Ted 2012: Ideas worth spreading to the ad world

and ideas worth spreading to the ad world

TED: Ads Worth Spreading

Wednesday, March 21, 12

It’s no mystery as to why our industry-- composed of curious & creative thinkers & storytellers--loves TED. But some talks are undoubtedly more relevant to what we do in advertising.

Here you’ll find what we at Chiat see as TED 2012’s ideas worth spreading, to the ad world.

Wednesday, March 21, 12

Table of Contents

TED Talks

Ads worth spreading

Way to get involved

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5 TED Talks

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the speaker the talk implications

Julie Burstein is a Peabody Award-winning radio producer, best-selling author, and public speaker who has spent her working life in conversation with highly creative people – interviewing, probing, guiding, and creating public radio programs about them and their work.  

Julie Bursteinhow to spark inner creativity

“I realized creativity grows out of everyday experiences more often than we might think, including letting go.”

Burstein tells of how to embrace inner creativity...

Experience: be open to what the observing of an experience may spark inside you.Challenge: don’t view it as something to overcome as much as something to learn from. She tells of Richard Ford, who learned about language through his dyslexia and became a Pullitzer Prize winning author.Limitation: Be willing to identify it, and brave enough to move past it. Like when Richard Serra looked at a Diego Velazques painting and then decided to throw out all his paintings in the river. Ultimately, “in sculpture Serra is able to do what he couldn’t do in painting. He makes us the subject of his art.”Loss: “In order to create, we have to stand in that space between what we see in the world and what we hope for,” says Burstein. “Looking squarely at rejection, at heartbreak, at war, at death.” Tough space.

“We can look at the [broken] cracks; they tell the story we all live, of creation and destruction, control and letting go, of picking up the pieces and making something new.”

In order to get to the bright side of creativity, we have to embrace the dark side of it.

Challenge, limitation, loss....these are all things that our industry can learn from, especially given the challenges it has recently faced.

Wednesday, March 21, 12

the speaker the talk implications Cain distinguishes that introversion is not about sociability, it’s about how one responds to stimulation. Extroverts come alive when they have social interaction; introverts come alive in solidarity.

“The key to maximizing talents is to put yourself into the zone of stimulation that’s right for you.”

Its a simple concept that our culture does not act upon because of its increasing orientation toward groupthink. Society believes creativity to stem from an oddly gregarious place.

In classrooms: students are now encouraged to sit in groups and work together. The “ideal student” is an extrovert. He who opts to work alone is seen as a problem case. In offices: introverts are passed over for leadership roles-- a real problem because introverts have proven successful leaders--Eleanor Roosevelt, Ghandi, Rosa Parks.For Creativity: Solitude can be a key. Darwin took long walks, Dr. Seuss wrote in seclusion.For Learning: Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed went into the wild by themselves to learn and have revelations.Three calls to action:1. “End the madness of constant group work”2. “Go into the wildreness, be like Buddha. Have your own revelations.”3. Take a close look at what makes you most happy, and be true to it.

Susan Cain is a former corporate lawyer and negotiations consultant -- and a self-described introvert.

Cain argues that we design our schools, workplaces, and religious institutions for extroverts, and that this bias creates a waste of talent, energy, and happiness.

Susan Cainan introverted call to action

The ad industry is such that extroversion is not only rewarded, but expected. Often the loudest person in the room is the one who’s opinions are most highly regarded.

But quietness and working alone are key components to the creative process. And can be attributed to important revelations--both intellectual and creative.

Full talk can be viewed here

Wednesday, March 21, 12

the speaker the talk implications

Peter Diamandis

The news media prefers to serve negative stories because that’s what humans naturally react most to--the brain’s amygdala is wired to look out for warning signs.

But as humans, it is also in our nature to eventually solve problems...and keep in mind! Abundance is less a matter of quantity, more a matter of access.

Energy: right now, solar energy is 50% the cost of diesel in India.Water: the world is currently toiling over 0.5% of the planet’s water. Right now, Coca-Cola is testing Dean Kamen’s slingshot technology, which generates clean drinking water from any source (e.g. the ocean). Health: health has been improving exponentially, and now technology is going mobile.Population: “The biggest protection against the population explosion is making the world educated and healthy,” says Diamandis, detailing that 5 billion people will be connected online by 2020.

hope for the future

Peter Diamandis is the founder & chairman of the X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is simply "to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity."

Brands looking for ways to contribute to a social cause should consider Diamindis’ premise that in the future, access will be more important than abundance. Coca-Cola’s distribution deal with Dean Karmen’s slingshot water-purifying technology is one such case study in progress worth keeping an eye on.

Full talk can be viewed here

Wednesday, March 21, 12

the speaker the talk implications

Andrew Stanton wrote the first film produced entirely on a computer, Toy Story. But what made that film a classic wasn't the history-making graphic technology -- it's the story, the heart, the characters that children around the world instantly accepted into their own lives.

Stanton opens with a boisterous joke to demonstrate that story-telling is actually joke telling. His greatest storytelling commandment is always, “make me care”.

“A well told promise is like a pebble being pulled back in a slingshot that propels you through the story to the end.”His story:2008: creating Wall-E was based on a hypothesis that storytelling without dialogue is the purest form of storytelling. It lead to a realization that, “We all want to work for our meal when we watch a movie; we just don’t want to know that we’re doing it.”2002: creating Finding Nemo was based on a theory called 2+2, “Don’t give them 4. Give them 2+2. Stories are inevitable if they’re good but not predictable”2001: Stanton took an acting seminar and had a huge moment when he realized--”all well drawn characters have a dominant unconscious goal they’re striving for, an itch they can never scratch.”1998: Stanton happened upon William Archer’s insightful definition of drama in his reading, “Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty” 1993: Stanton was working at Pixar in its early days when it was all freeform. “A group of guys going on gut” which “led us places that were actually pretty good”1970: Stanton watched Bambi as a 5 year old and walked out wide eyed with wonder which lead to the realization that “Wonder is the secret sauce because it can’t be artificially invoked.”1969: Stanton recounts being born into the world as a high-risk premie which was his motivation to strive at being worthy of the second chance he was given, “and that’s what ultimately led me to talking about story here at Ted”

Andrew Stantonmy life in story, backwards

Valuable points for any storyteller to consider• let the audience know why your story is worth their time• leave room for the audience to “work.” let them predict, make sense of things for themselves• “Anticipation mingled with uncertainty” is a powerful recipe• “Wonder is the secret sauce”--because wonder is genuineIn client relations:Pixar is an excellent example of operating off of gut (rather than exhaustive research)

Full talk can be viewed here

Wednesday, March 21, 12

the speaker the talk implicationsZoref brings an Ox on stage to have people estimate its weight. Hypothesis is: individuals’ guesses will be wildly off, but the average will be remarkably close.

Of 500 estimates:-The lowest guess was 308 lbs.

-The highest was more than 8000 pounds.-The average was 1792 pounds.

And the real weight? The ox weighs 1795 pounds.WOW.

Other examples of crowd wisdom...Kai Busman: a pastor who uses crowd wisdom to create his weekly Sunday sermons. His church is full every Sunday.Francine: raising her son by using crowd wisdom on a daily basis, (ex: Facebook) and said that she feels as if “super-nanny” is helping her.

With a big crowd, and a healthy digital relationship with that crowd, you can “upgrade your brain.” Not just by asking questions, but by giving value, listening, responding — telling people they matter.

“The entire human race connected through social networks, is creating a master-mind.” We are entering a phase of mind-sharing.Zoref hopes we’ll use crowd wisdom, not just for thinking, but to make our dreams come true, and he ends his talk with a line read by his online friends:“Great minds think alike, clever minds think together.”

Lior Zoref is a speaker, blogger and consultant specializing in crowd wisdom and future technologies.

Lior Zorefof oxes & the wisdom of crowds

There is knowledge and insight to gain by tapping into a large audience.

Writing a presentation and looking for inspiration doesn’t have to be done alone.

Crowds can offer wisdom and delight to spark the process.

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10 Ads worth spreading

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This beautiful ad explores the inspiration and journey of a young illustrator who uses Sharpies to turn disposable coffee cups into works of art. It's an authentic story that might inspire all of us to pick up a tool and create.

Wednesday, March 21, 12

To advertise the new "Touch Wood" mobile phone, Drill Inc. built a 144 foot xylophone in the middle of the forest, using only sustainably harvested wood. The sheer beauty and scale of the instrument is represented with perfect creative execution.

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Canal Plus - The Bear (Euro RSCG) In this offbeat witty ad, a bear plays the part of a passionate director -- complete with tantrums, moods and drama. A delightfully clever ending twist reveals the source of his passion and illustrates the brand tagline: The more you watch CANAL+ the more you love cinema..

Wednesday, March 21, 12

Engagement Citoyen - The return of Ben Ali (Ogilvy One)In this radical voting campaign, Tunisian NGO Engagement Citoyen erected an enormous poster of ex-dictator Ben Ali in the capital of La Goulette, inspiring shock and anger in passersby. Citizens came together to tear the image down -- only to discover the meaningful message.

Wednesday, March 21, 12

Chipotle - Back to the start (CAA)In flawlessly creative animation, witness the story of a small farmer who slowly converted his family farm to an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways, and discovering a more sustainable future.

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Mazda - Defy Convention (Cosmo)Mazda executive Masahiro Moro, gives a heartfelt talk about the secret that his company & the city of Hiroshima share -- following conventional wisdom does not guarantee success.Rather, itcomes from to defying popular opinion and following a vision without giving up.

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L’Oreal Paris - Aimee Mullins (R/GA Media Group Inc)L'Oréal Paris chose Aimee Mullins as their spokesperson -- an athlete, model, actor and an activist for women and the next generation of prosthetics. Amy explains why the brand's iconic tagline, "Because you're worth it," has always held great meaning for her.

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Rethink Cancer - Your man reminder (John St)A funny approach to a serious issue -- Rethink Breast Cancer uses hot guys to remind women to check their breasts. The campaign encourages women to download an app and choose their favorite man, receiving a pleasant monthly reminder of a possibly life-saving exercise.

Wednesday, March 21, 12

Xbox - The Kinect Effect (Twofifteenmccan)When people took the Xbox Kinect technology and ran with it, dreaming up new things Microsoft hadn't even imagined, they didn't shut them down -- they celebrated them.

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Prudential - Day One: Linda (Droga5)One chapter in a documentary-style series created by Prudential about Americans' first day of retirement, this spot captures Linda Gutherie's first thoughts on retiring early. Linda’s touching story shares how she confronts and learns from loss, in order to embrace retirement.

Wednesday, March 21, 12

1 Way to get involved

Wednesday, March 21, 12

This year, TED is taking matters into its own hands by awarding the TED prize...to a concept.

City 2.0 will create a platform that allow citizens anywhere to participate in the creation of their City 2.0.

Hoping to excite, connect and empower individuals and communities around the world, “This has been designed as a big collaborative process – not us deciding who’s in and who’s out,” said TED curator Chris Anderson. “It’s a big open tent” to collect and share successes, resources, and insights.

Editorial content (video and text), a shareable project database, tools for local connection, and resources for executing ideas will ideally result in an ever-expanding network of citizen-led experiments, with the ability to scale successes and learn lessons from failures.

Ten micro grants of $10,000, coming out of the $100,000 TED Prize money, will be awarded in July 2012 to ten local projects that have the best hope of spurring the creation of their City 2.0.

City 2.0one way to get involved

City 2.0 as an opportunity for brands:

This is a way for brands to get involved and have an active role in TED.Companies and organizations are welcome to offer their tools to City 2.0 community members, to help them execute their action plans. This is a way to provide genuine value, foster two-way engagement with audiences, and maybe even be a part of something that will change the world forever.

Wednesday, March 21, 12