Really Short Summary: KID, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE YOU A STAR

[credit: see pic]

• Coke doesn’t need to beat Pepsi. Coke needs to beat everything else on the internet that can hold your attention for 5 minutes.
• Q: What do you when something doesn’t work? A: dunno. Aside: Aquateen hunger force got in trouble… it worked and failed at the same time. (Definitely worth the money). Would you do it again? No.
• Viral branding is difficult to time. The internet has no notion of time or space. You could be targeting the US, and it might be a flop stateside, but a huge success in Australia, for example. We sometimes accidentally make brands global. Clients don’t really know what to do with success in non-target areas.
• Q: Awkward marketing requests that just won’t work on the internet? A: 4 times a day, every day. Like “create a community.” Nope, doesn’t work.
• Q: What does authenticity in marketing mean? A: Un-authentic means pretenders or coopting trends. The most interesting stuff is when something has a life of its own apart from being an ad. A: I think of a brand as a personality. A personality at a party. Don’t go in with a megaphone. Have social etiquette. At the end of the day, you’ll be more authentic. A: Have fun. Example: Diet Coke and Mentos. A: Beer cannon + Spray and Wash. Made a bunch of non-business related brands into friends.
• Q: How would you remake something like CNN? A: Current TV is doing it wrong. They should have a bunch of micro-current-tv’s that fit different niches. A: We like to get involved with companies early; so, we can help them find meaning and position their website.
• Q: Do you have a dream job? A company you would like to completely re-image? A: Wall-Mart – we could make massive change by just changing a little piece. Not saying that we would want that job… but it would be a cool challenge. A: I’m in the middle of a dream job right now. We’re doing some work with Honda. In America, Honda and Toyota are interchangeable, in Japan, Honda has a completely different spirit. Honda’s kind of like Apple, and then Toyota is like Microsoft. Honda does all the innovative R&D, and Toyota copies and mass-markets. A: Tangent – I would prevent pharmaceutical drugs from advertising to consumers.