Ray Kurzweil has a special place in our hearts because of his progressive thoughts on the future and how technology is becoming more integrated into our lives – even at a biological level. Barry directed and produced an excellent documentary about Kurzweil entitled: Transcendent Man. Barry points out that the law of accelerating return is upon us in every part of our lives, as devices such as smart phones are getting smaller. While it took the Gutenberg press 100 years to penetrate daily life, the Internet only took about 20 years, and the iPhone and iPad just a few years.

As a result, the notion of an Ivy league education, where information was previously held privately for the few, is now at the world’s fingertips. As the world’s collective knowledge grows increasingly available on demand, the need for wrote memorization and the existing anti-inspirational education system needs a major reboot. The facts are there for the taking, and the need for teaching critical thinking and creative application of knowledge is the key.

PAULO BLIKSTEIN – Engage

One of our favorite break out sessions involved Paulo’s students from the FabLab@SchoolProject. Ten year old kids were downloading plans and custom-programming robotic, remote control cars – entirely from scratch. Paulo points out that it’s difficult to give up centuries of traditional learning because they feel so right, even though we know we are teaching obsolete concepts in obsolete ways. In his FabLab, the mission is always engagement of the young mind, creative application, and discovery—-the tools necessary to generate the results we need for the evolving challenges of the future.

Whether you subscribe to the notion that technology is a bad thing and responsible for crushing the cornerstones of education, or you believe that an iPad and pacifier should be the birth right of every kid born today, nobody can doubt that we are at an historical crossroads with our educational system.  Leading the charge into this new frontier are teachers, scientists, filmmakers and architects and the conference brought the same to Manhattan Beach for a genuinely provocative and riveting day.  All of the speakers at TedxMB were superb, but there were a few stand-outs, whose notions about the current and future trajectory of education, resonated with us.

SIR KEN ROBINSON – Engage

While it would have been amazing to see him in person, the day opened with a video of Sir Ken Robinson circa 2006 TED in Monterey California.  If you haven’t seen it, here’s the video:

In his talk, Sir Ken suggests that creativity is as important today as literacy.  We would agree with that—specially given, as Ken points out, the unpredictability of our future and the subsequent need to prepare our kids for the great unknown.  He’s certainly correct when he points out how schools and our antiquarian systems, by and large, kill creativity.  We need to encourage creativity and maintain a progressive standard of teaching if we are to adequately equip our kids for a future filled with uncertainty.  Simply put, we must prepare ourselves to be wrong from an early age, lest we be frightened into stagnation.

THOMAS SUAREZ – Discover

If you were wondering who the next Steve Jobs is going to be, we found him.  His name is Thomas Suarez and he’s in the 6th grade.  A master of ceremonies, technology, and winning the hearts of the audience, Thomas shared his story of creating and selling some very successful mobile apps on the iTunes store.  (Earth Fortune / Bustin Jieber).  After convincing his parents to purchase the app developers kit from Apple, Thomas began creating.  For the tech naysayers out there, you must see this kid.  He is a tech wiz, well-spoken, funny, and managed to mesmerize a room full of adults.  Funny, how his creative foray into tech also gave him the gift of public presence.

For more great speakers from TEDx Manhattan Beach, check out Part II

The Digital Decision Series

The rules of engagement have changed and so have the ways we communicate with each other in business and entertainment. The Digital Decision Series is a weekly video blog featuring leading experts and an in depth look at the massive paradigm shift happening across every media channel today. Our goal is to harness the collective power and wisdom of a myriad of disciplines through interviews with working professionals, in a variety of media related industries, in an effort to find some answers and gain a better understanding about exactly what these new communication tools mean for business, entertainment, branding, and marketing.

We’ll cover content, metrics, social media, gaming, technology and multi-platform distribution and how the new 360 or Transmedia storytelling maxims are applicable to every business sector looking to reach out and engage people with a compelling, relevant and entertaining message. Our thought leaders come from a variety of backgrounds: from marketing to music, television to gaming. Collectively, they will unfold the story of the great media paradigm shift and suggest ways in which we can all approach communication in business, education, and entertainment more effectively in the digital space and beyond. In the end, we hope this series sheds some light on the amazing opportunities presented and offers some solutions that have a positive impact on your engagement in the digital landscape.  Episode 2 takes a closer look at why it’s so crucial to customize every approach to messaging and story and using the best digital tools for the job.

Episode 1 Features:

Suzanne Diamond, Tim Mosher, Jason Feinberg, and Zach Jordan

Transmedia, Branding and Marketing

In Part I and Part II of this blog series we outlined the basics of Transmedia storytelling, as it pertains to entertainment, and how technology is helping to shape the way we consume story across multiple platforms.  The Transmedia approach is also fast becoming popular with brands because the rules of marketing, advertising and PR are evolving in favor of the consumer. People don’t want to be talked at or “sold”. Some might argue that it’s not that people don’t want to be advertised to, but rather, we don’t want to experience bad advertising. I would argue that, good or bad, people simply don’t have time for anything that isn’t relevant to them on a very personal level. Additionally, brands are realizing they need to take a more educational approach with their messaging and the Transmedia storytelling methods are the best way to educate and engage people.

Simply put, the multi-platform narrative organically encourages people to feel empowered in an authentic way because it delivers story where people are consuming content and completely on their terms. While Transmedia is certainly going to be playing a leading role with branding and marketing, here are a few key challenges brands and agencies are facing with respect to this new paradigm:

• there are so many touch points where people enter and exit a narrative or messaging; TV, Internet, gaming, live events, etc. that managing each one of these different touch points requires a team of professionals who live and breathe the brand and can ensure the narrative remains consistent.

• the brand message/story must resonate and engage people on every platform. Not all campaigns require the use of every single form of distribution, so it’s critical for the creative team to be familiar with how people engage content on each platform.

• the metrics for reporting ROI on each of these platforms and/or touch points are in a very nascent stage. We still don’t have a consistent way to measure how each of these platforms perform in the larger picture and this is crucial before brands will begin to distribute digital dollars evenly across all platforms.

Furthermore, managing a brand these days is no longer the job of a few key people, but the responsibility of an interdependent community of creative and technology professionals. Most brands and agencies don’t possess the internal manpower to fulfill these new capacities and will need to reach out to other entities for the next few years, while the Transmedia paradigm continues to move away from the fringe and into the mainstream.

While we wait for critical mass to take hold, we need to educate ourselves on the best ways to (1) effectively use, (2) monetize and (3) measure Transmedia storytelling methods. Looking at this shift from a global perspective, licensing brands and entertainment properties across multiple platforms will certainly prove to be challenging over the next few years as we sort things out. This is all the more reason to keep on eye on other global markets, who may not be challenged in this way, to see what exciting innovations emerge.

Transmedia Predictions (in no particular order)

• Transmendia won’t always be just for the die-hard action fans or gear heads. Branding campaigns and entertainment properties will continue to drill down to the core audiences and target the hyper vigilant fans across all verticals. Writers like Aaron Sorkin (going well beyond the West Wing blog of 2006!) and Tony Kushner will contribute to intricate marketing campaigns that (a) utilize all forms of technology and (b) find interesting ways for their heady characters to engage with the audience.

• All platforms will merge into one, superfluous network and can be accessed by anyone, at any given time – regardless of hardware. The idea of co-creating content, story, and messaging will be completely in the users’ hands at this point. While people will always want to be led by the nose from a creative standpoint, they will want take story points provided by creators and assemble their own worlds, interactive components and communities.

• 3D and live events will become the cornerstones of all large, entertainment and marketing narratives within the Transmedia paradigm.

• Transmedia storytelling will reshape the educational system. When (I’m telling you one of these days they will) project based teaching/learning becomes commonplace in the educational system, Transmedia storytelling will be used to help students master  difficult subjects. Additionally, as language in the global classroom evolves, teaching/learning will rely on advanced rich media like interactive video and storytelling.

• Keep your eyes on Brazil, especially around the 2016 Olympics. This region is plowing full speed into the world of Transmedia storytelling and the kids coming up there today will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

Regardless of where you hang your hat, everyone loves a great story. Continuing to educate your clients, staying abreast of advancing technologies and expanding your network of professionals who understand Transmedia, will help guide you to a happy ending.

One of the key components of our company’s branding mantra is the need for personal engagement through authentic messaging.  Our formula always stresses (1) specific and personal = loyal and (2) keep it real.  In other words, no brand is going to earn consumer attention and loyalty without delivering something of real value (content) that can get past what we like to call the extremely sensitive BS meter that exists in today’s marketplace.  In a recent post, Diane Verde Nieto (CEO of Clownfish, London) takes this point to an even more granular level that we should all take to heart.  It’s not just about “getting past” the BS meter.  It’s about doing so because your brand genuinely lives and breathes your brand message.  Diane points out that corporate social responsibility (“CSR”) efforts, in which brands incorporate their corporate causes into brand messaging, are a key route to building a loyal relationship with the target audience.

So, so true.  A great CSR effort can make a major difference in the eyes of the audience and the returned favor of loyalty.  But like all things, it has to be done correctly, which as the author points out, mean honestly.  In this market where the consumer wants and demand it all on their terms, honesty is paramount.  All brand content has to be authentic.  CSR driven content must be even more.

I was recently discussing with some colleagues the need for brands to do what Diane suggests, walk the walk at the core of their business.  That means, don’t just take on a cause and promote your “stuff” with it via window dressing.  Rather, prove to your audience that you are for real by making your CSR effort internal and sincere and not just for the public’s eyes only.  This means that from the ground up in the company, the CSR must be a 24/7 subtext of the business.  Employees, management, hell, even outside vendors have to live it.  Be this genuine and your content effort will do a lot more than get past the BS meter.  You will be believed, trusted—and remembered.

If good brand storytelling is about hitting emotional touchstones, I can’t think of a more emotional campaign than matching up brand CSR and the things that your target audience genuinely cares about.  Per the post, women do need soap—but they choose Dove because the brand (via their self-esteem, female oriented content efforts) literally cares about all of the other things that women care about in their daily lives.  Dove passes the sniff test because, in fact, they care….inside and out.

The opposite.  Look at some of the failures where brands have disingenously jumped on the healthy or green wagons.  When a brand’s message is no more than profit driven “fashion”, they can smell the rat. We won’t be fooled or green washed.

There are lots of “green” organizations for example.  But which of them deserve and earn our trust?  The ones you can believe because they have proven credibility.  Case in point?  We recently did a video celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Friends of the Earth.  It was a labor of love and we know the content is going to help this Godfather of environmental activism because they are, demonstrably, the unrelenting, uncompromising organization that was there before anyone would listen and is still in the thick of battle now that we know we’re killing the planet.  Our company (hence my vendor argument) lives this way.  It was a creative and passionate marriage that we hope continues for a long time.

It’s tough out there.  In a prior post we talked about the new “Simplifiers” who don’t want to be sold “stuff”, but rather, offered personal, important experiences.  So how does a brand differentiate itself and earn the attention it needs to prosper?  Don’t “sell”.  Present something people need / want  and place it organically in the context of the bigger picture.  Connect with the things in our every day lives that matter.  Do so honestly and with integrity.  It’s human nature.  Common cause, common experience equals community.  I don’t want to emotionally connect with soap, but I might with the soap community that cares.

As a guy who still likes to touch paper, I fear she is correct.  The more I think about it, however, the more I am starting to realize that my fears are unwarranted.  The key fear that I share, apparently, with many others is that we will be reduced to taking our news from the uninitiated, ill-informed, biased sources that are the Mongol hordes besieging the traditional news media.  This is, in reality, unlikely to happen as it ignores all human experience, human taste and behavior and the lessons we have already learned from other periodic assaults on the media status quo.

Yes, there is a LOT of drivel out there.  That said, has the print and broadcast news world been devoid of its respective share of the same?  I have two thoughts.  First, people vote with their eyeballs and ears.  Second, we forget that there is market segmentation when it comes to content demand.  As the digital world evolves, why would those fundamentals of human behavior change?  The platform is really going to alter who we are, what we want, and when we want it in such a drastic way?  Really?

My first point goes to the quality fear.  Why do we assume that quality won’t rise to the top?  Why do we assume that the experienced professionals we hold dear won’t adapt, move on to other platforms and figure out a way to evolve their business?  The entire content space, right now, is a bit of a wheat field and, of course, we are still trying to figure out a new system of sifting the wheat from the chaff.  But that does not mean that we are eons away from new models that allow intelligent choice and the development of a pecking order when it comes to digital media sources.  There is a Murrow out there–and I am betting more than just one.

Secondly, it is not like the public has en masse, always turned their attention to the in depth, detailed reporting that most say they will miss. The market has always been segmented into the New York Times Crowd, the USA Today Crowd, The Star crowd and all of the nuanced mini markets in between.  There is no doubt that the dust will settle and the audience will self-select similar segments to which they will throw their support.  For those who want “journalism”, there will be journalists and quality content.  For those who like the brightly colored pictures and care little about fact checking and objectivity,  there will be plenty to go around.

When a guy like me (a paper toucher) finds himself checking news online, on my phone, etc. then you know times are a changin’.  As in all things, I think the news delivery / quality issue will find a new equilibrium.  Everyone will get what they want—only now there will be no more waiting for the paper to be tossed under the lawn sprinkler on Sunday morning.  I think we will all be ok with that.

Just when I thought the wonders of the information age were being used for the power of good, the negative side of the free flow of information rears its ugly head.  We just came off of an election in which the power of niche marketing, personal messaging and a powerful brand message in the form of President Obama gave new meaning to grass roots politics in the digital age.  Of course the honeymoon can only last so long.  Rush Limbaugh’s recent rant about wishing for Obama’s failure has flown around every platform.  Great that the madness can be exposed so rapidly.  Not so great that the divisive message that got us into the current mess is out there for the huddled right wing masses to rally round.

Limbaugh literally said that he hoped for OUR President’s failure.

He defended himself at a recent right wing cabal utilizing an analogy that makes even his normal, hate-filled, myopic musings look like a reasonable part of the public discourse.  Somehow, he thinks wishing ill on his President is akin to his rooting for the failure of the Arizona Cardinals in the recent Super Bowl (he’s apparently a Steelers fan).  Really Rush?  Is it really the same?

Let’s see.  All that was at stake in the Super Bowl, was the fate of a team sport, the momentary dreams of some die-hard fans and a shiny trophy.  Hoping that the President fails, especially in this current crisis, is just a tad different.  Really Rush?  You actually want the economy to continue on the GDP killing path that President Bush and your right wing cronies started, nurtured, and created as a little gift to all of America?  So, foreclosures, the collapse of the markets, the highest unemployment in decades and most American families struggling to keep food on the table rises to the same level as the possibility of a Pittsburgh Steelers defeat?

When Rush defended his statements at his recent speech, the crowd of lemmings jumped out of their seats.  I guess they had forgotten that this kind of speech and creed is what is making most of them worse off than they could ever have imagined in their lifetime.

Not only is the statement and his usual bluster offensive, but arguably, it is, at best, a mild form of digital treason.  No Rush, none of us wanted “Bush to fail” and certainly none of us “wanted the war in Iraq to fail”.  On the contrary, we actually love our country and realized that the mess that was the Bush Administration was a very high stakes game that cost us $1,000,000,000.  And there is that small matter of over 4,000 brave Americans who lost their lives.

The populace spoke loud and clear in November of 2008.  The President is doing what he thinks is right in an attempt to clean up the massive mess that Rush, and his right wing minions, are conveniently forgetting was built on the GOP watch.  These are serious times that call for serious discussion and serious answers from serious leaders.  That leaves no room for the seriously disturbed, Oxycontin-addled bluster from the king of family values who has managed to rack up more wives and divorces than even some of the Hollywood commies he hates so much.

The great thing about the web is that at least Rush’s garbage spew is out there in the open.  Sorry, Rush.  Your way lost.  There is a new Sheriff in town and a new sense of community and common purpose that even your drooling hate mongering can’t stop.  You should be praying and hoping and crossing every part of your body so that President Obama gets us out of this mess, ends the bloodshed overseas and restores America to its rightful moral high ground around the world.  If you can’t do so because you are an American, do so for yourself. Think of it this way, if the economy comes around, you will have more money to pay off the current Mrs. Limbaugh when even she grows tired and repulsed by your drivel.

I hope that the rest of us step up and use the web to expose this kind of nonsense for the anti-American bile that it really is.  Rush, take a look in the mirror.  Look familiar?  That’s the bloated face of the unpatriotic.

The GOP leadership can try to call this entertainment and Rush just “being Rush”.   That’s just a dangerous and very telling dodge of the fact that this is, in fact, the guy who speaks for the party.  Any wonder why America woke up, spoke out and elected Obama?

While cave drawings present the first foray into the power of visual communication and storytelling, we are just beginning to understand how the human brain becomes an unstoppable force when trained visually.  Peter Coyote is one of my favorite actors and he hosted a show on PBS called Brain Fitness 2.  A powerful example of visualization they depict is a taxi driver in London: these guys (mostly guys) train for years studying maps and images to get the layout of London imprinted on the inside of their skulls.  Using imagery over an extended period of time, these drivers have increased the size of their brains – the hippocampus to be precise.  This is exciting.  We’re already steeped in an incredibly visual time in history.

We’ve always said, video screens are the real estate for the 21st century.  Everywhere you look there is a way to captivate people’s attention with compelling, entertaining and educational messaging.  Video search companies keep popping up and electronic billboards are starting to feature face recognition.  How long will it be before we can rely entirely on an image and visual representation, without the use of text and meta tagging?  We have only begun to realize the true potential of  video and it will be exciting to see how a new visual language evolves.  Whether or not you were born digital, if you’re visualizing, sharing and communicating your thoughts through sites like YouTube and Flickr, you’re taking part in this extraordinary language experiment that is just as exciting as it it sometimes annoying.

Zach Jordan