I’ve sent the future and its… Digital?

Increasingly we’re seeing communication channels expand and evolve in to more dynamic, interactive spaces. There’s been a gradual convergence between tradition and new media.

There are two fundamental changes I see:

1. People are increasingly less responsive to traditional broadcast advertising
2. Communication technology is developing at a very very fast rate

1. If an ad falls in the forest and no one notices, there is no ad.

In a traditional sense, you can define advertising as the science of creating and placing media that interrupts the consumer and prompts an action. Once upon a time this model was incredibly affective, ‘consumers’ had more time, less choice and so whoever shouted the loudest would win the argument. Not so anymore. Now we have less time and more choice, everyone is shouting at us at the top of their lungs why they’re the best and quite frankly it’s exasperating. I’m confused. I’m over-communicated. I’m cynical and having been exposed to traditional advertising all my life, I'm pretty savvy at avoiding it.

Seth agrees; "The interruption model is extremely effective when there's not an overflow of interruptions," Godin says. "But there's too much going on in our lives for us to enjoy being interrupted anymore."

That’s not to say that a new, innovative and incredible advert won’t grab attention but I think the challenge we have today is knowing how to shine amongst the clutter and appreciating that interruption is less exciting than interaction.

Its not a case of video killed the radio star; I don’t think it’s a matter of new media vs traditional media – it’s an evolution of our approach, the channels we use and an appreciation that the proliferation of media has changed the way in which people engage with content (remember that now consumer media consumption across channels leads to virtual days exceeding 24 hours)!

I’ve worked in agencies where this shift is emphasised to clients and yet in many cases, traditional media forms such as television remain the biggest investment, even if it’s not the best choice. One obstacle is lack of understanding of new media, followed by company inertia, another big obstacle is finding reliable metric models of these new tools and how a lot of marketers are still trying to retrofit those applied to traditional media.

Of course, the fact that people are less responsive to being shouted at also provides a great argument for a popular space at the moment, social media, where brands and people can have a dialogue. Personally whilst I think social media is a fantastic opportunity for marketers, brands and consumers alike, I also believe the facets of this space are really the beginning of things to come.

Our challenge as marketers is to find what might surprise, cut through, engage, entertain, add value and start conversations whilst using the right media to facilitate it in an increasingly fragmented landscape where ultimately the consumer's in control.

2. Communication technology is developing at a very very fast rate

If we look over the last century and examine the rate of technological growth its incredible to review the rate at which it has developed. We can fly, travel underwater, go to space, access the world wide web, we can see and talk to people on the other side of the world instantaneously, share still images by the click of a button, we can even carry our wallet, bank account, a GPS map, social network, search facility, computer game and telephone in our back pocket. Change will never be this slow again.

What I find very exciting is how traditional communication platforms are also progressing and moving in to the digital realm through these advances in technology and the internet. Some examples below:

TV channels are streaming catch-up TV online, TV channels are launching solely online, they’re integrating with social media (great post on this here), TV has got smarter, more relevant and started to allow for interaction at the push of a button. This I see only progressing.

Print: Newspapers and Magazines have been quite challenged lately and whilst there is seemingly a decline in the medium, the product remains strong. It is the means through which stories are distributed that are undergoing a rapid development. We’re already seeing print complemented with online articles/blogs/Twitter accounts. But this is just a glimpse of what we have to come, see the e-paper business and the likes of Amazon Kindles and Apple’s iPad to get an idea of what we might be reading stories from in the future.

And of course, not to mention, Outdoor Display which now commonly features interactive digital billboards, QR codes (personally not as exciting, but clever nonetheless), can create augmented realities, interactive window displays and not to mention feature hologram technology.

So to conclude, new technology allows for a much needed change of approach and engagement between brands and people. There’s more breadth, room for innovation and opportunities to do something amazing and interactive with people rather than just broadcasting a one-way message.

Forrester unsurprisingly has predicted a growth in interactive advertising and among the interactive channels, Forrester sees social media and mobile marketing spending expanding significantly between 2009 and 2014, with social media jumping by 34% on a compounded annual basis and mobile marketing increasing by 27%.

But these are young channels, at least as compared with relatively mature interactive mediums such as e-mail, display advertising and search which are also seeing a change.

I think it naïve to presume that interactive advertising solely rests within what some perceive as “Online / Digital”, we need to remember that traditional channels are becoming increasingly digitalised, technology is changing and whilst interaction is important and digital may facilitate it - you still need to be a brand that people want to interact with.

the silent retreatment

Image courtesy of Vermont Ferret

Recently I decided it was time to invest in a form of mediation known as Vipassana (which is essentially a 10 day silent retreat). I have dabbled in meditation before and found it to be a great form of relaxation, however, sticking to it given the life I lead has been a challenge. There's no denying that I broach the subject reluctantly with people as frankly it doesn't necessarily align with social norms of Western society, people give you that look which says "You're... interesting..."

I suppose if I am honest this was a curious enterprise for me, I've never remained quiet for such a long period of time, am married to my iPhone, wifi flows through my body everyday and I have succumbed to a restless addiction to coffee - so a prolonged abstinence was an unnerving endurance test.

And so, how was it? What happened?

The meditation retreat was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I wanted to leave a lot. I was somewhat misled by the term "retreat" given that the whole process was personally nothing but. I craved meat. I found myself singing Cher and I got angry at people leaving doors open.

However. Even though I can say it was difficult, in the same breath, I will also admit it was quite possibly one of the best things I have done in my life. And get this: Being silent for 10 days solid was the easy part (albeit impractical).

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation, the technique is a very practical one progressively taught day by day and what I found essentially interesting was the psychological implications of the practice. Contrary to meditative tradition, I have sought to intellectualise it.

Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift brain activity to different areas of the cortex - brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear and so it was no surprised that I consequently felt pretty relaxed following 10 days of intense meditation (timetable), no surprise at all.

What was amazing was the cognitive impact during the practice which went beyond alleviating stress. Apparently the brain is organised into a hierarchy of specialised modules, at the top of which are three mega modules which represent information according to their specialism. Roughly they relate to:

• Knowledge/Thoughts
  
• Emotion
  
• Action
  

During the laborious meditation stints, after dragging my sorry self from bed to meditation hall before the sun had risen and my eyes had blinked out the blindness, I would actively train myself to view objectively (Knowledge) the physical sensations (Action) and my feelings (Emotion) for aprox 12 hours a day. No easy feat believe me. What happened? Well, I became hyper-sensitive in these three areas (but please note - this is very subjective).

Knowledge/Thoughts
I didn't get smarter, but I got wiser. Something that resonated was the idea that "Wisdom is knowledge transformed" and that's how it felt. What was also incredible was my memory recall. I remembered moments of my past, people, incidents, details that I hadn't even thought about since they occurred. One in particular which had me giggling relentlessly.

Emotion
Emotionally I became incredibly aware of my response mechanism, the tangibility of emotions and the choice one has to react to an emotion or not.

Action
And finally, whilst clearly my action was limited to a bare minimum, physically during practice, I had some very surreal "sensations" apparently akin to the effects of horse tranquilizer (according to someone I spoke to afterward who had a similar experience) and by being impartial to these totally bizarre sensations experienced the innate link between behaviour, thoughts and emotion by observing them.

So, in conclusion, for fear of sounding like a crazy new age hippie who may have had John Lennon on repeat in her mind, got far too excited about porridge and had mild obsessive compulsive tendencies around light switches and herbal tea, the Vipassana had a tremendously good impact on me. I was sharper, confident, creative and according to my bf, one very cool cucumber as a consequence. I fully recommend it.

Reggie Watts

I first heard of Reggie Watts a couple of years ago when he played at the Sydney Festival. He's absolutely brilliant. He looks and sounds original and has great talent and charisma on stage. His style? Well according to Wikipedia he's a 'multidisciplinary comedic performer' he sings, raps, samples, beat-boxes and makes you laugh. His big personality oozes through his songs and he puts on a great show. What makes him so remarkable? He is remarkable. Never heard anything quite like it.

He's playing at the Metro in Sydney next month if anyone's interested. I say go and enjoy.

Documentary Film Making

I decided last month that I would learn something new and with a passion for making things and having ideas I thought I'd explore film as a new medium for storytelling (having previously fondled with photography, art, drama, film editing and radio once upon a time, I thought this could tie these together nicely).

Documentary filmmakers, no less than dramatic screenwriters, strive to tell strong, often character-driven stories that have a beginning, middle and end, with something at risk, rising tension, and a narrative arc that keeps viewers actively engaged. In fact, my lecturer said he could tell from the first frame whether a film maker has got it right or whether he's going to bore the audience to tears over the course of the film.

So what I learned yesterday was actually quite fascinating albeit simple.

What makes an amazing documentary idea?

1.Strong Idea / Subject
The subject is not the idea. The idea is broader akin to a theme rather than a subject. This is a hard concept to abide too when creating ideas but here's an example for my project:
Idea: Survival
Subject: Living on the streets of Surry Hills

2. Tell a story
This apparently helps a lot. Have a story in mind that can be broken in to 3 sentences. The first; how the story starts, the second; what happens in the middle, the third; how it ends/what the event is. Unlike dramatists, documentary filmmakers can’t create characters, plots and story lines, but must instead find them in the raw material of real life. Hence, a story which doesn't culminate to anything, isn't much of a story.

A good way to look at the parts to the story is:

1. The Tease
2. The Body
3. The Conclusion

3. Ensure its meant for this medium
A good story needn't be told via a documentary film. Ensure that there's something unique about the piece that merits film. Ensure there's visual insight which can be accompanied by music. Otherwise you might be better off writing an article or a book.

4. Remember the artists voice
You're the artist. What is your opinion? What is your aim? Why are you best equipped to create this documentary? What makes you an expert? This is where research comes in to play about why this documentary is being made.

Something I also learned, is that without the passion for the subject, you will struggle. This passion and drive will keep you focused in the small hours and keep you committed to finishing the piece whether it takes months or years to complete.

5. Illuminate
What story needs to be told? A documentary serves to inform and illuminate, quite simply to illustrate an element of life that has not been shown before.

And so there's the starting point. Its a little harder than it looks and there's a lot more to come but I think this a great approach to have when creating something in order to tell a story.

My next lesson? Treatments...

A helpful presentation on documentary storytelling below.

The Mechanics of Documentary Storytelling

View more presentations from acarvin.

My Holga and I.

The Holga.

Hong Kong 1982. The manufacturing and production hub of the world is burning at a full flame. As with their neighbors in Japan and China, photography is an intense national hobby and obsession. New camera designs and productions are churned out daily, feeding the huge domestic and import markets. From within this world of manic creation and innovation comes the Holga, a distinctly un-modern and somewhat prehistoric throwback to the early days of camera mechanics.

The concept is simple - a minimal and inexpensive camera using medium format 120 film. It would contain only the bare necessities for photo mechanisms, and provide a cheap and accessible alternative for students and enthusiasts to dip their toes into the otherwise very expensive world of medium format photography. Reflecting the shining landscape around them, this new camera is named after the term "ho gwong," meaning "very bright." After throwing a European spin onto this phrase, the moniker "HOLGA" is minted. This dead simple camera is met with a warm welcome, establishing a strong yet small base of Holga aficionados. Birth, death, celebration, ritual, and everything in-between is caught on lo-fi medium-format emulsions - amplified and focused through the plastic lens of this bare bones, oversized camera.

The Holga Cult Following.

Over the next 10 years, Holga enjoys a popularity explosion. A global community of photographers, students, creative types, and generally fabulous individuals see the simplicity and ability of Holga, and fully embrace it. This cult following organises around the Holga, praising its insane characteristics, unpredictable effects, and stunning results. Teachers and professors actively employ the Holga as a training tool - simultaneously teaching their students the fundamentals of photography while opening their minds to new and unexpected techniques. The very features that many would consider to be fatal defects in a "normal" camera have become the most treasured assets of the Holga new school.

Today, the Holga movement is expanding every single minute, with new devotees, organisations, and online sites spreading like wildfire. Photographic exhibitions are held in some of the most prestigious galleries on the planet; showcasing the work of one of the most unlikely artistic tools ever employed. Competitions, interactions, and communication are tossed around the online & offline communities, encouraging and amplifying the excellent work of the Holga obsessed. Ironically, as camera design becomes more technical, automatic, and sophisticated, Holga's low-tech appeal grows stronger and stronger for us; those who relish its quirky and unpredictable nature. While designers around the world are racking their brains to create increasingly more advanced and complex cameras; the Holga will continue to grow as a steadfast counterculture item, taking away the complications of technology and simplifying the equation to four critical elements - your eye, the lens, the film, and your subject.

And so, here I am, riding around Sydney on my push bike taking random snapshots of the city whilst fulfilling a few things I enjoy in life; exercise, creation and a dabble in to counterculture.

Today I picked up my photo's from my first batch.

(Note: My first! This means that things can only get better.)

Enjoy.

James Jean

Here are some of my favourite pieces from James Jean's 'Kindling' collection. James Jean is a Taiwanese-American award winning artist and illustrator living in LA. He's been working in comics since 2001, but over that time he has certainly made his mark on the industry.

His clients include Time Magazine, The new York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin, Target, Prada and more. He has also illustrated covers for the comic book series Fables and The Umbrella Academy, for which he has won six Eisner Awards for "Best Cover Artist"

If you're in Sydney, you can find some of his magnificent prints at Disrupt store in Surry Hills.

Success & Music & Life

An Alan Watts animation from the guys who brought you South Park.


Inspiring stuff and a good reminder. I remember when I was at school my Dad tried to persuade me to go to an all girls private school. Aside from being a bit of a tomboy at the age of 12 thus being immediately reluctant, I also recall persuading my Pops against the idea with something like: "I don't want to go to private school, here (the local comprehensive) I am the best, top of my class (which I was, little nerd me) and at a private school I'll be more in the middle... "

In hindsight, the idea that my success depended on being better than other people seems childish now, however, there are still an awful lot of people who live their lives relying on the downfall of others. We constantly compare ourselves consciously and subconsciously against other people be it salary, fame, style, looks, weight etc. as an indication of our success, when quite frankly to love what your doing, to be present at every moment and making whatever action you are doing into your very life purpose is really what success should translate to.

Wealth, fame, happiness are all by products of putting your heart in to everything you do.

Hence my mantra: The journey is the destination.

Not an easy one to live by... but remember if you constantly chase a concept of being more successful than others, you may well never get there.

Don't worry. You're safe now.

Why green is the new black.

I put together this document with an aim to instill an environmentally friendly attitude within the workplace to encourage conscious consumption.
Feel free to use/share/etc.

Being green in the workplace

View more presentations from jectaspecta.

Would love to hear your feedback.

Climate Change.

Having a boyfriend who works in sustainability and a close friend who is an incredible skeptic of the Climate Change proposal; this rap reminded me of some of the debates I sit through on our little social 'put the world to right' occasions.

The cost of experimentation is approaching zero

And we've only just started...

Home.

Having lived in Sydney for 2 years now, I must admit, its easy to begin to detach yourself from the motherland. However, there are charms of English life that I appreciate more than ever.

So I'm dedicating this post to Englaland showing my appreciation and pride in my heritage (albeit with little inclination to go back - just yet).

One can't deny, the curse of the stiff upper lip has quite a role in the English culture. All this suppression of human emotion and we wonder why we have an alcohol problem!?
The proverbial corner store. Don't live anywhere without one. Note: they sell alcohol too. Sigh...[Australia has special bottle shops, candidly places out of strolls reach at 9pm on a Friday night]
England has the best festivals. Well perhaps. May be its the sheer determination to make good out of a bad situation that ensures there's an atmosphere to feed on. You share tea and biscuits with strangers, camp in horrific conditions and witness some of the best live acts in the world under English sky. Of course, there is the rain which tries relentlessly to put a dampener on things - we need something to complain about!
Cows. Oh how I love cows. They are cute, aren't they?! When I was younger my back garden was in fact next to a massive field so I got familiar with these animals, admittedly at times after a bottle of cheap cider, a stolen packet of mother's menthols and an ambition to tip a sleeping one over...Ridiculously good comedy. The Mighty Boosh, Shameless, Skins, Black Adder, Red Dwarf, The Office, Young Ones, Only Fools and Horses, Peep Show, Morcambe and Wise. Love.
Weather in England sucks big time. There's no denying it. You'll depend on an umbrella and will come to accept the fact that the weather lady lies to you. There are times though, when you can love English weather, especially when it snows (and you don't have to catch the tube). I remember the South African guy in my class nearly crying and sighing "fluuuff" in disbelief as he looked out the window and expressed sheer delight at the white stuff falling from the sky.
When I lived in London, Hoxton was the place to be. I loved living in East London where people wore ridiculous hair and would sing aloud to their ipods. Its got a charm about it that I can't put words to. Like when you walk down a cobbled street or look at an old building and realise that you're merely a speck in its life's story.Squirrels are awesome. I love them. In Hyde Park you can hand feed these little cute furry rats. I don't care what you say, they are not pests.I suppose this reminds me of where England is now. Corrupt banking system. Money troubles...

Well its been a while, might have to prepare for a 2010 visit next year for a proper cold and log fire Christmas.

Falling Polar Bears

Well as someone who loves loves loves Polar Bears - some girls collected Barbie Dolls, I collected Polar Bears - I must admit this new cinema ad from Plane Stupid (written and commissioned by creative agency Mother and made by production company Rattling Stick. Director Daniel Kleinman) made me shudder.

However, I understand 1. It sends a valuable message and 2. The bears aren't real. So with those two facts in mind, I must admit I admire the guys at Mother UK for their audacity and the message is very clear: Your flight has an impact.

Plane Stupid explain on their site: "Like you, we're worried about climate change. Like you, we don't think the Government can be trusted to do what needs to be done".

They're a network of grassroots groups that take non violent direct action against aviation expansion. Their three demands:

• End to short haul flights and airport expansion
• Stop aviation advertising
• A just transition to sustainable jobs and transport

Interesting. Whilst I know aviation isn't the sole cause of greenhouse gas emissions, I'd be interested to learn more about the impact. As you know, after watching The Final Choice documentary I certainly reevaluated my eating habits.

Clean water initiative on Mt Kilimanjaro

I love this idea. Props to Goodby Silverstein & Partners & Unit 6 who have built a website proportionately the size of Mt Kilimanjaro.
The sites in support of a charity-infused campaign that HP have brought to life by inviting celebrities and musicians to climb the mountain and in doing so post blogs, tweets, images and videos of their climb from their HP notepads - the contents tagged along the pix-elated climb of the website (at 16,709,709 pixels).

In addition to hearing the stories of the brave mountaineers, visitors can also 'sponsor a foot' of the journey by donating some dinero via UNHCR's clean water program. Every dollar donated provides 100 litres of safe clean water to people without.

I suppose what I like about this is its pushing the boundaries on and offline by thinking BIG - literally. It brings to life a cause through the adventures/stories shared online. No doubt some of these mountaineers having celebrity status will help push things on the PR front. I wonder what the impact would have been if the opportunity to climb Mt Kilimanjaro was open to everyone initially? Akin to what Coca Cola did recently through Expedition 206.

People can connect to the program and unlike a reality tv show where one can watch idiots rolling over one another saying controversial things and playing spin the bottle (Which reminds me, has anyone watched Dead Set - Absolutely hilarious, in a sick and twisted Zombie way, anyway I digress); here there's an opportunity to respect mountaineers and go on the journey with them virtually.

Its socially led integrating offline and online in a pretty slick way even down to the detail of pixel proportionality! Obviously a smart move for HP who get to facilitate the program, demonstrate their product whilst align themselves with a positive cause without overtly branding anything. I'd like to see how interaction between site visitors and the climb team works out which would be the natural expectation for conversation, whether we'll be able to have a webchat to a makeup-less Jessica Biel at 17,000 ft is questionable.

Still there's some amusing webisodes to keep people entertained which is meant to be behind the scenes footage of the mountaineers training footage.



Well, launch is January 7 2010 and includes the tallest banner ever created, a TV spot and web films. Watch this space or their space even.

Facebook Aps for charities

I thought I’d share with you a couple of interesting aps that charities are using on Facebook to amplify word of mouth harnessing peer to peer communications by pin-pointing, recruiting and rewarding an army of dedicated fans who openly represent their causes within their social network.

Causes Ap

Check out this interesting ap used to promote and recruit friends to join not-for-profits online via “Causes” http://apps.facebook.com/causes/ or www.causes.com

Its very clever.

First step, click on link, see the campaign’s progress and invite your friends.

Next, give them your email address to stay up to date. If you want.
Then check out their page, browse other members and see what impact they’re having.



The Hall of Fame shows profiles of those making the biggest impact (i.e. Spreading the word) and you can send them props/note/thank you etc.



You can also pledge your support whereby you commit to inviting 300 friends to the cause (not 100% sure of this commitment considering I don’t have that many friends!) and you can also donate.


Finally, show your friends what a good Samaritan you are by having your cause feature on your FB profile page and track your progress.


I’d say the one limitation to this is it acts independently from a fanpage/group so users need to accept the ap and go through the above process as opposed to a one-click conversion to becoming a fan. That said however, its still a fantastic integration with the platform.

Super Badger

Another innovative ap is the Super Badger
With Super Badger you can send prewritten emails straight from your profile to the people making the decisions - whether it is badgering politicians about climate change or badgering supermarkets to stock more Fairtrade products.

Here you are rewarded points for “Badgering”

You choose what you wish to “Badger” and you can send a prewritten email to politicians/decision makers, donate your status and sign up to receive Global Action emails.

Once the email gets sent, you get your points and your profile is updated for all your FB friends to see. Once again there’s an element of social kudos, especially when you start ranking up the leader board.


So what do you think?