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The big misunderstanding of the Brand Story

Selfie, FOMO, Cloud School. Just a few of the buzzwords that have emerged recently. Marketing communication is no exception, we also have our trendy things. Words that most professionals feel like they have to put in the ppt file to be considered up-to-date. The Brand Story is one that gives way to a lot of interpretations, many of which are totally wrong in my opinion.

The best wearable of all times: Nothing.

I lost my cool Casio watch when I was 12. My parents asked me if I wanted a new one, but I said no.

I somehow don't like the feeling of wearing anything. When mobile phones appeared, I was one of the happiest men in the world. Do you know which is the most used function of mobile phones? Checking the time. So, I was glad to have something in my pocket and not on my wrist that can show me the time. But today I think the best would be just to know the time somehow, without any device.

Why creatives will be happy to work faster

Though I don't always subscribe to Ilya Pozin's point of view, I think this small article is worth reading. But I would like to add another aspect to the debate on planning versus doing.

The war against the machines starts in kindergarden

As you may have heard, Google owned Motorola has launched a new smartphone that incorporates a quite intelligent voice control interface. Though I am generally excited to try and use new technologies, I have strong doubts that they, if just let loose, will take mankind to a better world. Why? Because most people, including myself, cannot yet use new gadgets properly.

Isn't it great? The two campaigns winning the most Cannes Lions have nothing in common.

Last week lots of ad people went to party and learn at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Judges set the bar again for a year concerning the highly subjective question of what is a creative idea. I was very happy in 2012 (when my concept got two shortlists), but I am also glad now that two of my favourite things have been considered as great work: Fun and Smartness. Let's see why they can be called opposites.

The most important invention of the 21st century?

The Wyss Institute at Harvard announced that it can use 3d printing techniques to produce lithium-ion microbatteries that may help finish lots of small scale devices that were parked in labs in the last phase of development basically because there was no battery small enough to fit them. We can certainly expect a soaring number of medical applications but I think there will be much "bigger" consequences of this announcement which might change our lives soon.

When you work on an idea for a year

Some smart friends of mine and myself have just launched a new communication consulting startup called Memelab. We have our first two offices in Budapest and San Francisco and we are all very happy this dream has come true. Our goal is to replace the Brand Positioning model with something else that will be a better foundation for communication campaigns in the coming decades. If you are interested, check out the intro presentation.
But the reason I am writing this post is not only the actual model, but also the timing of its development. I have never thought that I would be able to concentrate on a task for a year.

Farewell to Sliced Carrots

I have recently had an inspiring chat with my colleagues at umbrella.tv. We talked about how the changing media landscape and consumer behavior influences communications strategy, and how that drains down to creative and finally production. Quite a lot of brands have already embraced the idea of a new digital era and they are ready to focus their communication strategy on integrated efforts. But the closer we get to production itself the more we witness a need for old-school structures and fossil-like methodology. So we decided to start a conversation about this by saying goodbye to sliced carrots.

Speaking Ads vs. Google Glass

As covered by MIT Tech Review, Nuance created a tool that enables customers to interact with mobile ads by voice, in other words, from now on you can speak with ads. I guess artificial intelligence still has a long way to go before we face the famous dilemma of Blade Runner (human or not?), so don't expect complicated conversations from this platform. But some consequences can definitely be drawn, one of them possibly influencing the future of Google Glass and similar gadgets. And the key to this issue is the difference between your car and the subway.

The secret of making data visualization more impactful

One of the things I am working on is introducing a new approach to data visualization. The reason I decided to explore this territory is simple: as data is getting more important, many companies want to provide employees and customers with some facts and some consequences of the data analysis they conclude. But do you think putting numbers in colorful charts is the most effective solution? No. You always want to send a message, convince your target group about your point. Your data is only the reasoning. So, what you need is a story that is based on your numbers. A story that will engage your listeners and viewers, a story that can be remembered, a story that is not about charts but much more about what your data means for your audience. We have recently made two pieces with a similar way of thinking for the Hungarian National Bank.

Big Data: curse or blessing?

An interesting debate is taking shape after John Hegarty's harsh opinion on big data. The founder of BBH says big data is just the latest magic phrase that agencies put on their flags because they do not have good enough ideas. I think he is more or less right about a new trend in bullshitting, but I would like to prove why he is fundamentally wrong about big data.

Hegarty states "I'm not sure I want people to know who I am. I find that slightly Orwellian and I object to it. I don't want people to know what I drink in the morning and what I drink at night. I think there's a great problem here - throughout history we have fought for our freedom to be an individual, and you're taking it away from us.".

Will digital revolution kill learning?

A few years ago I thought that mobile app developers would soon rule the communication business and investors would push all their money into app startups. It happened for a while, indeed, but today investments seem to move  from app creation to development tools creation. I will now deal with only one of the reasons, the most important one in my view.

The undisputable responsibility of a rap song writer

Once upon a time I wrote a rap song for a candy bar commercial. It was quite a nice job but I never thought it would be a campaign that defines my approach to marketing communication.

Don Draper and the French Revolution

When was the last time you went up to someone with an important plan in your mind? Do you remember the first sentence? You probably do, because it's crucial. And the same applies to your hairstyle, clothes and non-verbal communication. But what about brands?

How do toilet seats improve technology?

Microsoft announced that the Kinect interface can now detect small hand gestures, so sooner or later the mouse can be eliminated. I don't agree with that a hundred percent, but I am convinced that Kinect is the most important digital improvement of our era, and not because it will kill other interfaces, but because of a study on office mice and toilet seats.

Say goodbye to the old rules of democracy

I am reading the book Alone Together by Sherry Turkle and I think it reveals quite a lot of annoying facts about how today's technology changes people psychologically. On the other hand, partly because of the weakness of the civil society in my country, Hungary, I began thinking about potential positive outcomes of the digital revolution, for example ways that technology could improve the democratic system.

Producers, don't worry. All sizes of smartphones and tablets will survive.

In the last few months there has been a lot of debate about the optimal size of a mobile device. Every week, you can read some new forecast or analysis of how different sizes are doing in the market. My opinion is that this all will be forgotten and all devices will find their place in the lives of consumers, just like "oldschool" filofaxes.

What will come after facebook ads?

Facebook is redesigning its looks once again, and it will most probably give more space for ads. It seems to be a logical step but I believe it is backed up by the wrong anticipation of how advertising will work in the future. Facebook is not the only company that shifts their activity focus from the needs of consumers to the requirements of brands. But putting the consumer and the brand on opposite sides of the story is a mistake.