I'm hoping that, with your help, I can invent a new form of media - derived from Consumer Generated Content. I'm thinking of calling it AGS - Attendee Generated Speeches. I'm talking at this WARC thing - my bit's supposed to be called Brands and Blogs, but I've really no idea what to talk about. Partly because I don't know what the attendees might already know. Is there anyone reading this who's planning on going? What would you like me to talk about? Or if you're not going, and you were going to a thing about Brands and Blogs, what would you like to know? Suggestions gratefully received.
And anyone who thinks that AGS is just a cynical scheme to kick-start some ideas for a lazy presenter is too cynical by half, and should be ashamed of themselves.
Excellent Idea.
This is not lazy at all. I run a party in South london called OPENSOURCE. Essentially it is a user defined and designed experience. The crowd decide what they want to see, hear and I put it on. It is great for two reasons. 1)People always turn up because they want to see the band I have put on and 2) All the profits go into the next party, which they will design again and come too. I call the whole procedure "Permanent revolution". You just invented the first OPENSOURCE SPEECH. ROck and roll!Congratulations.
Posted by: Richard | June 22, 2006 at 04:05 PM
Two suggestions :
1. You've been blogging for some time yourself. You could talk about what blogging has done for brand Russell Davies - and what you have learnt along the way.
2. A blog is a conversation a person/company/brand has with an audience out there. But brands have been having conversations with people out there for ages - through paid advertisements. In that sense they too have been 'blogging.' But these 'blogs' lack the essential quality of a real blog - a genuine and unpretentious voice. Maybe you can talk about how blogs might end up having a wider influence by teaching companies to find their own voice - which has to be the the first step in creating a blog for a company. This is also the first step in creating ads - but ads/headlines/baselines aren't the natural voice of human converstaion. Which is why even if companies did discover their true voice - they would lose it in communication. With blogs it doesn't have to be that way. And having found a way to converse naturally, companies could rediscover their souls.
Posted by: Blaiq | June 25, 2006 at 08:13 PM
Russell - have worked with Chris Forrest to pull this event together - can you confirm how you would like to appear on the agenda......just Russell Davies or do you have company name etc?
Posted by: Sara Watson | June 26, 2006 at 12:32 PM
Russell, I'm willing to let you use the illustration I did of you as your new company/brand logo (for a small fee).
Just say the word.
Posted by: Mr. P.H. Colman | June 26, 2006 at 01:50 PM
We have moved from lectures to seminars? i.e Audience have got a voice!
Posted by: Richard | June 26, 2006 at 02:07 PM
I like Blaiq's first suggestion above. If in doubt make it autobiographical. - How I created tons of engagement.
Let's do that lunch tomorrow and discuss. OK to meet here at 12.45?
PS If anyone is going what would you like me as conference chair to talk about - apart from telling everyone to turn their phones off?
Posted by: chris forrest | June 26, 2006 at 02:29 PM
Scoble has just quit at Microsoft... perhaps there is something incompatible about individuals and brands blogging in harmony...
Maybe not though. But it has always seemed to me that the beauty of a blog is the individual voice and brands often struggle with this. Well, brands that have a poorly defined voice. Others, like Innocent, seem to be taking to it nicely.
Hey Chris, I'm writing you an essay for that IPA thing - I'll see if I can make it autobiographical ;)
Posted by: Faris | June 26, 2006 at 04:29 PM
excellent. thanks everyone.
I'll go autobiographical. Lots of pictures of trees.
Chris - 12.45 is great. I'll see you there.
Sara - just russell davies is fine. no company name. Thanks.
Paul - I might take you up on that. Can you make me look thinner though?
Posted by: russell | June 26, 2006 at 05:04 PM
To be honest I'm not sure I can. Can do scars though.
Posted by: Colman | June 26, 2006 at 05:57 PM
You should mention how much you're worth, blogshare.com wise.
Posted by: carol | June 26, 2006 at 06:36 PM
Russell Davies [to me] = the creation of an international planning brand. I’m a brand planner from half way across the World in Australia and via your blog I have a clear articulation of you, ie. brand you, who you are, what you stand for. While I am a keen young bean and keep my eye on the international planning scene and the various work coming out, I don’t know many o/s planners from a bar of soap. Whereas russelldavies.typepad.com has served to create ‘brand you’ internationally. Interesting.
+ I’d add in something about the rise of vlogs in your speech, ie. YouTube.com is rockn! Great examples: Stride Gum subtle association with Matt Harding [http://youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4&search=mattharding] & NikeSoccer ‘capturing live’ Ronaldinho getting his first pair of Nike gold Legend boots, [http://youtube.com/watch?v=lsO6D1rwrKc&search=nike].
5 million views later- Vlogs have power.
Cheers,
Kirsty
Posted by: Kirsty - Australia | June 27, 2006 at 11:45 PM
Looks like a great day of interesting stuff.
In terms of blogs and brands, having talked to a few brands about blogs there's some really big issues that people seem to have trouble with, and I think a perspective on them would be really useful for almost anyone, of any level of experience.
A few of the main ones I've come across are:
* Controling conversations - why you can't (and why you shouldn't)
* Being part of the 'blogosphere' (damn I hate that term!), acting like part of a network and losing that island mentality
* Letting go (and enjoying it!)
* Being honest, open and real
* Giving things away
And finally and most importantly:
* Blogs - why everything is backwards ;)
Posted by: Iain Tait | June 30, 2006 at 11:58 AM
Hey Russell ... I didn't initially respond to this one -- but following your later post, I came through again to it. I think you should speak about what you know -- don't assume (even with a knowledgable audience) that YOUR insight is shared by everyone. The reason we come to read your work on this blog is because of your innovative analysis and approach -- and partly also because we subscribe to a similar world view. Just because you can see something doesn't mean that it is visible to everyone. And because you are working in the "theatre of ideas", your leadership and explanation can help the rest of us feel more comfortable about putting our own ideas forward.
Posted by: Servant of Chaos | July 02, 2006 at 05:44 PM