From Dell to EdX, Columbia Sportswear to Red Bull -- advertising is increasingly less about claiming value, and more about delivering it through memorable experiences. That's the secret behind Zeno's Paradox of Marketing.
Zeno’s Marketing Paradox: Native Advertising as a Ramp To Customer Experience
Why No One is an Agency Anymore, and Why No One Cares
I've been seeing quite a few agencies claiming to be "anti-agencies". There are lots of reasons why the agency business model should evolve, but new ways of creating value rarely start with positioning.
Customer Experience Makes Five Guys the Top Ranked Burger in the US
The burger business is a big deal in the United States. A small chain, Five Guys Burgers and Fries has jumped to the head of burger pack - and the did it without advertising, one meal at a time.
Best job ever? Usability Testing Bartender
I've seen the future of usability; it has a buzz on. Watch this funny video and grasp the genius of testing users under the influence. See why I want to be your bartender of usability testing.
Companies with Top Customer Experiences Out-Score Super Bowl Advertisers
A quick look at revenue growth over three years shows that companies loved by their clients grew more than twice as fast as Super Bowl advertisers.
What I Found at Caine’s Arcade, a Few Minutes of Fun
This Spring, Caine Monroy became famous in some parts because of his cardboard arcade. Patricia Yuse visited the arcade, and shares some thoughts about what causes viral movements to grow.
Amanda Palmer Won’t Settle for Less. Monitizing engagement is just the start.
Amanda Palmer's Kickstarter triumph is awesome-ball cool, but it's just the start. The real magic is what you can do with a business model based on fan love.
Quotes and Photos from Keynoting The Future of Digital Marketing in London
What's the future of digital marketing? Get a taste of the discussion from my presentation on the era of mobile and application marketing last week in London.
Yes, body count is exactly what it takes to make some kinds of changes
August 21st 2022
As we think about taking-on inaction on larger topics, such as global warming, it is not only fair to ask “how many must die before we get serious” – it may be *the* essential question to ask.
GOP’s deal with the Devil leads to this week’s fatwa against the FBI
August 13th 2022
This week the GOP issued a fatwa to violently oppose the FBI. From former President, to official and media the call was amplified, in a party which has waited for generations to ‘use the guns’. This isn’t random; it is not hidden, and its not over.
URLs are NFTs weak link: so those million-dollar NFTs may end up looking like 404-error pages
February 20th 2022
In the tulip mania of the 1600s, there were at least real bulbs. The weakness of conventional URLs being recorded in the blockchain, is that these links are more like maps to where some of those expensive bulbs might still be buried, if they where ever really of value at all.
Loyalty in healthcare and empathy for all
August 26th 2021
Over the last few months I’ve been working with our healthcare team to help clients think about customer loyalty, trust, and the ways brands earn this and measure their progress. This is likely the start of a few posts to our work on this.
Rutgers Customer-Centered Management mini-MBA now to run in October and February
July 18th 2021
Each year the line-up of talented customer-centric leaders who teach the Rutgers mini-MBA and Customer-Centric Management just gets better. There are nine of us this year – making it more like a conference than a class.
Get rich quick? NFTs build a business on bragging rights for COVID-euphoric investors
March 24th 2021
If you’re scratching your head about the digital tokens (NFTs) that are being used to buy $33,000 tennis shoes and 60 million dollar digital art pieces you’re not alone. Here is a quick take on what they are, where they can go wrong, and what this says about life on the road to pandemic recovery.
Why This Week’s Roblox IPO Should Be of Interest, Even to Non-Gamers
March 8th 2021
Roblox should be on your radar as a force in culture, creativity, and consumerism. Its direct listing IPO, scheduled for Wednesday, shows how highly relevant companies don’t need a flood of promotional dollars to position themselves as valuable brands.
Fauci may have quietly averted a 9/11 scale disaster – only experts can say
February 26th 2021
The informed voice of uncertainty is easy to miss. But in a world of complexity, it must be celebrated. New research suggests Dr. Fauci’s reluctance to reach beyond research to guess his way to policy may have saved us from catastrophe; only experts and the perspective of time will tell.
Deception creates its own harm: Facebook shouldn’t know if you’re ovulating; voting shouldn’t be rooted in lies
January 14th 2021
Facebook gained the ability to see if users were ovulating, but the FTC put an end to this practice….because deception causes marketplace harm. Perhaps it’s time for voters to have consumer protections similar to what they enjoy in commerce from the FTC.
Telehealth is becoming a built-in part of healthcare’s service design: presentations and lawsuits show its growth path
November 4th 2020
Telehealth may have grown in response to the COVID pandemic, but large health systems, payers, and service providers are building virtual health capabilities as a permanent change to healthcare. Hear a dozen telehealth leaders, read research, and catch my interpretation of a recent lawsuit – which together suggest the direction of change in virtual care.
About Dave Wieneke, Digital Strategist
The future of digital experiences will be built by strategists who grasp the full array of emerging business, social, and technical models. Specialties in user experience, branding, application design, and data science are laying the foundation for richer user experiences and business models breakthrough products and revenue based marketing.
UsefulArts is a soapbox to discuss the front line of digital experience, and the agencies and platforms that enable it. Digital business needs a cadre of leaders who can connect c-level enterprise thinking with the ways these new interaction models can help organizations to matter more to their most important stakeholders.