GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

I’ve been amazed by the global enthusiasm for the iPhone apps that continue to proliferate around the world. Creating an app is as simple as thinking of something useful. It’s the modern day inventor’s route to riches, and the modern day consumer’s lifestyle compressed onto a small device. The creativity just keeps on coming, and it has the consumer at the heart of every decision.

The Urban Spoon app lets you define the parameters of what you want to eat. Anything you’d like to leave to chance, just solve with a shake of the phone. Is That Gluten Free? will tell you what you’re eating while you are at the restaurant. The World Factbook ’09 can solve discussions over dinner. Then GymGoal can help you work it off. And on it goes.

These apps are the ultimate conversation starter. “Have you got this app?” The power of the idea is transmitted every minute through conversation. Phones have got the world talking, but few guessed it would be in this unique manner.

Where was all this creativity before the iPhone opened a space for it? Are we using the other screens in our Sisomo family with the same creative, open approach? Cinemas, TV’s, billboards and bus stops are all waiting for the app magic. The future is wide open, and screens are everywhere. Let’s bring the world’s creativity to every screen, not just the little ones.

Image Source: https://www.walyou.com/blog/2008/11/28/free-iphone-apps-this-black-friday/

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

I’ve written in April and June this year on Brand America, which had became deeply unpopular through the decade. I had put my case for new actions and new messaging to The Pentagon through to Paper magazine. I tell people that what made the USA great is still there in abundance – a tremendous human energy, ideals of a better future, and the capacity to be the force for good in the world.

While the reality that President Barack Obama is only human has only recently dawned, and his popularity is now ranked at about 53% approval, his inspirational message already has delivered benefits to the USA as far as the ROW (Rest Of World) is concerned. In the week that Fortune magazine named Steve Jobs as CEO of the Decade, FutureBrand, which ranks country brands, has announced that the United States is back on top as the country that most people want to visit and do business with.* NY, DC and LA are each powerhouse cities (add San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Cincinnati and many more). The countryside is unbelievably diverse and historic.

This is hope and dreams made real for the Administration. The President has the near-impossible job – everything to deal with – wars, economic crisis, health care, environment, the future of America. He’s accountable for it all. So hats off for this achievement – restoring international preference. Millions of people came through Ellis Island to make a better world. America is a vast and beautiful country with idealistic values, beliefs and principles. Barack Obama has the ability to be a focal point for the aspirational dreams of Americans, and to people everywhere – to be the best they can be. The world is noticing. Here’s what Paul, who nominated America as his Lovemark, said back in 2004:

“America is the greatest of all my Lovemarks. It stands for freedom, liberty and choice. Whether you agree or disagree with the brand, it gives you the freedom to speak out, to take control, and make it better. If you invest everything you have in America, it is the only brand that will truly reward you.”

These are big ideals to live for. A footnote, of the top five countries, I’ve lived in Canada and Australia, (2nd and 3rd) and presently have homes in the USA, New Zealand, and France (1st, 4th and 5th). The opportunity is clearly there for Great Britain (8th – also home!).

*From Futurebrand: From best overall country brands and top brands within regions, to detailed rankings of the top ten brands across a breadth of categories including Authenticity, History, Art & Culture, Resort & Lodging Options, Ease of Travel, Safety, Rest & Relaxation, Natural Beauty, Beach, Nightlife, Shopping, Fine Dining, Outdoor Activities & Sports, Friendly Locals, Families, Value for Money, Rising Star, Standard of Living, Ideal for Business, Easiest to Do Business In, New Country for Business, Conferences, Extend a Business Trip, Political Freedom, Most Like to Live In, Quality Products, Desire to Visit/Visit Again, Advanced Technology and Environmentalism.

The year’s CBI tracks the perceptions of approximately 3,000 international business and leisure travelers from nine countries—the US, the UK, China, Australia, Japan, Brazil, the UAE, Germany and Russia. The insights from an expert panel of 47 tourism, development, policy and academic professionals are also featured. This sample has a margin of error of ±1.8% at the 95% confidence level.

Image Credit: nicholas_t – https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholas_t/

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

Don’t you love it when scientists come out with studies proving the completely obvious? The advertising industry is not immune from such studies, as the American Association of Advertising Agencies has recently released a paper entitled: “Why You Need to Incorporate Emotional Messaging Into Your Marketing Communications.” It states “Recent studies have proven that emotional advertising is more effective than a rational strategy.”

The AAAA paper points to a study of the 880 winners of Advertising Effectiveness Awards from the UK’s Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) which has offered further proof (as if there was any doubt) that if you put your message in emotional terms, it will carry more weight. Some highlights from the analysis:

• Emotionally based campaigns outperformed rationally based campaigns on every single business measure in the cases studied—sales, market share, profit, penetration, loyalty and price sensitivity.
• Emotional appeals are almost twice as likely to generate large profit gains as rational ones.
• The more emotion dominates over rational messaging, the bigger the impact on the business; the most effective ads are those with little or no rational content.
• Emotional advertising is particularly good at reducing price sensitivity, and hence leads to large profit gains.

I’ve given hundreds of speeches and written a couple of books – Lovemarks: the future beyond brands, and The Lovemarks Effect on the very subject of emotional primacy. I religiously reference neuroscientist Donald Calne – people are 80% emotional and 20% rational; reason leads to conclusions, emotion leads to action.

Whilst the 4As are “surprising with the obvious”, their survey is actually very timely. The job of keeping clients on an emotional track is a never-ending one. My #1 job when I started as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi was to “emotionalize clients.” There is frequently a tendency on the part of brand managers to cram too much information about product benefits into advertising; to be overly prescriptive; to run with facts not stories. There are only two questions that matter in advertising: “Do I want to see it again?” And “Do I want to share this?” An ad crammed with data ain’t gonna be revisited or shared.

Btw, other startling “surprising with the obvious” findings from scientific studies include:

1. Gun-Toting Drivers are More Prone to Road Rage
2. Too Many Meetings Make You Grumpy
3. Swallowing More Than One Magnet is Dangerous
4. Memory and Concentration Fade With Age
5. Time Flies When You’re Busy

Image source: https://www.elt.lt/2008/02/14/all-you-need-is-lovemarks-lovemarks/

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

It sometimes feels like I’ve run the full gamut of school-related experiences – from being kicked out of school at 17, to being invited back as a Governor. I frequently speak to students at universities around the world, but having an eternally curious granddaughter like Stella in my life has piqued my interest in the way primary schools approach the first few years of learning.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem we’re doing our children justice in this regard. Despite being one of the richest countries on earth, America’s education system is notoriously rife with difficulties. A recent in-depth report from Cambridge University on UK primary schools suggests a grim focus on state-determined curriculum and assessment is dampening childrens’ appetites for learning. The researchers recommend a new approach where formal learning begins age 6 (rather than 5), and that younger children be left to learn through play. I’ve spoken here before about the importance (and fun!) of free-ranging play outdoors, and I think this principle remains the same in the classroom. Of course core frameworks are important – as long as they allow great teachers to inspire their young pupils to experiment, keep asking “why?”, and start coming up with their own answers. Sure, sometimes they’ll get it wrong. Sometimes they’ll get their hands dirty. But if their curiosity is sparked, they’ll develop a love and appreciation for learning as adventure that will last a lifetime.

I like the approach taken by President Obama in a recent speech to young American school children. Always big on hope and inspiration, the President pointed to where the best kind of education leads – discovery, innovation and creation. Not just retaining facts and ticking off boxes, but being able to take what you’ve learnt and use it to make something exciting and new that benefits everyone. His concluding questions put the future firmly in the hands of his young listeners:

“So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What
problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make?”

Fittingly, a bunch of open-ended questions best answered with imagination, not just textbooks.

Image source: https://defencedebates.wordpress.com/category/my-feedback-to-you/

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

The Sam Walton Business School at the University of Arkansas is on our calendar every October because of the superb annual conference run by the Center for Retailing Excellence. Andy Murray, Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X, was a founder of the conference, and this year a keynote speaker. His subject was “the future of shopper marketing” – which should apply to anyone and everyone who wants to sell something to a customer.

The presentation featured five key points (and a whole bunch of arresting stories, insights, and examples):

• Put yourself at the heart of the customer (most companies try it the other way around)
• Navigate the experience of your customer from the “shelf back”
• Create ways for customers to participate and be involved in your brands and store experiences
• Explore the fringe/edge/margin for new ideas (Wal-Mart was a fringe idea, it came from Bentonville, not Chicago)
• Find new ways for manufacturers and retailers to collaborate authentically based on trust, transparency and shared goals

This is a special presentation and will be viewed in five years time as a definitive statement about the world’s biggest activity: shopping.

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

I wrote a few weeks ago about Do One Thing, the Saatchi & Saatchi S initiative to personalize sustainable actions. Real change requires a ground swell of action, but as companies we can take decisive steps that have impact.

Walmart recently discontinued issuing paper checks to its employees in favor of electronic payments. By that stroke alone it will save some 257,572 pounds of paper a year.

Tesco in the UK has announced that it is now diverting 100% of its waste from landfills. This is no small feat, since it encompasses all of Tesco’s 2300 stores and distribution centers in the UK.

Marks & Spencer has pledged to meet 100 separate commitments to reduce impacts within a five-year time-frame, and has already achieved 39 of those within the first two years.

Here are ten things Ikea did to be more sustainable:

1. Replace polyvinylchloride (PVC) in wallpapers, home textiles, shower curtains, lampshades, and furniture – PVC has been eliminated from packaging and is being phased out in electric cables;
2. Minimize the use of formaldehyde in its products, including textiles;
3. Eliminate acid-curing lacquers;
4. Produce a model of chair (OGLA) made from 100% post-consumer plastic waste;
5. Introduce a series of air-inflatable furniture products into the product line. Such products reduce the use of raw materials for framing and stuffing and reduce transportation weight and volume to about 15% of that of conventional furniture;
6. Reduce the use of chromium for metal surface treatment;
7. Limit the use of substances such as cadmium, lead, PCB, PCP, and AZO pigments;
8. Use wood from responsibly-managed forests that replant and maintain biological diversity;
9. Use only recyclable materials for flat packaging and “pure” (non-mixed) materials for packaging to assist in recycling.
10. Introduce rental bicycles with trailers for customers in Denmark.
    At Saatchi & Saatchi, we’re setting goals relating to optimal management of our buildings, and doing less traveling. And individually our employees each declare what their DOT is.

There’s an interesting exchange on the post I published a few weeks ago on DOT – a reader claiming that the “incremental steps” model does not achieve transformative change. Adam Werbach responds to this and other views on this, and how he believes the “bottom-of-the-pyramid” actions on the part of the general population have a major effect on decisions made by companies and governments. More on this to come.

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

Ideas are the currency of the future and can come from anywhere, and Google probably knows this more than anyone right now! To help celebrate their 10th birthday, Google invited people to submit their ideas to help make the world a better place for everyone with their special “Project 10 to the 100th.”

150,000 ideas were sent in from people living in 172 countries, speaking 25 different languages. There were eight different categories that ideas: community, energy, environment through to health, education, shelter and opportunity, and not to forget the ‘everything else’ basket. The same people who submitted ideas were then invited to vote on the best ones that should receive the $10 million that Google are going to invest and which should be announced soon.

You can see the full range of ideas here. Some of the finalist ideas were:

• Support efforts to increase young Africans’ access to quality education by creating “cyber schools”
• Create a fund to support social entrepreneurship by providing targeted capital and business training to help young entrepreneurs build viable businesses and sustained community change

Coordinate a rapid-response tool for natural disasters; introduce an ecological VAT instead of income tax

• Create an advanced health monitoring system
• Encourage positive media depictions of engineers and scientists
• Create a transportation system that enables electric cars to run on a rail-type system

When so many ideas struggle just to see the light of day, it’s wonderful how the project has given people the opportunity to spread their ideas. The project has just finished voting and winners should be announced shortly, when the ideas go to work they will surely help transform the way people live.

Image source: https://www.project10tothe100.com/ideas.html

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

TV will never die, YouTube will never kill it. YouTube (or its future manifestations) will never die either, TV will never kill it. We’re in the world of and/and, where possibilities are not mutually exclusive and creative exposure is based on merit.

A couple of weeks ago, YouTube hit a billion views a day, and the inevitable happened. TV and YouTube are looking at working together. The Daily Telegraph says that the UK’s Channel 4 is looking at a deal to sell its own advertising around its own content on YouTube and sharing the revenue with YouTube (read Google). It’s like someone moving into your house, renting your living room unsolicited, and giving you a cut of the profits. And I say, good luck to them!!

The power is with the creative champions, and YouTube have proven to be just that. As Steve Jobs said, “creativity is just connecting things.” YouTube have connected the techno-geeks, mobile phone users, and home movie recorders together like never before. Their revenue share model has been around for a while, and high volume users are already benefiting from a share of the profits. So why not a TV Channel? It’s a Sisomo world, and the game has changed forever. Channel 4 are getting a second bite at their own content, and more importantly, integrating with other platforms online will drive users back to TV, still the focal point of living rooms around the world.

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

I like to think of good ideas having a theme song. For the ‘Participation Economy‘ maybe it would be “Come Together” by The Beatles. But the manifestation of that spirit and energy has to be embodied by the current world tour by U2. It’s a lesson in participation with scale.

Stadium shows of yesterday were known to have poor sound quality and a vast distance between the performers and the rest of the crowd. But U2 wanted to innovate on that model and create something awe-inspiring.

U2 play upon a 164 foot tall stage positioned in the middle of a packed audience, nearly 70,000 strong. Bono says to the audience: “We built this spaceship to get closer to you.” It’s the biggest concert stage ever built, has no defined front or back and is surrounded on all sides by the audience. The stage design also includes a cylindrical video screen and will increase the venues’ capacities by about 15-20%. “The band is just sitting in the palm of the audience’s hand,” said Designer Willie Williams.

Mark Fisher, Design Architect for the U2 Tour, spoke about the set: “The inspiration was to make a set that was as intimate as we could make it in a stadium. So everybody in the stadium feels like they’re real close to the band and the band feels like they’re real close to everybody in the stadium.”

After the crowd sang along to “With Or Without You,” Bono had everyone hold up and wave their cellphones in the air saying “Turn this place into the Milky Way.”

One recent Chicago concert-goer blogged, “Once again it was a spiritual moment. There’s a vibe you can’t articulate.”

In an era of declining CD sales, the tour is expected to be a major source of income for the band. About 2.5 million people will see this current leg of the tour. And for anyone curious by all the massive trucks carrying the heavy stage around, U2 will, it seems, purchase carbon offsets to take into consideration the environmental impact of the massive production, which has been estimated to be up to 65,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide; approximately the same amount that would be emitted in flying a passenger plane to Mars.

To read Part 1 of the ‘Participation Economy’ by Kevin Roberts – click here.

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GUEST POST from Kevin Roberts

I was recently contacted by a journalist to talk about the Attraction Economy. What bad timing. I’ve moved on. From our experience with the T-Mobile “Life’s for Sharing” campaign, a new shift is taking place. We are entering the age of the Participation Economy.

When watching or approving anything we make, my rule of thumb used to be: Do I want to see it again? But increasingly that’s given way to: Do I want to share this? I’ve written about the dynamics of sharing before. It may sound like a lesson from Kindergarten, but sharing is powerful stuff.

The transformation of business and society is always seen through a collection of shifts. Power and energy changes direction and new dynamics rule the day.

The Participation Economy is an aspiration as much as it is a reality. The global recession dealt a blow to its development, perhaps. But a number of contributing factors lead to the Participation Economy, chief among them the web. Our real-time digital infrastructure is an empowering, entrepreneurial platform that lets you showcase your creativity like never before. We’ve seen this introduce a self-generating energy that we’re just beginning to understand and harness.

All of this is an evolution. We’re not totally there yet, so Attraction still plays a huge role. And the term is not my invention, as the Participation Economy has been around a while for the design of products. But it’s much larger than that.

Participation is also about the health of society. The past decade witnessed rapid change in society. America doubled its consumption of antidepressants. 1% of the population is in jail. 48% of Manhattan lives alone. Social dislocation creates new channels for interaction and our need to participate and join together is going to grow in this regard.

Like the Lance Armstrong Flash Mobs I blogged on, the Participation Economy is more about sharing ideas than making purchases. It’s about connecting us with ideas. When we participate, we join a larger community around an idea. That social dynamic is fluid and natural and it’s a hotbed of innovation. More and more, we will see that the best ideas create an opportunity for participation. It channels the energy of a community. After all, Steve Jobs said: “Innovation is just connecting stuff.”

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