Think

As many Think readers already know, Big Spaceship was one of the founding agencies in a non-profit association called the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA).  SoDA brings together a range of amazing digital agencies (41, at current count) from around the world, all of whom share a common desire to advance the field of digital marketing. This year, that shared desire led to the publication of The SoDA 2010 Digital Marketing Outlook, a fantastic collection of articles and thought pieces from SoDA members.

On Big Spaceship's behalf, I contributed a piece entitled "Stop Spreading Viruses and Start Giving Gifts," in hopes that 2010 might finally be the year when the marketing community moves past the generally flawed, frequently counter-productive, and fundamentally arrogant idea that "viral" is a specific type of work that marketers can choose to create, rather than the resulting pattern when people choose to share something with each other.

A brand’s vanishing act risks being seen as oddly plucky or, worse, patronizing. This is particularly true if the reasoning behind it is rooted in a short-sighted quick fix or a publicity stunt. You might as well slap a Band-Aid onto an ulcer. In Parts I and II of this series, I looked at Muji, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Freshjive and, briefly, Al Green. Their changes in behavior imply not “brandlessness” but a desire to define a new brand or reinvent an existing one.

In Part I of this series, I looked at the idea of an established brand crafting a new identity and what that meant for Starbucks' experimental café. When compared to Muji, it became clear that—regardless of name or logo—product and design are central to communications. Some of Muji's products are created by known designers. While their names are absent from the work, they are associated with and, thus, represent the brand. Such behavior is sustainable.

If a product has any sort of defined presence in the marketplace, going “brandless” may seem impossible—or potentially foolish. Intrigued by the logo-less café that Starbucks opened in Seattle this summer, I set out to explore that and other intentional moves to drop, disassociate or reinvent a brand. In comparing these efforts to Muji—a brand built on being brandless (sort of)—I looked at what value there is in seeking symbiosis and adopting a long-term perspective when experimenting with a brand.

The internet is largely a global space. Even considering irregularities in hardware and software, coupled with regional variations in access to certain content, one must assume that anything online can be experienced across the globe. This can create unexpected consequences when content meant for a local audience attracts the attention of those beyond that region. A parody-filled reaction to an Israeli cell phone commercial about soccer and the separation wall is a case in point.

How do you measure an app’s success? The common answer would be in the number of downloads or the average star count in the ratings. Emoji—one of my favorite iPhone apps—was in part responsible for my choice to up the number of texts in my iPhone plan. That’s a tremendous success metric for AT&T, anyway.

In Vacation (the original one, where the family truckster heads to Wally World) Clark Griswold turns to Ellen and says, "Why aren’t we flying? Because getting there is half the fun. You know that."

He’s talking about serendipity—making fortunate discoveries by accident. While plenty of Griswold’s road trip discoveries were less than opportune (e.g., cousin Eddie’s Hamburger Helper), his point is that serendipity is inherent to the journey. And thanks to technology, it’s under attack. Wait...what?

In late May, arcane tweets about buying weapons and assassinating people began showing up in my Twitter feed.  I asked what was up and received an invite to join a spy ring and play Spymaster.

Opinions are divided on how ‘social’ social networking is. This Twitter-based spy game presents an opportunity to look at why.

In late April, we lost our beloved Nutmeg. As the first pup to roam our halls, she will forever be the original Big Spaceship dog.

A Löwchen (“little lion” in German), Nutmeg was a stoic canine, whose admiration was difficult to earn. Smart to the point of discernment, she had her favorites and didn't let just anyone linger by her side. Lest you think she was shrewd, know this: Underneath her gray fur was a heart that would bring the Tin Man to his knees.

Journalism, like busking, is the practice of performing news in public places for tips and gratitude.

An indelicate definition but, considering 10 straight quarters of decline, the newspaper industry is not too far from becoming donation-based. Today, when a person pays for the news it’s by choice, rather than need.

This is not to say that we don’t value a good busker. When getting news online, sites operated by traditional media companies seem to be the most popular and trusted. Even though a slew of amateur reporters have entered the market, people still skew toward high quality output, choosing newspapers over blogs – but not paying for either.