• "5 Paths To Doing Great Work At A Terrible Company" - Brian Millar

    March 19th, 2013 / Comments (5)

    We’ve all thought it: If only I worked at so-and-so, my genius would be recognized and I’d churn out award-winning work. But you don’t have to work at so-and-so. Here are some workarounds to getting your best ideas realized right where you are.

    What can I say? I needed the money. My kids were small, my own agency had just ground to a halt, and I needed a job--tomorrow. The phone rang. A headhunter told me about a place that wanted me for a ton of money and I could start right away. The only catch: It was a dreadful, dreadful advertising agency. Walking into its reception was like entering a scene in a horror movie. It wasn’t blood on the walls that broke me out in a cold sweat; it was the ads.

    If you work in the creative industries, or you’re trying to break into them, then you’ve probably watched some industry legend swagger onstage to dish out career advice. Their life story almost certainly went like this: They got their first job at the hottest shop in the world. They kept working there for years earning the square root of nothing. Then they took a creative director role somewhere amazing, before setting up their own world-dominating company. Well, not everybody can do that. By definition, half the companies in any industry are below average. And somebody has to work at them. For a while, one of those somebodies was me.

    You will search in vain for that job on my LinkedIn profile; I don’t admit to ever having been there. But when I emerged six months later, I’d got some decent print work out the door and won them their first-ever major award. I’d also learned a lot about the differences between a good company and a bad one - they’re not what you might think.

    1. WORK AS IF YOU LIVE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF A BETTER COMPANY

    “Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.” These words are carved in stone on the wall of the Scottish Parliament. They’re also pinned up above my desk as I’m writing this. If you’re working in a dump, you don’t have to work as if you’re in a dump. Form a startup in your own head. Write a manifesto. Keep showing up for work in the same building, but follow the ideals of your invisible hotshop.

    Nancy Vonk is a partner at Swim, a coaching company for creative directors. She recommends creating your own “micro climate” within your company. “Another terrible brief? Find out the business problem. Pull together a group and brainstorm. Go for diversity--somebody who ‘isn’t creative’ from finance, an intern with fresh eyes and an inability to edit themselves. Even ‘terrible’ clients recognize and prize great ideas, in my experience. If going rogue means great work, forgiveness is usually a given."

    You’re not the only frustrated talent in the place. There will be plenty of recruits to your startup-within-a-terrible-agency. Find a few and you will already be working in the early days of somewhere better.

    2. GOOD COMPANIES AREN’T MORE TALENTED. THEY’RE MORE TENACIOUS

    Today, James Bond is the best-known fictional character in the world. How could you go wrong making a James Bond movie? Simple. Give in to every suggested improvement. That’s what happened to the first attempt to make a Bond movie. I can imagine the meeting now:
    “Bond is too English for our audience. Let’s make him American. ‘James’ is kinda stuck-up as a name. ‘Jimmy’ is more down-to-earth. The book character is a bit of a psycho. I know! Let’s make him smile all the time."

    Nod. Scribble. Nod.

    Watch this clip and see the difference a few helpful changes can make.

    3. “THIS SH*T DOESN’T HAPPEN AT DRO5A”

    There’s always somebody walking round every company saying something like this. They imagine a perfect office where folks just swan in off the street waving a checkbook and asking you to win awards on their behalf. Naturally, they have never worked at such a place, but their friend has. Don’t be that person.

    One day you will work somewhere great. And there will still be people walking round saying, “This shit doesn’t happen at Dro5a.” One day you may work at Dro5a. And I expect that exactly the same snafus happen there. When they do, I bet that somebody will say, “This shit doesn’t happen at Wieden.”

    The place where “this shit doesn’t happen” only exists in the minds of bitter people. If you must deal with them, then avoid thinking like them. It’s tempting early in your career to look cool and cynical. Nothing will turn you into a hack faster.

    4. MOONLIGHT

    David Ogilvy moonlighted. Many of his most famous ads were done outside of his day job. Sometimes he was paid cash. He boasted that his ads for Holiday magazine earned him some “magnificent china lamps.” If Ogilvy, a tony pipe-smoking adman with his name above the door of one of the biggest networks on earth could still bang out cracking work on the weekends, then so can you. For many years, an informal team of creatives at Ogilvy ran a whole national gym account in their spare time. I was one of them. I think ol’ Dave would have approved.

    5. YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITY IS SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU

    Co.Create recently published a list of clients that creative people most wanted to work on. From one angle, it was a disappointing list. Because it was a list of great brands. Where’s the challenge in working on a brand that somebody else has made great? When I started working on ads for IBM, technology advertising was a geek ghetto. The action was all in beer. It meant that there were no rules, few expectations, and if you did a decent piece of work, people sat up and took notice.

    If you come out of the elevator this morning and think, “If only I had an Apple brief I could do something great,” then you may have a long wait coming.

    Whatever you’re working on today, you have an opportunity to make it really stunning. And if you’re working on something that seems dull, then people should be all the more impressed when you nail it brilliantly. And if you’re being held back by the terrible place you work, then start up a new place in your mind.

    Head to your desk this morning as if you work in the early days of a better company. And I promise, you will.

    This article first appeared in FastCo Design.

    Brian Millar is strategy director at Sense Worldwide.

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  • How to Spend $275 Million in 48 Minutes: Three Super Bowl Ad Trends for 2013

    February 1st, 2013 / Comments (0)

    Want to watch $275 Million get spent in 48 minutes? Just tune into CBS at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday to see one of America's greatest primetime displays of violence, debauchery and poor impulse control. And I'm not talking about the Super Bowl…

    I'm talking about the Super Bowl ads.

    In all seriousness, these days it's no surprise that independent research year after year continues to show that over half of U.S adult viewers plan to watch the Super Bowl as much, or more, for the ads than for the game itself. In fact, social listening measurement findings suggested that in 2012 64% of respondents said that half or more of their conversations online with respect to the Super Bowl were about the commercials themselves.

    With the average investment of $4 Million on the line for a 30-second spot, it's no wonder why the CMOs of many of these advertisers are looking to squeeze their investment for every penny.

    There are three standout trends that have continued to proliferate the Super Bowl ad space for the last several years (and by all accounts will continue even more in 2013).

    01. Online Ad Preview and Teasers

    Online Ad Previews and Teasers are becoming more of the norm. VW made the most famous splash last year with its Star Wars parodies that received over 56 Million hits after allwas said and done, largely in part to the pre-release of the spotson YouTube.

    This year's early winner goes to the Kate Upton Mercedes spot, which in one week gained over 5 Million views (and counting).

    Humbling news as, by this author's account, this is one of the more ridiculously off-brand spots I've ever seen. Given the fact that the CLA won't even be available for the next 7 months, the brand needs lasting impression and awareness. Regardless of the substance, it's clear that Mercedes knows the value of online traction and will do whatever it takes, no matter how low-brow, to get an early lead among its rivals.

    Regarding the idea of Super Bowl teasers, the concept is simple,but the debate still rages on about whether or not the big reveal should be saved for the big game. While we don't promote a "one size fits all" approach to advertising, and I'm sure there are errors to the rule, it's hard to argue with the facts. Mashable reports, "According to YouTube's research, ads that ran online before the Super Bowl last year got 9 Million views, on average. Those that waited? 1.3 Million." With, on average, three times as many views online over broadcast, many could argue that the real winner in all of this is actually YouTube.

    02. Ads for Social Democracy

    Ads by social democracy are becoming more common in 2013. While Doritos pioneered the concept with their user-generated ads in the past few years, this year we are seeing a greater variety of the concept. For instance, one of the biggest brands in the world, Budweiser, has finally launched a Twitter account in its name. The brand, which had a little more than 600 followers Monday morning, is using the account to promote its upcoming Super Bowl ad, which will feature a Clydesdale foal via their Twitter hashtag campaign. Pepsi is also using their site and Twitterto recruit some of their fans to strike a pose with their can before their half-time show.

    But, the big pre-game winners in 2013 seem to be the "choose your own adventure" style ads from Audi and Coke. In what Audi says is a Super Bowl first, they recorded separate endings for their "Prom Night"commercial, and are compiling social votes where the audience chooses the ending. Coke created cokechase.comto tease their spots by highlighting three different sets of teams who are all racing to win a giant coke in the desert. The team with the most votes online will get their spot aired right after the game.

    Coke_SuperBowl

    03. Second Screen

    This year, more viewers than ever will be watching on a second screen. Now in real-time, technology allows brands to engage with the viewing public on their mobile phone or tablet during the event. For instance, Yahoo's Into_Now pioneered app technology that augments the second screen experience by using the unique audio digital signature in a television show topickup, and serve up, content directly related to that show. CBS estimates ad revenue alone from their second screen engagement to be between $10-$12 Million. Being able to interact with stats,player bios, team formations, highlights and social aspects is an essential part of any second screen approach for the sports enthusiast.

    Regardless of all of the hype, a few certainties remain. The Super Bowl represents one of the highest risk: reward ratios in advertising. Because of this, marketers are getting smarter by using not only the right tools, but also the right content to get the consumer's attention. Disintermediation is taking effect and the consumer is finally starting to see large-scale control of and connection with their favorite brands. As our society gets more social and mobile, so does the advertising.

    Needless to say, as an advertiser, I am thankful for the Super Bowl. If not for any other time during the year - the Super Bowl gives us an annual magnified window into the progress of advertising. With so much attention to the commercials, it almost makes me feel sorry for the guys on the field.

    Almost.

    Originally posted on the Rodgers Townsend blog.

  • The school of life.

    November 21st, 2012 / Comments (0)

    Yesterday a reader asked us "how do you get into advertising?", our knee jerk reaction was to ship them off to the nearest ad school for a year or so.

    Then they told us more about their experiences to date and what a fascinating life they had lived. And as all of us forget from time to time, education is just a base foundation, life is what moulds you into an interesting creative person, ultimately making you more employable than the next guy or gal.

    This trending video from Mondo Endruo below seemed an appropriate fit for this editorial.

  • Inside Work Club's tshirtOS campaign

    September 2nd, 2012 / Comments (1)

    The London Egotist caught up with Work Club's Al Amin to get the story behind their tshirtOS campaign. It's already generated a lot of buzz in London and beyond. And that's the idea: the more people that register an interest, the more likely this amazing programmable tshirt will come to market.

    What was Ballantines' brief?
    Make "Leave an Impression" famous digitally.

    How does this brief fit into their overarching brand strategy?
    It's at the top. Ballantine's want to innovate their marketing by putting ideas and products into market that truly bring their brand idea to life and make it famous.

  • It's called ‘Brief’ for a reason - by Rob Campbell

    August 21st, 2012 / Comments (1)

    Creative briefs.

    The bane of my fucking life.

    I hate them. HATE THEM!

    But – and it’s a very important but – you have to do them because they not only provide the framework and inspiration for creative teams to start creating their magic, but they become a piece of historical reference on the brand that ensures people won’t post rationalise the execution and miss out all the little bits that made all the difference.

    That said, the debate of what should and shouldn’t go in a brief still rages and I find that sad because at the end of the day:

    + You should never be a slave to the briefing format, the briefing format should always be a slave to you.

    + Different people like different levels of information so a ‘one size fits all’ mentality, is totally and utterly ridiculous.

    + A short brief shouldn’t be an excuse for ignoring the real issues that need to be addressed & conveyed.

    + A long brief shouldn’t be an excuse for not being clear, concise and interesting.

    + Regardless of what you are being asked to do, a brief should always be interesting, informative & inspiring.

    Because of this, we have a few different briefing ‘formats’ here.

    Some are designed for more junior guys to ensure they’ve done all the critical thinking necessary … some are designed for clients to ensure they give us what they need, rather than what they want … but all cover 6 critical questions.

    1. WHAT IS THE GOAL

    What is the end objective? I don’t mean the execution but the business result.

    In short, if they say, “We want some TVC’s”, ask why and don’t stop till you get some real reasons with some real quantifiable goals.

    2. WHAT IS THE BARRIER

    What are the key issue/s that are stopping this from happening right now.

    It might be people’s attitude and behaviour … it might be a competitors product or distribution.

    Maybe it’s an issue with our brand or communication or even a product quality or lack of innovation story.

    Whatever it is, find the fundamental issue and write it down.

    3. WHO DO WE NEED TO TALK TO, TO CHANGE THIS?

    Who do we need to engage in conversation? Who do we need to inspire, inform, push?

    Don’t just write a bunch of stats or bland statements, explain how they think, live, worry, behave.

    Let people feel the person not just read a bunch of cold, clinical bullet points.

    4. WHY WILL THEY CARE

    This is where blunt honesty is needed.

    You can’t write this from the perspective of what the brand wants them to think, it has to come from the audiences mindset. If you’ve done your homework for the previous question, you’ll know the answer to this … and if you’ve done your homework well, you’ll know the answer is not going to be some marketing hype/bollocks, but something that satisfies a real need in their life – be it emotional, physical or mental.

    5. SO WHAT’S OUR STRATEGY?

    Detail the macro approach you are taking to achieve this brief. It should be short, precise and full of creative mischief.

    ie: Deposition the key competitors as ‘old success’ by making XXX the badge for ‘new, entrepreneurial achievers’ … or something.

    6. WHAT’S THE KEY POINT OF VIEW

    Based on the goal, the barrier, the audience and the strategy – what is the brands point of view on the issue they need to address.

    It should be something that is obviously based on truth but also full of tension and pragmatism.

    ie: “You can’t change tomorrow if you don’t act today” … or some other z-grade sounding Yoda impression.

    Don’t rush it. Take your time to really craft it because apart from needing to be relevant to the task in hand, it also serves as the creative ‘jump off point’ and if you’re going to help your colleagues do something that is powerful and interesting with it, you’ve got to ensure they really feel the tension and energy of what they can play with or play off.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________

    You might ask why things like ‘tone of voice’ are not mentioned.

    Well sometimes they are … sometimes they’re not … it depends on a number of factors, however at W+K, we place great importance on ‘brand voice’ so a few abstract words like ‘fun, upbeat & lively’ are not really going to cut it.

    I should point out that how you brief your colleagues is another incredibly important part of the creative process.

    If you give them a piece of paper and tell them to “read this”, you’re almost doomed before it’s even had a chance to begin.

    While the brief should be inspiring on it’s own merits, it’s always good to think of ways to let your colleagues really understand what you are trying to get across.

    That might mean you present it in a different location or environment to the office … that might mean you put them in situations where they can really feel what you’re trying to convey … that might mean you get interesting – yet relevant – people in to chat to them before you go through your hard work, but whatever you do, it’s always worth putting in that extra little bit of effort because it will genuinely pay dividends to the work that comes out the other side and that is ultimately what you’re going to be judged on.

    At the end of the day it’s worth remembering there is no such thing as a perfect creative brief because ultimately, it’s about what you put on it – or how you present it – rather than what it looks like … however what I can say is that from my experience, as long as you have a culturally provocative point of view running all the way through it [obviously based on truth rather than 'marketing truth'] then you stand a much greater chance of creating something that affects culture rather than just adds to the blunt, advertising noise.

    ----------
    By Robert Campbell, W+K's Asia Regional Head of Planning. Reposted with permission. Read his blog "The Musings of an Opinionated Sod"

  • How NBC’s Digital Ignorance Hurt The Olympics

    August 14th, 2012 / Comments (3)

    Authored By: San Francisco Egotist

    Let’s be blunt: NBC missed the mark in their Olympic coverage.

    In this digital, social media age – when earthquakes are tweeted about before the Earth even finishes shaking – NBC made the unfathomable decision to broadcast events on tape delay in order to garner primetime ad dollars. Apparently NBC execs figured a few billion people could keep secrets until after dinner.

    The funny thing is, even if a few billion people weren’t on Facebook, Tweeting, texting and blogging, NBC’s strategy was so stupid, they spoiled their OWN results. While the broadcast was holding back the biggest events into the evening, at practically every other commercial break, they were encouraging viewers to check out additional content on their Olympic website which… wait for it… showed headlines of results they had yet to broadcast.

    Fail.

    Their Twitter and Facebook pages were no better. Before Americans got to see for themselves, the NBC Olympic Twitter stream had already blown the surprise of the Queen and James Bond parachuting into the arena.

    NBC, you do understand how the internet works, right? (Rhetorical.)

    But wait! There’s more! While you’re stuck trying to navigate a slow, horribly-designed, advertising-laden NBC site to see streaming events, 64 other countries get to view it live on YouTube for free. Afghanistan and Botswana get YouTube. You get McDonald’s ads to pay off NBC’s investment.

    Then, to top it off, when they rightfully got hammered for their ridiculous ad dollar grab in lieu of actual viewer experience, they responded by getting one harsh critic kicked off Twitter .

    Because, you know, THAT’S the way to respond to social media criticism. There’s no way that strategy could backfire.

    It sure seems like NBC’s entire strategy was “Let’s just say we’re streaming everything live!” without understanding how the viewer actually wants to engage with their content. Consumers have spent the past decade buying giant-ass HDTVs. Not everyone wants to be forced to their 10-inch iPad screen to watch events live. And certainly not everyone can stay completely away from Twitter, Facebook, and the rest of the internet long enough not to ruin the surprise before primetime.

    Someday, the networks will come into the 21st century with a digital strategy that makes sense. Unfortunately for fans of the Olympics, that day isn’t in 2012.

  • 50 Shades of Bad Typography

    July 25th, 2012 / Comments (0)

    By Randall Erkelens

    When the world was introduced to desktop publishing thirty years ago, proper punctuation marks and kerning pairs were not brought to the party. Foot and inch marks were used instead, and they weren’t exactly the best stunt doubles. Today, I expected a more savvy designer pool with an arsenal of modern tools to rectify this problem. Nope.

    Then again, should I expect such a giant leap in only a quarter century? After all, 200 A.D. saw the rise of woodblock printing, a practice that ran the show until 1476 when the printing press was born. It was an era where typography used to be a specialized occupation filled by highly skilled artisans. It should be no different today.

    When your keyboard isn’t set up for smart quotes by using the foot and inch key, you can create the proper marks on an Apple keyboard by the following keystrokes. To kern using your keyboard, use Shift-Command combination with your bracket keys shown below.

    Tip: Use a serif font punctuation on san-serif design for more pronounced typographic presence. San-serif punctuation marks tend to be lifeless.

    Bad kerning (or tracking) is equally destroying design. It’s 2012. We should have enough computing power today to accurately plot any two letters together with good spacing between them. And yet, our design software still struggles with how to negotiate visually-appealing kerning pairs. I’ve noticed the worst infractions between upper and lower case letters. The Heinz example below has issues so obvious, it’s hard to imagine what designer, art director or creative director signed off on this. POUR ABLE MUST ARD. Really?

    Tip: It’s ok to have letters crash into each other to create correct letter spacing. The R and A in pourable need to touch due to the negative space created by the slant of the A. The B had to move to the left slightly too to close-up the white space.

    Dr. Pepper recently ran a national campaign with a blatant kerning error. That is, unless the 10 Bold T Asting Calories was the primary message.

    Now, look at this “Professional Sign’s & Lettering” company mark (of all businesses). Yes, they did use the proper apostrophe over inch mark, even though it’s still grammatically off since chances are unlikely the company is owned by some guy named Sign. But all the points they scored were lost when they left a gaping hole between the n and s. But we can give extra credit for the use of Brush Script.

    Tip: Reduce the size of your apostrophe and lower its relative position to characters in the word. This gives it a better lockup in the word. You don’t have to accept where your design program plots your punctuation.

    If I had to just kern one thing on any piece of creative, I’d spend extra time with your headline—especially if your layout is type and/or copy driven. Because when your all-type headline layout looks good, it is your visual. Treat it that way.

    Good typography isn’t always about where the computer places your 26 characters. It’s about how it looks, flows and feels to the reader. And that takes effort. Effort takes time. If you don’t have time for good typography, another line of work might be in order. Goat herding, perhaps?

    Randall Erkelens is a managing partner and creative rebel at Philosophy Communication, a Denver marketing and public relations firm.

  • Marketing on Fire. Wish We Were There.

    July 18th, 2012 / Comments (1)

    The inspiration to make something culturally and psychologically strong enough exists when you get back to what blew your mind.

    For just a moment, you’re a kid in 1970s suburban Los Angeles, ok? Pedal your bicycle to the big Topanga Canyon Boulevard record store. See what I saw: an epic, billboard-sized reprographic image of Pink Floyd’s album, Wish You Were Here, bolted to the side of the record emporium and taking up huge amounts of sky. Big record company marketing budgets could afford to blow a lot of minds in those days.

    It was a mysteriously huge, Godzilla-sized piece of pop-surrealism that captured my imagination: A man on fire obliviously shakes hands with another suited man. It’s a random meeting in an abandoned soundstage backlot, like a dream in constant production. The handshake, a blithe and obligatory social grace, appears to hide the true burning intensity of ulterior motives. Or is that something about the fear of getting burned?

    This was all the proof I needed for what I had suspected in my young mind all along: People are weird. And deep and funny. And this was weird, deep, and funny marketing.

    I got lost in a new kind of alchemy, a mixture of what I both did and did not understand about this album cover. I actually liked not understanding the imagery. There’s power in mystery. Though I knew the marketing for this album was about dreams. Not Disney-esque life goal dreams, not those dreams, but the unsettling world of dreaming. And was this a billboard for an uncomfortable dream? Pink Floyd knew how to show you how dreams really feel. That’s what they do. Later, I’d find out that they made music, too.

    Something else that astounded me—although I didn’t know how to name what it was in my monosyllabic, child mind. I can find the word now. The imagery was alluringly unwholesome.

    Unwholesome? Yes. Every bit of product marketing I had ever seen in my limited time on earth seemed to dance a giddy dance of the effusive, wholesome-hypnotic, the good—and good for you—wash of the brain. Secret ingredient: sugar. (Or, substitute the word, trustworthiness).

    This album cover on the other hand, was marketing that used dream language to call no bullshit, and for me, great marketing began with that album cover.

    Eventually, I saw how this imagery shared the same surreal power of the Buddhist monks who had self-immolated in protest of the Vietnam War. Add the imagery of Rene Magritte’s Victorian men floating in the sky, perhaps. That was the era. The era of the inner mind meets social upheaval.

    Artwork for Wish You Were Here had a power that purposely reached for what was wrong and yet beautiful about the world.

    Like most album covers produced during that slim psychedelic and post psychedelic creative era, meaning and hidden meaning trumped safeness, and it’s difficult to not regard album artwork created of that ilk as a true slice of cultural honesty through the language of symbolic imagery and playfulness.

    Chances are, like me, you’d recall the marketing you probably don’t regard as actual marketing, but as something meaningful enough to feel and recall on a deeper level.

    That might require you going back in time. When you were a kid. When you were raw-minded. Re-experience what affected you, the unspeakably good montage intro or trailer to a film, the world of colors in the Maoist propaganda poster you saw on Canal Street in NYC, an album cover you forgot you loved, a commercial that rocked your world, a PSA that pulled like a maddened emotion, desperate to free itself from the leash of the everyday.

    That’s where the inspiration to make something culturally and psychologically strong enough exists, because it’s still living psychologically and culturally in your mind. That is, if you believe that marketing is actually part art, part storytelling, part psychological event, and is powerful enough to act as a sociological medium that does something amazing.

    1975, Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd.
    Album Art by the amazing agency, Hipgnosis.

    Joseph Coplans is owner of Denver's Ink Stain Inc, a strategic messaging firm in Denver.

  • Kris Growcott (ACD, Olson) describes his BrandLab volunteering experience

    March 26th, 2012 / Comments (4)

    From an email Kris sent to his peers:

    "I just wanted to share my experience with The BrandLab with you all.

    The BrandLab students were tasked with building a campaign to keep kids in school. Many of the kids working on the projects fell into the "risk categories" they were researching. All of them connected to the issue.

    Today the students presented their campaigns. All of the work was great, and there were some really stand out pieces.

    One that blew us away was a take on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster of WW2. The students had simply changed the crown at the top of the image, into a graduation cap. Not many of the kids knew the reference, but all of them loved the execution. They agreed they'd wear it on a T-Shirt. Which is saying a lot.

    Two kids received $1000 scholarship and two, internships.

    Sheldon sums up why I would urge you to consider volunteering for the program.

    Sheldon is from Brooklyn and is heavily tattooed. He walks with a swagger and shoots from the hip. In Brooklyn he was getting involved with gangs and in trouble with the police. To try and change his life, his parents shipped him out of NY to live in MN with his Aunty. He is street smart and tough.

    Sheldon broke down in tears when he discovered he had been awarded an internship. My eyes were a little glazed as well. He shook everyone's hands and hugged his teacher. That internship will change his life.

    Sheldon 'aint the only one better off for being a part of The BrandLab experience. I absolutely loved being a part of the program.

    That's all I have to say about that.

    Keep Calm and Carry On."

    - Kris Growcott, ACD, Olson

    Feel like volunteering? Here's how

  • Boulder Digital Works' SXSW 2012 Recap

    March 22nd, 2012 / Comments (0)

    Among the thousands who made the mecca to SXSW this year, so too did the grad students from Boulder Digital Works. Here's how they felt when they returned.

    SXSW has turned into a marketing shit show — full of distractions and gimmicks to get you to use, try, or buy a product enough so they can claim to be the “breakout success” of SX. Well, I didn’t see any of those this time around. To me the emerging phenomenon is a cultural one — our steady shift into the Sharing Economy, a place where access trumps ownership.

    I had the fortune of a front row seat in a panel titled “The AirBnB of Everything: The Growth of P2P Markets,” which went quickly from introductions to a full break down of how to build a P2P marketplace. That’s because the always-energetic ‘Start Up’ crowd had packed the room and we were eager to get a hold of any and all insight into what makes P2P markets click. This market is poised for success because it empowers the consumer, merges seamlessly with your online social presence, and helps build community. It’s not changing what you consume, it’s changing how you consume, and that’s pretty powerful.

    -Erik Dreyer, @erikatlarge

    What I took away from my sophomore SXSW:
    1. Three free pairs of sunglasses
    2. Respect for two rooted brands stealing spotlights (i.e. American Express + Nike)
    3. Pleasant reminders that industry idols are occasionally humble humans
    4. Newfound fondness for David Carr
    5. General panel disenchantment
    6. Tempered FOMO

    What it demanded in return:
    1. My non-free sunglasses
    2. My American Express

    -Steve Dolan, @stvdln

    Every choir enjoys a good preaching to, and for this digital advocate, Robbie Whiting’s session ‘We Made This, and It’s Not an Ad’ was a forceful affirmation of the need for a smarter, geekier approach to advertising.

    Whiting’s presentation showcased exciting examples of what occurs at the crossroads of advertising and product development – when ad agencies become production houses. Perhaps most enlightening, however, was not the work from some of the most progressive agencies around, but rather, the enthusiastic responses and interesting questions from audience members not previously in the “choir.”

    -James Quon, @jumboinc

    SXSW was an incredible experience: the panels and speakers were interesting and inspiring, the mixers and parties were jovial and exciting, and the food was delicious and addicting.

    The city of Austin, TX was awesome, especially once the weather cleared up, and those Texans showed me great hospitality, kindness, and warmth. THANK YOU!

    -Kit Hennessey, @kithennessey

    In Austin, I was spit out of an airplane expecting the unexpected. As I tumbled down the rabbit hole, soaking wet at the beginning (it rained a lot), I was bombarded with introductions to the "new" trends, all suffixed with "ify" and "ly."

    If I wasn't witnessing Kobiachi break the world record in eating grilled cheese, I was stumbling into conversations with some of my favorite people in the industry, or admiring the homeless who were swimming in the flood of free food and clothes. My SXSW takeaway was learning more about the numerous players in the tech game, despite their poor presentation skills.

    -Benton Rochester, @im_Benton

    There have been few times in my life where I have been surrounded with consistently excellent content provided by equally excellent speakers. However, there have been even fewer times in my life that I have been defeated by bars. SXSW provided me with those opportunities not just a few times, but everyday, and unfortunately for my liver, every night.

    At SXSW Interactive there were too many open discussions, too many open bars, and too many networking opportunities. But hey, those are my favorite kind of problems.

    Regarding next year’s SXSW, I must quote a greater man and simply say, "I'll be back."

    -Kevin Zengel, @kevinzengel

    With everyone vying for attention, your idea has to be truly unique, original and practical for it to stand a chance. No matter who you are or how loud you speak, only the great ideas stand a chance once SXSW is over.

    -Dan Nelson, @danimalnelson

    As a first timer this year at SXSW I am 110% positive I’ll be back next year. Never before have I been to a place where so many people were eager and open to talking about who they are and what kind of work they’re doing. I didn’t attend a single panel, but instead, traveled around the city going to coffee shops, lunches, and parties interacting and making connections.

    Some of the individuals I had the opportunity of meeting work at Modus Operandi, B-Reel, TAXI, Bitorrent, Short List, W+K, and AKQA. Having the advantage of personally knowing the people you’re sending your resume to when your looking for a career can go a long way.

    -Matt O'Donnell, @odog

    I arrived in Austin, Texas not knowing what to expect. Having spoken to many SXSW veterans I was prepared for a week of mingling, drinking, and panels, and that's exactly what I got. Overall, the experience was like non-other. I met with people in all strata of the digital world and ate and drank like a king.

    I would describe the event as a congruence of people interested in many of the same things, looking to the future of media, and out to have a good time. 2012 will definitely not be my last visit to SXSW.

    -Lee Riley, @leerileydesigns

    As a result of my love for all things involving both digital and physical realms, I absolutely loved the Frog kickoff party. They were using Arduino and Flash to connect two Lightcycles to screens for each player and a larger screen for the audience to view. While that was my favorite event, they also had life-size robot boxing powered by Xbox Kinect.

    Being an avid gamer and never having the opportunity to enjoy any sort of conference or convention, ScreenBurn was a lot of fun for me. I was able to check out around 10 video games - give or take - that have not yet been released. I was also able to demo a $7,000 PC gaming setup with 3 monitors covering my entire peripheral. I even picked up some killer art.

    -Micheal Ladt, @MichaelLadt

    The sound bite from my six-day stay came as I nestled into my seat in the middle row on my flight home. I glanced out the window, then to the woman’s computer perched on the tray table beside me. On the screen was a quote: Stop trying to create the next Twitter and start becoming the first you.

    As a SXSW first-timer, I was wowed by the incredible amount of brainpower camping out around Austin. New apps like Highlight, Vibop 2.0, and Maaii mean smart peeps somewhere are putting their heads together to build useful platforms.

    The icing on the cake, though, was the Jane McGonigals, whose creation SuperBetter uses science and gamification to help folks heal from a variety of psychological and physiological ailments. Or, the Al Gores and Sean Parkers, encouraging crowds to employ technology to “OccupyDemocracy.” Or, the Amber Cases, working to ensure technology becomes invisible and serves humanity (and not the other way around).

    Ultimately, smart people don’t just make apps. They make a difference.

    -Dave Laskarzewski, @70percentcool

    Baratunde Thurston, Director of Digital for The Onion, hilariously discussed the role of technology and satire in transforming the world around us. Programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report – though they appear playful on the surface – effectively use comedy to cut directly to the emotional core of very non-comedic issues. And it’s not just in the U.S. that people are using satire to address political and social issues. Thanks to the growing accessibility of technology around the globe, independent political satire programs in highly censored countries such as China, Nigeria and Venezuela have become increasingly popular online. In the end, Thurston said, “change is constant.” So, when government institutions and corporations fail to lead sensibly, it’s these “sacred clowns” that remain.

    -Nathan Igdaloff, @igdaloff

    Despite Pinterest taking the award for "Breakout Digital Trend," it kept a relatively low profile at this year's SXSWi. No Pinterest flash mob. No Pinterest shot girls. No free grilled cheese sandwiches with the Pinterest logo emblazoned upon the bread. The one widely publicized Pinterest event — an interview with co-founder and CEO Ben Silbermann — was actually a late edition to the jam-packed schedule of speakers and events.

    Since our startup is chomping at the bit for Pinterest to release their much-awaited API, you can bet I was first in line. Not literally — I barely got a seat. Of all the talks I sat (sometimes slept) through, this one was by far the most attended. And I knew I was sitting amongst eager ears — entrepreneurs like myself waiting to capitalize on this new social phenomenon.

    -Lindsey Jones, @lindseyejones

    A perfect example of the random wonderfulness that is SXSW occurred on an overcast afternoon in the GroupMe tent across from the convention center. By downloading the GroupMe app in person or showing that you had it downloaded on your phone, one was allowed access to free grilled cheese and beer until supplies ran out. Fantastic.

    The afternoon took a turn for the incredible when we were informed that Takeru Kobayashi, an international competitive eating champion, would be attempting a grilled cheese challenge no less than 5 feet from where we were standing. Moments later we stood cheering in disbelief as 13 grilled cheese sandwiches disappeared in 60 seconds and a new world record was set. Photos and videos from the event could not be shared fast enough via text, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and whatever else we could think of.

    Was the event inspirational? Possibly for some. Life-changing? No. Adrenaline-pumping? Surely. Memorable? Absolutely.

    -Michael Lanning, @mrlanning

    I wonder if I've missed the boat on SXSW. Don't get me wrong, it’s a blast, but the parasites of tech are starting to swarm. This alcohol-fueled party felt more like a swag fest than progressive endeavor.

    The panels were interesting, but I couldn't help but feel I'd gain more by checking my Google Reader, so I could actually have a chance to reflect on perspectives rather than being immediately distracted by free gear.

    -Davis Godbout, @dmgodbout

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