internet. Among the attendants at Burning Man can be found a tremendous brain trust of scientists and technicians, Silicon Valley Engineers and CEOs... Briefly escaping corporate jobs or university labs, they find release in flaunting their tools before a live and jubilant audience. "Black Rock City shows it's possible to create a society based on play," said Russel Wilcox.

In reading that so many internet associated people attend such events, one can see how and why the idea of the online social network was born. The ideals of current online social networks are found and inspired through these real-world settings. Life imitating art imitating life to a point. Can the online space replace the human connection of a face-to-face conversation? Probably not. But that's where the challenge lies in gaining a connection where LOL and emoticons truly emote.


As the real world and these events foster "mind altering" and "mind expanding" through a variety of methods and, yes, substances, the online space is a prime inducer of opening the mind. Granted, watching too many YouTube videos has the opposite effect, but as a whole the internet is many people's drug of choice through its vast landscape of content. I doubt the military saw the internet having this effect to such a social level.


Social networking takes us to these alternate realities. It lets users take on any persona they wish. It let's people connect with those familiar and close to them as well as complete strangers. It's an out-of-body experience. These crossovers from the physical space into the online space is where Web 3.0 is being born. Content generation with social interaction that explore connections in an alternate plane.

Reality Mining

MIT's Technology Review just published it's list of 10 Emerging Technologies for 2008. The one piece that resonated with me is Sandy Pentland's exploration into Reality Mining especially in relation to social networking, new media and interactive.

Reality mining "is all about paying attention to patterns in life and using that information to help [with] things like setting privacy patterns, sharing things with people, notifying people–basically, to help you live your life."

This becomes a hot topic for a few reasons. First and foremost is, once again, privacy issues. Data capture is part of our daily lives – credit card usage, cookies on sites, social network profiles, company swipe cards – and as technology continues to slowly infiltrate more of our lives, we become more tolerant and accepting of what information is divulged and distributed. Everyone has see the movies with the FBI trying to trace the criminals phone call with the criminal hanging up just before being caught. However, most people don't think about that even with mobile phones being on all the time A simple Google search on his/her name would surprise a lot of people.


Reality Mining has been a reality for years. And as mobile phones become more prevalent with WI-FI, Bluetooth and GPS-type systems (ala iPhone,) in addition to the laptops we carry around and use, the continual social network is our daily life. And as mobile technology advances, our blip on the grid becomes more prominent. The Human Cyborg ideal continues to press forward. Professor Kevin Warwick first started research into this in 1998 by planting microchips in his arm for recognition of systems in his lab.


The major benefit of Reality Mining is from an anthropological standpoint. How people interact, where they are and when they are. Tying this information into disease outbreaks, advertising models (when a person sees an ad, what do they do right afterwards?) and general healthcare and "human maintenance." Smartex in Italy is working on clothing that does just that.


It's a bit of the God factor (being omnipotent and omniscient) that is also fascinating. Knowing where your friends are at any time, knowing what they're doing, where to get the food your phone knows your craving. It's bringing the idea of Facebook, Google Maps, Dodgeball and other sites into the physical space. The ultimate social network. Maybe even a step closer to SkyNet.


Real-time in real-time. Very meta.

A Way to Value Engagement … or Value Beyond Engagement?

This post summarizes an ongoing conversation I've had over the past couple years with Brendan Light, SVP Research and Development at Buzzback Market Research: a super smart guy at a super smart company.


The Internet. It happened fast. One day, I was a high school, checking out images of college campuses on CD-ROM, the next, I was emailing from a "terminal" in my college library. The transition from analog to optical media-based digital content to Web-based content happened in a heartbeat and big business (and subsequently, big advertising agencies) had to adapt...fast.


So what happened? Everyone reacted instinctively and created an advertising convergence culture...and I don't mean this in the good, Henry Jenkins way. This was more a convergence of media aesthetics--the creative executions that populated the Web evoked familiar print and TV advertising styles. Even digital DM and CRM programs were really just ports of their offline brethren--not systems reconfigured to take advantage of interactivity. At the time, it was more important that clients and consumers wrap their heads around the medium in a way that was familiar. There's a silly phrase: "we only use 10% of our brains." Well, we marketers (and our clients and consumers) have only been using about 2% of the Internet. It's nobody fault, really; no clients (or consumers) were really prepared for the power of this fully operational battle station. What's sad is, since the advent of online channel, nothing much has changed. Online Advertising still rarely equates to Interactive Marketing. Digital, it turns out really just means not analog.


But, as the search for engagement valuation continues, there could be a way for agencies and brands to work together to create a different kind of value system redefining, or at least taking some of the pressure off of the idea of "engagement". To do it, we have to up the ante: it's time to define and differentiate Interactive Marketing from Online Advertising.


How? When? Where? Whaaaaa?


The onset of the Semantic Web means more powerful targeting. Targeting that could get very close to simulating an online, controlled research panel. Tools like Buzzback's suite of creative research applications (or ones like them) could provide back-end qualitative and quantitative analysis, as well as a flexible creative platform that will allow individual advertising executions to double as learning labs for valuable market research.


A new form of compelling interactive units would be more dynamic, always morphing and relating to user interaction on a collective and individual basis. Because the creative is more responsive, interaction rates would increase and clients would receive new types of valuable data that's far more actionable than what they're getting today (think about it: in addition to today's conventional tactics, these high-powered units could inform product designs...or anything else a client would usually get from a focus group).


This approach could help close the gap between what's measurable and what's actionable for our clients, increasing the value of the creative and the placements.


Some people might scream, "you've got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" but the combination of creative advertising and market research could be the most powerful and most valuable convergence we'll see.


What would it take?


1) A Reality check. Focus groups and surveys are dying. Research companies need to upgrade their approach and enroll their clients in this shift. I expect it would also take independent research companies and creative shops buddying up. If either expect to be successful without the other, they're mistaken (unless they can spend lots of time and money building a best-class department).


2) Pliability. Clients and agencies need to develop more flexible strategic plans...or develop them more frequently. Part of what makes this model so interesting is how actionable it is...but agencies can't do anything if they're constricted by a plan that's 6 months old. There's really no way to predict where a conversation with consumers will go...and the most valuable reactions will be in response to the most current consumer activity. So the way most plans and spending forecasts are developed today, they probably couldn't support this system well enough to extract the value.


3) A Breakout Hit. Money is money is money. How many times did clients ask for Subservient Chicken (without any idea how many chicken sandwiches it sold). Even though this new hybrid model would be more efficient for clients, engaging for consumers and flexible for agencies, it better not taste like medicine. A great execution for a popular brand that yields amazing results (anecdotally as well as statistically) will help this become reality. How do we increase the chances of that happening? Simple. Make sure that all your online advertising ideas are embedded with interactive marketing smarts.

4thSpace

A fellow co-worker and myself were discussing various social aspects and the new trend of how people use space. As in, where they spend most of their time. The topic was very interesting where we initially narrowed it down into three areas. Home, work and the ThirdSpace (or Being Space as TrendWatching points out)

commercial living-room-like settings, where catering and entertainment aren't just the main attraction, but are there to facilitate small office/living room activities like watching a movie, reading a book, meeting friends and colleagues, or doing your admin.

BEING SPACES charge us for eating, drinking, playing, listening, surfing, working, or meeting, just as we would at home or in the office, while successfully reintegrating us into city life 

An all too common example is the way Starbucks has made the coffeeshop into a living room type setting.


I also believe that in addition to these three spaces, there is a 4thSpace - online and social networks. A place where people go as a virtual home, from their landing page on Facebook to iGoogle. People dwell in one or two of these spaces at any one time. Usually one is physical with the second being virtual (ex: sitting at home playing Xbox Live, in Starbucks surfing Facebook, etc.)

The Four Spaces
1 - Home
2 - Work/Office
3 - Being Space (Starbucks, Borders Books, Panera Bread)
4 - Virtual Space (Facebook, iGoogle, MySpace) 

The intriguing aspect of 4thSpace is that it continues to exist without us after we place our identity into that realm. With MySpace, there are pages of deceased members that still garner visits and posted comments. So much so in fact that those that have passed now warrant their own sites like MyDeathSpace.com. The virtual identity becomes, or takes the place of, a real presence. Granted, social networks also allow users to be someone (or something) other than themselves, but the 4thSpace allows comfort in a setting where the other three spaces may not.


People unfamiliar, and even the familiar, become known by their page or avatar. Xbox Live, Facebook or when SecondLife was viable allows users to drop in for a visit and say hello. No one home? Leave a message and they'll get back to you.


It’s a fascinating topic that is vast in it's research potential, especially with user trends and emerging technologies with the additional social aspects and implications. As we get drawn into The Matrix a bit more, it’ll be nice to know how cozy it will be. Or when a Starbucks opens a Starbucks in it. Trust me, NYC is close already.

Creative Department Secret Weapon: Story Games

The Idea Well—sometimes it runneth dry. All Creative Service employees know about brain drought. Even worse, it’s contagious and can stop a pitch or project dead in its tracks. The usually panacea? Ping-pong tables, CommArts books and TheFWA.com. There’s gotta be a better way! Well, if brain drought’s the poison, I’ve got the remedy.



Story Games

A couple years ago, I discovered a Story Games creative community. Story Games is a sort of synonym for indie, pen and paper RPGs. Unlike earlier RPGs (D&D-type stuff) there’s generally a lot less number crunching. In these games, the mechanics are designed to expedite the storytelling. Plus, you’ll find games with all sorts of awesome and original concepts that extend beyond fantasy, from dating to show biz development. What’s great is that each one has a unique, intuitive system (engine, in tech parlance) for narrative progression, collaboration and/or competition—essentially dialogue and interactivity.

Hmmm, dialogue and interactivity increase engagement, promote co-authorship and build narrative. That sounds really familiar…like from every client brief written in the last two years!

Not sold?

Here are 5 reasons why your Creative Department should be playing Story Games:

1) They Keep You Together. Story Games promote the collaborative development of big, relatable, compelling ideas that work for everybody…no hobby horses allowed.

2) They Keep You Honest. The mechanics that power these games are basic and elegant. Usually just poker chips, a traditional card deck or simple custom tokens. As creatives and technologists we sometimes forget that emotionally compelling interactive experiences don’t require wizbangery.

3) They Keep You in Shape. Been working for one brand or on one project for a few weeks or months? Story Games keep brainstorming muscle fit, even if it’ll be another month before you can come up for air.

4) They Keep You in the Spotlight. No hiding in the corner, resting on the laurels of AS3 skills. If somebody is gun shy (or lazy) about ideation they can’t run away in a Story Game. If they do, the experience is compromised. However, as long as everybody is onboard, the engine will work and ideation and presentation skills will evolve.

5) They Keep You Sane. In reality, these games are like narrative karaoke. They’re fun, fast and everybody gets to shine. Most importantly, they’re not work…but they’ll make you better at your job.

A Final Note:

Ian and company are going to resolve the engagement debate soon. However the measurement system nets out, the numbers are going to favor the executions that tell the best stories.

Designers of My Favorite Story Games

Jason Morningstar (The Shab al-Hiri Roach)
Jared Sorensen (InSpectres)
Matt Wilson (Primetime Adventures)
Emily Care Boss (Breaking the Ice)

I also recommend game designer Ron Edwards seminal essay, “System Does Matter”.

AgencySpy Nails Why Indie Means Better.

Take a moment to read this great post by AgencySpy.

As an independent agency, we come into contact with much larger (less independent) agencies all the time. And one thing that always leaves me scratching my head is the lack of innovation that truly happens at many of those places. Innovation is a culture thing -- not a lab. It's something that should be a part of every employee -- not a "Director of Innovation".

From AgencySpy's post:

Because those indie digital shops operate like trend units. They know what's going. They live on the culture edge. Go on - ask a trad's inner digital unit or media agency what an ARG is. Ask them what that hot new website is. Ask them about usage of the internet, gaming or mobile devices are for kids between the ages of six and thirteen. Ask them how to use Azureus or for that matter what one uses it for. We can go with this list, but... you get the idea.

I consider myself a student of innovation and technology, and I've tried to grow a company with the same values. Unfortunately, many of the larger agencies cannot retrofit themselves to innovate throughout an organization at the pace that's needed to address rapidly changing technology and consumer behavior. Nor are they incentivized to do so.

It's always been my goal to make Deep Focus the most innovative advertising agency in history. Not just of the moment, but in history.

Lofty goal? Sure. But the bar's been set pretty low before us, and we're going to keep on raising it.

Happy new year everyone. Here's to an innovative 2008 and beyond.

Halo 3. Pwning the Zeitgeist.

In case you haven't noticed, but Halo 3 is everywhere.

It's on TV -- Pontiac is running co-branded spots touting exclusive content at www.pontiac.com/halo3. It's on the web too. And not just where you'd expect it, but in the creation of content that parodies it -- acknowledging it's fixture in the pop culture zeitgeist.

Here's just one example -- "Team Tiger Awesome" takes advantage of pop culture relevancy to promote their career. And it's working.

(Full disclosure: SuperDeluxe is a Deep Focus client.)

Seth Green Does Chris Crocker.

Horrible title to this post. My apologies.

Wouldn't it be great if all marketers could be this timely and relevant? Things happen so fast. To be able to turn on a dime and parody something that will squarely resonate is the best way to get a rabidly consuming pop-culture-immersed audience's attention. Attaching yourself to the zeitgeist is a great way to appear fresh to your audience -- and show that you're paying attention.

Late night variety/talk show hosts pioneered this. South Park evolved this. Celebrities do it every day (politics, anyone?). Next up: Brands.