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Some Ideas to Chew On

I've had a bunch of ideas floating around that I've been meaning to write about. Instead of putting it off any longer, I decided to write up a quick digest.

November 13, 2006 | RSS | EMAIL | PRINT | 9 COMMENTS

I've got a couple big ideas floating around in my head that I'd like to write more about, but I'm not quite sure how to form any of them into full entries. So I figured I'd just throw them out there and see what sticks.

Theory People

You know those people who are always saying "I have a theory that . . ."? Well my friend Shana has a theory that those are the most interesting people. When you have theories about things you are showing that your observant and that you make connections between seemingly disconnected things. I also think you're exposing a lot about yourself and how you view the world. (By the way, Shana requested that link herself.)

It's All in Your Mind

Credit on this one goes to Martin. We had a long conversation about the idea that brands only exist in the mind of the beholder. It's kind of like color: Two people see green in completely different ways. Or, to take it a step further (courtesy of Noah), there is no color unless there is light. In the dark color ceases to exist. You can put your product out there and do your best to control a person's experience, but the brand belongs to them. It's not so easy to comprehend, but as Martin wrote in Adweek, "What I realized is that this idea [that all products are brands] may have been true in the past, when product, brand and need (or, said another way, 'the consumer') were all neatly aligned. But it's not true now. Now they are three distinct entities. And as such, each requires its own champion."

Desire Lines

I wrote this in May: "Desire lines are the unpaved paths that people wear down over time. In a way, does that represent collective intelligence? What about the "ask the audience" feature on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Yeah, it's post internet, but the idea is not revolutionary. When people can contribute to the group anonymously, without worry of social repercussions, honest answers will emerge. When aggregated, those honest answers will represent collective intelligence." I first read about it in an Adaptive Path article titled "Metadata for the Masses". It's one of those ideas that pops up all the time, but I'm just not quite sure how to apply it. Go any good ideas?

Blog Everything

Really, all these different services we use (del.icio.us, last.fm and even Netflix) are blogging platforms in one way or another. The way I see it is if you're sharing information about what you're paying attention to you're 'blogging.' That can be what movies you're watching or what links you've read lately. This isn't a new idea or anything, but I've been thinking about it more now that Netflix offers a mass example to us (the friend feature exposes your queue to people).

Well, that's it for now. Any thoughts on any of these ideas would be greatly appreciated. If there's any one in particular you'd like to read more about I can write a full post on them in the future.

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COMMENTS

1Michael Surtees

I was going to save this link for work, but I'll blab about it know. Panerai enthusiasts have a place to share their passion, they can gather at the Panerai Blog http://www.paneraiblog.com/ While the idea of blogging about a brand is not new, it does indicate the blurring of brand and lifestyle for those watch lovers. To take the point further, if a brand doesn't have anyone that's willing to share their love/hate for the “thing�, will that brand really have the ability to grow in a sustainable fashion?

November 14, 2006

2Jecklin

Brand is a relationship between a consumer and a product. It is a perception. Brands are stories. People like to tell themselves stories. People also enjoy being told stories. Effective brands allow customers to see themselves in, and as a part of, a story. An effective brand is an "accurate" mirror. People decide how accurate and how true of a mirror a brand is--a reflection of their world.

(this coming from a licensed massage therapist...ha!)

Desire Lines: I'm not sure I really understand this one. Many desire lines (if I'm using this correctly) are habits, traditions, prejudice and coping mechanisms, none of which are necessarily collectively intelligent.

November 14, 2006

3jeff

Shana didn't look like that last week, did she? If she did, then I am officially losing my mind.

November 15, 2006

4Robert Tsai

Good post Noah. So I finally proposed my own theory around the question you and I discussed a few weeks back - "Which is the better path to fame & fortune? Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C)?"

http://zenrob.typepad.com/zenrob . . .

November 15, 2006

5R

I think the continual theorizing of branding is helpful but it still doesn't supplant making a great product and building around how it's received by consumers. The pattern I see is: as the less relevant a product the more theorizing there is.

November 15, 2006

6Noah Brier

Michael, I agree, the best brands are the ones that bring out both love and hate. Now that there are places for people on both ends of the spectrum to congregate, it's only strengthening their positions. Can you explain a little more about how you see brand and lifestyle blurring? I think I understand, but not totally sure.

Jecklin, on the desire lines tip, as I was thinking about them desire lines were very specifically the paths people had worn down from use. It's a way to look at the choices people were actually making versus the ones you 'designed' for them. I often look at the elevator in my building and notice that the floor is most rubbed away at the two front corners. I then wonder how a designer might take the knowledge that most people stand in one of two places and make a better elevator. Does that make sense or answer your question at all?

Jeff, that's actually what Shana looked like last week. She just had the strong sonar going (or whatever dolphins do), so she threw you off the scent.

Rob, thanks for the link. Really enjoy the site (especially the math). By the way, that night did we ever come up with a good answer about why you should make the distinction between B-to-B and B-to-C. To me it's just a different set of needs, but in both cases you're still talking to people and need to consider many of the same factors.

R, couldn't agree more. Some of the best brands in the world happen to be attached to some of the best products in the world.

November 15, 2006

7Jecklin

Noah, yes, that makes sense.

November 15, 2006

8Noah Brier

Cool, but does it answer your criticism?

Also, on a B-to-B tip, does anyone have particularly good or bad examples of B-to-B advertising? It would really help me out. Thanks.

November 15, 2006

9Jecklin

In terms of design it does, although even in those terms I think it is good to sometimes have desire lines questioned. Sometimes they have outworn their usefulness.

I wonder why its the two front corners?

Maybe your desire lines are similar to the "pattern language" idea? Check out Christopher Alexander's book A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction

"The essential premise of A Pattern Language is as follows: Humans shape their environment. When humans do any activity repeatedly, it generates a pattern in the physical environment that corresponds to that activity. Very basic human activities that are repeated often - such as eating, sleeping, working, learning, worshiping, courting, raising children and so on - generate strong and lasting patterns. Patterns can be 'alive' or 'dead'. That is, live patterns support us in living fully; dead patterns hinder us.

Taken together, patterns can form a language of design. There can be many such design languages; the "truth" of any language is based in how well it expresses the heart of the matter, the wholeness of human-envirnoment relationships."

patternlanguage.com

Good stuff!

November 15, 2006