Advertising Blurb
AdAge posted an excellent article last week: "And Then There's This Article: 7 Truths About Viral Culture". The interviewee was Bill Wasik, the somewhat sardonic "creator" of the flash mob concept (think of any type of viral or guerilla marketing campaign involving a group of three or more people, and you get the idea).
All I can say is: FINALLY. Someone who isn't completely romanticizing the idea of social media and what it means to marketers. What a refreshing read!
Here's an excerpt:
"On the internet, as in life, forget the white-hot center; the margins are what matter.
Wasik, in conversation: 'The other fundamental metaphor of the flash mob was the idea of, like, people are going to come together for no reason at all other than that other people are coming together there. I mean, that was sort of always how I felt about New York. The idea that, Oh, I'm in New York, and I'm gonna get as close as possible to the white-hot center of things. But then the closer you get to it, the more you realize that the white-hot center of things is, like, a bunch of middle-aged fat people in a room sipping vodkatinis, and they're not talking about anything interesting, because the actual work is being done a little further to the margins by people who are still trying to get closer to the center.' "
The article can be read here.
(The T-Mobile (UK) viral advert that is mentioned, though hardly newsworthy anymore, is still a favorite of mine. Tell me you wouldn't laugh and/or grin if you saw 100+ people suddenly launch into choreographed dance?)
All I can say is: FINALLY. Someone who isn't completely romanticizing the idea of social media and what it means to marketers. What a refreshing read!
Here's an excerpt:
"On the internet, as in life, forget the white-hot center; the margins are what matter.
Wasik, in conversation: 'The other fundamental metaphor of the flash mob was the idea of, like, people are going to come together for no reason at all other than that other people are coming together there. I mean, that was sort of always how I felt about New York. The idea that, Oh, I'm in New York, and I'm gonna get as close as possible to the white-hot center of things. But then the closer you get to it, the more you realize that the white-hot center of things is, like, a bunch of middle-aged fat people in a room sipping vodkatinis, and they're not talking about anything interesting, because the actual work is being done a little further to the margins by people who are still trying to get closer to the center.' "
The article can be read here.
(The T-Mobile (UK) viral advert that is mentioned, though hardly newsworthy anymore, is still a favorite of mine. Tell me you wouldn't laugh and/or grin if you saw 100+ people suddenly launch into choreographed dance?)
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