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.
Webinar Invitation: Building Strong Hospital Digital Experiences with Connective DX and Johns Hopkins
January 17th 2019
Hear the top findings from this year’s Hospital Digital Index (HDX-15) Research Report, and catch a guest appearance by Aaron Watkins, who leads digital strategy at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Customer strategy foundation: SEC analysis determines how customers buy
January 3rd 2019
Knowing whether buyers conduct consideration with complete, partial or minimal information about the qualities of goods they seek is an essential starting point for customer experience strategy. This post describes this technique and dynamics buyers encounter in considering purchasing each type of goods.
Webinar Invitation: Building Strong Digital Experiences with Connective DX and Mayo Clinic
December 17th 2018
One of fun parts of writing an annual benchmark report on the digital strength of some of the best hospitals in the U.S., is the chance it gives me to get to know some great digital and innovatiobn teams, and the stories behind the work featured in my coverage.. Please join me for a free educational webinar on January 9th, when Lee Aase of Mayo Clinic and I will discuss this year’s HDX-15 report and their work as a innovative healthcare leaders.
China Now Has Non-Staffed Minute Clinics and Pharmacies – Time to Raise Your Innovation Goals?
November 23rd 2018
One of the largest insurance companies in China plans to open doctorless clinic booths at a rate of over thirty a day. That’s Ping An’s plan, come get the details and how this might inform your own transformation planning.
Focusing on Problems or Opportunities? Designing Change in a Two Tier Economy
October 3rd 2018
It occurs to me that opportunities by their nature are elective, they exist for you as options. Problems, however, bring consequences which carry their own pragmatic or moral consequences. Its time for my annual reminder that meaningful work goes beyond what creative briefs and statements of work call for. And that our economy is designed and can be modified to express the values of its culture.
Framing stronger hypotheses with elaboration, iteration, and a Mad Lib
August 1st 2018
Meaningless A/B tests are pervasive because they’re so easy to run. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Roy Rosin, the Chief Innovation Officer at Penn Medicine’s Center for Healthcare Innovation, and Ryan Summer’s of Connective DX have some ideas that can help turn your tests in to durable assets. And it starts with a MadLib.
Half Time Report: Bitcoin Bros and Pot Stocks Trade Places, IPOs Go Nuts
July 3rd 2018
We’re half a year in to 2018, so check back on my call on shifting markets, bitcoin bros, and if pot stocks is a mania or opportunity. The opinions are my own, and are just conversation, not advice.
The Neo-Space Race is About Riches not Rockets
June 22nd 2018
President Trump observed that rich guys love rockets. They should, in this post I suggest three fairly immediate rewards for mastering space flight, and I suggest one company that is well positioned to supply the “picks and shovels” in this neo-space race.
Why Some Digital Platforms Dominate: the Drivers of Network Effect
January 25th 2018
Uber and AirBnB are widely celebrated innovators. By thinking about how each gains advantage for network effect, I hope that we can get beyond simply recognizing the strength of their business growth or reputation, to appreciate how their circumstances create varying levels of advantage from network effect.
Bitcoin Bros and Anxiety at the Top of the Business Cycle
December 31st 2017
Its been a remarkable year in investment, politics and culture. This is my personal take on where we’re at – and a first swing at what we can improve together in the new year. I’d love to here your thoughts and plans, and to encourage them however I can. Happy New Year.
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.