Advertising Evolves. You Should, Too.

ADVERTISINGEVOLVES. YOU SHOULD, TOO

Edward BochesChief Innovation OfficerMullen

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Nothing stays the same. We make different things, work different ways, use different media. It takes an open mind, an endless curiosity and no fear of change.

That is, after all, how you survive for 35 years in a business filled with 20 and 30 somethings.

I’ve been doing this a long time. Since before the days of the Commodore 64. Launched a computer show for Puma 25 years before Nike + came along.

Feel that old some days, too.

Mullen. The Manor House. Filled with ghosts, stories, history.

You build an agency in the middle of nowhere by doing work that gains notoriety. Great work is self perpetuating and defines a culture.

Both inside and outside the agency.

Agency no wheredotcom crisismonster.commove to bostonad agefast companygary vee and lee

But the industry -- advertising, marketing, digital, social, brands and how to build them -- was changing.

UNBOUND

We decided we needed to change as well. Our vision was to be great. Our mission to get there by being unbound in our thinking and work. Became our mantra.

We started a social media practice before most other agencies and became social AOR for a number of clients.

We made more radical changes moving from the Manor House to the city.

Made investments in talent, especially in the digital space.

Stayed focused on our core work as well -- advertising.

And all of that combined with new business wins led to momentum and recognition.

And little by little, we, and even I, evolved.

EVERYTHING IS SOCIAL, OR...

So where are we today?

There’s nothing in this presentation that

you couldn’t learn on Twitter.

Social media and consumer involvement changes everything. For us, for clients, for brands, for marketing. We all know that.

Television is social. We can’t watch it in isolation. We have to connect, share, comment with others. Ironically, after all the predictions of TV’s demise, at least as an ad medium, appointment TV is back thanks to Twitter. At least until we all cut the cable.

If you're not watching live – and reading the comments from friends, your favorite celebrities, and even total strangers via Twitter – you're missing half the show.

November, 2010

Advertising is social. We may still receive ads or even sit through them, but not without playing armchair critic and sharing our opinions.

Fashion is social. Are we influenced or influencing on Art of the Trench, the remarkable Burberry site that has attracted fans, photographers, even singles in search of attractive mates.

Burberry has nearly 25,000 followers on Instagram where they share and engage.

Shopping is social. And not just in the Groupon way, but in the idea that even we go shopping by ourselves we’re never more than a click or a button away from our friends and posse. Does my ass look too big in these jeans?

I bought a shirt on Twitter. You can read this on my blog. But the point is the power of employees to represent a brand and the company they work for.

Working out is social. Nike + launched this a few years ago, but now we have Garmin connect, Run Keeper and dozens of platforms and apps that leverage not only personal data but our desire for community, connection and sharing.

Digital cigarette lighters are social. I met with the Smule team at SxSW and learned that what makes all of their apps so popular, from Sonic Lighter to the Ocarina aren’t just the features, but are the fact that they connect users to each other all over the world.

Music is social

Brand relationships are social

We have a tendency however,to think of this as social. Platforms.

So what do brands do? Focus on the media, not the social. We try and get friends and fans and followers and send them updates and offers. We push out messages. We do it for less money. Cause it’s “free” media.

Rushkoff claims brands don’t belong in social media. It’s not for them, it’s for us. In fact, we invented brands because of end of the marketplace and the industrial revolution, no longer knowing who we did business with. Hence the Popping Fresh Dough boy, and the Keebler Elves, and Mr Quaker Oats.

But now that the world is social and we can connect with people and companies rather than symbols, this shit won’t work anymore.

Because here’s the deal. It’s not platforms that are social, it’s people. Which by the way is nothing new. We’ve always been social. It’s why you’re all here. It’s why we have cities. And social media breakfasts.

eight trends

consumers want to participate

No doubt tech has reignited this. It’s enabled us to all connect again to find like minded tribes to share and help each other. If you look across the landscape, there are these 8 trends.

eight trends

we have complex relationships with media

No doubt tech has reignited this. It’s enabled us to all connect again to find like minded tribes to share and help each other. And if you look across the landscape, there are these 8 trends.

eight trends

we join forces to exert influence

eight trends

we want to do business with human brands

eight trends

community is our new source of content

eight trends

there is no such thing as perfect

eight trends

we have a new definition of quality

eight trends

we have a new definition of quality

attention is the new scarcity

But look at some of the newest mobile apps. They’re about connecting us, sometimes to people we know, but other times to strangers, folks in the same location, people with the same interests. They not have achieved scale yet, but we are creating them for a reason.

We overestimate the value of access to information while we underestimate the value

of access to each other.

A key point to keep in mind. It should drive our thinking.

audience

messages

target

media plan

penetrate

what has to change: mindset

So here are the things that I believe need to change for us to stay successful and relevant.

audience

messages

target

media plan

penetrate

community

experiences

engage

interest plan

collaborate

what has to change: mindset

So here are the things that I believe need to change for us to stay successful and relevant.

It might lead to this: Project Bread Art

user experience and engagement are the

new art and copy

what has to change:definition of creative

It might lead to this: Skype Teacher’s Directory

who is our target?

what is our insight?

what is our message?

where do we reach them?

how do we measure success?

what has to change:the brief

who is our community?

where do they hang out?

what value can we add?

what should our content be?

how will people get involved?

what platforms, tech, APIs should we use?

what will make it ongoing?

how will we measure success?

what has to change:the brief

Tommee Tippee

Should generate ideas that are more inclusive.

CWADSocialMobile

DesignUXTechMobile

CWDesignUXSocial

what has to change:the team

Non-traditional teams invent experiences, not simply messages. Put another way, it takes UX, dev, and digital design ( as well as CW/AD ) to create “ideas worth advertising,” rather than advertising ideas, as Gareth Kay likes to say.

what has to change:the process

Check this out: http://edwardboches.com/inventin-rudeless-the-anti-iphone-app

Or hear the story behind Crowdtap: http://edwardboches.com/an-ad-agency-gets-into-the-software-business

what has to change:the business model

Common purpose, common goals, common means, and common values. A common brand to encompass products, businesses, and ideas of the common community.

Introducing COMMON:

The future of business will be doing good for the community, not just making more money for stockholders.

My bet is that this approach will eventually lead to more business as well. Check out Simon’s new book.

The Uniform Project was an early experiment in this space. But there are many others on Kickstarter.

what has to change:our pace of change

Spend time on college campus and not only do you see the future when it comes to social use, mobile dependence, etc. You get a sense that these kids think differently. They invent in new ways that seamlessly connect utility, users, digital platforms, community, etc. They don’t make ads, they make big ideas, like this digital currency that rewards support of causes.

Someone will emerge as the new forward thinking agency, brand, individual. Why not you?

Thank you

Advertising Evolves. You Should, Too.

2011no doubt

2011the uniform

human brands

complex relationships

trends consumers

measure success

join forces

stay successful

Business

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