It’s About Truth

Truth took a long holiday over the past thirty years and it's amazing right now to see truth moving up so many different agendas at the same time.

What a coincidence that the means of communication have been democratised at the same time politicians have become irredeemably dishonest (some coincidence!). The most cosntructive form of communication is one where what we say isn't parsed by politicians, journalists or brands and thankfully that's the direction we're finally headed in. While the Cluetrain Manifesto triggered those changes in the world of marketing, there's as yet no equivalent in political and social life. The Euston Manifesto in the UK looks like being a decent stab at it. How come politics is trailing behind commerce though? Really makes you understand why people feel disenfranchised.

Imagine a near future where people co-create products in the style and quantity they need, sold by good neighbours Tesco or Wallmart, in a system mediated by a sense of fairness. Hmmm. Those are the kind of aspirations that take me back a few years. 

PR, the Brand and IPTV

Ad experts have been making much of how brands have to move beyond advertising and into co-creating content. IP TV will be a step backwards initially – because the brand agencies still have a TV centric focus.When brand managers realise that the multitude of special interest channels represent a great way to support content and people and engage in their creative activities, time will be up for the mainstream.

Here's an example. Late last year I wrote up a project for three of the European telcos. One of its components will be enabling the average person to co-create a City guide. Who knows better than its inhabitants what goes on in a major (or minor) city?  Equipped with a high spec mobile phone any one of us can create 20 second mobisodes on our favourite location, view, place, people, restaurant.

But wouldn't we be biased? Nothing wrong in that. And because these audio-visual guides would also be WiKis they would be open to correction.

What's the role of a brand in that? Nokia could offer citizen media discounts on high spec camera phones, Vodafone or 02 could offer tariff discounts, airlines could get behind it as could hotels and tour operators.

The idea is extendable into rural tourism, eDemocracy, in-company expertise building. In fact where there's a WiKi application there's an a-v co-creation opportunity. Branding agencies need to think lower res, and migrate glossy brands from the heights of the Sunday Supplements and brand flag carriers like Vogue to my local City guide, our village tourism, the boutique hotel guide. Trip Advisor is showing how engaged people are by co-creating truthful accounts of human experience.