Results for articles with tag 'longtail' (2 total)
01/13/2008 08:59:40 AM 
A couple of years back, he wrote a paper that connected The Long Tail to brand communication. It won him a top prize from WPP.
He has now distilled the paper down into a Change This manifesto and it makes a great read.
The essence of his argument is that for years brands and agencies have followed a disciplined approach to uncovering and communicating ONE thing about a brand.
Mohamed believes this thinking is now flawed because of the widespread availablity of free and cheap media. He doesn't suggest that it's wrong to have one lead proposition, it's just that you can have a number of others and target specific groups with them.
In addition, armed with real-time data, you can easily calculate the ones that aren't working and the ones that are.
One really interesting point he makes is that agencies believe when they launch a new campaign, they are making a clean break with the past. It's a pre-internet notion, today, nothing is forgotten because every message ever created is now accessible and informs our brand understanding.
Finally, he recommends letting the consumers work it out for themselves, put the messages out there and they will find the nuances that work for them.
For all the planners out there, this suggests there's a new way to work and that our briefs needs to change to reflect the opportunity. The world has certainly gotten more complex because we can tell more stories, so the critical component becomes, media, because we need to know where we can tell these stories.
Posted by Ed Cotton
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01/06/2008 11:18:56 AM
No doubt they are still going to happen and consumers are going to still go off on their own and create gems like the Apple iTouch spot and manage to get discovered.
What about taking user-generation and consumer involvement further?
2008 might see the start of the emergence of more direct user involvement and engagement in the creation, customization and use of products.
This week, all eyes will be focused on the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas where the big brands will be competing to see who has the biggest plasma.
In general, the world of consumer electronics has been pretty much one-way traffic; brands create flashy, appealing toys that redefine the experience, we go weak at the knees, buy the product, plug it in and use it for 12 months until the next thing appears.
We do nothing, but worship and use the device, but we can’t really do anything else with it.
At this year’s CES, an interesting little start-up called Bug Labs will be showcasing its wares.
Bug’s goal is to turn the industry on its head and offer up “Lego-like” components that people can configure and program to suit their needs.
Here’s how they describe their mission.
Bug Labs is a new kind of technology company, enabling a new generation of engineers to tap their creativity and build any type of device they want, without having to solder, learn solid-state electronics, or go to China. Bug Labs envisions a future where CE stands for Community Electronics, the term "mashups" applies equally to hardware as it does to Web services, and entrepreneurs can appeal to numerous markets by inventing "The Long Tail" of devices.
Bug gets extra points for getting The Long Tail into their mission statement.
The format is to provide a programmable mini Linux computer and modules that attach to it such as screens, GPS etc. The user can then configure the device anyway they want to.
While it’s clear not every Joe Six-Pack has the time, interest or inclination to program and develop their own PDA, some do.
For the big consumer electronics brands out there, there are a couple of things to take away from this.
1. What can you do to provide a more personalized and customizable experience for your users? Think User-Perfected, rather than User-Generated
2. Shouldn’t things generally be more modular- wouldn’t we get less wastage that way?
Posted by Ed Cotton
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Articles for tag longtail (2 total).