Experience Manifesto

The Comet & the Tornado, Donald Marinelli, Book - Barnes & Noble

I have spent a lot of time over the years with Don Marinelli, who was the co-founder of the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at CMU. I actually met him a few years before he started the ETC and watched as he got the entire idea up & off the ground. His partner at the ETC, Randy Pausch, was really quite opposite from Don and The Comet & the Tornado is a great title for their partnership.

Over the years, I had the opportunity to do some teaching at the ETC (and hope to do so again in the future!) and the ETC was instrumental in the very first in-cinema project that I did at the Brand Experience Lab almost 3 years ago. I was also one of the first people to commercially use their Synthetic Interview technology, for Court TV and Nicorette. The ETC program really is a right brain-left brain program that combines theater & technology into new forms of storytelling. Each year, they do a showcase of the best of the student work, so ping me if you're ever interested in attending.

The ETC is now in several countries and it really speaks to what can happen when you combine a comet with a tornado!

The Comet & the Tornado is currently available for pre-order and I just ordered my copy! So click at the link below and get ready to read a great story!

An intimate look at Randy Pausch (author of the blockbuster The Last Lecture) from his friend and colleague

It is impossible to pinpoint the moment Randy Pausch became a household name, but when he died, millions of people who either read or watched his last lecture on YouTube felt as if they had lost a friend.

One man who actually did lose a close friend that day was Donald Marinelli. Affectionately referred to as “the Tornado” in the last lecture, Donald was the whirlwind of energy and creativity who co-founded the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University with Randy. Donald recounts his remarkable journey from Carnegie Mellon’s drama department, through the years building the ETC with Randy, to today, as he helms the center on his own and leads its worldwide expansion. Central to his story are the six years he and Randy shared an office, their differences and commonalities (they both fought cancer), and their priorities, as well as the philosophy of the ETC. Most poignantly, Don reveals what he learned from Randy, whom he describes as “a comet who burst upon the scene like an astral body . . . illuminating his secrets for living life to the fullest for millions of folks who needed such guidance.”

The Comet & the Tornado, Donald Marinelli, Book - Barnes & Noble.

Advertising - North Face Campaign Sends Texts When Shoppers Near Stores - NYTimes.com

Location based coupons have been discussed as the holy grail of advertising for years and the technology is finally catching up with the discussion. But really, I once again have to ask the question, how many of your friends outside of the advertising industry have asked to have their phone ping them to deliver coupons based on where they're standing? And once again, we're moving the interruption model from TV/radio into the physical location and talking about it being the next, big thing in advertising.

If I'm already a fan of your store, do I need this kind of incentive to come in? And, if I'm not a fan of your store, how would I sign up in the first place to receive this promotion?

Now, as you know from reading this blog and my previous blog, I'm a big fan of what the cell phone can deliver into the physical location. I think that there are many ways to use mobile to create a better in-store experience. But I'm not sure that beaming coupons just because I'm working past the store is the thing that will drive people to the store.

There are two very simple steps that will create a better engagement with their target audiences:

1. Create a better store experience. I'll check the North Face store the next time I'm in Soho to see how they do, but every time I go into REI, there are always people shopping there. But the last time I went to the North Face store in Soho, it was kind of a bland, shopping experience. You can buy North Face products in lots of places, so what's the compelling experience that will drive me into their store?

   Look at what the Burton store does (it's just around the corner from the North Face store) or the REI stores do to create a compelling experience. Very knowledgeable staff who lives to snowboard. Weekly bus tours to a ski resort. A real sense of community. I paid to become a member of REI because I believed that it was a good value proposition. I go to a store like that because I really feel that they know their stuff. I'm not sure I get that feeling in a North Face store.

2. Deliver information that I really need. How long do you think people will put up with non-stop interruptions of our cell phones telling us there's a sale at the store we're walking past? Do you want that?

   But take a look at this:

   The North Face plans to eventually send branded texts when people arrive at a hiking trail or mountain to alert them about weather conditions or logistics for a ski competition, for example. It also created an iPhone app called the North Face Snow Report that provides snow conditions and trail maps.

   Now, this provides relevant information that adds value to my experience and might lead me to go back to the North Face store. I'm a big fan of having brands bring utility to my life experiences.

The challenge with a new tool like this is that if it's delivered badly, it'll make it harder for brands to use it again later. And if there's a backlash from the consumer, then it will make it that much harder to create acceptable campaigns using mobile in the future.

Hopefully we'll look for a better way to engage me then pinging me as I walk past your store with a coupon.

From the article:

LIKE many retailers, the North Face has been having trouble luring shoppers into its stores. The company, which sells outdoor apparel and gear, is about to try a new tactic: sending people text messages as soon as they get near a store.

Advertisers have long been intrigued by the promise of cellphones, because they live in people’s pockets and send signals about shoppers’ locations. The dream has been to send people ads tailored to their location, like a coupon for a cappuccino when passing a coffee shop.

Advertising - North Face Campaign Sends Texts When Shoppers Near Stores - NYTimes.com.

MediaPost Publications Google Unveils New Mobile Shopping App 02/22/2010

Cell phone based barcode readers have been gaining traction lately and we'll see a lot more of them in the future. We actually did almost $300 worth of shopping once my barcode reader was able to give me real-time price comparisons. You can't beat that kind of power in the consumers hands.

But I think there's a bigger part of this story where Google is involved. Think about their general, online, business model. We search for products and then click through once we've found something we like. Google might make some money on the click-thru, but I don't think they're making any money on the purchase.

But now, Google is starting to slowly work their way into potentially making money from the actual in-store purchase. That's a huge opportunity for Google. And maybe it puts them into a position to become a competitor to actual retail stores. Say I'm shopping in Sears and I find something I like. Using this Google app, I scan the barcode for additional information. What if Google could sell pop-up ads (bad description, but you know what I mean) to a competing store? I scan in Sears, but a competing ad for Target pops up? And what if Google could make a transaction fee if you end up buying from Target instead of from Sears? That could put Google into a really interesting position in therms of he physical retail world, right?

While lots of people are deploying bar code readers, I don't know the business model yet. But the above scenario would give Google a pretty big leg-up in creating a business out of barcode readers.

Google has launched Google Shopper, a new Android application that lets people use their camera phones to get product information in various ways. Users can scan the cover art of books, CDs, DVDs and video games and most barcodes to find reviews, pricing and other product details.

Shopper also allows users to search products by voice and saves search histories for later reference, according to a post on Google's Mobile Blog about the new app available via the company's Android Market. It can also be downloaded through a QR code on the Mobile Blog.

MediaPost Publications Google Unveils New Mobile Shopping App 02/22/2010.

Scannable Retail Stickers to Extend Google's Local Presence - ClickZ - Polinchock's Ponderings.

Some Thoughts from The Past

I've been trying to source the timeframe of this quote and haven't found an exact date yet, but here's what I do know. Leo Burnett died in 1971. So, even if he said this with his last breath, this still means in 1971 he was talking about interactive touch screen shopping.

But I also love his thoughts about how to communicate in a fragmented marketplace. And again, he was saying this almost 40 years ago. And look at the way he talks about building for the future while producing immediate sales. Too often, I think we get caught up in making our communications be one or the other.

So take a look at the whole quote and see what you think. I believe that it's a lessons we should we be learning today.

In a related, quote, Samuel Johnson had this to say back in about 1741. 1741. Hundreds of years ago. Talking about how there are too many ads in the world. In 1741. Today, his head would explode.

As I say all the time:

People who don't know history,

are destined to think everything they're doing is new.

So, while I don't think we should use history to completely guide the present, I think history can provide some great insights that we can continue to use today.

Hello, can you hear me?

Posted a thought on Twitter the other day saying that I didn't think all of this new age of listening we're hearing about these days is really about companies wanting to listen vs companies being forced to listen. In the end, they may get us to the same place, but I think the paths are very, very different and that makes the results very different. If you're being forced to listen, you're never really going to hear.

While I think there are a few companies out there trying to do well by their customers, the majority of the companies out there still serve their shareholders first and foremost. And, as the Bible tells us, no man can serve two masters.

If you think about the brands you deal with every day, I think you'll find that their policies and procedures are all about maximizing their value. If in doing that, you the customer gets something positive, that's just icing on the cake.

So we see return policies that make it near impossible to return anything. We see misleading promotional pitches only to find fine print that practically negates everything. We see stores being grossly understaffed to the detriment of the retail experience so someone can make their quarterly numbers. We see the company putting itself in front of every consumer transaction.

In a brand new world of transparency & authenticity, would we be seeing the challenges that Toyota is having today? Doubtful.

The truth is much of the talk about the value of SM in in window dressing for brands. Pretend we care about the customer by having a Facebook fan page and Twitter account, but really, these aren't friends we'd ever invite over to dinner.

While social media has given the consumer an amplified voice, I think way to often, they're just speaking in a vacuum. In the end, most companies aren't really changing their behavior. But they sure are putting on a good show.

Augmented Reality T-Shirt

Swedish magazine T-Post, distributed as a T-shirt (yes, check it out), has released an issue where the t-shirt itself becomes a "paper rock scissors" game to play against. A bit creepy, but also interesting as it keeps on unveiling new ways of interacting with physical products, as in the Adidas' sneakers augmented reality thing.

Adverblog: Paper, rock and scissors.

Some Random Thoughts on Sneakers

I was just watching the adidas/Star Wars video over at 2 Ads I Cannot Stop Watching - On The Ground Looking Up and thinking about sneaker brands in my life. It doesn't show now, but I was a distance runner in high school. Ran cross country and back when I was doing this, there weren't many cross country sneakers available at the average sporting goods stores. In fact, I can only remember seeing the adidas Country sneakers in the stores by me. They were solid sneakers and I feel like most of the people ran in them. Then in '76 or '77, a guy named Gary Muhrcke started selling new brands of sneakers literally from the back of his van as he visited high school tracks across the state. That's where I was introduced to brands like New Balance, Brooks and others that I had never heard of before. I tried a variety of brands and settled on New Balance, which I wore when I ran the NY Marathon back in '89.

To me, brands like adidas became less "real" sneakers and more fashion sneakers. Brands like New Balance and Brooks were the ones you chose to run in, adidas were the sneakers you were to hang out. That's not to say that's true, that's just become my impression these days.

My point is this. back in the late 70's, I decided that adidas weren't really good shoes for running and that impression has stayed with me for over 30 years. I don't think I've even tried on a pair of adidas sneakers since those high school days.

When brand associations are made, they're pretty hard to change.

A Look Forward, Some Predictions for 2010

I've gotten some excellent feedback on my 2010 predictions and thought that I would keep a brief excerpt up from here for a little while. You can find the full post by clicking on the link below and I’ve included the list here. Please let me know what you think.

1. Authenticity continues to be a critical.
2. As SM grows, people will demand much more from brands.
3. Brands must learn that they start the conversation, people amplify it.
4. If you don't give me information, I'll go to someone who will.
5. We need to expand the Experience Continuum.
6. To expand the Experience Continuum, we need to start creating Oneline experiences.
7. We'll start to understand the importance of Location Based Branding.
8. AR & QR codes will become mainstream.
9. Physical retail needs to adapt or face the consequences.

A Look Forward, Some Predictions for 2010 - Polinchock's Ponderings.

Displax film could turn nearly any surface into touchscreen, make your keyboard irate -- Engadget

Ever since I saw the Everywhere Display from IBM, I thought that that this was cool technology and just one part of our "Minority Report" future. Displax is also working in this field and doing some very interesting work in this field.

Light Blue Optics already blew our minds up with its touchscreen-creating projector, but it looks like Displax will be the one to really turn the touchpanel into a modern day commodity. The Portugal-based company is trumpeting a new polymer film that can be stuck onto or just under glass, plastic or wood in order to transform a vanilla surface into one that responds to touch and airflow. Furthermore, the tech can be overlayed on curved panels, and it also plays nice with opaque and transparent surfaces. As the story goes, an array of nanowires embedded in the film recognizes your digits or pointed breath, and it then passes the information along to a microcontroller and software suite that transforms the inputs into reactions on your system. In its current form, the solution can detect up to 16 touch points on a 50-inch screen, and if all goes well, the first Displax-enabled wares will start shipping this July. Huzzah!

Displax film could turn nearly any surface into touchscreen, make your keyboard irate -- Engadget.

An Augmented (Hyper)Reality

Thanks to Adfreak for posting this video showing the very scary side of an augmented reality future. Sadly, this is what happens when advertising gets ahold of something. The truth is, when ad agencies talk about 360 advertising, what they're picturing is you with a circular TV surrounding your head. But I know that Sydney, who's 8 now, will use AR every day when she gets to college, so it's a technology that won't be going away any time soon.

AdFreak: Have a glimpse at your sponsored future life.

Sobel Media: Augmented Reality: What is it and why should you care - Polinchock's Ponderings.