Who am I to say?

What makes an agency INTERACTIVE?

“Interactive agency” should no longer be used as a substitute for “digital agency”. Just as viral advertising doesn’t just mean Youtube, and guerilla doesn’t just mean wild postings. What if an interactive agencies true focus was on making a better/deeper connection with the consumer? What would this mean? What kind of capabilities would you offer? Sure internet would likely be at the top, but there are so many other ways to connect and INTERACT with people.

Why couldn’t an interactive agency host events? Allow people to try a product before it comes out… That is interactive.

Why couldn’t an interactive agency suggest new ways to customize or build products? That is interactive.

Why couldn’t an interactive agency sponsor intramural sports leagues? That is interactive… it fosters a community… and I bet a lot more along the lines of what Nike is looking for from a new interactive agency. Isn’t the core message behind “Just do it” really “get off your ass.” I don’t think Nike wants anyone sitting around in front of a computer.

The best brands understand interactive, and the best agencies understand that interaction goes far beyond traditional advertising; it is about making a connection. Look at Apple’s stores, their products, their operating systems, even their menus… everything is focused on user experience. Just last week I was speaking with a planner who I believe was doing true “interactive” research. She went around the country observing how people used their remote controls (reminder: this has nothing to do with advertising). She had great findings that have gone on to influence menu systems, remote controls, and the way we watch TV. She is helping create a better user experience, and thus a stronger relationship with the brand. Is this advertising? No. Does it have anything to do with the Internet? No. Is it interactive? Yes.

So how do we become more interactive? I suggest we take a note from Nike, the people looking for a new style of interactive agency. Just do it.

1000 Words

A current fascination of mine is the quantification of the internet. Tags allow pictures and words to be sorted like numbers. Google has turned this into a game with the Google Image Labeler where you compete with someone else on the inter-web to correctly label as many pictures as possible in 60 seconds... The result is a cataloged set of pictures and a more efficient search engine. Everyone is a winner.

Flickr has always been a great planning tool. You can get a glimpse into a person's life, see how they use a product, see where they live, who they hang out with, etc. The newest tool I've enjoyed using is the Flickr Camera Finder. It can sort most uploaded pictures by the camera that took the photo. This means you can sort photos, make charts and do all sorts of stuff with images. I've been thinking about buying a digital SLR, so this has become a favorite site of late (any suggestions on cameras btw?).

There is so much data scattered about the internet right now. This is an exciting time for people to categorize and organize everything out there. This is a topic I could talk hours on, but I must go. Here are two sites to keep you busy though: Marumushi Newsmap, a news aggregator I look at daily, and Popurls, an aggregator of aggregators.

More time in the airport.

Last week I questioned the opportunity for making money in an airport. Why aren't more people offering services for the hundreds of people sitting around waiting for their flight? Since then I've Had my eyes peeled. Until now, I had only seen a barber shop in DFW (which really deserves a picture... I'm not quite sure who would trust their hair to this place). But many airports are offering much more.

I stumbled upon the XpresSpa under construction at DFW. It turns out that this isn't a new trend. Citysearch has a list of the top 10 airport spas. There are also the coin operated massage chairs, internet kiosks, and the overly obvious admirals clubs, the Singapore airport even has a sleeping lounge. Come to think of it, the restaurants, bars, and even news stands act as outlets for wasting time, but I'm still intrigued my the new approaches.

TAKE ME HOME

Oh wow... I just fell in love with the PS3 all over again. Now that games are coming out, things are about to get exciting.

Party at the terminal

I always fly American Airlines for the typical reason– miles. But today I'm flying home on Southwest. To say the least, I've been missing out. I walked into the Southwest terminal at LAX to some pulsating beats and balloons. There was a DJ spinning and before long the Laker girls were there posing for pictures. It was your regular airport dance party. News crews, Southwest's reality show crew, and a smattering of photographers.

It turns out that 12 kids had won an art competition (possibly something like this) and were being flown to Philadelphia for a Lakers game. The airport was just the PR blitz that came along with the prize. I've got several pictures I'll load later, but the little event drew in quite a crowd. It was much more exciting than the typical airport monotony. It got me thinking, with all the downtime that is spent at airports, it seems there is a great opportunity for some new entertainment options. How would you like passing time at the airport?

[UPDATE 1: Here are a few pictures from the party: Group Photo, cameras flashing, Mr. DJ. As a side note, I saw video of the same event last night while watching the news in LA. Press event successful.]

A cluttered mind

I was visiting some friends in LA today and one of the planning directors had this article from Time magazine posted on every face of his workspace. Its a review of "A Perfect Mess," a book that highlights the benefits of keeping clutter. I always tend to work better when I'm surrounded by stimuli: stacks of papers, photo collages, articles, toys, interesting nic-nacs, diagrams, etc... I find that the more I can see at one time, the easier it is to 'connect the dots.' I'm fully aware that this isn't the way everyone's mind works, but I'm glad to see that someone has written a book that promotes my thought process.

[UPDATE: I just got the book, I'll follow up with my take.]

likemind

Today was supposed to be the first ever (that I know of) convergence of likemind discussions. Mark from likemind SF and I (from likemind DAL) tried meeting for coffee this-morning, but we had a bit of miscommunication and missed each other. We tried. I may try to meet with the LA group when I'm in town next week.

Opinion = Backbone

I saw this ad yesterday while riding a cable car and had to go back to take a picture this morning. I want this on my wall, the art or the ad... It's just great! From blogging to planning, this captures it all. A backbone that reads "have an opinion" and copy that reads, "Insights on the world. weekly." I just might need to subscribe to the Economist? Anyone know who made this? they need credit.

Observations

Since this is my dumping ground for thoughts and ideas, I thought I'd add a little section of observations. The little bits of data that have no place to go, but may be interesting and useful to look back on in the future.

Here are a couple for today: Living with hills.

If you have been keeping up, then you know that I'm in San Francisco this week. That means hills– lots of hills. How does this change life?
1) Walking down steep hills means you will likely step down on the backs of your trousers.
2) When parallel parking, it is important to turn your wheels into the curb. This way your car won't roll down if your breaks give out. brilliant.

Gorilla vs Grizzly Bear

Another set of firsts for today. I decided to help my friends out over at Gorilla vs Bear with some video. I'm used to making documentaries for work, but a musical montage was a little more difficult that I first thought. I didn't shoot enough b-roll or have enough time for it to live up to my standards, but I think it turned out alright given the resources. The blogosphere needs quick turnaround, and I'm leaving town.

This is Grizzly Bear performing at Good Records in Dallas on 2.27.07. I just recently heard their music and I'm glad I was able to see them live. Enjoy.

[Update: here is another couple of songs for your viewing pleasure... this time without any editing]