Social Hallucinations

Love Conquers Everything...

...even the lion beast. It is absolutely cute and lovable. This is good lesson in how to bring human's emotion to the surface. Enjoy but have some kleenex! :-)

christian the lion, emotions, love, Untitled

Green is the New President Bitch

While grass gets greener and more and more people claim being green, I looked around in search for green change and I was inspired to write this rant on green snobs and hypocrites.

What is Green Marketing?

Green marketing is about taking responsibility for environment and society by taking some responsible actions. It's a beautiful idea that should stop climate changes, however it appears that many corporations use the green thinking to earn money in the first place. There is nothing wrong in earning money as such, if the money were the side effect not the center of the green wave.

The green snobs

Marketing people found out that consumers talk about ecology, social and environmental responsibility. Our need for ecology is rooted in our identity creation, not understanding for the problems Earth is facing. We hope to buy the clear conscience and avoid to be accused for destroying Earth by the future generations. That’s why we express “sofa responsibility” and believe that ‘being green’ is the answer for all evil. Excited green consumers become green generation with Al Gore, Leonardo Di Caprio and many other Hollywood stars as role models. Green has magnetic attraction powers as prestige and status symbol that uses very simple rhetoric – if something is green it must be good. It opened door to greenwashing phenomena - more money or time are spent advertising being green rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. It is about selling products and services by appealing to our conscience and need to stand for something meaningful.

Green hypocrites

The green generation drives the craze by spending increasingly more money on so-called green products. Clothes made from corn, hybrid cars, etc. Leonardo di Caprio bought two Toyota Prius, made a movie about climate changes and challenges and flies with private jet that on one trip pollutes more than 4-wheel drive car in a year. Meanwhile other green materialists admire his engagement and sins at home: don’t turn off the lights, buys paper bags every time they shop at grocery store, fill trolley with ecological food packed in plastic boxes, eat organic salad made of veggies that traveled thousands kilometers before they landed on their green plate.

Look at me I have green eyes. I am saving the world.

The most important are reciprocal advantages: companies get better image and reason to increase prices, while consumers are convinced that they do good work of saving the world by buying and consuming. Nice and easy. Without any effort. We do what we used to do – consume and at the same time we become better people. Two in one. What could be better for consumers? We shouldn’t be ashamed any longer because we consumer. We can’t be accused of being materialistic and building our existence on consumptions. There is a meaning in our consumers and it has a green color.

We need green realism.

We bathe in green while the crime against humanity is committed by using biofuel. The latest news from the green catwalk. Arnold Schwarzenegger fills his Hummer with biofuel to justify his love to those CO2 monsters and prove he is pro ecology. Green fuel, it couldn’t be better. Now we can drive a car without bad conscience. Unfortunately we overlook the big picture. Production of biofuel is based on oil that results in high CO2 emission. Nitrogen emission caused by fertilizing fields with chemical fertilizers. Increasing food prices and destroying forests. We want hybrid cars because they were advertising as green. While the industry chooses knowingly not to use the 2nd generation fuel produced from more efficient cellulose, because they need to get money back from the investments in biofuel production technology. Is it green marketing? Yes if green means money.

Green clutter

While you read this article, there will be used around one million plastic bags. They are very enduring and it takes a long time before they decompose. That’s why we choose to go for paper bags. It costs just a couple of trees to produce them. The real problem is not that we buy plastic bags; the problem is that we use for about 15 minutes and then we throw them away instead of storing them in responsible way. We are bombed with the contradictory messages about green products. Should I buy organic juice in bottle or in carton box?

Green is the category everyone wants to be because it gives bonus points from consumers. Green category is synonym with better image and income. But the green message isn’t always true. Consumers are helpless in the jungle of information, facts and lack of transparency. Some may fear of being cheated by buying something that has just green color.

Does green work?

The green wave is fantastic but companies should improve their technique to surf this wave. They shouldn’t spend their money on communicating green but doing green and prove they are responsible by being engaged and introducing innovative products and services that will actually have influence.

Changes come from the big ideas that are shifted into small initiative in ordinary peoples lives. It is about giving good reasons to consumers for becoming responsible for Earth, climate and society. The green wave should be turned into social movement, not fashion.

The last important thing to remember is that we can’t make a difference without effort. There are no easy solutions when we talk about climate changes.

Article can be also read on TalentZoo

Helium in Your Pants

The new viral from Levis. That's totally cool! Great idea. What fascinates me about the videos like this one or Quicksilver or popping popcorn with mobile phone, are the peoples commentary. The long and serious discussion on the probability of stories to happen in the real life. No matter how crazy idea is, people will always wonder whether it is possible or not. They get involved. I wonder whether they try it at home!

viral, levis, involvement

Internet is The Most Influential Medium

Digital Influence Index study from PR firm Fleishman-Hillard and research firm Harris Interactive covering the impact of the internet on consumer behavior (UK, France and Germany), suggests that the internet is twice as influential as television and eight times as influential as print media.

The internet is the most important medium in the lives of Europeans, they use it to seek information and product reviews that are to some extent a base for their decisions. In the UK, for example, 66% declared that the internet helps them to make better decisions, only 28% said that they trust the information companies provide on the web. They visit the corporate sites when they are ready to buy or interact with company. Internet behavior is driven by trust to other people that makes this medium so different and more powerful than traditional media. The latter one suffer from the scarcity of trust and authority. This takes us back to people trust people model as the most powerful communication tool.

Internet is definitely the most underinvested media group. Marketers underestimate its power and aren't keen to try the new ways to communication. We stick to what we know. The key fact is the you can influence your audience by creating smart connections with your consumers and by adding value to their life.

The fact of Internet being eight times as influential as print requires at least giving a thought to your budget split and taking a step forward by exploring how Internet can be used within your business. And I am not talking about banner advertising.

You can download the whole report here.

Found at Matt Dickman blog

internet, influence, Fleishman-Hillard, Harris Interactive, media spend, people trust people

iPhone

Interesting chart from eMarketer about mobile content used by mobile phone types. We've been hearing for so long about mobile break through to come. Mobile advertising and content has been about to rock the world and change advertising for the last 8 years a least. The new technologies came but people habits never changed. People keep on using their mobiles for voice calls and text messaging. Technology changes, people don't. Some prophets believed however that technology will change people. It ain't happen as technology missed one important asset: Utility. Until iPhone came along and it wasn't about technology but about user experience. This is what gets people into mobile evolution.

iphone, emarketer, mobile internet

Green, Greener, Greenest

I have a feeling we are overused Green concept a little. I mean everything is at some point more or less green. The color is there but the meaning is lost. Someone made a focus group or survey and asked people:

- Would you buy products if they were green (ecological and save for the environment)?

- Yes! replied confidently consumers.

- Let's make our products green - said brand manager A

- Yeah, I think of green cars! - said another

- And you know what than we will advertise all those product on green TV! - shouted excitedly the third one

Btw it takes lot of energy to produce the TV shows and then watch them! It is incredible, how we misunderstand the whole concept of sustainability.

marketing, green, sustainability, green planet, Untitled

Sun Kills All

Great campaign from the Danish Cancer Organization's Skin Cancer department. They have been running since last year their sun campaign with good advice how to use the sun and avoid tragic consequences in form of skin cancer. They conveyed the message with 4 key simple hints: sunblock, shadow, siesta and switch off solarium.

Now they've given their campaign a twist that should make them into being a subject of conversations. Idea is fantastic and I fell in love with it from the first sight. It is one of those ideas that make you sigh "Damn, why it wasn't me".

The movement called The Enemies of Sun was created. This is kind of sect that is led by Father Ruud and I can tell you he hates sun and lives in dark hole down under surface, just to avoid the bad influence of sun. On the website you can see count down to something that is unknown. It will be WOW, that's all you got to know. From here you can take the grand tour in the dark hole and read the truth about The Enemies of Sun, where the original sun campaign (siesta, solhat, solcreme, sluk solariet) gets ironic angle. You can sing with The Enemies of Sun choir and record music video, and this is pretty cool feature. You give the access to your camera and microphone and here comes your video. That's really funny, as you have to sing. Lots of funny videos with song about sun that kills all. Good laughs.

You can watch the movie from Fathers Ruud speech, it can be also found on youtube.

He is if course preaching about the bad, bad sun! beware!

And then you can stitch your friends who don't get it how dangerous sun is. You give their name, age and phone number. They will receive email with link that will take them to Fathers Ruud office. He will call your friends and preach about terrible sun.

The Enemies of Sun has also both page on Facebook and MySpace . You can also become friend with Father Ruud himself. He is quite a mouthful.

Fantastic site, well thought universe that uses all social platforms and speaks the youth language. Danish humor at its best. Enjoy and join the Enemies of Sun! And don't forget to stitch your friends.

"Sun kills all" Father Ruud

sun, skin cancer, Cancer Organization, social advertising, Denmark, kræftens bekæmpelse

Ad Industry Spoof by Microsoft

Do you remember the famous break-up form the last year. Consumer dumped advertiser. Are you curious what happened next? Microsoft made sequel to break-up video, it is called Inspiration. This time they pull the leg of ad industry. Hilarious and provoking. But as Walter Lippmann once said "Where all think alike, no one thinks very much".

advertising, inspiration, spoof, microsoft

Customer Service

Client service is one of the most important assets companies have. This is the way you can get directly to consumers' hearts. Customers service is based on human relations and conversations. Majority of people are safety addicts, we are not into constant divorces. We want long lasting relationships filled with love and respect. Customer service is relationship, which when done right will turn your customers into loyal ambassadors.

And this story about Timbuk2 bag from San Francisco. I found at Andy's blog is the proof of it. You have to read it. This is the great story of how the right approach and handling of the bad customer experience can be changed and turned into something valuable.

Photo by striatic

customer service

You, Satans Little Helpers

The remark on selling the soul hurts, but it is so often so true. It is almost like listening to my grandfather. I still hope I can change a world. *Bang, bang* Stop dreaming! We need to earn money! So go on with some flowchart that sells that "arsenic for children" .

Via Johnnie Moore

marketing, Bill Hicks

The Exact Center of the Internet

Internet is the fascinating universe full of ideas. Have you ever wondered whether this universe has it is center? I've always struggled with those questions. Where universe starts and ends? Does it have a centre? Those questions gives you headache because no one really knows how time and space hangs together. Universe is endless and it is impossible to embrace it. So I was kind of disappointed to find the exact center of the internet. It means Internet has boundaries. It means Internet has the beginning and the end. it kills my idea of Internet as endless universe with endless ideas and never ending stories. Along with having the exact center became Internet just a planet.

... fortunately this is a joke! So my idea can stay alive.

taggalaxy, internet, the exact center of the internet

Awesome

Straight from my home country to you. That looks totally cool. Knight rider done by students with use of lights and dorm windows. Awesome effect.

lights, animation, knight rider

Social Media in Plain English

Good video from Common Craft showing the forces shaping social media. Good and easy to understand. Btw I recommend to visit Common Craft site. Their offering is EXPLANATION. Those hand drawings work great.

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social media, common craft