John Winsor

Fluidity

I was in New York last week when someone last week asked me what makes CP+B so powerful as a creative agency. I had a lot of answers but it was hard to put my finger on it, until today. It's ability to be in sync with culture. The analogy that I've always thought about for being in sync is it's the difference between being on the bank of a river, methodically measuring and observing it's flow versus being in the river itself, reveling in it's every undulation.

Culture has become so fluid that if you're not fully immersed in it, there is absolutely no way to keep up. Seth's been writing some really great stuff lately about Choice and Unbundling. What makes these things possible is the lack of cultural friction. Consumers and companies, a like, can flow from one idea to the next, one product to the next, one brand to the next, with such remarkable fluidity today.

If you're a brand that's trying to use the old rules of measuring and observing the culture from the sidelines it's time to let go and get in sync.

Games Versus Stories, Part 2

Here's a little something from my coleague German Dziebel:

Reading John’s recent blog one might ponder: But what is the difference between games and stories, and why would games come to replace stories? In the emerging field of video games studies the two sides of the issue are represented by, respectively, narratologists and ludologists (from Latin ludus ‘play’). Developing a rumbling technical jargon and a hefty scientific discourse around such seemingly commonsensical things as games and stories suggests that we might be dealing here with a tip of an iceberg whose base is planted deep in the interface of culture, media, and business. Ludologists and narratologists see the difference between games and stories as that between possibilities and actualities. Game rules loosely define what may potentially happen, while narrative plots tells us what actually took place. Close analogies to the game-narrative distinction can be easily found elsewhere. Think about RAWs (not an actual file extension, as we know) vs. JPEGs in digital photography: RAW files allow for a considerable liberty with the color and density parameters of the final photo, while JPEGs, once shot, cannot be modified. (They even deteriorate every time you copy them.) Examples like this abound. We live in the world of mass customization and, most recently, co-creation. Brands are RAW files these days. Instead of defining their product once and for all, companies increasingly encourage their customers to co-create and co-innovate. They engage them in a game in which every party takes turns in production and consumption, and out of this turbulent dialogue many stories are born.

A Simple Thank You

I was in San Francisco a couple of days ago. As I was leaving the hotel there were a lot of people coming in and out of the front door. And, as it happens most mornings, people were preoccupied, struggling to get to work. There was tension in the air. As I opened the door, I slowed down to let an elderly gentleman in. He looked at me, straight in the eye, and said "Thank You." That made my day!

In this fast paced world we live in, it's a good reminder that two words still have amazing power.

The Wisdom of Crowds and the Election

Francois points to an interesting post at Reasononline entitled, The Prediction Markets Stumble: The "wisdom of crowds" crapped out in Election 2006.

Personal Space

I was especially intrigued by Stephanie Rosenbloom's article in the New York Times today entitled, In Certain Circles, Two is a Crowd after I was at a restaurant with my family two nights ago and was particularly disturbed by a very drunk and obnoxious older man as he bickered loudly with his wife. The volume and tone of their interaction definitely intruded on my personal space.

Yet, it's not only a person's behavior that can effect personal space, it can also be the brands that someone uses. Think about someone bumping into you while they are listening to their iPod or loudly talking on their cell phones. Likewise, how does it make you feel you pull up to a stoplight in a small car and a Hummer pulls up next to you?

Brands do effect personal space and in turn, that interaction effects brand perception.

The Challenges of the Chinese Market

Nigel Hollis has a thoughtful post today entitled, China: A Rubik's Cube of Opportunity. It's worth a read.

Anti-Brand

For every brand that's loved, there is an anti-brand.

Jung Explained

Archetypes are certainly an important factor when thinking about the larger context in understanding why people do what they do. As always, Seth Godin takes a big, hairy topic and makes it fun and easy to understand. This nice riff tackles Archetypes.

Nigel, Good to See You!

Nigel Hollis, Global Chief Analyst for Millward Brown, has a thoughtful new blog. Welcome to the blogoshere, Nigel!

Advertising Suicide

Tom Asker just sent me a link to his new article, "Has Advertising Killed Itself." It's worth a read. I especially like Tom's thought, "Advertising is in the business of soliciting advertising."