We need to have a better

idea about our ideas

2
 Advertising
isn’t working

3
 “I enjoy the ads as much as the TV
programmes”

Source: TGI
 “I don’t recall seeing any commercials
while watching the programme”
(American Idol or Desperate Housewives)

Source: OMD Proprietary DVR Study 2006

7
Images courtesy of Russell Davies
Images courtesy of Russell Davies (above) and
Wooster Collective (right)
Hugh MacLeod – gapingvoid.org
What we do in totality
as marketers does
very little to change
consumer behavior

11
 Some inconvenient truths

“In most categories a brand’s market share is stationary”

4 out of 5 categories seen as increasingly homogeneous

Less than 1 in 10 ads seen as different

4% response rate successful in DM; 0.5% average click-thru

rate for banners

3x $ spent on price cutting as on ‘brand building’ in

packaged goods
Sources: Andrew Ehrenberg; Copernicus Consulting; McKinsey
 I think we’re using
the wrong map; a map that
does a poor job at
describing the reality of
contemporary culture
13
We celebrate ‘big‘ messages rather
than rich or generous ideas
15
16
17
Stop looking for the loud giant stuff.

The small marvels surround us.

Warren Ellis

18
19
Frank Chimero 20
Nobody comes out of a movie
saying, “that was a really good
film. I really enjoyed it.
It was really clear.”
Russell Davies

21
We celebrate ‘big‘ messages rather
than rich or generous ideas

We are obsessed by what things do,

not what people do with them
 “Our focus should not be on emerging
technologies but emerging cultural practices”

Text

“A revolution doesn't happen when a

society adopts new tools. it happens when
society adopts new behaviors”

24
25
26
27
 Our frame of cultural
reference is movies.

Yet more Americans

played a video game in
the last six months than
went to the movies.
28
As agencies we are very
good at producing finite,
complete products.

We’re not very good at

creating an open process
and designing for gaps.
29
It’s not digital that’s
important.

It’s participation.

30
31
32
33
We celebrate ‘big‘ messages rather
than rich or generous ideas

We are obsessed by what things do,

not what people do with them

We have got our grammar all wrong

It’s not about social media,
it’s about social ideas

36
Sociability lies at the heart of
what makes great ideas
today different
Great ideas today are different.

Have a point of view on the world, not a position in the

category.
Have a social mission, not just
a commercial proposition.
40
“Like any company we require a profit
to stay in business. But it is not the
reason we are in business. The thing
that has not changed from day one is
the desire to make people think about
the world we live in.
This is, and always will be,
why we are in business.”
Photo: Andrew Hovells
(aka Northern Planner)
Photo: Andrew Hovells
(aka Northern Planner)
47
Great ideas today are different.

Have a point of view on the world, not a position in the

category.

Understand what people are interested in and work back

from there.
“Nobody reads advertising. People read what
they want to read and sometimes it's an ad.”
Howard Gossage

“Often our biggest mistake as managers is

believing that, in general, customers care
a lot about your brand. They do not.”
Patrick Barwise
 Not sure a gorilla playing a
Phil Collins drum solo wins
us the Dairy Milk account

A text message from Laurence Green to Richard Flintham

5 million views in 8 weeks

Sales up 7%, 30% greater

than industry average
54
Great ideas today are different.

Have a point of view on the world, not a position in the

category.

Understand what people are interested in and work back

from there.

Do stuff, don’t just say stuff.

It’s about ideas that
can be advertised,
not advertising ideas

58
60
65
Great ideas today are different.

Have a point of view on the world, not a position in the

category.

Understand what people are interested in and work back

from there.

Do stuff, don’t just say stuff.

Do lots of things, not one thing.

“Any idea is dangerous if it’s a person’s only
idea”*
A culture full of depth and complexity

The rule of the 5% requires lots of matches to start a fire

Why not when the economics have changed?

* George Will’s take on the American idea, Atlantic Monthly, November 2007
DO.

Learn.
 Coherency not consistency.
specials eg
language, frappucino
eg ‘skinny’
habits
formation
‘my sister’
book range
and options

book
barista Provide an
reading
culture uplifting experience ordering
that enriches system akelah and
used grounds people’s lives the bee
for gardeners in store
starbucks
sofas and performance
company
social ambience and art starbucks
responsibility salon
africa 05
hearmusic
fair trade Xm
coffee
music cd
cause
burn your own
publicity
cd
in store

Source: John Grant, ‘The Brand Innovation Manifesto’

It’s about understanding distributed identity.

Google
Books
Blogspot
Youtube
Google
Google Google Scholar
411 Search
Google
Docs
Organize the
world’s information
Google and make it
Shopping universally
accessible and Google
useful.
labs Chrome
Browser

Google
Maps Google.Org
Google
sketch Fossil fuel
Challenge
High frequency. Low value. Semi-
unpredictable rewards.
The only big idea today is
not to forget the little
ones along the way.
Thank you Ed and Influx Insights for spotting this
 All this means how you
design, create and evaluate
ideas has to change.
Does it communicate? Is it magnetic?

Is it clear? Has it got depth?

Is it likeable? Is it slippy and spreadable?

Is it engaging? Is it participatory?

Is it replicable? Is it generative?
 Thanks.
http://www.garethkay.com
http://www.twitter.com/garethk