e/spyer

I lived in the U.S. from 17 to 14 years old. I could feel the racial segregation. At school there was a place where were the white people; the Mexicans / Latinos elsewhere; African Americans in other place. I was mixed a little with each group. I played basketball with blacks and made friends, we had a small group of Brazilians, and also had good vibes with Latinos and White people. But I felt there was a bond between them. No preconception: but something like: I belong to that group, here is where I’m staying.

It is impressive in a country like this, an African descendent with a Muslim name, going for election. Still intrigues me. Barack Obama had a great strategy that goes beyond marketing. I wanted to know more and I found a very interesting lecture on TED: Clay Shirky shows exactly how social media can make history.
He comments about how the idea has motivated individuals and the concept of spreadability. Makes a parallel with a political campaign in Nigeria, which uses SMS technology compared to the U.S. which uses a complete technology platform. He talks about the transfer of social capital and not the technological capital. Goes on the evolution of media. Twitter in China … The Great Firewall of China … a very interesting talk.

Internet is the first media in history that has native support for groups and conversation at the same time. Where the phone gave us the one to one power; television, books, magazine gaves us the one to many pattern; the internet gives us the many to many pattern.”

Here goes the complete talk:

I have also remembered Droga5 New York case that was in Cannes this year… Obama’s strategy to get the Orthodox Jewish votes in Florida. Fantastic.

The Great Schlep: Jewish Council for Education and Research

And finally I’ll link to the campaign’s music video:

and the poster that in such a short time has made history:

If you have time go see  TED, ideas worth spreading. View by category of interest. It ha always one talk better than another.

The media has changed. Yes we can!

The virus, like the swine flu, is something that appears suddenly and is now worldwide. According to Wikipedia, a virus is basically protein particle that can infect living organisms.

Today to make a viral is a trend. The client asks for a viral, the creative makes a viral. Do you think an agency is able to make a viral?

This is a talk of hours in my lunchtime: with friends of the agency and outside the agency. Whenever I see or hear someone talking about making a viral it makes me listen carefully. I think the viral is not just doing it, but rather a consequence. Nothing is born viral, but it becomes viral.

Every week I receive a new report (very inspiring!) made by Paula Rizzo (paularizzo.com) for DM9. A few weeks ago I saw a campaign of Rayban:

While I was watching this video it made me directly associate with one of the first interesting “viral” I saw on the internet:

And then to this Lego film:

These three videos were and are a hit on the internet and there many other similar.
Are we creating a formula to make a viral?

If so, this formula must end. Because when I watche Rayban’s film, I remembered the other two, and because it didn’t bring anything new or relevant to spread, I was not an active transmitter of this “virus”, in short, had no spreadability.

(if anyone remembers any more videos like those, please comment)

I see the current communication as the Black Swan Theory, or the unexpected is the key to understanding the world, explained for me at a lunch by my brothers Juca (naozero.com.br) and Pablo Spyer.

But I see many people offering viral as a normal media. Inside media strategy we see TV, Radio, Newspapers and Viral. That makes me a little concerned because they are thinking viral as a media and not as a consequence.

I went look for more information and found Henry Jenkins (http://henryjenkins.org/), one of the masters of new media, creator of the term transmídia, published on his blog a research done by the Convergence Culture Consortium called “If it doesn’t spread it is dead”, it’s worth see the video on the link. It explains the concept of convergence, not only technological convergence, but the social convergence.

“Today we live in a world where every story, image, sound, idea, brand will be present on all platforms of media.”

And Henry Jenkins goes beyond; he has written a post containing more than 80 pages, explaining the concept of spreadability. Reserve a time to read.