December 1, 2008

"purpose-ideas are articulated via social objects, not messages"

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[Close-up of DesertManahattan. India Ink on Canvas... gorgeous. Click on image to enlarge etc.]

Let me say it one more time: "Purpose-Ideas are articulated via Social Objects, not Messages."

Click on the links in the above sentence to see what I'm talking about [especially Link Number Three].

Mark Earls says the future of advertising is not in messages. Which means if you're currently in advertising, you'll be asking yourself, what IS the post-message future? At the moment, you get paid to craft messages. So what will you craft in their place?

Short answer: Social Gestures.

As I'm fond of repeating, Social Gestures beget Social Objects.

Exactly.

Posted by hugh macleod at December 1, 2008 12:06 PM | TrackBack
Comments

4x8ft... Well...That's two squares side by side and/or definitely some kinda landscape - curious to see where this takes you next... (Your calligraphy is fascinating.)

Posted by: Linda - P O N O R at December 1, 2008 2:27 PM

...here`s hoping then or presuming therefore that your Stormhoek billboard is slap bang in the middle of nowhere, beyond the horizon, a long hike from the highway and available for viewing to no one but pismires, termites, eagles and passing bandoleros.

We`re too far away to stencil it up with bubonic rats unfortunately but if we could we would.

Posted by: KAPITEL at December 1, 2008 3:16 PM

very interesting.

I am curious how you define message -- it seems in this case you mean "manufactured feel-good sounding load of b.s. used in marketing."

Whereas I think of message as "deepest, most profound concepts and ideas you are here to share."

Hmmm, one of us needs a new word.

Isabel

Posted by: Isabel Parlett at December 1, 2008 6:39 PM

Feeling late to the party, but I'm now engrossed in "Welcome to the Creative Age - Bananas, Business and the Death of Marketing." Thanks for the reco...great food for thought.

Posted by: Bill Sanders at December 1, 2008 11:52 PM

Hey Hugh,

I think the Hawthorn effect does a great job in explaining the scientific reasons behind the benefits of Social objects. This article explains it..

http://netpromoter.typepad.com/paul_marsden/2007/03/nps_and_adverti.html

Posted by: Patrick at December 4, 2008 3:25 PM

And this one does a even better job:

http://netpromoter.typepad.com/paul_marsden/2007/03/nps_and_adverti.html

Posted by: Patrick at December 4, 2008 3:29 PM