Thinkful

We need a more “co-creative” society, fast.

2011-11-24T06:10:00.000+00:00

Robert Saffian penned an interesting editorial in Fast Company for their special feature on “How to live a creative life”. He noted that there are two parallel economies at work in the US at present: the traditional economy with big players, often from an industrial era who benefit from a status quo and an “innovative economy” who thrives on change and disruption. The latter lives within a new virtual triangle that connects Madison Avenue, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. These creative centres traditionally did not engage each other much. They have since taken bold steps to work together to create a new “co-creative” economy.

At eYeka we have always rebelliously connected dots where most preffered to erect walls. We see creativity as a tool that can affect changes not only in products, marketing or entertainment but could transform society for the better. As we have mentioned before on this blog, we believe that creativity can come from the most unlikely places. By breaking the dogma of closed-loop thinking and inviting people who are not the kind brands traditionally engage, we too forge connections that result in fast, fresh thinking.

Many researchers have already demonstrated how people who seem too remote from the context of a problem to be bothered, can actually bring the most creative solutions to the table. Yet as society is battling with an ever inflating (and frightening) array of challenges, from building a sustainable economy that doesn’t solely rely on debt to fighting climate change to accomodating a growing population, it seems like we are running-out of fresh ideas. Could it be because it is always the same type of people who are involved in problem solving?

Governments and NGOs have a unique opportunity to sollicit participation from “non-traditionally involved people” regardless of who they are and where they are, to solve very specific problems. Imagine the European Union inviting contributions from outside Europe to sort out its ageing population issue? Imagine Mexico City inviting people from all other the World to suggest how it could create green community spaces for its residents? By taking two bold steps: co-creating solutions with people and broadening engagement to all who are keen to contribute, it is fair to imagine that governments and NGOs could offer fresher solutions for the benefits of all. Looking at the ever-rising mountain of challenges that our society is facing, we hope they will be bold as we need a more co-creative society, fast.

Can you innovate your way out of a recession?

2011-10-24T03:33:00.001+01:00

Upon hearing news of an impending recession, most companies opt for the traditional corporate practice of shrinking budgets, cost cutting, sweeping layoffs and freezing plans. As corporate turnarounds experts will tell you, it is important to stop the blood flow first when attending to an injured patient. But if the injured is a competitive athlete, how long will you prevent him from training before his skills and stamina take a turn for the worst too?

Innovation is like a muscle, if you do not exercise it, it atrophies. Once the necessary housekeeping to ensure relative corporate stability is over, an economic recession could become a great opportunity for innovation.

“Many of the world’s enduring, multibillion-dollar corporations, from Disney to Microsoft, were founded during economic downturns. Generally speaking, operating costs tend to be cheaper in a recession. Talent is easier to find because of widespread layoffs. And competition is usually less fierce because, frankly, many players are taken out of the game.” – Reena Jana, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, July 2009

A study by McKinsey & Co. conducted over a period of 18 years found out that companies that “retained or gained market leadership during the recession of 1990-1998 invested on strategic acquisitions and pursued new opportunities rather than focusing on reducing operating expense”.

Full text on the eYeka blog.

Jaron Lanier on Edge

2011-09-15T06:23:00.000+01:00

Edge has a (too) rare interview with Jaron Lanier, one of the leading thinkers of the "digital revolution". Thanks to El Blogador for pointing it on my FB wall.

Innovation, co-creation on the eYeka blog

2011-09-14T08:15:00.003+01:00

As you may have noticed, I am not blogging much here these days. The good/bad news is that I am starting blogging again at http://en.eyeka.net/

Hope to see you there.

Buy a f*cking shovel . com

2010-12-22T12:10:00.001+00:00

Opportunist!

One fifth of animal and plant species are under the threat of extinction

2010-10-27T02:25:00.000+01:00

A global conservation study has warned. BBC

Chinese baby milk powder scandal manufactured by competitor

2010-10-21T07:03:00.005+01:00

As it turns out, the Chinese baby milk powder scandal (where infants grow breasts due to the chemical additives) was manufactured by a competitor's PR agency, using online forums and micro-blogging services to spread false rumors. Full story in Campaign China.

OFT to investigate hotels online booking industry

2010-09-26T09:57:00.002+01:00

"Allegations of collusion between hotels and online booking operators to keep room rates artificially high are to be formally investigated by the Office of Fair Trading." Consumer wins. FT

Europe according to stereotypes

2010-09-22T04:11:00.002+01:00

Europe as seen from France. More maps by alphadesigner.

Facebook overtakes Google on time spent

2010-09-10T16:09:00.001+01:00

Internet users now spending more time on Facebook than Google (including Gmail, Youtube...). CNET.

Paul's extreme sound stretch

2010-08-22T14:37:00.002+01:00

Create your own ambient epic soundtrack with Paul's extreme sound stretch. It makes pre-teen idol Justin Bieber sound like Vangelis. Read on Lifehacker. Mac version here.

Strategic Online PR and Media Relations Forum Asia

2010-08-20T14:30:00.002+01:00

I am speaking at the Strategic Online PR and Media Relations Forum Asia (23 – 25 August 2010) in Singapore on how brands must move from advertising to advocacy to succeed with social media.

Can Facebook fail?

2010-05-17T04:19:00.001+01:00

It seems that Facebook fatigue combined with the sudden re-discovery of basic concepts such as "privacy" are weighting down on Facebook's exponential growth. While I am not cheering for the demise of the platform that allows me to stay connected with otherwise too loose connections to bother sustaining, I am of course concerned about who gets hold of my status updates. And it seems that I am not alone. The BBC is running a good article summing-up why Facebook should worry and highlights a number of promising alternatives such as Diaspora.

Social networks urged to 'raise ad rates or die'

2010-05-12T05:16:00.003+01:00

"Datamonitor's Business Insights study predicts that charges for advertising on social networks will have risen steeply by 2015 (...) the report predicts social networks will only make £4.14 per user per year (US$6.03)". Looking at the backlash against Facebook's move to make its platform more advertiser friendly, fair to say that it will be a tough battle to convince users to gobble more ads and let go of more personal data, and to convince advertisers of a premium ROI.

Full article on Brand Republic.

Russian study shows GM soja causes infertility, genetic defects

2010-04-30T05:23:00.004+01:00

This 2 years study will be published in July unless it is "killed-off" before that. Truly frightening when we know of the considerable resources deployed to suppress any scientific paper showing harmful side effects of GM food consumptions. The issue is that GM crops contaminate natural crops thus reducing consumer choice. The GM food industry has also been successful at aborting government initiatives to label food containing GM ingredients as such.

Eat organic whenever possible.

Huffington Post

Comprehensive article in French here.

Toyota battling Chinese bloggers

2010-03-17T10:34:00.001+00:00

"Toyota Motor Corp.'s recall of millions of cars globally has created a PR fiasco for the Japanese car company. In China, the company now has one more thing to worry about..." Bloggers!

AdAge

Watch US TV shows outside the US

2010-02-06T03:43:00.001+00:00

http://tvgorge.com

US teens don't blog, don' twitter.

2010-02-05T02:45:00.003+00:00

Only 14% blog and 8% tweet. 73% use social networks. Speaking of Twitter, a Pew researcher commented that teens may have a "reluctance to put their thoughts on such a public forum when they can post them to their Facebook page instead". Didn't Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of privacy?

Forget tablet PC, here comes "sixth sense" technology.

2009-12-13T11:04:00.003+00:00

"Pranav Mistry demos several tools that help the physical world interact with the world of data -- including a deep look at his Sixth Sense device and a new, paradigm-shifting paper "laptop". Originally read on the Economic Times, on the recommendation of Professor Rao.

Food 2.0.

2009-12-01T07:09:00.001+00:00

Looks that the World will not run out of food due to overpopulation after all. Dutch scientists grow artificial meat. Telegraph.

Climate change: Are you thinking in rows or columns?

2009-11-18T00:42:00.002+00:00

Decision science applied to climate change. You can't argue with logic. A must watch video for all the skeptics.

The Trafigura debacle

2009-10-15T06:51:00.002+01:00

When ethics and PR collide, a lesson for business and communication students: Own up to your mistakes and proactively remedy the situation you created instead of attempting to conceal it. That stuff worked when we had a handful of TV channels and a few newspapers, not with millions of citizen journalists. Great account on the Guardian.

Climate Cover-Up by Oil lobby

2009-10-12T04:34:00.000+01:00

The American Petroleum Institute increased its lobbying budget by 82 percent in the second quarter of 2009, relative to 2008... Makes you think.

Climate Cover Up: the crusade to deny global warming

2009-10-12T04:26:00.002+01:00

In his new book, 35-year public relations veteran Jim Hoggan chronicles the history of unethical PR through the years, using the attack on climate change science as the most relevant, contemporary example. Watch this video interview where Jim talks about what he calls the "Philip Morris theory" – a strategy corporations use to cloak their spin with the legitimacy of science.

Federal Trade Commission to force bloggers' endorsement disclosure

2009-10-06T02:11:00.003+01:00

"Bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service." At last... BBC News. Disclosure: I have no connection with the FTC or the BBC.