This interesting video from BOX1824, a Brazillian research company combines the data from several studies. It nicely weaves the story of Gen Y (“Millennials … whatever”) by looking at where they came from, how they express themselves and what pressures, connections and disjunctures are shaping their sense of themselves and how and where they belong in the world.
As Zoe Scaman suggests, "it’s perfect for introducing clients to this demographic & their behaviours". Expect to see this coming to a presentation deck near you.
A couple of years ago, when Julian Cole kicked off his Top 50 blog list, ranking “Australian pioneer marketing blogs”, it caused something of a sensation. Some people loved it. Some people hated it. Many could care less. And that’s the way it is with social media – there’s plenty of interesting content to consume, so if you don’t like one blog, or social media channel, you can simply surf across to another.
But for those of us who ARE interested in Australian marketing blogs, this list has become something of an institution. Here is Julian’s updated list for 2010. It’s good to see some new entrants – I will certainly be checking out a few of these.
Normally around this time of the year, blogging tends to ease off. There are projects to finish off, opportunities to close out and parties to attend. It’s a feast! But as this week’s must-reads points out, there’s plenty of puff left in the world of ideas. Expect a renewed burst of activity as our American friends return from their Thanksgiving breaks.
Over on Jason Falls’s blog, Tom Webster looks at the way internal content is being created within a social/professional context. Think applications like Yammer or SocialText or even Jive. He asks, will we need to find someone someday to take the best of this content, mine it, and publish it for an external audience?
When I think of the words “numbers men”, I always think of those faceless political operators in dark, smoke filled rooms who select leaders of their party. But the folks from Datalicious would leave their number crunching for dead. Check out the recent ACMA research on eCommerce in Australia.
We have been talking (and writing) about content for years. But Steve Rosenbaum suggests it’s time we switch our attention from creation to curation. Perhaps we’ll see the digital strategist morphing into digital curators. Perhaps it’s already taking place right under our noses.
I am always amazed that we often look overseas for inspiration or leadership before looking closer to home.
I see people being flown in to Australia from all over the world – to discuss topics, ideas and innovations. And while this is great. Inspirational even. It’s also disappointing to see that we ignore, fail to promote or support the innovation that is occurring in our own backyards.
Now, to be honest, I have also benefited from these types of programs. For example, I recently travelled to the US to speak to 50 of GE’s top global executives on the topic of digital and social media strategy. It was fascinating and challenging – and all over in a couple of hours.
But you’d be surprised who and what you can find close by. Sometimes you just need to scratch the surface.
This is partly why I am involved in youth not for profit, Vibewire – and a strong supporter of their monthly Fastbreak program (showcasing young innovators and entrepreneurs). It’s a constant reminder of just how talented and innovative people (and young people in particular) can be.
And it is also why I have started a new, regular section on my blog. Undercover Innovators is dedicated those talented people doing interesting and challenging things, often far away from public view (or in a niche area). I want to explore the way ideas can keep you awake at night, and what you need to do to make them a reality.
Last week I had the pleasure to speak with Ian Lyons, founder of SocialFocus.com.au, about his passion for innovation and the work he is doing with the Sydney Festival. Sorry about some of the sync problems – I blame Ian’s iPhone – but only marginally more than I blame my Flip video. Hope you enjoy!
Undercover Innovators looks beneath the surface to find and share the stories of innovators that you may know – or may want to get to know better. If you know someone who is a good candidate, be sure to drop me a line!
Over the last few months I have been on an adventure. More precisely, I’ve taken a seat on an adventurous journey. Our guide into the unknown is Bud Caddell who is not only driving the bus – he’s building it from the wheels up as we go along.
What does it look like?
Well, there are a bunch of emails, some discussions, input, thinking and creative stimulation. And at the end of this process, Bud’s turning it all into a book. We’re called the Bucket Brigade. Some of us read, comment and argue. Some of us just read and cogitate. It’s a fascinating journey on the way to solving one of the grand complex problems – how to involve an editorial committee in the writing of a book.
Interestingly enough, it looks like this book may well be the by product – and that the true nature of this endeavour, this journey, is to transform the very nature of what, how and why we come together to create business, solve problems and make the world a better place. Sound interesting? You’re invited too.
What are young adults thinking about money and value? How can we create new systems of wealth generation and abundance? What does the future hold for banks and other financial institutions in the wake of massive peer to peer exchange?
This interesting piece from Vanessa Miemis draws upon the thinking and ideas of a global community – and scratches the surface on how social or people-powered innovation is impacting currency.
Basing credit on an individual’s potential rather than on their current capacity to repay the debt seems to be the starting point (or one of many). This would see banks and lending institutions acting more in the role of personal venture capitalists. But I wonder, how would this change if it was backed by a government? What would our economy look like if the government invested in innovation by investing in individuals? Would this venture-capital-backed citizenship change our role in society?
Right now, in Australia, individuals at least partly invest in their own future/earning capacity through HECS (higher education contribution scheme). But university is often just provides a basis or platform for individual innovation. It’s those crucial two or three years after university where innovators struggle with bringing their ideas to market.
Perhaps the rise of crowdsourced funding models such as Kickstarter or Fundbreak (closer to home) is being driven by this social demand. But what happens when this demand becomes contagious? How does it scale? Perhaps then we really will need to understand the future of money.
Very early on I had an interest in computers and computing. I wrote some BASIC programs using a Vic 20 and later a Commodore 64. I had a VZ200, tape drive and some extra RAM and would spend hours trying to create a Star Trek style adventure game.
When I worked as a trainee accountant, I used my programming knowledge to create a lease accounting program. It allowed me to complete in minutes a boring task that normally would take days. I knew I was onto something!
At university I turned my hand to FORTRAN and COBOL but started to reach the plateau of my interest. But I did also discover the internet – and learn about the node based network that sat beneath the world wide web. This understanding has been an absolute foundation for my work over the last 20 years – helping me to not just create strategy, but to ensure its realisation.
These days, with an increasing interest in digital and social media, I am always surprised to hear of people working in this space who have little or no experience AT ALL with technology. I’m not saying that you need to become a programmer, but you need to be able to understand the concepts. For example, can you answer the questions:
What is TCP/IP
What’s cloud computing
What is HTML and CSS
What’s different with HTML 5
Why should I use an up-to-date browser
What’s a cookie and why do they taste so good
Luckily, Google have stepped in and have put together a great introductory guide that answers these questions and more (HT to Stan Johnson).
And while I am on this topic, don’t forget also to check out Coding for Dummies. Some essential reading that won’t hurt your brain – and may just make you more successful in your digital efforts!
There’s always so much good thinking and discussion to follow. But how do you keep up? How do you consume all that’s available, all that’s good? It’s a never ending feast! And in this never ending all-you-can-eat marketing world, I’d just like to offer you this small digestif. Don’t worry, it’s wafer thin.
How did crowdsourcing agency, Victors & Spoils win the creative account for Harley Davidson? This article by Melanie Wells explains just why Harley was tempted by this new style of agency.
Ever had a cunning plan? Ever had it fail? Leo Bottary outlines Ten Common Reasons Strategic Plans Fail. Let’s see, I can claim at least a couple of those points.
And Then There Was 1. After running a campaign for the last week, receiving almost 1200 applications from around the world, Standard Chartered in Singapore has found a new team member for their social media program. And yes, it seems that Katherine Liew really is the coolest intern in the world. Congratulations to Katherine!
Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore has been running a competition to find the world’s coolest intern for their mobile banking team. The winner of the competition gets a six month paid internship, some training in social media and a bunch of other perks. Sounds great, right?
And in case that doesn’t sound like enough, here, in her own words she covers off the other activities she has been undertaking WHILE finishing a law degree:
I’ve also been a part-time marketing freelancer/consultant for most of my uni career, quietly creating content and generating ideas in NFP, media, tech retail and health. I’ve also volunteered a lot of time for causes I believe in, such as being a Communications VP for AIESEC, Project Manager for GAPS Australia and intern for CSR Asia Singapore.
One of the things that I love about my (volunteer) work with Vibewire is coming into contact with inspiring, innovative and entrepreneurial young people. There’s plenty of them out there – and Katherine Liew is a great example.
I have a feeling that if she doesn’t win the world’s coolest intern spot in Singapore that there will be plenty of others willing to take her on.
Best of luck, Katherine!
Undercover Innovators is a series of articles that shares the stories of individuals who often fly under the radar.
