The100: Direct from the internet of unmonetisable enthusiasms

“Let’s look at what’s being done, and do something different”

I can’t explain how much I love this: Dave Trott’s concern (30 years ago) that his team were just doing the same thing as everyone else.

His advice back then, along with the quote in the sub-head, and which resonates even now:  “Question the brief more, and earlier”  – ace.

Great heroes need flaws

Abe Lincoln knew a thing or 4 about framing a good story.

But then there’s also Richard Shotton. Author of the Choice Factory. He’s identified the power of the pratfall effect – how weaknesses can be strengths – as a prime vehicle for creating heros (and brands).

You can hear him and Rory Sutherland Storytelling event in London in March.

Losing or gaining focus?

You may have already read Liza Featherstone’s myth of the focus group, along with 2 core rebukes from Hanna (Ipsos-Mori) and James (The Fame Works).

It was interesting to read both sides. As with any method, there are pro’s and con’s. It’s about choosing the right method to solve the specific problem. Not ditching babies with bathwaters, nor simply doing things because that’s the way it’s always been done (lazy lazy lazy).

Big data, blind faith

Dave (Trott…. again) put me onto 2 ladies who eloquently point out that:

“Big data suffers from a context loss because big data doesn’t answer the question ‘why?’ […] People have become so fixated on numbers that they can’t see anything outside of it.”
Tricia Wang

“Algorithms are opinions embedded in code. It’s really different from what you think most people think of algorithms. They think algorithms are objective and true and scientific. That’s a marketing trick.”
Cathy O’Neil

Re-routing misunderstandings

We had a little giggle at Tom Fishburne’s latest on e-commerce since we’re being asked a lot about Voice Assistants at the moment. It resonated.

An internet of unmonetisable enthusiasms

Russell Davies outlines an important point on how the internet allows for “deep pools of detail”. For example, The History of Philosophy – currently nearing episode 300.

Or the Archive of Repurposed JoySticks.

For those of us worrying about everything these days being made ‘lite’ and not having any depth, this will restore some faith.

Speaking of which

Here’s a data visualisation that depicts a day in the life of 1000 Americans. It is, to borrow a phrase from the cousins:  “awesome”. Just scroll down, and click on medium or fast and watch and smile!  That’s life, right there.