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I came across the above photographer Branislav Kropilak via ffffound.com. It made me think about the simple things that we see everyday. I really like how the everyday objects can be turned into art. Very nice work. You can see more here http://www.kropilak.com/
I recently read Matt Jones' article in Ad Age Why I Hate Social Media. There is one strong point I think we all need to take away from his fine article. The idea that social media(SM) can not make your product or service better or more popular. On the other hand SM can get you in touch with your brand participants. You can tap into this amazing resource to create brand evangelists. People that buy into your brand because you've had a more meaningful interaction with them via SM. In the process who knows, you might even find out ways to make your product or service better. However these benefits can only happen if you are open to the world of SM and willing to navigate this new world with care. The number one rule in the SM world is to be authentic. Think of it as having a conversation. A conversation is a back and forth exchange. If you treat your interaction in the SM world like you would a conversation in the temporal world it will go a long way to achieving your goals.
I've been following the data design space for about a year now. I'm getting really interested in the ideas and projects that are now possible. It seems the convergence of large amounts of data and computing power have put us in a place where we can make visual sense of behavior and patterns. I found the above example on ffffound.com. It's very visually appealing and informative. To see more about it check out http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/transparency/009/trans009onwords.html.
I just read Hernan Lopez' article in Ad Age "Why Interactive Advertising Needs a Creative Revolution". Two interesting points made me think. The first: advertising can't make a product better. Advertising is only a vehicle to create a lift in product sales. Second: in online advertising, we need to look to the research that has been done for TV over the years. Mr Lopez mentioned there are three things that make a successful TV commercial based on the research done by John Philip Jones and Erwin Ephron. Mr. Jones concluded the three important aspects to a successful commercial are: "They are entertaining and amusing; they are visual rather than verbal; and they say something important and meaningful about the brand being advertised.". This has given me a new measure on how to create and evaluate a successful marketing campaign. The bigger point here is that interactive is only another medium in your marketing mix. Not an ultra special marketing vehicle all by itself.
Recently I was at an end of the school year party. I found myself talking with Laurie, a teacher that I highly respect. We started talking about our children and how they understand the internet and the digital world in a completely different way than we do and our parents do. Having a seven year old son, I've thought a lot about how he views technology differently. I've also spent plenty of time on the phone with my mother helping her better understand technology.
Laurie turned me on to the author Marc Prensky, who has been doing a lot of thinking on the subject. It was refreshing to see someone else thinking about this type of stuff. I am especially impressed that he's thinking about technology and generational differences in reference to teaching and our schools. Prensky has two articles on the subject "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" and "The Emerging Online Life of the Digital Native: What they do differently because of technology, and how they do it".
Why should you care? Well I think it's always good to understand how different groups see the world. Especially if you're a marketer. By better understanding their unique views you can market to them in a more authentic way. Most people are receptive to authenticity. At least that's my view.
Another font. This one for the kids. I'm not sure where I found this one. I looked but can't find a trace.
