Beyond Just A Cool Ad

It's likely that in the last week you have seen this video.  After watching the video, I'm sure that most would agree that it is a great advertisement.  But there are two points in Volvo's handling of this that go beyond just a great ad.

1. TRANSPARENCY

My initial reaction to this video was that it couldn't have been exactly as it appears.  That there had to be some sort of trickery.  Volvo, for their part, said that the stunt was real, but there were plenty of safety lines that could not be seen in the finished ad to protect Van Damme.  By revealing this safety precaution, Volvo manages to make sure nobody feels that they are trying to pull one over of their audience and does not take anything away from the impact of the stunt.

2. DRIVING VIEWERS TO THE WEBSITE

The advertisement is about Volvo technology: Volvo Dynamic Steering.  But Volvo has taken advantage of YouTube to create a video that went viral on social media, yet gave no detail about the specifics of the technology.  Instead, they created awareness and curiosity that would presumably drive viewers to the Volvo website or dealerships for more information.  In all, a great use of social media for technological innovation.

Eye/Robot

As technology develops at an increasingly rapid pace, from smartphones to wearable devices to biotechnology, the implications of our dependency on technology becomes an even greater concern.  The implications not only apply to the effect on culture, but literally upon who and what we are.  Will we become cyborgs?  Will technology replicate us and become indistinguishable from humanity or will it surpass and dominate us?

While scientists, physicists and science fiction authors prognosticate on the inevitable technological takeover, the real answer may be: "not so fast."   A CBS News story describes how London police have identified “super-recognizers” to help in facial recognition of known criminals.  It turns out that certain people, using only their eyes, have the ability to perform facial recognition far better than any machine or software program.

It may be, then, that there are processes integrated between the brain, the eyes and all the things that make us human, over eons of evolution, that cannot be replicated with a computer -- that until we until we understand the very essence of the nature of the universe (which may be unknowable), we can never fully understand the depths of biological processes.

Or it may be that the study of “super-recognizers” becomes another step towards understanding how to replicate biology and “The Matrix” really is not so far away.

Data Speedometer

The conversations that surround social media and data mining generally focus on how organizations gather information on consumers.  In this model, consumers are considered at the bottom of a top down power hierarchy.  However, social media allows for this power structure to be turned around.

I read an article this week about how the FCC plans to release a "Speed Test App" the crowdsources mobile users to report on data speeds to measure the extent to which wireless providers are able to deliver on their data speed claims.

There still seems to be some skepticism on the app's ability to accurately measure actual data speed delivery, but the larger picture is an illustration on how crowdsourcing via social media can democratize the power of data mining.  In this example, consumers have a very real ability to monitor and hold organizations to the services they promise.  As a result, organizations are forced to operate more transparently.  As transparency necessitates communication, a two-way relationship in formed reinforcing the democratization process.

While this power cycle may be a somewhat utopian vision of social media's affect on the relationship between organizations and publics, it is a very real demonstration on how social media technology can drive the process of democratization.

Flea Market Online

Recently, IKEA ran a campaign that allowed customers to sell their used furniture via an online flea market through IKEA’s Facebook page.  The used furniture was also marketed by IKEA’s ad agency, SMFB, via broadcast, print and outdoor billboards.  The aim of the campaign was to encourage customers to sell their old furniture to be more sustainable rather than simply discarding them. 

The campaign was a great example of how organizations can use social media to achieve multiple goals simultaneously.  By launching a campaign aimed at sustainability, they improved their reputation in the community.  They built trust with their customers by involving and engaging with them, and helping them sell their items while taking no fee for themselves.  Finally, the reputation and trust they built might have resulted in additional sales for those who sold their furniture and might be in the market for new items.

Any organization can learn from this example and it’s employment of the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit.