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
Is a World Without Ads Possible? We’re already halfway there.
“What if there were no ads?” That was the question content marketers Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi asked in an episode of their podcast, This Old Marketing. It sounds like the start of John Lennon’s Imagine, but for marketers. What if there were just no ads?
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.
Human factors make voice interfaces digital healthcare’s next big shift
March 30th 2020
Voice interfaces are beginning to take their place in healthcare, offering continuous, easier engagement for providers and patients. These human factors frame this channel’s unique benefits and requirements.
Everything will be fine, unless something foreseen happens – risks and growth in the era of Covid-19
March 28th 2020
Covid-19 may both be the cause to change parts of life that have been overdue for a rethink, and the start of a Malthusian catastrophe. What big changes do you think coronavirus will cause?
Investors have nowhere to hide — but here are some starting points
March 19th 2020
Sure investors seem to have no safe place to park there wealth, as is illustrated in a handful of charts. But you have options, I suggest two of them here….and a wonderful WSJ newsletter to give you economic insights as well.
As world banks cut rates to zero – investors face a harsh set of opportunities
March 16th 2020
Change and uncertainty are why we have equities markets. Global markets are becoming treacherous to investors who may not realize how fast non-market events can change daily life for everyone. I offer a few investing thoughts for the difficult days ahead.
Bankruptcy should end the BSA, but not Scouting in America
February 20th 2020
The problem with Scouting isn’t the lawsuits, it’s the culture and structures that failed to address the needs of victims and boys. In this post, I recommend that its time for Scouting in America to leave the hold of the BSA. Yes, that’s possible. Your Congressional representative in fact, can vote to do just that.
Time’s come to make pay equity for bio-health marketers a platform for change
February 2nd 2020
A recent survey shows women leaders in bio-health marketing make less than half as much as men; the difference is staggering. Rather than debating causes, its time to gather facts and be more open about this challenge.
The week a gun rally in Virginia became a Trumpy version of MLK’s dream
January 21st 2020
This year MLK Day mixed with a gun-rights rally, the American culture war, and real mass shootings. I’ve said that America’s greatest export is non-intentional irony, but nothing this week seemed to lack intent.
Trust and relationship come from the humanity of pause
January 2nd 2020
I took this week away from social media, so I could travel to San Francisco anbd care for a friend who is nearing the end of his life. These thoughts on the humanity of pause build on earlier ideas I’ve shared fro Erazim Kohak, and were inspired by the book Thank You for Being Late by Thomas L. Friedman.
The week raising the smoking age, extending family leave, and funding research on gun violence was obscured by history
December 22nd 2019
Along with the healthcare-related news in the headline, there’s also a description of research showing the psychiatric impact of school shootings on classmates.
Santa’s privilege check: Kringle rethinks the ‘Naughty or Nice?’ list in a remarkable mental health ad
December 20th 2019
Our most meaningful work will almost never arrive wrapped in RFPs. Take a look at this beautiful ad by Weiden + Kennedy for the National Alliance On Mental Illness. Its a gift.
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.