Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 371
January 29, 2011
What A CMO Wants. What A CMO Needs.
What a CMO wants and what a CMO needs may not be what a CMO can get (just yet).
Being a Chief Marketing Officer is no easy gig. Recent studies in North America have found that a CMO lasts between 12-26 months (depending on who you ask). That's nothing to laugh about and it creates a world of chaos for both companies and agencies who are trying to not only build a brand, but maintain some level of cohesion in the process. If you layer on top of that how challenged the Marketing department is within the organization (most see Marketing as an expense instead of looking at the overall economic value that it delivers to the organization) and the introduction of so many new Marketing opportunities (do we really need to use the words "Social Media" and "mobile" here, again?) and the picture becomes a little clearer (or hazier... if you're said CMO).
So, what do CMOs really want out of Social Media (and do they think it's going to save them)?
Our good friends over at Bazaarvoice decided to take a swipe at this question, and released the results in a nine page (and free!) report titled, CMOs On Social Marketing Plans For 2011. This is the second time that Bazaarvoice has conducted this survey with The CMO Club and in that short time, the attitudes of the CMO towards Social Media is already starting to change and take shape.
This is from the executive summary...
"In 2011, revenues remain critical, but the additional value of these consumer interactions -- even beyond the site -- lies within the key insights customers share with brands. These aggregated insights, when analyzed and put into action, create value far beyond the marketing organization, impacting products, vendor relationships, and corporate strategic initiatives."
Jason Falls over at Social Media Explorer pulled out the following insights that are worthy of re-mentioning:
CMOs are more clear than ever before that they want to measure sales conversion and revenue drivers. When you add the word "marketing" to "social media" its about business. Draw that line to the bottom line, or go home.
Still, CMOs don't think they've figured Social Media and measuring it definitively out yet.
The "don't know" how much value social networking activity brings answers are declining, meaning CMOs are getting better and smarter at measuring.
Ratings and review sites, branded communities and corporate blogs still lead the way for activities CMOs say bring average to significant return for their investment.
What does this all mean?
The majority of CMOs know and understand that Social Media is not just a fad. This interconnectedness of the consumer is not going away any time soon. The challenge is that they're looking for answers that are comparable to what they're doing in the more traditional advertising channels and they're also interested in a more direct-response relationship. This may work out for them, but it could very well not. From what we've seen in Social Media, it's more about the relationships than it is about pushing sale, and it's much more about building loyalty and care than it is about the current advertising campaign. That all being said, there are no real rules. Some consumers love following Twitter feeds that are filled with coupons and discounts while others want more of a real interaction between real human being.
It will be interesting to see how the CMO performs this year and going forward. How do you think they'll do?
If you want to learn more, Bazaarvoice is also offering up a free webinar on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 1 pm - 2 pm EST titled, CMOs Share Top Insights On The Bottom Line Of Social.
Tags:
bazaarvoice
brand
chief marketing officer
cmo
corporate blog
direct response
jason falls
marketing
mobile marketing
online social networking
social marketing
social media
social media explorer
the cmo club
traditional advertising
twitter
webinar
Find Your Vision And Creativity
I want to be Alex Bogusky... and you should too.
Forget that fact that Alex was one of the guy's behind one of the most exciting advertising agencies of all time (Crispin Porter + Bogusky), and forget the fact that many in the marketing community (myself included) consider him one of the smartest creative minds our industry has ever seen. A while back, Alex decided to leave it all behind and look for something else. One of his projects is something called FearLess, which acts as a holding company for his many new adventures in consumer advocacy and the changing landscape of what it means to be a brand. He also now hosts his own online show, and this week's episode is called, Unlocking Your Personal Vision. This episode features a conversation with the team behind UFUSE - a company that helps individuals and companies unlock their vision and creativity. This one hour conversation is especially of interest, because Alex actually spent a week with them pushing his own vision and creativity to new heights.
This should inspire you... and get you thinking...
Tags:
advertising agency
alex bogusky
brand
consumer advocacy
creative mind
creativity
crispin porter bogusky
fearless
marketing community
online show
online video
personal vision
podcast
ufuse
vision
youtube
Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #32
Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?
My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for each other (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
How Long Is A Piece Of String? - Horizon . "From the BBC 's Horizon , a trippy answer to an apparently simple question. Alan Davies gets complicated responses that question the fabric of the universe from... a length of string? (and if that isn't blowing your mind enough, follow it with a chaser of the most psychedelic images in science, a far-out collection of images from Discover Magazine shows that there's plenty of beauty in math, noses, crystals, and more)." (Alistair for Hugh).
Emotion and Music - McGill University . "From our own McGill University , here's a study of how music affects us. Researchers hooked subjects to a functional MRI, then looked at their response to tunes. It lists the ones that induced chills; also cited are other studies that show what provokes intense reactions and emotions. You could look at this as a playlist; or maybe as an incredibly cynical way to produce that next hit single." (Alistair for Mitch).
Seven ways to think like the web - Jon Udell . "The wonderful Jon Udell outlines some fundamental principles of webbiness that, no matter your interests or business, you ought to reflect on - to see if you are doing the Web 'right.'" (Hugh for Alistair).
The Age Of Persuasion - CBC . "One of the best show's on the radio anywhere in the world - and I listen to stuff from all over - is The Age of Persuasion, the CBC Radio show about advertising and marketing, hosted by Terry O'Reilly , award-winning ad-man and radio nut. Age of Persuasion has been on for years, but never has it been available as a podcast. Until now... as of January 2011. Highly recommended listening for just about anyone. Mitch probably listens to this show every week already, so he'll likely know it's a podcast now. But still it's my link for the week." (Hugh for Mitch).
We need a serious critique of net activism - The Guardian . "The Web is now regarded as the place where all activism comes together. Look no further than the media and communications coming out of Egypt this week. Some of the big thinkers (people like Malcolm Gladwell , Jay Rosen , Jeff Jarvis and Clay Shirky ) all have differing perspectives on the efficacy of online activism in terms of true effect on creating change. In this piece, Boing Boing founder, author and new media expert, Cory Doctorow , reviews the book, The Net Delusion - The Dark Side of Internet Freedom , by Evgeny Morozov . This extensive piece does a lot more than dismantle the ideas brought forward in The Net Delusion, it acts as an amazing primer for what the Web can (and can't) do in terms of bringing people together and getting them to affect change in our world." (Mitch for Alistair).
Marshall McLuhan Speaks . "This is another reason to love the Internet. Someone, somewhere aggregated some classic video clips of media visionary, Marshall McLuhan , speaking, being interviewed, etc... and organized by theme. It's a truly amazing collection of intellect and insight that you would never be able to find in another media channel like print, TV or radio. I was especially taken with the video clip entitled, My Reading Habits , where McLuhan claims he only reads the right-hand side pages of non-fiction books. This is a treasure of media insights. And, if this isn't enough, check out another online project about McLuhan called, From Marshall And Me ." (Mitch for Hugh).
Now it's your turn: in the comment section below pick one thing that you saw this week that inspired you and share it.
Tags:
alan davies
alistair croll
bbc
bitcurrent
bite-sized edits
boing boing
cbc
cbc radio
clay shirky
complete web monitoring
cory doctorow
discover magazine
evgeny morozov
from marshall and me
gigaom
great links
horizon
hugh mcguire
human 20
jay rosen
jeff jarvis
jon udell
librivox
link
linkbait
malcolm galdwell
managing bandwidth
marshall mcluhan
mcgill university
media hacks
media visionary
net activism
new media
online activism
podcast
radio
rednod
terry oreilly
the age of persuasion
the book oven
the guardian
the net delusion
year one labs
January 26, 2011
Get Paid To Watch YouTube, Play on Facebook And Follow Twitter
That's what I tell young people in school these days, when I'm asked to talk about Marketing as a profession.
Being a Marketer is not a profession of choice (for most). Most young people enter Marketing after not falling in love with law school of their MBA program. Marketing also tends to be the industry of choice for those who took the more creative route in university but never converted it into a paying/sustainable practice/lifestyle. It's too bad. I love Marketing. I love the challenge of trying to figure out how to get a brand and their message to resonate with an audience. Beyond that, it gets even more challenging when you start looking at real engagement and community/loyalty building initiatives. Marketing isn't easy, and as more and more new platforms and channels enter the fray (think about the Web, Social Media, mobile, etc...), the more crowded the spaces get, and the harder it is to manage both the newer platforms and the ability for the brand to truly resonate.
It's also a lot of hard work.
As Marketing continues to struggle to gain credibility within the corporate structure (too many c-level executives still see their marketing as a cost instead of the value it truly brings to the overall economic value of the business), Marketing tends to be the first area that gets cuts when times are tough (which we all know is a big mistake: Marketing Your Way Through a Recession). As tired and boring as Social Media and Digital Marketing may be to you (if you're reading a Blog, you're already well ahead of the curve and would probably still be considered some kind of "early adopter"), it continues to be a growing and important niche within the Marketing world.
There are jobs (good and great jobs) to be found in Marketing... right now.
Beyond the fact that our agency, Twist Image, continues to grow and that we're constantly on the prowl for smart and informed people to join our team, Google announced the other day that they are looking to hire more than 6000 people this year (currently, they have 300 job openings related to advertising alone). The news (which you can read more about here: Google Aims to Hire More Than 6,000 This Year) weaves an interesting story which begs the questions:
Do people really understand the amazing job opportunities that exist today in the technology and marketing world?
Are we doing enough to encourage young people to enter the marketing profession?
Do executives in areas of marketing that are less popular than they once were (radio, print, etc...) think about transitioning to digital?
Do potential marketing candidates even understand the size, scope and opportunity of Digital Marketing?
Are we doing enough to bring analytics and math to the potential professional?
Are we doing enough to merge computer science and marketing to make this possible?
This is a huge opportunity. Let's not waste it.
I often meet with people (young and older) who are struggling with their career path and personal development. They have the pieces in place to make a transition into this new world of Marketing, but can't seem to see how those pieces of the puzzle come together. Ultimately, Marketing has never done a great job of Marketing itself as a great profession. Pushing that idea further, I don't think that us Digital Marketers (or online marketing professionals) have done anything to truly remedy this critical issue.
Now, it's your turn: how do we get more people excited about the digital space and the many job opportunities that are there for the taking?
Tags:
blog
brand
community
computer science
creativity
digital marketing
early adopter
education
engagement
facebook
google
hr
human resources
law school
loyalty
marketer
marketing
marketing profession
marketing professional
mba program
messaging
mobile
personal development
social media
technology
traditional media
twist image
twitter
web analytics
youtube
January 24, 2011
Good Old Fashioned Values
If we use our traditional values in this now-digital world, we're going to fall behind... faster.
I have the pleasure of speaking in front of audiences that are both large and small all over the world. This gives me a very unique perspective. In your day to day work, if your client does not agree with your strategy and direction (or/and if they think you're simply crazy for suggesting it), more often than not their shaking of their heads is going to send you back to the drawing board. I get that from clients as much as the next agency owner, but the feeling is dramatically different when you're on stage and you can feel that guttural reaction happen en masse . When I show an audience statistics of online usage, adoption of mobile, specific uses of YouTube to build audience or general Social Media quirkiness that generates a lot of attention, they shake their heads in a way that says, "I can't believe this," "who has the time for this?" and/or "why would anyone do this?"
Your values are not THE values.
The same people who say that kids today don't interact because all they do is text one another or update their Facebook status' are completely missing the point. Every generation says this about the generation that comes after them. Our parents said the same thing about us using the phone or playing video games when we were growing up. This applies to privacy and this also applies to rights management. When everybody is sharing every detail of their life (in text, images, audio and video) with the world, the concept of privacy changes and evolves. When you can buy something digitally from a website or smartphone, the idea that something is sold based off of where you physically live seems a little ludicrous.
Our values have to adapt and change... rapidly.
We are not going to bend technology and innovation to our will. We are not going to bend technology and innovation to our traditional, good old fashioned values. We (the digital immigrants) have to change. We (the digital immigrants) have to accept that as the world does open up and as people do continue to share their information and find out about brands in new and interesting ways, our only hope for adaption is to open our eyes, ears and minds... and to stop shaking our heads in disbelief. Whenever that feeling of disbelief enters my mind and starts to make my head shake in that negative motion, I try to acknowledge it... and shut it down. It's about thinking in an open way and be being able to adapt quicker.
How about you?
Tags:
brand
digital immigrant
digital native
digital rights management
digital world
facebook
innovation
marketing agency
marketing strategy
mobile
online usage
privacy
public speaking
smartphone
social media
speaking
technology
text messaging
values
video games
youtube
January 23, 2011
Social Media For The B2B Industry
Episode #237 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.
Without a doubt one of the most commonly asked questions I get asked in both boardrooms and on stages all over the world is: "can Social Media work for the B2B industry?" I feel so strongly that it can, that I considered writing my second book on that, exact, topic, but Paul Gillin and Eric Schwartzman beat me to the punch. This week mark's the launch of their book,Social Marketing To The Business Cutomer - Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships. Both Gillin and Schwartzman are Digital Marketing professionals and veterans (you can see their credentials in the show notes), so this audio Podcast was a real treat to conduct. If you ever wondered about how B2B can best be used with Social Media for Marketing success, your questions will now be answered. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes ): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #237.
Tags:
advertising
bite size edits
blog
blogging
blue sky factory
book oven
business book
cast of dads
cc chapman
chris brogan
christopher s penn
david usher
digital dads
digital marketing
eric shwartzman
facebook
facebook group
hugh mcguire
in over your head
ipressroom
itunes
joy of geocaching
julien smith
librivox
managing the gray
marie mai
marketing
marketing over coffee
media hacks
new marketing labs
on the record online
online social network
paul gillin
podcast
podcasting
secrets of social media marketing
six pixels of separation
social marketing to the business customer
social media 101
social media marketing
spinfluencer
strategy
the new influencers
trust agents
twist image
twitter
January 22, 2011
Social Media? Do It For The Free Advertising!
The past couple of months have been interesting. The conversations around the ROI in Social Media have increased. Understandably.
On more than one occasion, I've been caught in the middle of a debate discussing the value of Social Media within the organization or a debate about the value of Social Media in terms of building a brand. My default position on Social Media ROI is based on something I've heard Richard Binhammer over at Dell say on countless occasions. Binhammer believes that ROI is both an accounting term and something that needs to look at every aspect of the business (and not just one department). His preference (and mine too!) is to look at corporate business objectives and figure out from there if there is a way for Social Media (or any other Digital Marketing platform) to help the business achieve those goals.
My personal experience tells me that there is always some kind of way to make it work.
As pragmatic as that may sound to you (and let's face it, if you're reading this Blog... or any Blog... you're already a believer), I've often been confronted with senior executives who think the ultimate value of doing anything in Social Media is the free advertising. Now, before you go snorting whatever beverage is in your hand right now all over the screen you're looking at, it's a sound argument. The logic is that as long as a brand is being mentioned anywhere and everywhere (and that the brand is not paying for it), than it's as good as free advertising. And yes, we're making a general assumption that what is being said is both positive or neutral (and not negative).
Right?
Pushing that further, if a brand wants to do their own thing, and not just sit back and let their consumers talk them up for free in Social Media channels, it's also free and simple to do it on their own. Afterall, how much does it cost to set-up a Facebook page? Free! How much does it cost to tweet? Free! How much does it cost to post a video to YouTube? Free!
Get the picture?
They're not wrong... and that's why they're doing it. It's free, fast and easy (plus, if you're not serious about the channels, it doesn't take much time, cost or energy to get an intern or entry-level person to do the manual labor). In my first book, Six Pixels of Separation, I had a section titled, In Praise of Slow. The point of it? Slow simply means that long-term results take time. Building relationships where people actually talk positively about you take time. Building trust, credibility and alliances takes a whole lot of time. The only shortcut and the only free lunch is if you use these channels as a repository for everything you're doing within the broadcast media channels (and hey, if that works for you and people care about that type of engagement, more power to you). If you're starting a Blog and you pre-load posts with made-up questions, or semi-edited snippets of old press releases, you're not really adding much value, and you are not speeding up the process for you to become successful (because it's not authentic and valuable). In fact, you are probably slowing it down - it will take you even longer to correct course and build the right conversation.
If the only corporate imperative is to do this for the free advertising, something tells me that Social Media will, undoubtedly, let you down. Hard.
Tags:
advertising
blog
brand building
broadcast media
business book
corporate business objectives
credibility
dell
digital marketing platform
facebook page
free advertising
in praise of slow
online video
richard binhammer
social media
social media roi
trust
tweet
twitter
youtube
Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #31
Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?
My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for each other (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
Horoscoped - Information Is Beautiful . "This Information is Beautiful visualization of the most common words in horoscopes shows what folks like Derren Brown have elegantly demonstrated: Horoscopes are bunko. On the other hand, the resulting 'meta horoscope' that uses all of the most common words is a strangely serene poem about how to live a good life." (Alistair for Hugh).
The Truth Wears Off - The New Yorker . "I've cited a lot of research over the past few months. And apparently, it's becoming wrong. For a variety of reasons -- from human psychology and frail egoes, to self-selection, to bad stats, there's a lot of evidence that things we believe are true are gradually become untrue. Is the universe resisting our efforts to understand it? Why does Alberta make coked-up mice run farther? This great piece from The New Yorker will tell you." (Alistair for Mitch).
Idea to Market in 5 Months: Making the Glif - The Russians Used A Pencil . "We've all heard about some web start-up that was a little idea that just hit the right nerve - and after a few weeks or months of coding... poof! something explodes online. While it's not easy to make a successful webapp, the costs can be minimal: a smart person and a computer can get a lot done. But when you're trying to build a physical product, well... you need capital - for prototypes, manufacturing, and distribution. Until now: driven by tools like the community-funding site Kickstarter, and cheap 3D printing - some physical projects are starting to look a lot like web startups. Here's a story of a couple of guys who decided to build an iPhone tripod mount and stand, and have shipped a whole bunch of them." (Hugh for Alistair).
Tracking down my online haters - CNN . "Online sportswriters, apparently, get heaps of abusive comments on their articles. Jeff Pearlman, a columnist at SI.com, started tracking down some of these commenters, and telephoning them to talk to them about why they felt the need to call him names. It turns out these online loudmouth jerks are often polite and apologetic on the phone. So it's not some innate rudeness, it appears, but something about (some) online communications themselves that encourages otherwise polite, normal people, to behave like morons. I've been deeply engaged in online life for about six years, and my online communities and interactions tend to be filled with reasoned thoughtful discourse, and very little rudeness. I like this article because it suggest that decency is as much a structural issue as it is a personal one. And a bit more decency would be nice." (Hugh for Mitch).
Me and My Algorithm - The New York Times . "Computers can do the most amazing things. Computers can do the stupidest things too (anyone up for a TV show called, Computers Do The Darndest Things?). In this New York Times opinion piece, Seth Freeman , looks at how human programmed but computer generated algorithms often get it embarrassingly (and funnily) wrong. It's to be expected, but let's not get too focused on what computer programs can do today. Instead, I'm more interested in where this all going. Artificial intelligence is not just a science fiction movie anymore. We're getting closer and closer to that moment in time where an algorithm will be less about the programming behind it and much more about understanding the semantics and intent of our everyday language." (Mitch for Alistair).
All-Star Thinkers on Wikipedia's 10th Anniversary - The Atlantic . "If there's one thing Hugh and I both love talking about, it's Wikipedia . Last week, the amazing online encyclopedia that anyone can add to and edit celebrated its tenth birthday (more on that here: Ten Years of Wikipedia ). This incredible piece from The Atlantic offers thinkers like Jay Rosen , Clay Shirky , Craig Newmark and many others a platform to 'comment on the site's texture and community. We asked them a simple question - what do you think about Wikipedia? '. This is a great read. Enjoy it." (Mitch for Hugh).
Now it's your turn: in the comment section below pick one thing that you saw this week that inspired you and share it.
Tags:
alistair croll
artificial intelligence
bitcurrent
bite-sized edits
clay shirky
cnn
complete web monitoring
computer algorithm
computer programming
craig newmark
derren brown
gigaom
great links
horoscope
hugh mcguire
human 20
infographic
information is beutiful
iphone
jay rosen
jeff pearlman
kickstarter
librivox
link
linkbait
managing bandwidth
media hacks
online communications
online encyclopedia
rednod
science fiction
scientific research
semantic web
seth freeman
si
sports illustrated
the atlantic
the book oven
the new york times
the new yorker
the russians used a pencil
web start-up
wikipedia
year one labs
January 21, 2011
Fake It Till You Make It
Let's face it: not everybody has the high level of skills to really deliver the goods from day one.
I was listening to Howard Stern the other day. He was interviewing Aerosmith front-man and new American Idol judge, Steven Tyler. Stern asked Tyler if he knew growing up that he would be a rock star. Tyler said that even though the early days were hard and the band played to empty rooms, he knew he had the goods. When Stern pressed him about how he conducted himself in those days when compared to some of the American Idol contestants who seem to come on to the TV show and have a false sense of entitlement, Tyler replied that all he did was focus on the line: "fake it till you make it."
You have to believe in yourself and what you're doing... even when others don't.
It's both a slippery slope and a fine line (if you can't carry a tune, you're not going to be a great singer no matter how much you try to fake it). And yes, there are also many people who are delusional (to a degree). That line, "fake it till you make it," still stuck with me. To a certain degree, I've been doing that for most of my life. Our lives are a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you don't believe that you have the skills sets and haven't set yourself up for success (educating yourself, working to build a portfolio, establishing yourself as a credible authority, etc...), you will be bound for failure. But, if you have done those things and you are getting some initial positive feedback, faking it till you make it is an extremely important (and powerful) attitude to have.
Social Media helps you fake it better than anything else.
A statement like that will be taken negatively by many people. Because anyone can publish their thoughts in text, images, audio and video, there is a perception that any quack or snake-oil salesperson can fake it... without ever being able to make it. It's true. But the other side of that equation is that there are many smart and well-informed people out there as well who can tell the difference between someone who is using the channel to "fake it till they make" versus someone who is just "faking it."
Faking it is bad. Faking it until you make it is good.
Always remember: great content does find an audience. People like to share great content. If that's not happening for you right now, you have to keep at it or figure out the right formula to make it work for you. All of the crazy, hot Marketing agencies on the market today started out as a small handful of people who had the skills and the ability to fake it until they made it. The big difference now is that Social Media gives you a platform to really share what you're all about with the world... instantly... and you'll get the next-to-real-time feedback to know what they think (and yes, silence is feedback as well).
So, what are you waiting for? Fake it till you make it!
Tags:
aerosmith
american idol
content
credible authority
education
entitlement
fake it till you make it
feedback
howard stern
marketing agency
publishing
social media
steven tyler
success
January 20, 2011
Embrace The Design Thinking Mentality
How do you truly push ideas to the right space? How do you truly re-invent the industry you serve?
It's easy to get analytical. It's easy to look at the raw data. It's also (somewhat) easy to look at how things have been, and think about how to push that thinking just a little bit further. The big, massive and hairy ideas usually don't come from that kind of mental framework. More often than not, when you look at something new, it has been imagined and developed by someone who is (truly) an artist in what they do. They act as a designer or architect in thinking about things with a fresh perspective and from a different angle. They usually do this with their brains... and with their hands.
Living it. Breathing it. Feeling it.
I have become fascinated (and somewhat obsessed) with the notion of design thinking and how it applies to business. Here's the Wikipedia definition of design thinking: "Design Thinking is a methodology for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result. It is the essential ability to combine empathy, creativity and rationality to meet user needs and drive business success. Unlike analytical thinking, design thinking is a creative process based around the 'building up' of ideas. There are no judgments early on in design thinking. This eliminates the fear of failure and encourages maximum input and participation in the ideation and prototype phases. Outside the box thinking is encouraged in these earlier processes since this can often lead to creative solutions."
Leave it to Wikipedia to remove all emotion and sentiment from something... but the definition fits.
How many people think Twitter is stupid? How many people think Facebook is useless? How many people think that YouTube is a waste of time? And, this is long after their proven success (I'll define "success" here as something that has been adopted and is used by a mass of people). Imagine what was said to the designers of those platforms as they were working through the initial prototypes and beta versions? If people feel that way now about these platforms, imagine what the inventors were being told as they tinkered with the early versions?
Design thinking can free your business.
Sit down with a two-year-old and watch them create (this notion was put in my head by C.C. Chapman at a recent Third Tuesday event where he was discussing the book, Content Rules, which he co-authored with Ann Handley from MarketingProfs). Kids naturally create content (out of anything) and they live and breathe within this design thinking mentality. Design thinking is a part of who we are and (much like creativity) it is slowly stripped away from us as we socialize within the constraints and constructs of the educational system and what those who have walked before us consider to be the social norm (i.e. prim and proper).
Great ideas comes from re-thinking everything in terms of design.
If you have yet to read Richard Florida's book, The Rise of the Creative Class, you should (it was published in 2003). Creativity in our new economy is critical to our success. The development and nourishment of cultural initiatives is a well. We're going to see a growing rise and need for design thinking in business too and these worlds continue to collide. Those building their business in the Marketing industry should pay even closer attention to how design thinking can help build their business models.
Looks, feels and sounds interesting... doesn't it?
Tags:
analytics
ann handley
architect
architecture
big hairy idea
business model
business success
cc chapman
content
content rules
creative resolution
creativity
culture
design
design thinking
designer
education
facebook
ideation
inventor
marketing industry
marketingprofs
outside the box
prototype
publishing
richard florida
the rise of the creative class
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Six Pixels of Separation
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