shaun white + red bull = even better

just amazing

Buzz reaction

Expectations and excitement were always going to be at feverpitch levels when Google finally admitted that real time sharing was a big deal for them. Google Buzz was the result and far from wowing the masses, it has proved to be one of the most devisive tech launches in recent memory.



Here are three must read articles, all taking a different stance on the search giants strategic move towards territory owned primarily by Facebook and Twitter

Mashable investigate in detail how Buzz is going to change things (and tackle the privacy issue in the process

The Guardian decide that Google have stepped over the line going for lowest of all possible insults, a comparison with Microsoft

Molly Wood wonders how Google could not learn from the various privacy errors Facebook has made over the past few year

remixing

Matt Sadler, author of the excellent blog infomagination recently made a point about the utilisation of content in relation to Pogos mash up/remix/notquitesurewhattocallit of the Pixars 'Up'. It's one of those pieces of content that simultaneously reminds you of the cleverness and emotiveness of the film whilst taking the 'up' brand in a new direction and potentially to a wider sub audience.

I completely agree with Matt that it's a neglected area within the wider sphere of brand communication and deserves more interrogation from the brand in question - whether they're an animation house, crisp brand or rather outdated male cologne. With regards to the latter, surely this ad is ripe for the you tube video response treatment? (Within my own little world, I have see three separate friends share this in the past 24 hours- all via different methods)



So why aren't more brands using these kind of strategies to trigger the emotional touchpoints previously reached with past work? well I think there are a couple of key points.

The new work assumption

A misguided assumption that new work must equal um...new work. Just look at Google did during the superbowl. They ran with a piece of emotive storytelling that had already been in the ether since November 19th 2009 (on another note, a very interesting way of using You Tube to gauge the reaction to a piece of content before using paid for media).

Does the brand have permission?

Just like with music or publishing, some brands don't have the permission from the public to do the greatest hits / look back thing (think about Rooney bring out an autobiography at 21 or a one hit wonder band doing a greatest hits) - to a certain sector of the crowd it may seem wrong - does this matter? I'm not sure...with regards to those two industries I've always thought an artist / person has to have enough of a story to tell before they can launch into this kind of thing.

Progress, not an abrupt halt

Any recap needs to avoid any insinuation from it's fans that the brand has run out of ideas and has instead decided to give itself a self congratulatory pat on the back (a kind of self regulated bonus - something we know doesn't go down too well). A recap therefore needs to be a slowing down rather than an abrupt halt, the important bit is that the brand is still adding value to the relationship with the viewer and displaying progression towards something better in terms of what they offer.

Loads more to think about on this but there are my thoughts so far, I'll leave you with my favourite recap / set of highlights which for my money has spawned an unlikely star and potential mini series. Introducing King Curtis...



and here are a few more interesting thoughts courtesy of Helge Tenno's tumblr...

data.gov.uk

Big step in the right direction for the government and the liberation of all that data out there. Here is the best article I've found on the subject written by Tim Berners-Lee himself.

Thought this excerpt was particularly poignant as to the function of the web and the opportunities that lie therein...

It's re-use of data in new - and often unexpected - ways that creates both social value and opportunities for economic growth. It's not our job to say where data might be useful; it's our job to unleash it and allow businesses and independent developers to build innovative services which they can then deliver to users. That's the story of technology through the years - and the way the World Wide Web itself has grown over the last twenty years.



c/o of shawn allen

This all feels very relevant given that I had my bike nicked by some reprobate this week. Could we use the data that I then supply to insurance companies and the police in a genuinely beneficial way? I'm going to write a note to each person in my block telling them to watch out (or something like that - haven't quite worked out the editorial tone) but wouldn't it be cool if a letter or email was automatically generated once a month with the crime stats visualised in the area that could then be explored further on a hyperlocal website which linked into the bigger national picture. People would vcertainly feel a lot more connected to the community they lived in if they were given the tools to find out more and interact in a way that suited them.

The whole thing makes me want to get on the blower to these guys and start briefing them, just need to find a willing client...