fracking the social web - squared, november 2013

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ARE BRANDS FRACKING THE SOCIAL WEB?

6.11.2013SQUAREDLONDON51.5207° N, 0.1345° W

JOHN V WILLSHIRE

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“WHAT IS IT YOU ACTUALLY DO...?”

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“WORK OF”

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“GOODS MADE”

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A STRONG WORKINGPRINCIPLE

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AND A HEALTHY DOSE OF SPECULATION...

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“...MEN OF SPECULATION, WHOSE TRADE IT IS NOT TO DO ANYTHING, BUT TO OBSERVE EVERYTHING; AND WHO, UPON THAT ACCOUNT, ARE OFTEN CAPABLE OF COMBINING TOGETHER THE POWERS OF THE MOST DISTANT AND DISSIMILAR OBJECTS.”

ADAM SMITH, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS, 1776

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FOURTH TIME AT SQUARED

WWW.WEARESQUARED.COM

WWW.GOOGLE.COM/+WEARESQUARED

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LET’S TALK ABOUT FRACKING...

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“FRACKING IS AN AGGRESSIVE, INVASIVE TECHNIQUE FOR EXTRACTING VALUABLE RAW MATERIALS OUT OF HARD TO REACH PLACES”

PHIL ADAMS, BLONDE DIGITAL(AND CHEMICAL ENGINEER GRAD)

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ATTENTION IS THE MOST VALUABLE RAW MATERIAL THERE IS

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ARE BRANDS FRACKING THE SOCIAL WEB?

ONE QUESTION I’M WRESTLING WITH:

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“I BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE OF BRAND COMMUNICATIONS LIES IN FINDING A WAY TO BECOME PART OF COMMUNITIES, AND COMMUNICATE WITH THEM IN A WAY THAT IS SHARED, PARTICIPATORY AND RECIPROCAL”

ME, FIVE YEARS AGO, BEING A DICK

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THAT SOUNDS REALLY ANNOYING

SMITHERY.CO@WILLSHYEP, REALLY ANNOYING.

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“OUR CHALLENGE IS THAT PEOPLE REALLY DON’T CARE”

martin Weigel, W+K

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PERHAPS BRANDS AND THE SOCIAL WEB ARE JUST VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF THING?

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LET’S THINK A LITTLE ABOUT “CONVERSATIONS”

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THREE BOOKS ABOUT THE SKILLS PEOPLE NEED TO SUSTAIN EVERYDAY LIFE

THE CRAFTSMAN2008

TOGETHER2012

WITH “CITIES”TO FOLLOW...

WORKING WELL COOPERATION

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“AN EXCHANGE IN WHICH THE PARTICIPANTS BENEFIT FROM THE ENCOUNTER”

COOPERATION

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IT CONTAINS A VERY USEFUL WAY TO THINK ABOUT CONVERSATION

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“WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT COMMUNICATION SKILLS, WE FOCUS ON HOW TO MAKE A CLEAR PRESENTATION, TO PRESENT WHAT WE THINK OR FEEL...”

RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER

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CONVERSATION IS ABOUT LISTENING

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BUT MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUST LISTENING ISLISTENING WELL

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LISTENING CAREFULLY PRODUCES CONVERSATIONS OF TWO SORTS...THE DIALECTIC AND THE DIALOGIC

“

”

RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER

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WHAT THE F***?

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DIALECTIC

FROM WORK OF GERMAN PHILOSOPHER GWF HEGEL

THE INTERACTION AND RESOLUTION BETWEEN MULTIPLE IDEAS

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DIALECTIC:

RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER

“THE AIM IS TO COME EVENTUALLY TO A COMMON UNDERSTANDING”

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DIALECTIC WANTS CONSENSUSA b C D E F G H

bA CD Fe Ge

C ADb G ADf

C ADb ADfg

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...NO MATTER HOW GOOD THAT CONSENSUS IS

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DIALOGICFROM WORK OF RUSSIAN PHILOSOPHER MIKHAIL BAHKTIN

“A DISCUSSION THAT DOES NOT RESOLVE ITSELF BY FINDING COMMON GROUND...”

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“[PEOPLE] BECOME MORE AWARE OF THEIR OWN VIEWS AND EXPAND THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ONE ANOTHER”

RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER

DIALOGIC:

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IN DIALOGIC CONVERSATION, IDEOLOGIES COEXIST

A

bC

D

E

FG H

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THEY CONSTANTLY INTERACT AND INFORM EACH OTHER

A

bC

D

E

FG H

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EACH IDEOLOGY CAN HOLD MORE SALIENCE IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES

A

bC

D

E

FG H

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CHANGES CAN BE MADE IF A STRATEGY DOES NOT HAVE THE DESIRED EFFECT

A

bC

D

E

FG H

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THIS MIGHT NOT JUST APPLY TO“CONVERSATION”

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THIS INTERPLAY OF IDEAS IS VERY REMINISCENT OF THE SOCIAL WEB...

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WHAT IF THERE ARE DIALECTIC AND

DIALOGIC STRUCTURES & CULTURES TOO?

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ARE TRADITIONAL MARKETING STRUCTURES LIKELY TO BE MORE DIALECTIC?

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ARE SOCIAL WEB PLATFORMS AND COMPANIES MORE

DIALOGIC IN NATURE?

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IT WOULD HELP EXPLAIN THE

CULTURE CLASH

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ARE BRANDSINTENTIONALLY FRACKING THE SOCIAL WEB?

PERHAPS...

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OR IS IT THE FAULT OF A MASSIVE CULTURAL DIVIDE?

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YOUR TONE OF ACTION IS WHAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE

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MODERN ECONOMICS:

THE VALUE OF A THING IS DETERMINED BY WHAT ONE IS WILLING TO GIVE UP TO OBTAIN

THE THING

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THE LABOUR THEORY OF VALUE

THE VALUE OF SOMETHING IS DETERMINED BY THE LABOUR THAT WENT INTO ITS PRODUCTION

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PERHAPS THERE’S A LABOUR THEORY OF BRAND VALUE*

*it might need a better name, mind

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FIELD NOTES

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£0.99 £3.33PER PADPER PAD

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“MARKETING IS WORLD BUILDING. WITH UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH WE CAN NOW SHOW YOU THE WORLD.”

@TOBYBARNES

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Labour theory of brand value:

you have to make everything with the infinite canvas of the internet in mind http://rivetin.gs/legoinside

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WE’D RATHER BUY THIS WORLD...

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...THAN THIS WORLD

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BRANDS OFTENFIND THIS HARD BECAUSE OF THEIR HOLLOW FACTORY

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THERE ARE TWO OPPOSITE FORCES OF INNOVATION AT WORK IN MOST BIG BRANDS TODAY

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MAKE PRODUCT VERY EFFICIENTLY

MAKE MARKETING AS INTERESTINGAS POSSIBLE

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MARX WAS HALF RIGHT...

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IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION

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IT’S ABOUT THE MEANING IN PRODUCTION

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OVER HERE, IT’S WAY EASIER TO CREATE

MEANING IN PRODUCTION

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BUT IT DEMANDS DRAMATIC CHANGES IN

HOW WE WORK

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COMPETITIONSIMPLICITYCOMPRESSIONCERTAINTY

COOPERATIONCOMPLEXITY

FRAGMENTATIONEXPERIMENTATION

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COOPERATION

COMPLEXITY

FRAGMENTATION EXPERIMENTATION

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EMBRACE THE GRANULARITY OF EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER DONE

FRAGMENTATION

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I’M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE MAKING OF ‘IT’ -WHERE THE MAKING IS PART OF THE STORY OF THE ‘IT’...

THOMAS HEATHERWICK

“”

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IT COULD BE BLENDING EVERYTHING YOU DO NOW WITH A RICH TAPESTRY OF YOUR PAST...

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OR IT COULD BE SHOWING EVERYONE EVERYTHING YOU DO TO MAKE THEIR THING...

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break it back

break through

IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE, AND WHAT THEY DO TOGETHER TO MAKE GREAT THINGS HAPPEN

COOPERATION

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YEP.

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HAVING LOTS OF PEOPLE IN A COMPANY MAKES IT EASY...

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OWNING LOTS OF BRANDS MAKES IT HARD

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DON’T CONSOLIDATE. FRAGMENT BY SECTOR,PRODUCT, COUNTRY, REGION...

COMPLEXITY

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THINK OF IT THIS WAY

YOU ARE AN OPERATING SYSTEM

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THERE IS NO “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” IN YOUTUBE

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WITH THE RIGHT MECHANIC, COMPLEXITY BECOMES AMAZINGLY COMPELLING...

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EXPERIMENTATIONSHOW PEOPLE THE FUTURE YOU WANT TO LIVE IN WITH THEM

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“IT’S NOT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, BUT PERSISTENCE OF VISION...”

STUART WOODHEAD OF INNOVATIONHEATHERWICK STUDIO

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WHICH ALL SOUNDS AMAZING

BUT HERE’S THE CATCH

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP SOMETHING FOR EACH OF THESE

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GIVE UP PERFECTIONISM

TO EMBRACE

FRAGMENTATION

SWAP IT FOR

CONTENT

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GIVE UP CONTROL

TO EMBRACE

COOPERATION

SWAP IT FOR

COMMUNITY

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GIVE UP CONSOLIDATION

TO EMBRACE

COMPLEXITY

SWAP IT FOR

SPEED

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GIVE UP KNOWING

TO EMBRACE

EXPERIMENTATION

SWAP IT FOR

LEARNING

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“LEARN, THINK AND THRIVE IN THE CONTEXT OF WORKING WITH MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND ULTIMATE UNCERTAINTY”

RUPERT WEGERIF

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MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES...

MAKING SENSE OF BROAD BRANDSEMILY HARE, EDITOR, CONTAGIOUS

HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/CONTAGIOUSJOHN V WILLSHIRE, MARTIN WEIGEL, MARK EARLS, SARAH WATSON, MARCUS WENNER...

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THANK YOUJOHN V WILLSHIRE

HTTP://SMITHERY.CO@WILLSH

JOHN@SMITHERY.CO

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