Tag Archives: Reverb 10

Friday’s 4-1-1, Core Story Style

For the next 15 days, I’m going to participate in Reverb 10. It’s an open online initiative that encourages participants to reflect on this year and manifest what’s next. It’s an opportunity to retreat and consider the reverberations of your year past, and those that you’d like to create in the year ahead. We’re connected by the belief that sharing our stories has the power to change us.

Today’s prompt – CORE STORY: What central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world?

It’s the end of the year, the final thoughts, the look-ahead, the last of the 2010 Friday 4-1-1’s, and the end of the Reverb10 series, all wrapped up into 1 post. And how fitting it is, stripping things down to the core, the thing that means the most – the story.

My story here has been an exploration. I didn’t start with much of a plan or many key message pillars and certainly nothing in mind for a “year later.” It all started pretty simple. I was open. But what’s happened through the exploration is that I’ve actually formed a story. It’s a story that’s centered around this wide-open space we call Out-of-Home, but it’s not about screens or technology. It’s about INTERACTIVITY, and ENGAGEMENT, and the PLACES/THINGS AROUND US being able to be TURNED ON, and more than anything, it’s about TELLING the BRAND’S STORY. These 4 themes have surfaced to the top in my exploration and it’s here – with these 4 themes – that I want to focus exploring more in the coming year. These are the core themes to my story. So, today’s Friday 4-1-1 is dedicated to them.

1. INTERACTIVITY – From the beginning, I’ve latched onto the concept that Interactive Out-of-Home is markedly different than Digital Out-of-Home. They’re both centered around technology, but different types of technology that do different types of things. I believe that you can make anything interactive, be it from a digital experience or not. But what deems something truly “interactive?” Is it just the fact that a consumer can take some sort of an action? Or is it deeper than that?

2. ENGAGEMENT – Interactivity and Engagement go hand-in-hand. Once something is interactive, it could be implied that it’s engaging. But not so fast. One does not necessarily make the other. The two are linked, yes, but true brand engagement might not be accomplished by simply taking an action. All actions are not created equal. If brands understand where consumers are in the funnel, they can drive true, meaningful brand engagement, all through some level of interactivity. Can this only happen with some scientific formula and an endless well of content?

3. PLACES/THINGS AROUND US TURNED “ON” – This is probably the most nebulous theme of them all, but I believe it’s just because we’re still quite a ways in front of the curve. In 2010, we saw bikes with brains. Trees that could talk. And interactive cars. But these are the exception. Technology is rapidly developing to the point where anything can be turned “on.” Will we see more and more places/things around us taking the place of physical “screens” in 2011? Or will we see more actual screens?

4. TELLING THE BRAND’S STORY – In college, me and my buddy had dreams of becoming the next Coen Brothers filmmaking dynamic duos. He’d direct, I’d write, and we’d both produce. It fit our skillsets and our passions perfectly. So, we grinded through the grind for many years trying to make that dream a reality, but in the end, it just wasn’t meant to be (ironically enough, he heads the film/video division for our company!) Every once in awhile, I get the itch to write another movie. I just haven’t been able to devote the long periods of time that it calls for with everything else going on in my life (I keep telling myself “when the kids are older.”) But over this holiday season, I’ve thought alot about that type of storytelling – the type with a beginning, middle, and end – compared to the brand type of storytelling – the type that’s structured around key messages and evolves over time – and how brands could write their story like a movie. It’s compelling and I’m going to dive deeper into it in the future. Can transmedia work for an automaker the same way it can work for a movie franchise? What does social media do to the story?

“Uh-huh” – At the end of the day, from a brand’s perspective, it’s all about building relationships with consumers. These four themes are at the heart of doing just that. It’s not easy to do, but I want to uncover who’s doing a good job at it vs. who isn’t, especially when they’re reaching people outside of their home.

“Duh” – I hope to not write as much about QR codes in the coming year. Yes, they provide a level of interactivity and engagement, and in some cases, drive the consumer deeper into the brand experience, but the complete solution – from a brand’s POV – needs to be improved. Mobile and Out-of-Home are linked together, and hopefully we’ll see more and more rich experiences involving the two. I’ve got to relax on the QR codes.

So there you have it. I’m excited about this direction in 2011. Thank you all for joining me on this exploration. Your readership and support means an incredible amount to me. I truly appreciate every one of you. I hope you all have a safe, enjoyable and prosperous new year! See you on the flipside.

My Out-of-Home Picture Drawings

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Today’s prompt – PHOTO: Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.

The holidays have gotten the best of me and I haven’t been as diligent about this Reverb series as I hoped to be. Now, since I’ve missed a few days, I have a well of prompts to choose from. So over the next two days, I’m going to pick a few out to share. When I initially saw this prompt, I wasn’t too excited about it. But then I got to thinking about some of the OOH graphics I’ve drawn and thought it was an ideal one. Again, this is not a literal response to the prompt, but in the same family.

You’ve probably seen an iteration of this in a previous post. It’s my model of all of the components in any OOH initiative, and specifically, their combined results in the experience (as indicated by the overlaps). It wasn’t as pretty then as it is now (thanks to my design team!), and I’ve actually tweaked it a little since then – the difference being where Place & Content overlap (Consumer Engagement) and Equipment & Content overlap (Technology Experience).

In the original version, I didn’t call out the technology component, rather it was a result that was implied by the each of the overlaps. However, after thinking about it a little bit more, it was apparent to me that it was an oversight and it was an essential component. Now, with this tweak, I feel like it’s a complete model. If you’re thinking about how to develop any interactive Out-of-Home solution, this model is intended to break down – in simple terms – all of the different components and enable you to think through all of the aspects of the experience. I hope it’s helpful and as always, am open to suggestions/refinement.

The other drawings were inspiration for another previous post – Awareness vs. Engagement OOH – and I haven’t shared them here before. In that post, I outlined the big differences between the two, but to get to those differences, I had to draw first. I’m such a big advocate of speaking in pictures vs. words, although I haven’t done much of that here (one of my 2011 resolutions). If done right, the picture can tell you in an instant what it usually takes many words to do.

So, here is my version of AWARENESS OOH:

Here, it’s simple – the brand is at the center and is pushing out messages to individuals. It’s a one-way communication “about the brand.” Digital signage allows for these messages to be pushed in a more efficient way, but in the end, it’s just a push/one-way message. Nothing more.

Now, the model drastically changes when you’re talking about ENGAGEMENT OOH:

Here, the model gets more complicated (but not really). First, the messages don’t have to begin with the brand and they certainly don’t have to begin with the brand pushing them out. They can begin anywhere, really. Individuals are already talking about the brand, in and out of the home. So, in Engagement OOH, it’s about being aware of that fact and whatever you do – as a brand – is secondary to the conversation. Here, the brand primarily serves as a connection between the individuals and its goal should be to add value to the brand experience. They can only add true, meaningful value to the experience by creating and participating in a two-way discussion.

The “hows” of all of this are not easy. There are many ways to do this and be effective. The main thing to be aware of, though, is consumers expectations are changing rapidly. With that change comes a change in the value that consumers are going to find in any Out-of-Home execution. We’ve recently seen a couple of great examples in Intel’s Smart TV interactive rotunda in NYC and Yahoo’s Bus Stop Derby in SF and to me, these are a sign of things to come.

Engagement, and everything it means, is going to be key for 2011 and I’m excited to see how both brands and consumers evolve in their Out-of-Home communications. There are many things at play to make all of this happen successfully, and I hope these drawings help in your process, regardless of whether you’re looking at this from a provider’s POV, a media POV, an agency POV, a brand POV, or a consumer’s POV.

Would love to hear your thoughts if you have them….

The Evolution of My Brand

My Own Desiderata

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Today’s Prompt – FUTURE SELF: Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead?

The first thing that popped into my head this morning after reading today’s prompt was Desiderata. It’s a favorite of mine. There are so many things that are right in line with my thinking and beliefs – it just speaks to me. I always find it refreshing when I look back over it periodically, and what I find is that it always grounds my perspective. Do you have something like this that keeps you grounded?

Today’s prompt calls me to write my own version of Desiderata. So, here you go, the advice for myself….

——–

Maintain and grow the relationships you’ve built up over the past year and pay special attention to your long-lasting relationships. Those need just as much nurturing as new relationships, sometimes even more. Know that those who you can call friends are special and not to be taken for granted or advantage of. You are only part of this. Do your job. Nurturing is active. It’s not a passive exercise. And it’s not a standard message & click.

Aim to be kind to all those you come into contact with. For most of those people, you’ll only have that one moment in time to leave your impact on them. Make it a positive one.

Breathe. Before speaking. Collect your thoughts. Stand in your power.

Knowledge is precious. In everything, you have an opportunity to teach or learn. Recognize this and as much as you can, do one or the other. You are doing a disservice to you and those around you if you do not.

Be gracious.

Slow down. Smell the roses, even when there are no roses to smell. The machine that you’re a part of is a magnificent one and it will keep running if you take a moment to recognize where you are and how you got there. Without looking around, you will not see the beauty in what you’re responsible for. Do not rest, though, because the machine keeps running. And there is always someone else who thinks they can keep it running faster, better, more efficient, and more powerful than you.

Take care of your business always. Commitments are made to be kept. They’re tied to your word. Don’t minimize those words because they’re important. Follow them up with action. Consistent. Persistent. Relentless. This is critical.

The world is a balancing act and your world is no different. Know your limits and boundaries. Your sacrifices have consequences, big and small. You must be OK with them.

Don’t lose sight of your passions or your dreams. Both are unique to you and once they’re gone, it’s almost impossible to get them back. Keep them burning however you need to – write, read, talk, create – this flame cannot go out.

Remember that faith enables real magic to happen. Continue pushing and taking risks and know that you can’t control everything. Sometimes shutting your eyes is all you can do to let everything take its course.

Most of all, do not forget that life is a joy, even though it most often feels like job. Don’t take yourself so seriously. You are a speck. Laugh. Smile. Pay attention to others doing the same.

And know, in your heart, that all will be good.

There’s Nothing Like a Great Team

Trying to Advocate, Man

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Today’s Prompt – TRY: What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

A weird thing has happened to me this year, coming into the digital signage industry as a relative newbie – I have found myself fighting against the very industry that I came in to fight for. I’ve felt more and more like this as the year has gone on – just observing – and I have mixed feelings about it. I believe what I believe, based on many different experiences, and I’m passionate about the space (the opportunity to connect with and engage consumers outside of their homes) so my nature is to keep pushing, but the digital signage industry is obviously critical to the OOH space and deserves as many advocates as it can get.

It’s important to band together to affect change. Our voices and our hard work and more and more successful implementations (with the “old” and “new” OOH) can make a profound impact on our advertising and communications brethren. Sooner rather than later, OOH will be thought of in a new light, consisting of both digital and interactive signage/solutions, and thought of as a primary channel to reach and engage with consumers. The opportunity to deliver on this is the tie that holds us all in this industry together.

So, that’s what I want to try to do a better job of – advocating for, not fighting against, the industry. At the same time, continue pushing in the direction that I believe is the future – this “new” OOH. The opportunity is not going away and it’s going to take everyone – both old and new – to deliver. I’m excited about 2011. Are you?

The Power of a Friend

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Has something ever presented itself to you and your gut tells you it’s a good thing, but the more you think about it, the more you doubt whether or not it’s a good thing?

Reverb 10 sounds like such a good, purposeful initiative, right away I felt like I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. But the more I thought about whether or not I should do it here, the more I doubted that this was the right forum. In the end, though, I knew I would look back on this and regret it if I didn’t participate. So, for the next 15 days (I missed the first half of December), I’ll be following their “prompts” to guide a blog post. I hope you find it as valuable as I anticipate it being. (And if you want to participate, you can get involved, too!)

Today’s prompt – FRIENDSHIP: How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

This is easy, particularly when I think of the past year on this blog. More than a forum to catch my thoughts, more than the opportunities, more than anything, I’ve been able to create, foster and grow relationships that I didn’t have last year. And a fair number of those relationships have turned into true friendships. Yeah, I know – especially in today’s world where becoming a “friend” is a simple click – that we don’t see each other on a regular basis, and it’s hard to go out and have a beer, but the bond that we’ve created is palpable. It’s that comfortable feeling you feel when you haven’t seen someone in a long time and when you do see them again, it’s as if no time has passed in between meetings. There’s no awkwardness. It just is.

One of those friends is Paul Flanigan. Paul is a marketing/digital signage guy who’s had many years experience in creating/managing/consulting on true digital signage initiatives/networks for many large clients. From that perspective, he’s seen and worked in what I would consider “old school” digital signage/DOOH. But the thing about Paul that has made an indelible impact on me is that he’s a “new school” thinker and this year, he’s been instrumental in reinforcing my belief that there truly is a “new school” way of thinking about digital signage/DOOH (and the entire out-of-home space). He’s a great evangelist on the power of engaging people outside of their home and he’s had big stages to speak on about this. He’s really a force. The more he talks, the more I feel like I’m on the right track. Our perspectives are aligned and that has been powerful to me, particularly on this blog. In the coming year, I can only hope to impart half of the value that this perspective has had on me. Friends are like that – it doesn’t take much to make a large impact.

11th Screen

Technology + Connections