Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World

The disclaimer at the bottom of every panel description offered at this years SXSW Interactive Conference. But for me it perfectly sums up the last 4 days. Social Media changing how the world interacts now to where it may be evolving (Social Media is Air -Charlene Li) and the unknown ramifications. Realizing that technologically we could be considered a third world country when comparing broadband capacity with Japan (US 2.3Mb/s -Japan 63Mb/s) or our mobile phone tech to Europe. Eric Feng from HULU defining complete transparency and willingness to share all content, ‘aggressive distribution’, as the best way to promote their brand mantra to ‘Deliver a service that customers love unabashedly’. Interactive gaming changing the way learning and problem solving are approached by an entire generation. That each of our personal desires and small decisions online not only creates aggregated wisdom but can create and define brands. And the most important change for me? A better understanding and respect for the talents of the team who attended and the potential they each have to help mold the future of our organization and their own personal brands.

Day 3 began with a remarkable panel ‘Presenting Straight to the Brain’ using the science of the brain to help us better communicate and understand each other. Next ‘What Can we learn from Games’ and how they can create a more collaborative approach to learning and problem solving by interacting with others (as opposed to traditional education where that collaboration may be considered ‘cheating’). On to the panel with the largest group of agency people in attendance I’ve seen since we arrived. The subject ‘Advertising is Entertaining-Who’s Selling Out?’ discussing online emerging best practices for making advertising entertaining (one of the speakers- Ben Hudson from the Onion). The consensus: create interesting, meaningful, engaging content and people will participate and don’t care if a brand or product is involved - demand that people hear over and over supposed product attributes and no one will. And after escaping ‘Escaping Internet Mediocrity’ (as I hope we always will) I got to see the end of ‘Bruce Sterling Rants’ and his observation that perhaps the relatively new social interaction options in this world have helped create a less divisive and kinder collective mind set as we go through these very trying times. Seems when we make the time to step back and remember who we are as people, not marketers, it makes interacting meaningfully with another human being seem not quite as hard as we often try to make it. Duh.

I liked Ernie’s marathon analogy (It also reminded me of going to a favorite art museum, so many incredible things to experience if you don’t pace yourself the sensory overload can prevent you from retaining much) For me, yesterday had a bit of everything from a bit of a stumble early attending
‘Tangible Interactions in Urban Spaces’. Honestly so theoretically abstract that in spite of referencing Marshall McLuhan and an interesting art project (creating street vendor carts for recharging any electronic mobile device) was beyond me. But the rest of the day settled into a good, solid ‘run’ from Derek Powazek’s ‘Design for the wisdom of crowds’ (Each of our small decisions aggregated can create meaningful insights.). A great lunch conversation with Aaron and Ernie, some interesting technology at the Trade Show. And finishing the afternoon with the sometimes inspiring, sometimes annoying, but always entertaining force of nature and video blogging, Mr Vaynerchuk. We’re mid-way through this run and the endorphins are really kicking in.

Doers/ dreamers. Creative expression/ commerce.
Monetize/engaging content.
Throughout the day at this amazing, fresh, diverse assemblage of people, technology, business and creative energy a very familiar theme seemed to permeate every panel and one on one discussion.
How do we inspire, innovate, create, change, revolutionize and push the chaotic freedom to allow this revolution in balance with the indispensable capitalization partner of business and it’s reality of caution, risk aversion, practicality and process? Rumor has it we get answer on day 2 of the music festival.