Comments on: why the “social object” is the future of marketing

By: Mike Abundo

Mike Abundo — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:21:19 +0000

Social Object = Purple Cow.

By: Dave - lifekludger

Dave - lifekludger — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:43:44 +0000

“or did the internet evolve as fast as it did in order to circumvent the Hyper-Clutter? I’m guessing the latter.”
I’m with you there. In lotsa ways too not just in regards to ‘Hyper-Clutter’
I believe that people create what (culture) they crave.
Peace, Dave.

By: RomanJeremie

RomanJeremie — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:30:49 +0000

Hi Hugh Did you hear about TvLowCost ? http://www.tvlowcost.co.uk/ I think It's revolutionary in the old world of conventional advertising agencies. Cheers

By: Dennis Howlett

Dennis Howlett — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:05:15 +0000

@scottr: and what is it exactly that you do? Oh checked it. Moving swiftly on.

By: Cheekier MeSly

Cheekier MeSly — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:00:38 +0000

So Hugh, what "responsibilty" do the creators of social objects such as news articles have to clarify the currency of their object? The most popular link on Time.com right now is an article from 1970 about a U.S. couple initially not allowed to adopt because they were atheists. It got my knickers in a twist, I tell ya, until a peep pointed out it was not *new* news.

By: Laren

Laren — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:45:03 +0000

That card makes me think of karaoke …

By: Mary Anne Davis

Mary Anne Davis — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:54:46 +0000

I’m just guessing, but this sounds like a terrific book idea . You go dude and Happy New Year! We have piles of snow in upstate NY.

By: T

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:28:26 +0000

Great post, reminds me of a book I’m currently halfway through called Anatomy of Buzz. This post is a good supplement to the ideas I’m currently digesting in that book.

By: Christina Tierney

Christina Tierney — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:19:32 +0000

Social Object = Personal Computer
I remember quite vividly the purchase of my first PC, and I will not share when that happened only that it was a while ago.
The buzz, the word of mouth evangelizing this object created in our world was like nothing we had ever experienced. We all sat around obsessing over this wonderful new toy for hours that turned into days, months and now years.
And at the time the PC was so much a “one way” exercise. We had not even connected local area networks, let alone the internet. You had to copy things on 5″ floppy disks…walk over and “share” in person.
For me as an old school geek and parent of new school geeks…the greatest gift has been technology. Technology granted me and mine the opportunity to build greater communities…the greatest “social object” of all time. It gives us the absolute satisfaction of a kinetic connection with a machine while reaching out to one another.
For me this has never been viewed as spin, marketing, or advertising. This has always been experiential. Is the social object the experience…the exercise in connecting?
Thanks Hugh…great stuff.

By: scott r

scott r — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:20:00 +0000

That would still be you, Dennis. {;)

By: Dennis Howlett

Dennis Howlett — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:40:23 +0000

@Hugh: something to do with living in a world where complexity is a reality aka asking questions that have resonance in markets that represent $340billion in spend — aka financial services tech?
Who needs to get a grip now?

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:12:19 +0000

Dennis Howlett, Jesus, what’s with all this “Dumb Question Trying Very Hard To Be A Smart Question” shit you’re always throwing my way?
Get a grip, Boyo

By: Rachel Clarke

Rachel Clarke — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:39:01 +0000

Sometimes, rarely, an ad can become a Social object itself to start the conversation. The Gold Blend series, the Hamlet cigars, Carlsberg lager, all have created something to talk about in the past. Last year, Cadbury’s Gorilla would be probably the best example.
But these are rare and you can’t rely on it happening. Create the great product and the story around it and you have a better chance.

By: vicequeenmaria

vicequeenmaria — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:19:31 +0000

Hello? I think it’s quite obvious that you want to sing! Everyone is talking about marketing and not saying a darn thing about that cartoon. So sing, already!
(Actually I think you have been singing. And that is the ‘object’ … is object a noun or a verb, Hugh?)

By: Scott R

Scott R — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:59:31 +0000

I’ve always been amused by the overwrought claims of advertising. It is, after all, the second most lucrative “faith-based” industry there is. Advertising has always had it’s share of the snake-oil salesman, because nobody knows exactly how — or if — it works. Clearly it has some noticeable effect, but there is nothing surefire out of it. The Coca-Colas of the world pour millions of dollars into advertising knowing it works, but not knowing why and how well. And their various adverting agencies happily bill them, not knowing themselves what exactly just happened.
The Social-Object theory seems as close to tangibility as any theory of advertising can get. It’s not without its vagaries but it puts a focus where no focus existed before.
We live in an age where our choices threaten to overwhelm our very sanity. I agree with Hugh that teh internets — which has existed for decades — really got into gear in the last ten years when the overabundance of information — bad and good — was becoming a burden.
Now we have a burden of another kind. Like Bart’s lizard that happily annihilates the pigeon population and infests Springfield, Have we replaced one system of information overload with another? And what is the internet equivalent of Chinese snakes to take care of this problem?