What does it mean to be 'a common brand'? An exploration of how the social nature of the internet fundamentally changes how, where and why meaning is created, and what people who work with brands can do as a result. Also, revealed for the first time, the answer to how much the internet weighs...

1. FANFARE
FOR THE
COMMON
BRAND
A USEFUL INTRODUCTION
TO THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE
DATE: 18/02/2015
HOST: SQUARED
LOC: LONDON
LAT: 51.5207°
LONG: 0.1345°
PRES: JOHN V WILLSHIRE
TW: @WILLSH
WEB: SMITHERY.CO
PICTURE: NASA

2. OHAI

3. FANFARE
FOR THE
COMMON
BRAND
DATE: 18/02/2015
HOST: SQUARED
LOC: LONDON
LAT: 51.5207°
LONG: 0.1345°
PRES: JOHN V WILLSHIRE
TW: @WILLSH
WEB: SMITHERY.COA USEFUL INTRODUCTION
TO THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE

4. HELLO, WHAT DO YOU DO?

7. DESIGN
PROTOTYPE CULTURE
STRATEGY
PEOPLE (n x m)
THINGS(ixd)

8. DESIGN
PROTOTYPE CULTURE
STRATEGY
P (n x m)
T(ixd)
THE AXES OF PRAXIS

9. WE
ALSO
MAKE
OUR
OWN
TOOLS

10. WHICH YOU’LL
SEE ON FRIDAY

11. LET’S START
WITH SOME
USEFUL USER
FEEDBACK…
@BENTERRETT / GDS

12. “WHEN YOU GAVE
THE TALK, I THOUGHT
IT WAS THE WORST
WE’D HAD.
BY THE END OF THE
COURSE, I THOUGHT
IT WAS THE MOST
USEFUL.”
- ANON. SQUARED ALUMNI

13. YOU HAVE TO WORK IN AN
INDUSTRY OBSESSED WITH BRANDS

14. WE COULD HAVE AN ENDLESS
DEBATE ABOUT WHAT BRANDS ARE…

15. OR I CAN TRY AND GIVE YOU SOME
USEFUL WAYS TO WORK WITH THEM

16. I WOULD ASK THAT YOU KEEP THIS SIMPLE
THING IN MIND...

17. <META PRESENTATION WARNING>

18. LET’S TALK ABOUT
WHEN I TALKED ABOUT
FRACKING...
HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/GASLAND

19. “FRACKING IS AN
AGGRESSIVE, INVASIVE
TECHNIQUE FOR
EXTRACTING VALUABLE
RAW MATERIALS OUT
OF HARD TO REACH
PLACES”
PHIL ADAMS, BLONDE DIGITAL
(AND CHEMICAL ENGINEER GRAD)

20. ATTENTION
IS THE
MOST
VALUABLE
RAW
MATERIAL
THERE IS
FOR BRANDS

21. THE SOCIAL
WEB IS BUILT
FROM RAW
ATTENTION

22. SO ARE BRANDS
FRACKING THE
SOCIAL WEB?

23. “I BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE OF
BRAND COMMUNICATIONS LIES IN
FINDING A WAY TO BECOME PART
OF COMMUNITIES, AND
COMMUNICATE WITH THEM IN A
WAY THAT IS SHARED,
PARTICIPATORY AND RECIPROCAL”
ME, SEVEN YEARS AGO, BEING A DICK

24. TAKEN FROM
MY 2008
IPA EXCELLENCE
DIPLOMA THESIS…

25. …REAPPRAISED IN
THIS BOOK COMING
IN THE SPRING
(NICK THANKS YOU IN ADVANCE)
</PLUG>

26. “I BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE OF
BRAND COMMUNICATIONS LIES IN
FINDING A WAY TO BECOME PART
OF COMMUNITIES, AND
COMMUNICATE WITH THEM IN A
WAY THAT IS SHARED,
PARTICIPATORY AND RECIPROCAL”
ME, SEVEN YEARS AGO, BEING A DICK

27. IT NOW SOUNDS
REALLY ANNOYING

28. YEP, REALLY ANNOYING.

29. “OUR CHALLENGE IS THAT PEOPLE
REALLY DON’T CARE”
HTTP://TPDSAA.TUMBLR.COM/

30. MAYBE THEY'RE
JUST DIFFERENT?

32. “LISTENING CAREFULLY
PRODUCES CONVERSATIONS
OF TWO SORTS...
THE DIALECTIC
AND THE DIALOGIC”
RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER

33. WHAT THE F***?

34. DIALECTIC
FROM WORK OF
GERMAN
PHILOSOPHER GWF
HEGEL
‘THE INTERACTION
AND RESOLUTION
BETWEEN MULTIPLE
IDEAS’

35. RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER
“THE AIM IS TO
COME EVENTUALLY
TO A COMMON
UNDERSTANDING”

36. DIALECTIC WANTS CONSENSUS
A b C D E F G H
bA CD Fe Ge
C ADb GADf
C ADb ADfg

37. NO
MATTER
HOW
GOOD
THAT
CONSENSUS
IS…

38. DIALOGIC
FROM WORK OF
MIKHAIL BAHKTIN
“A DISCUSSION
THAT DOES NOT
RESOLVE ITSELF BY
FINDING
COMMON
GROUND...”

39. “[PEOPLE]
BECOME MORE
AWARE OF THEIR
OWN VIEWS AND
EXPAND THEIR
UNDERSTANDING
OF ONE
ANOTHER”
RICHARD SENNETT, TOGETHER

40. IN DIALOGIC
CONVERSATION,
IDEOLOGIES
COEXIST
A
b
C
D
E
F
G H

41. THEY
CONSTANTLY
INTERACT AND
INFORM EACH
OTHER
A
b
C
D
E
F
G H

42. EACH IDEOLOGY
CAN HOLD MORE
SALIENCE IN
CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES
A
b
C
D
E
F
G H

43. CHANGES CAN
BE MADE IF A
STRATEGY DOES
NOT HAVE THE
DESIRED EFFECT
A
b
C
D
E
F
G H

44. THIS MIGHT NOT JUST APPLY TO
“CONVERSATION”

45. THIS INTERPLAY
OF IDEAS IS VERY
REMINISCENT OF
THE SOCIAL
WEB...

46. WHAT IF THERE
ARE DIALECTIC
AND DIALOGIC
STRUCTURES &
CULTURES
TOO?

47. ARE
TRADITIONAL
MARKETING
STRUCTURES
MORE
DIALECTIC?

48. ARE SOCIAL WEB
PLATFORMS AND
COMPANIES MORE
DIALOGIC IN
NATURE?

49. IT WOULD
HELP
EXPLAIN
THE
CULTURE
CLASH

50. ARE BRANDS
INTENTIONALLY
FRACKING THE
SOCIAL WEB?
PERHAPS...

51. OR IS IT THE FAULT OF A
MASSIVE CULTURAL DIVIDE?

52. THE SHORT VERSION…

53. BRAND IS NOT A PYRAMID

54. BRAND IS A
BITTORRENT FILE

57. COMPETITION
SIMPLICITY
COMPRESSION
CERTAINTY
COOPERATION
COMPLEXITY
FRAGMENTATION
EXPERIMENTATION

58. FAST FORWARD
TO 2015

59. SOCIAL NETWORKS = AD NETWORKS

61. SOCIAL AGENCIES = AD AGENCIES

63. WE FINALLY
REALLY DID IT

64. FRACKED?

65. OR JUST… ELSEWHERE?

66. IS FACEBOOK
JUST STABILISERS
FOR THE
SOCIAL WEB?

67. CAN WE
NOW RIDE
WHEREVER
WE LIKE?
SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.MTBHOLIDAYSCOTLAND.COM

68. IS SMALL
THE NEW
ALL?
SOURCE: KPCB 2014

69. HAVE WE
RETREATED
INTO DARK
SOCIAL?
*IT’S TOTALLY FUCKED UP THAT THERE
IS EVEN A NAME FOR THIS, BTW

70. ASK GOOD QUESTIONS

71. WHAT DO WE KNOW?

72. THE INTERNET
ISN’T GOING
ANYWHERE
PIC: MAKEZINE

73. PHOTO: @STEPHENKIRKWOOD
PEOPLE
WILL
CONTINUE
TO USE IT
TO MAKE
THEIR OWN
MEANING

74. YOU HAVE NO
CHOICE BUT TO
REAPPRAISE WHAT
‘BRAND’ MEANS

75. NOT THIS

76. BUT THIS

77. I DON’T CARE
WHAT IT WAS
DESIGNED TO DO.
I CARE ABOUT
WHAT IT CAN DO.

78. SURE, BRAND CAN DO ALL
THE THINGS IT USED TO

79. BUT IT CAN BE CAPABLE
OF SO MUCH MORE

80. UNDERSTAND
MORE ABOUT
THE TERRITORY

81. I ASKED
AN EXPERT
WHAT THE
INTERNET
WAS LIKE…

82. Q: HOW BIG IS
THE INTERNET?

83. “AS BIG AS THE WORLD”

84. Q: WHAT DOES THE
INTERNET FEEL LIKE?

85. “IT’S VERY SMOOTH”

86. Q: WHAT SHAPE IS
THE INTERNET?

87. “IT’S SQUARE.
SO IT CAN FIT
THROUGH
SQUARES.”

88. Q: HOW MUCH DOES
THE INTERNET WEIGH?

89. “ABOUT THIRTY TO FORTY BIRDS.”

90. Q: WHICH BIRDS?

91. “ROBINS.”

92. Q: WHAT DOES THE
INTERNET SOUND LIKE?

93. “LIKE LOTS
AND LOTS OF
DIFFERENT VOICES”

94. SPOT ON, WEE MAN.

96. DIALOGICTHERE’S THAT WORD AGAIN

97. DIALOGIC:
A WAY OF
UNDERSTANDING
HOW WE CREATE
MEANING…
SOURCE: WEGERIF / SENNETT

98. “WE” MEANS
EVERYONE

99. “IT IS MAKING
MEANING FOR BRANDS
AND BUSINESSES THAT IS
OUR ACTUAL DAY JOB”
RICHARD HUNTINGTON,
SAATCHI & SAATCHI

100. “I COULD DO THAT.
I’VE HAD PRACTICE.
GIZZA JOB.”
YOSSER HUGHES,
BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF

101. YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY
MAKERS OF MEANING.

102. INSTEAD, MAKE MORE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
MEANING TO BE MADE

103. HERE’S WHAT
I THINK I
MEANT SEVEN
YEARS AGO…

104. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE
A COMMON BRAND?

105. A COMMON BRAND IS THE
MEANING WE MAKE TOGETHER

106. CUSTOMER
MAKER
PRODUCT
A COMMON BRAND IS THE
MEANING WE MAKE TOGETHER

107. 1. COMMON MEANING

108. MAKE MEANING TOGETHER
THROUGH DIALOGUE…
WHAT’S THIS
FOR?
IT’S A NEW
THING WE’VE
MADE
SO, WHAT
DOES IT
DO?
WE’VE
CHANGED THE
MOTOR

109. TEXT CANNOT
ANSWER BACK
SOCRATES

110. BRANDS
DON’T
REALLY
TALK TO
PEOPLE…

111. TOO OFTEN
THEY’RE DEAD
WORDS ON A PAGE

113. BRANDS ARE GROOT

114. HUGH MACLEOD AKA @GAPINGVOID

115. YOUR JOB
IS TO TALK
TO MORE
ACTUAL
USERS…

116. SPOT THE EMPATHY GAP
“STOP FOR A MOMENT AND REALLY
LISTEN TO WHAT REGULAR PEOPLE
ARE GOING TO DO WITH THE
THING AND HOW THEY’RE GOING
TO REACT TO IT”
DAN HON

117. INCREASE YOUR SURFACE AREA
“WHAT MATTERS IS NOT SO MUCH
SIZE BUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES AND THEIR
CUSTOMERS.”
DR ARNO PENZIAS

118. GDS USER RESEARCH GUIDE
HTTPS://WWW.GOV.UK/SERVICE-MANUAL/USER-CENTRED-DESIGN/USER-RESEARCH
1.LOOK HOW
EARLY THE
PRODUCT IS
LIVE
2.LOOK HOW
MUCH
REFINEMENT
RESEARCH
COMES
AFTER
LAUNCH…

119. AGENCY RESEARCH GUIDE*
LAUNCHSOME
TGIHUNCH
4 GROUPS
*NOT REALLY**
**BUT NEARLY

120. “SERVICES DEMAND A
DIALOGUE, A
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
EFFORT BETWEEN
CUSTOMERS AND SERVICE
PROVIDERS.”
- MATT EDGAR

121. COMMON
MEANING:
KEEP
TALKING

122. 2. COMMON UNDERSTANDING

123. WATCH THE
GAP BETWEEN THIS
AND THIS
IT’S A NEW
THING WE’VE
MADE

124. DAN DENNETT:
HOW PEOPLE
PREDICT HOW
THE THING IN
FRONT OF THEM
WILL BEHAVE…

125. THE PHYSICAL STANCE
BASIC THINGS ACT
AS EXPECTED
PIC: HTTP://IRATIONAL.ORG

126. THE DESIGN STANCE
DESIGNED THINGS SHOULD
ACT AS CREATED

127. THE INTENTIONAL STANCE
REPRESENTATIVE THINGS SHOULD
ACT AS INSTRUCTED.

128. YOUR
CUSTOMERS
TAKE ALL THESE
STANCES AT
SOME POINT

129. PHYSICAL
BASIC PROPERTIES
DESIGN
ARCHETYPAL QUALITIES
INTENTIONAL
EMISSARY OF BELIEFS

130. PHYSICAL
I WON’T BLAME YOU IF
IT GOES OFF; FOOD
DOES THAT
DESIGN
IT’S DOING THE THINGS
I EXPECT OF GOOD
CHOCOLATE BARS
INTENTIONAL
HANG ON, YOU WANT ME TO
UPLOAD PICTURES OF MY FAMILY
DOING WHAT? I’M LOST…
PRODUCT
BRAND
MATERIAL

131. PRODUCT
BRAND
MATERIAL
THIS IS WHERE
MEANING LIVES.
AND THE GAP IS
TOO BIG FOR A
LOT OF BRANDS…

132. WHAT YOU SAY BEARS LITTLE
RELATION TO WHAT YOU SELL
IT’S A NEW
THING WE’VE
MADE
??

133. PRODUCT
BRAND
MATERIAL
WHICH MEANS
THAT PEOPLE
WILL CREATE
THE MEANING
FOR YOU…

134. “A NEVER-ENDING
STREAM OF APOLOGETIC
ANSWERS TO CUSTOMER
COMPLAINTS,
PUNCTUATED BY THE
ODD, HOPEFUL BRAND
MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL
MARKETING.”
ASBURY & ASBURY
HTTP://ASBURYANDASBURY.TYPEPAD.COM/BLOG/2015/02/CONVERSATION-MY-ARSE.HTML -

135. PRODUCT
BRAND
MATERIAL
YOU COULD
CLOSE THE
GAP…

136. CLOSING
THE GAP
IS BETTER.
BUT
HARDER.

137. HOW MIGHT YOU
MEANINGFULLY
FILL THE GAP…?

139. MODERN ECONOMICS:
THE VALUE OF A THING IS
DETERMINED BY WHAT
ONE IS WILLING TO GIVE
UP TO OBTAIN THE THING

140. THE LABOUR
THEORY OF VALUE
THE VALUE OF SOMETHING
IS DETERMINED BY THE
LABOUR THAT WENT
INTO ITS PRODUCTION

141. PERHAPS THERE’S A
LABOUR THEORY OF
BRAND VALUE

142. FIELD NOTES

143. £3.33
PER PADPER PAD
£0.99

144. “MARKETING IS
WORLD BUILDING.
WITH UNLIMITED
BANDWIDTH WE
CAN NOW SHOW
YOU THE WORLD.”
@TOBYBARNES

145. USE
EVERYTHING
- @ROBPOYNTON

146. PRODUCT
BRAND
MATERIAL
EVERYTHING
THAT MADE
IT HAPPEN…

149. COMMON
UNDERSTANDING:
SHARE
EVERYTHING

150. 3. COMMON INTENTION

151. SO… I WONDER
WHAT WE COULD DO
WITH THIS…?

153. (CRUMBS, THAT
SOUNDS RISKY…)

155. “LIBERATING EDUCATION
CONSISTS IN ACTS OF
COGNITION, NOT
TRANSFERALS OF
INFORMATION” PAULO FREIRE

156. FREIRE WARNED
AGAINST THE
“BANKING DEPOSIT”
MODEL OF
EDUCATION

157. RATHER THAN
TRANSMIT YOUR
INTERPRETATION OF
MEANING, MAKE
NEW MEANING
TOGETHER

158. “MAKING IS
THINKING”
- RICHARD SENNETT, THE CRAFTSMAN

161. COMMON
INTENTION:
MAKE IT
TOGETHER

162. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE
A COMMON BRAND?

163. KEEP
TALKING
MAKE IT
TOGETHER
SHARE
EVERYTHING
WORKING
PRINCIPLES
FOR THE
COMMON
BRAND

164. FANFARE
FOR THE
COMMON
BRAND
THANK YOU
DATE: 18/02/2015
HOST: SQUARED
LOC: LONDON
LAT: 51.5207°
LONG: 0.1345°
PRES: JOHN V WILLSHIRE
TW: @WILLSH
WEB: SMITHERY.CO
PICTURE: NASA