Faster Future: Possibilities now and beyond

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Damning with faint praise

So, I'm hearing this ad described as the 'best banner ad ever'. Not a trophy I'd like to lift.

In fact, it's just been awarded the Cannes Cyber Lions Gold. Lord help them all...

I speak of the Pringles 'Can Hands' ad in which you, dear interactor, are encouraged through the use of witty banter to continue clicking.

And clicking, and clicking... and I did... and I did... but I still can't answer the question:

To what end?

Well it's getting some online chatter. People saying stuff like 'it's the best banner ad ever'. Like I say, super.

I guess the idea is you think of Pringles as the witty, funloving FMCG to stuff down your throat. But more likely you rush to slap the agency on the back for a fun, innovate interruption. That's what the Cannes Lions award is. Puts me in mind of this Honda creative. People marvel at the ad. Rarely at the product.

Stick a picture of a girl with her hand stuck in a can of Heinz Baked Beans and you get the exact same result.

Point is - it's all about the creative - not really about the product at all.

At least no one is claiming it's social media.

So I have to ask; What group of people are being brought together to act to achieve something they care about by this particular piece of content?

Thought not.

Monday, June 29, 2009

The cocaine of discovery - everyone should get a hit...

You may or may not be aware that I'm a Trustee for Citizen's Online - part of which is EverybodyOnline.
EverybodyOnline helps communities and individuals in disadvantaged areas across the UK to engage with digital technology.
It aims to help communities overcome any barriers they may have to computers and the internet so they can take advantage of the wealth of opportunities digital technology and the internet has to offer.
'Simple' things that so many of us take for granted. Like this:

Friday, June 26, 2009

What does it take to get some service round here?

What does it take to get the attention of a brand using social media these days?

By which I mean - what does it take to get some service around here?

The reality is that any brand or organisation that gives a shiney one about its customers, members or collaborators should be listening to what we have to say - and ready to act upon what it hears.

If you know a brand or org that isn't - (assuming it's one that does care enough to consider it ought to) then by all means (shameless plug) point them at the kind of social media listening services the likes of Brando Social (where I work) offer.

But assuming any kind of half decent blue-chipped customer wrangler is already equipped to listen/search/audit its reputation online, let's perform a test.

Let's see how fast a real live human representative of any of these brands get back to the community that is FasterFuture (ok, responds to this blog post).

It'll be a fairly straightforward test. I'll post about a series of brands (etc) below. And we wait for a response from a representative of the brand or org in question. That response should be a comment made on this post (moderation remains on - but I have pretty much 24/7 access and I'll publish them in the order I receive them).

So:

Qik. I love your customer service. Don't let me down.
Toyota. Surely you have representatives doing the listening in the UK too? I'll help by using the term Toyota Yaris (good little motor my wife runs :-)
Apple. I'm pretty sure you're listening. Just staggered you don't capitalise by responding. iPhone reference to help you out.
Ford. I'll help you out by saying Ford Fiesta. You have the advantage of Scott Monty. Make it count.
UK Government Director of Digital Engagement (he's never responded yet to my tweets or my article in PR Week for that matter). There you go, PR Week - you can play, too!
McDonalds - had another bad experience with you this evening... (inspiring this post)
Tesco - I dread my required and oh too regular visits
Sainsbury's - just to put you head to head. Shopping. There.
Coca-Cola - you better believe this is the real thing
Disney - I am about to pass off many of your characters as my own (if that doesn't get their attention...)

That's your starter for 10. (image courtesy)

Let's see how the first batch get on. By all means let's hear your suggestions for round two. I quite fancy making this a regular test...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

We're trying to change the world - not report on it

Some time ago Neil Perkin asked me to contribute some best practice ideas for social media. ( I must be thinking about that because i'm meeting Neil today - and you really should check out his latest post).

My response was 'best practice being human'.

I've been thinking about the skill sets required to 'do' social media. Many (though not all, as a quick quiz on Twitter revealed this morning, see image, right) of the people I know who have landed up in social media come from a media background one way or another - pr, advertising and journalism.

But of course the key skills required are not the abilty to craft a good piece of content.

We're trying to change the world here, not report on it.

Look at what's going in in Iran. All the fabulous social media activity Is NOT for our passive consumption, our entertainment. It is individuals using the tools to express what matters to them - and through this to organise without and around those who would control from the centre.

A BBC correspondent prophesised, as the post-election fury uncovered in Iran, that there would be no coup.

"You can't have a revolution without proper organisation", he opined.

If he meant without 'from the top' organisation he was and is, wrong.

Humans organise to do things. Things they share a belief in achieving. Always have. Now they have tools to do this more rapidly and effectively. And they don't wait for permission from the boss.

The ability to use these tools is an important tactical skill for anyone right now. Understanding the value of real-time self-forming communities of purpose is the more strategic requirement.

Because bringing people together to build stuff they care about is the most important part of this thing we call social media (and it ain't social media if it don't change your organisation!)

How much has that got to do with creating content?

How much has it got to do with media at all?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The (fuzzy-edged) story of twitter, so far...

Twitter isn't the new web. But it is a model which reveals the special things that happen when you can break beyond your usual circle of friends. It's fuzzy-edged, adhoc, self-forming communities of purpose are why the average number of followers is already 250 (compared to Facebook's 125 average friends per person).
It introduces you to more people and more stuff you didn't know you needed to know than anything I've seen yet.
It's not the end of the story. Expressing and matching your metadata with the expressed needs of others, in real time, beyond even the silo of twitter, is where we are headed.
But don't let anyone tell you twitter is just another 'social network'. It matters not whether a more fashionable alternative emerges. What matters is that twitter has set the benchmark and revealed the value of fuzzy edges.

And anyone who wants to access real value will be wondering how to apply that same thinking to their organisations, businessess and institutions.
Enjoy the above illustration. It's from Manolith.com