Everybody in Cleveland (and in other places too) is super-upset about LeBron joining the Heat. His decision though is part of a trend-wave that’s been building since we’ve tumbled (nose-dived?) into the recession. People, businesses, organizations have been making tough decisions through the spectrum of what I’m calling the “New Economy” matrix.

It’s a balance of “Me” and “Us,” mixed with “Valor” and “Grandeur.” Here’s how I define the points on this matrix:
- Me: My responsibility is to myself. It’s about my needs/wants, my brand, and my rewards.
- US: My responsibility is to my company, my market/location, AND myself. How are we all doing?
- Valor: Bravery to take the tougher road, with sacrifice, but for long-term goals.
- Grandeur: Make the biggest splash now for immediate rewards, regardless of path or cost.

Different folks have chosen their seats within this matrix based on their goals, plans, wants and needs. From the outside, we the audience and markets, then grade these folks based on where we ourselves sit within the matrix.

As example, the people of Cleveland wanted LeBron to make his decision based on one side of this matrix. They wanted him to be more “Us” and “Valor,” where he chose, “Me,” and “Grandeur.” They’re obvioulsy upset, maybe less about LeBron himself, and more about the place on the matrix where he chose to make his decision.

Let’s look at this decision through the eyes of the New Economy…

The Miami Heat are metaphorically a merger/partnership of strong companies with the goal to consolidate a hold on a market. They have diversified their assets (many stars), are increasing their spending, and are focused on one high goal: to be the absolute best in their market. It’s all about them, right now, a big handful of Mes, seeking Grandeur. Plus, the city of Miami isn’t dependent upon LeBron, or the Heat, for their fortune, so the Us factor is muted. The Heat, and their amazing roster of All-Stars, become the team to beat in the league and a favorite to win the title. Could you refuse that situation?

The City of Cleveland, on the other hand, was reliant upon LeBron’s super-stardom to support many aspects of its local economy (a big Us). LeBron is from Ohio, has roots in the community, and could have remained there (maybe title-less like Tony Gwynn in San Diego), but would’ve helped to build the local economy. It could have been an inspirational mythology.

Cleveland was seeking Us/Valor from LeBron, as the city itself is asking its citizens for Us/Valor in the face of tough economic times. LeBron’s decision was incongruent with the local tone, the city, a big Us, took it personally.

The Me/Us, Valor/Grandeur, is a very hard decision to make. These days it seems to be the matrix through which people, businesses, and orgs are both making their plans and judging how other folks decide to do theirs. I’m going to do a series of posts on this topic. Let me know if there is a person, company, or org you’d like me to evaluate through this matrix.

These whiteboard animations of provocative talks at the 250 year old institution, the RSA (The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), are dead-on in their mash-up of spoken word + illustration  into and online video format. Drafted by the illustrator Andrew Park the animations/videos are visually enticing as well as clearly informative, contritely poignant, and do a wondrous job of capturing the talks verve into meaningful bits of useful and educational bits of content. Whether or not your interests are in “The Crises of Capitalism,” or “Smile or Die,” these animations have blazed a new trail of content strategy and delivery that will influence, and be utilized by, new content creators.

LINK: http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/

I’m not going to (yet) judge the Old Spice Viral campaign (no, I didn’t say Social Media campaign). We should revisit this campaign in three months and see what the residual effects are, then again in six months.

What I do think we can do now is define the type of content strategy they utilized to engage with their audience. You can then compare this approach to your own content strategy (marketing messages, communications) and see whether you want to make changes to your own strategy or keep on your current path.

The Old Spice campaign utilized two different strategies, both seeking to obtain “Spectacular Magnetism” (you can’t help but be attracted to the event).

The first series of television ads sought to attract the widest possible audience through its spectacle and strong character. The second series of web-videos aimed to engage a mix of users, from popular online peeps to “fans” who wrote in their notes. The second series also shifted away from reaching the largest possible audience through what we call “Dropping Leaflets” (general messages that entice) and moved towards “Parsing Pinheads” (engaging smaller audiences with specific messages). The second campaign also emphasized greater “Activity Resonation” (current, time-sensitive, messages meant to resonate with an immediate audience).

We’ll see what the next line of engagement will be. Following this progress, from our perspective, we hope they go more social and move down the matrix towards more Activity Resonation, seeking to connect with specific users who are interested in their products.

In the meantime, use this matrix as a guide for your own strategy. If you’re open to it, we’d like to post your content strategy analysis of the Old Spice campaign, your campaign, or others that interest you. Let us know either by sending us an email to info@wiseelephant.com or posting a comment below.

Thanks!

Though Alex Bogusky doubled the size of CP+B during his 10+ year tenure as Creative Director, a truly impressive feat, he has decided to quit the business. Always fresh with ideas while pursuing a maverick path, Alex seemed to have the Adland balance in check. He’s decided it’s time to move on, to blaze new trails. The NYTimes noted:

“Mostly, what I want to do is participate in this cultural revolution that’s happening,” he added, “happening mostly outside of advertising.”

He posted on his blog:

“It took me 46 years to actually stop and smell a flower and I would suggest that was way too long.”

Best of luck Alex!

LINKS:

Alex Bogusky’s 6 rules for being a media maverick
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/20141.asp

Alex Bogusky’s Greatest Hits
http://www.talentzoo.com/beyond_madison_ave/news.php/Alex-Boguskys-Greatest-Hits-/?articleID=7793

alexbogusky’s posterous
http://alexbogusky.posterous.com/

Alex Bogusky Tells Fast Company He’s Never Going Back to Advertising: Meet the New Gang at Crispin Porter
http://www.fastcompany.com/1670928/alex-bogusky-tells-fast-company-hes-never-going-back-to-advertising-meet-his-10-disciples

Scott Henderson is a friend of Wise Elephant’s (he’s also currently a contributing author to our (Jason’s) editorial blog project Sundayed, so we do favor him a little). Still, his recent open request for contributors to his upcoming presentation for NASA is worth noting as Trail Blazing. He’s seeking input from his audience to help him build-up the presentation. He’s open-sourcing it. He then promises to give shout-outs/due mention to those that helped him formulate his ideas.

Learn more on the post at his site: http://rallythecause.com/2010/07/17/building-a-presentation-for-nasa-inside-the-social-entrepreneurs-mind/

(this post was originally published on July 18  at the blog http://sundayed.com)

We’re amidst an economic “Devolution.” It’s not an easy era to define, to find solutions for, or to provide the path towards positive progress. The answers are here. They are burgeoning. Some are obvious within the movements of companies; others are simmering at the grass roots. History could look upon the next decade as a “greatest generation” putting us within the pantheon of our wartime heroes. Or they could see it, as economist Umair Haque believes, as “a lost decade.” I say let’s go for greatness!

I’m talking about a Devolution, yeah, you know…
The recession has aggressively splintered  “our national economy” into multitudes of micro-economies. Within this Devolution we are each our own economy. Like ships torn from their moorings by a hurricane and floating adrift in the harbor, the ties that bind us are frayed and need replacing. The umbrella corporate economy, which had been the mainstay and the glue of sustained economic prosperity, is badly damaged and slow to find remedy. The markets are desperately mercurial and the employment horizon is reminiscent of the dust-bowl era. Is this the rebound? The experts disagree on where to pinpoint the indicators, and the media is so confused by all the facets they have chosen to simplify the polygon of these issues by tossing us gossip and tragedy. Let us eat cake!

Mayor James M. Baker of Wilmington, Delaware, a small city in major duress, calls our current era, “A Great Reset.” Dov Seiman of FastComany argues it’s a “Rethink.” It’s like we’re going to try the past 10 years all over again! This time, these employees and job-candidates are throwing out the idea of the corporation (or job) as their safe-keeper. They’re all on our own, gathered loosely within fluid confederations to get tasks completed and to bring home the bacon. A nation of freelancers stands at the ready to get to work, but what will this work be?

Maybe the Devolution has put us even farther back? The stories I hear, read and witness are closer in tone to the time at the end of the great depression. Livelihoods were insecure while everything was seemingly up for grabs. You had to make your own way, sink or swim, and take what you could get while eyeing the next step up. Reset, rethink, re-do.

Free Radicals!
This Great Devolution is giving birth to a new type of worker and trailblazer. I call them the Free Radicals. The Free Radicals are represented within all strata of economics and culture. They are working with their hands and smarts, laboring to pull the economy up by its bootstraps. The Free Radicals are seeking the path forward without subsidies, without pension security, and operate outside the corporate economic culture. It’s not because they’ve shunned these footholds, it’s because these levers and lifts are no longer available.

Julie Meyers, CEO of Ariadne Capital, is witnessing this Devolution and the rise of Free Radicals at the investment level:

“I don’t know a single person under 30 [years old] who feels they work for anyone, anymore. And I include the people who work for me at Ariadne Capital who are under 30, they don’t really believe that they work for me…I think the under-30s really view themselves as their own P-n-L, as their own brand…this trend has arisen from what I call an Individual Capitalism…The recession has created many individual capitalists in the form of freelance consultants, solo deal makers and some by design others by chance.”

The Devolution is influencing the C-Level to act as Free Radicals, too. GE’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt is shifting their core away from “old-school” and possibly dried-up profit centers. They’re moving on from TV/Cable (selling NBC/Universal) and Finance (selling units or divesting from GE Capital) and investing $20Billion over the next two years in R&D to invent NEW products for a NEW economy. They’re banking their future on risk-taking.

The Free Radicals are all over the grass roots. How much longer will large-scale agri-businesses be able to keep the status quo while research keeps pointing to the unhealthy and uncompetitive model of their arena? We all know the economy of subsidized corn syrup can’t be the only way to feed our nation. There is a burgeoning food trend to grow and buy local and organic foods.  Whole Foods has recently announced they will be growing produce in shared-space community gardens! There is a heroic wave of small-scale agriculturalists that are grabbing the tiller and making it happen; growing new economies that support us all. Show them some love!

Who, What, When
I can point to cities and investments in light rail, urban cores, and small/local business. I can point to business accelerators such as start-up spaces and co-work spaces. I can point to dozens of folks working hard to figure it out under enormous pressures: out of work, in debt, and without support networks. It’s heartbreakingly awful. I personally can’t stand it.

The Recession caused the Devolution. The Devolution is birthing Free Radicals. Support the Free Radicals! Seek them out within your communities and see how you can amplify their efforts. Maybe it’s through buying their products, maybe it’s through micro or angel investments. We need to boost their efforts and harness their energies. They are leading us out of the Recession. Find them, empower them, and show them some love.

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Related Links:

Umair Haque’s “Lost Decade”
http://twitter.com/umairh/status/15578629723

Political Devolution definition:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devolution

Wilmington DE
http://www.wilmingtonde.gov/

Dov Seidman’s Great Rethink
http://www.fastcompany.com/1651710/the-economy-dont-hit-the-reset-button

Unemployment extension fails:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/30/unemployment-jobless-fails-senate_n_631710.html

The Pendulum Will Swing Back
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4df4f346-2470-11de-9a01-00144feabdc0,dwp_uuid=ae1104cc-f82e-11dd-aae8-000077b07658.html?ftcamp=rss

Economic Contraction?
http://lobobreed.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/its-too-late-baby-the-inevitability-of-economic-contraction/

Julie Meyer, Individual Capitalism
http://tm.mbs.ac.uk/enterprise/‘individual-capitalism-has-come-of-age’/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i4QYN7HORw

Immelt Stakes GE’s Growth on Higher R&D Spending
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-15/immelt-stakes-ge-s-growth-on-higher-r-d-as-nbc-finance-shrink.html

Urban Farming
http://www.urbanfarming.org/

Slow Food
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

Whole Foods to Grow Own Produce
http://food.change.org/blog/view/whole_foods_to_grow_its_own_produce

Why are we propping up corn production, again?
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-03-25-corn-ethanol-meat-hfcs/

“Green Shoots”
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/sprott-wither-green-shoots

“James Drain” Hits Cleveland
http://www.newgeography.com/content/001672-“james-drain”-hits-cleveland

List of Light Rail Systems by Rider-ship:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_light_rail_systems_by_ridership

Coworking Definition:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking

Explosion of Seed Funds:
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-whats-really-going-on-in-the-vc-industry-and-what-it-means-for-startups-2010-7

(this post was originally published at the blog NewCommBiz, the below is a “reprint”)

In my Social Capital system everything starts with time; it’s the fundamental currency that I trade on. As example: It can take an author fifteen-years to write a book about a four-hundred-year-era that a reader ingests over a three-day-weekend. The author, rooted in time, produces the magic of encapsulating value into a pod (the book). The reader frees it, galloping through history, shredding time, getting lost in time, losing track of time.

If we root ourselves within time, Social Capital is produced. If we free ourselves from time, Social Capital can be shared. This is the trick! I work hard, using my time and labor to create something; writing a post like this one, helping a friend move, or baking a cake. I then bring it to my audience to share. By sharing it I free it to transcend time, to become energy that can be re-utilized. This post you’re reading now might give fuel to Tac’s (or your) Social Media fire, helping my friend move will strengthen our bond, sharing cake makes everyone happy. The goal is to infuse the Social Capital with longevity, allowing this initial energy to be transferred. The joy of eating cake is then infused within the next engagement (the cake-eater smiles a little bit brighter at their friends).

The “energy-power” is amplified through the craft and sincerity of the creation. The “energy-longevity” is then embedded through the resonation and engagement with the audience.

There are two main types of Social Capital:

1. Produced Resonance (which makes up 90% of the Social Capital I witness, the one we can make ourselves through our efforts –writing posts, baking cakes).
2. Spectacular Magnetism (which relies on serendipity and a relinquishing of control. We can foster and harness it, but not create it).

When Produced Resonance is injected into a market it’s energy-power is transferred into states such as joy, insight, satisfaction, and nourishment. When successful, this power spreads across the widest path and touches many people. In comparison, Spectacular Magnetism isn’t injected into the market; it attracts the market. The results are similar (joy, insight, satisfaction, etc.) but the production is less about the effort.  The creation of Spectacular Magnetism is more about imbibing and channeling the intangibles that match the zeitgeist of the era, or a unique tune-in to the tenets of a culture, or an ability to represent ones own world in a way that everyone feels like they own a piece of it. There is a relinquishing of the self, or a part of a persona, to open up your heart for the audience to find what they desire within it.

A good way to illustrate these two types of Social Capital is through food. Produced Resonance is exemplified within the produce section of the supermarket. We (those who have regular access to stocked supermarkets) take the plenty provided for us for granted. It’s hard not to. The trucks arrive during the night; the first shift stocks the cases before dawn. The electricity invisibly channels through the grid to keep the produce cold. There are the farmers, the pickers, the shippers, the distributors; all are involved in the process. It’s a complexity of unseen heroics so we can eat bananas every day of the year.

Time is inherent within the supermarket produce. There are so many people’s actions rooted in time to get the produce to the place where we can purchase it. The supermarket then presents the produce in its most vulnerable state: near ripeness. It’s the exact perfect time to free all the produces’ stored up capital into satisfaction, nourishment, and joy. Supermarkets have done such a good job at separating the food from time that most of us rarely consider the crazy supply chain that shipped that bunch of bananas to that particular case. At this stage it’s our goal to free the capital, to free time from the pages of the book, to become free from time.

Spectacular Magnetism is found within special, less obviously manufactured paths. Imagine I offered you a peach at full ripeness, just plucked from the tree in my backyard. Could you reject it? I didn’t create the tree; I planted and nurtured it. I didn’t make the peach ripe, the sun did, but I picked it, washed it, and offered it to you. If our histories and cultures align just enough, we’ll have a shared mythology about giving, friendship, food, and life. My giving you a peach from my own tree is more powerful than buying you a case of peaches from the supermarket. The time element is obvious. There’s the tree, which is growing in the present, I can touch it. Here’s the peach, in our shared time together, not in the magical display case at the supermarket.

Your acceptance and enjoyment of the peach, which is chock full of energy-power, infuses you with energy-longevity. This transference of energy through Social Capital will spread beyond your being and influence those in your proximity.

These Social Capital currencies are as old as eating. These currencies are stronger than any artificially manufactured market-capitalization. Social Capital has the potential to satisfy the human yearn for genuine concern, an honesty in message, and the selflessness of gift giving.

The transference of joy is one of the many paths that enable good Social Capital.

Build more joy!

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In this screencast I highlight the main points covered during this Social Media seminar. This sceencast is a little over 10 minutes long;  the seminar was over two hours of slides and Q&A. Please let me know your questions by posting them in the comments section below.

Listen, Engage, Broadcast: Social Media Seminar for the APA New York from jason moriber on Vimeo.

I did my best to replicate the content of my Pecha Kucha 9 presentation. The loose theme of the evening was focused on book & public libraries. In Indianapolis there is current debate to cut library funding. My presentation pointed out two ways which could help boost the profile and revenues of the local public library system. Please let me know your comments and questions by posting them in the comments section below this post. Thanks!

Pecha Kucha 9: Libraries are the Core to Economic Prosperity from jason moriber on Vimeo.

The UnDone Presentation:
My non-linear presentations have been ultimately more successful than pre-planned, linear-driven slide-deck talks even if they are much harder to manage.

I chose the non-linear path for my recent Social Media seminar for APA | NY . Engaging your audience is a hard dance to manage but, as in this case proved, doing so offers greater value FOR THE ATTENDEES from the event. Value means the audience gained answers to questions; ideally these answers demand a renewal of thought.

Blame Socrates, but he was right. With an audience eager to learn, you can’t assume you’re on the right track unless you ask them. Doing so might mess up your slide-deck plans, but it’s not about you, it’s about them. It’s the presenters role to make sure we can offer the audience an experience that cannot take place over the phone, via an email, through an online video, or in a written case-study. I aim to engage and answer. If you’ve made the effort to come see me, I’m going to give you all the available real-live-ness I can. Take the risks, don’t be afraid of “being real.” We’re people not robots.

Here’s a quick run-down of how I think you can make an UnDone presentation successful:

Do The Early Work
Get as much feedback on the topic from your audience before the event starts. Either through questionnaires, surveys, emails, whatever. Then prepare to answer these questions and seek out the askers from the audience, engage them, invite them into the process. Give shout outs to the people who asked the questions and then confirm with them, during the seminar/presentation, if you’ve answered their questions well.

Roll-On-In
40 minutes before the true start time, sit at the podium, put a slide or site or image on the screen and speak about it. Ask the audience as they roll-in questions about why they are here, what do they need to know, what are their anxieties. Some will tell you, others will want to hear your loose thoughts, which then opens them up to later dialog. As the space fills up,
engage the new arrivals. They’ll see you’re already on a roll, speaking with the audience and the tone will be set that this is a conversation, not a demonstration.

Announce Your Intention
Be transparent with the audience that you will be running the seminar with engagement as the part of the plan. Make sure the materials (print.web.email) that describe your event include this gist and you should personally reaffirm it at the outset of the event. Define how you would like to interact (”I will post a slide, speak to it, then ask questions of the crowd. I’ll answer the first few questions, then see where it leads.”) If your audience is over 150 attendees, use software (twitter tags), microphones, a structure to make sure you are opening the floor to input.

Cut The Deck
Prepare your slides as an outline, not as the rigid path. Plan on moving up and down through your deck based on the response from the audience. Ideally you’ll have a folder of slides that are not linked, which enables you the freedom to move.

Ask
As noted above, ask your audience if you’ve answered the question well. They’ll tell you what aspects they want to learn more about. Ask permission from the crowd to move on. State, “I think we’ve covered that, with your permission I want to talk about this…”

Get Tight and Paint Loose
Know your stuff, have a firm grasp of the topic of the seminar, but be ready to bob and weave. if you do your homework you should be able to answer many questions on the topic, but not all. If you don’t have an answer, don’t fake it. State you don’t have the answer but you will research it and get back to them. Plus the answer to a question might come from a fellow member of the audience. Ask if someone from the audience can add to an answer, to share their experience, to point out a different way.

It’s Not a Concert, Its a Conversation, Wind Down Without a Bang
There is no final triumphant song. Announce the remaining time as you reach towards the expected end and express that those with questions can remain in the space with you for more Q & A. In parallel, create a welcoming opportunity for those who have to leave for them to ask you questions later, such as providing your phone number and email address.

Plan a Follow-Up
Now that you’ve learned what everybody in the audience wants and needs, create a follow-up (such as a series of screen-casts) that answer the questions more deeply. Similar to Roll-On-In, keep the flow rolling. Keep the conversation moving, keep open to questions, and you’ll provide the greatest value possible.

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This approach isn’t for everyone, but I’ve been witnessing the positive results, and suggest you give it a try. Let me know if you have any questions on the above by posting a comment below.

Thanks!

Thumbnail image credit: dps