1. A perfect storm: the social
web, storytellers and brands
Pixel Lab Workshop
4-10.07.10
Mel Exon
Founding Partner, BBH Labs
@melex / @bbhlabs
http://bbh-labs.com
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2. What this isn’t
2

3. Nor this
Talladega Nights, Prayer to Baby Jesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A0-u85aAYg&feature=player_embedded
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4. What this is
A grappling with a changing creative landscape
(who isn’t?)
A few things we’ve learned about cross-
platform ideas.
A point of view on what brands can offer and
what they want in return.
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5. Challenging,
exciting times
5

6. Powered by three forces
In Society
A move to
hypersociability
Proprietary, paid-for
A cross-platform
In Entertainment Vs In Marketing
explosion
Opensource, free
6

7. It begins with this
In Society
A move to
hypersociability
Proprietary, paid-for
A cross-platform
In Entertainment Vs In Marketing
explosion
Opensource, free
7

8. Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynetter/sets/72057594139269787/show/with/3672748556/
Hypersociability: 5 Facts
Social media overtook porn as the #1 activity on the Web in 2008
Facebook has >400 million active users. Twitter >100 million
24 hours’ worth of content uploaded to YouTube every minute
Wikipedia has >13 million articles, more accurate than Encyclop. Brit
Foursquare just hit 1 million check-ins a day
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9. "Sharing information is something we're
biased to do and to like doing."
Clay Shirky
Image source: http://ciclodedebates.fundacion.telefonica.com/clay-shirky/
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10. What we share may vary..
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11. ..But our connectivity is here to stay
“The dynamic of our society, and our new economy, will increasingly obey the logic of
networks..We are connecting everything to everything.”
Kevin Kelly, New Rules for the New Economy
Image source: http://www.ibiblio.org/hhalpin/homepage/presentations/de2007/
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12. The impact on marketing: a fight for
attention In Society
A move to
hyper-sociability
Proprietary, paid-for
A cross-platform
In Entertainment Vs In Marketing
explosion
Opensource, free
12

13. “Technology.. is a queer thing. It
brings you great gifts with one
hand, and it stabs you in the back
with the other.”
C.P. Snow, New York Times, March 15, 1971
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14. A crisis in marketing, Part 1
“In 1965 80% of 18-49 year olds in the
US could be reached with 3 x 60 second
spots. In 2002, it required 117 prime-
time commercials to do the same”
Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing
Officer, P&G
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15. A crisis in marketing, Part 1I
“In 1965 80% of 18-49 year olds in the
US could be reached with 3 x 60 second “In 1997, the average click through
spots. In 2002, it required 117 prime- rate on online ads was 2.1%. In 2001 it
time commercials to do the same” was 0.5%. In 2008 it was 0.1%”
Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing IABStats, @IAB
Officer, P&G
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16. “Old, linear forms of storytelling
are like going on a date and not
letting the other person talk.”
Nicke Bergstrom (Mother), #CRCAT
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17. How brands are “telling stories”
✔ Integrated
✔ Interactive
X Transmedia (excl. Entertainment brands)
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18. 18

19. Converse: Domaination (Anomaly NYC)
http://vimeo.com/8254341
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20. Volkswagen: Fun Theory (DDB Stockholm)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw
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21. AMREF Status of Africa
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22. Burberry: Art of the Trench / Burberry Live
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23. How do you beat live and social?
+ +
... live + social + 3D
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24. Burberry: 3d show
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25. Barclays: 56 Sage Street
How do you teach 13-19 year olds money skills?
Make it a game.
In which you get mugged. Then given £4 and a ‘phone..
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26. Barclays: 56 Sage Street
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27. Be useful or entertaining.
(Or be ignored).
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28. Utility wins (for now).
Image source: Denver Egotist
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29. What we’ve learned along the way
Always on, not bursts of activity
Fuelling conversation, not launch and leave
Iterative and two-way, not linear and one way
Online and offline are blurred, not virtual vs real
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30. More fundamentally
It’s not about tools, it’s about behaviours
It’s not about technology, it’s about networks
It’s not about social media, it’s about being social
It’s not about now, it’s about the trajectory
It’s not about having all the answers, leave some room
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31. In summary:
Challenges Facing Brands
A growing list of
challenges & Find and create new ways to
engage audiences
opportunities facing
brands, some new, some Create and sustain conversations
with audiences
old... all now centre
stage. Get better at telling stories
coherently across platforms
Increase ROI and reduce cost
(creativity, production, media)
31

32. The impact on entertainment: a fight
to monetise In Society
A move to
hyper-sociability
Proprietary, paid-for
A cross-platform
In Entertainment Vs In Marketing
explosion
Opensource, free
32

33. vs
33

34. The open-sourcing of entertainment
Messier, crowd-up models
Democratized, decentralised and fragmented
People spending more time with content made by people like
themselves.
And that content is getting better..
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35. And entertainment brands are still
showing marketers how immersive
world-building is done.
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36. 36

37. Iron Man 2 (Dan Light / PPC / Total Immersion)
http://vimeo.com/11158156
Playstation Home / Audi
iamironman2.com/home
http://vimeo.com/11205386
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38. Iron Man 2 - Fujikawa Expo film
http://vimeo.com/11158156
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39. Where does this leave us?
39

40. “The need and function of storytelling is totally
universal, because that need to hear stories and to tell
each other stories is as fundamental a human
structuring essential need as eating, breathing, drinking
and making love.”
Michel Reilhac, Cinema, Crossmedia and Public Television:
Firm Steps into Uncertainty.
http://michel-reilhac.blogs.arte.tv/2010/07/04/into-the-future-2/
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41. How can we leverage this fundamental
truth, in ways that reflect the new reality?
Free | Participative | Awesome
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42. One route: The 3-party market
Source: Chris Anderson / Free / 3 Party Market
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43. Let’s adapt it..
Source (adapted): Chris Anderson / Free / 3 Party Market
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44. Case study: a 2008/9 partnership between Josh
Klein (hacker/writer), Giraldi Media & BBH Labs
The idea!
THE WORLD’S FIRST CROWD SOURCED, BRAND-FUNDED,!
TRANSMEDIA CONTENT CREATION ENGINE
technologies!
crowd-powered! expert filtering! a radical new content !
creativity!
+ that facilitate! x & curation!
= creation engine!
collaboration!
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45. The plan
Idea - the pilot phase! How the pilot will work - the five stages!
! " # $ %
SHORTLIST!
CALL FOR! SUBMISSION OF! CROWD!
JUDGED BY! PRODUCTION!
ENTRIES! TREATMENTS! RATING!
The focus for the pilot: stay on neutral EXPERTS!
territory, prove the concept ! Josh Klein, author & hacker! The competition is ! Submissions are ! Anyone (participants! In the final! Category winners!
launched & entries! posted on the site.! & visitors to the site)! stage of the ! are awarded prizes.!
across five categories! both rate the! competition the !
are requested.! Anyone, globally, can! submissions and offer! category judges decide! Winners are open to!
“Roo’d”, a future sci-fi novel
! The prizes & judges!
submit up to a 10-page!
Creative Commons-!
commentary,!
suggestions, & !
on the top three!
in each category.!
direct contract by!
anyone who wants to!
are announced.! licensed script derived! further ideas.! produce a full treatment!
from Roo’d.! They are also allowed! based on their entry!
Commentary, ! to select one !
Written &! The crowdcreates!
site becomes the! Format for submission! suggestions & feedback! ‘wildcard’ not ranked! First refusal goes!
hub around which! is bespoke by category.! are also provided by! in the top 10 by the ! to the category judges.!
Creative Commons-published
! the competition! judges, & Guest editors.! crowd, if they choose.!
is staged & engagement! No legal haggling or !
by Josh Klein
! & interaction occurs.! An algorithm helps! delays; just the !
rank submissions! marriage of talent, !
within categories.! investment & ideas!
How the pilot will work - the crowd rating system! How the pilot will work - globally renowned judges!
Producer / Director, “American Psycho”, “Bad Lieutenant”, Das Boot”,!
FILM! Ed Pressman!
“The Crow”, “Badlands”, “Conan the Barbarian’, “Wall Street”!
One of the hottest writers in the comic book industry, best known!
COMIC! Robert Kirkman! for his work on the Image Comics’ series “Invincible” & !
“The Walking Dead”; now a partner at Image Comics!
•! A weight-balanced baysian filtering system !
TV! Jesse Alexander! Emmy-winning Executive Producer on “Heroes” & “Lost”!
•! A cutting-edge semantic metanalysis of the contestants' communication corpus!
•! Result: a balanced & truly representative vote of both the most popular AND the Award-winning Producer at EA, with credits that include “The Sims !
GAMING! Jade Raymond!
highest quality entries! Online” and “Assassin’s Creek”!
OTHER!
(for example: mobile, live! DJ Spooky! Electronic & experimental Producer, DJ, remixer & artist!
events, music, or transmedia)!
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46. What did we learn?
1. Have a highly customisable format OR proof of concept
2. Consider the life cycle (inception to disposal)
3. Who will curate? Single, creative vision
4. Amplify the experience beyond a niche community
5. Brands have their own DNA. Identify, then approach
6. Demonstrate short term ROI
7. “Reality is bureaucratic” Joanne Jacobs
8. Don’t underestimate the sheer force of will required to
move lots of early interest to closing a deal
(8.5. And yes, the economy didn’t help).
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47. Notwithstanding this.. the potential
value is there:
Challenges Facing Brands What “3-Party” Offers
Engage audiences with messages
Find and create new ways to
they not only seek out, but they
engage audiences
help to create and spread
Storytelling that only improves and
Create and sustain conversations
becomes more interactive as
with audiences
involvement increases
Deliberate trialling of an approach
Get better at telling stories
to cross-platform creativity that
coherently across platforms
starts in a different place
Tap creative power of crowd,
Increase ROI and reduce cost
shifting media £ into content
(creativity, production, media)
creation. “Earned” media vs paid
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48. Finally: 5 thoughts on riding the
storm (with a brand by your side)
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49. 1. Brands need to engage
audiences. Plan from the start for
participation. (Think:crowd funding/
sourcing/creating/judging)
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50. 2. Brands want to be themselves.
Deconstruct their commercial
and brand strategy before you
decide there’s a good fit.
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51. 3. Luck has an awful lot to do with
it. Try lots of things, fail fast.
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52. 4. Stay grounded:
New Tools & Opportunities
vs
Behaviour & Culture
vs
Human motivation
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53. 53

54. 5. Stay curious:keep refreshing your
sources... (what can we mash up?)
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55. “In the interactive space good ideas
come from immersion in the space.
And that is f****** hard. Because
there is something new every day.”
Renny Gleeson,Wieden & Kennedy
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56. Thank you
Pixel Lab Workshop
4-10.07.10
Mel Exon
Founding Partner, BBH Labs
@melex / @bbhlabs
http://bbh-labs.com
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