I’ve just spent two days in London at the Thinking Digital Conference, reflecting on ‘what’s next’ and ‘what matters’ in this crazy digital world I find my agency sitting in.
The theme, introduced by Founder Herb Kim, was ‘reconnecting with a growth mindset’ and is something close to my heart because as an agency we strive to put our clients first and help them grow.
The attendees were inspired, challenged and entertained by a whole host of talent on many topics including Twitter, coding, robotics, politics, science, dating and data, to name just a few.
However, the biggest thing I took away from the conference was the need for us all to focus on being more effective rather than more efficient.
I believe that we are in danger of being driven by technology in a way that is disruptive to our business and personal lives. It’s time to take stock and rethink what we are trying to do and how we want to do it. For me, that’s about reducing my teams dependence on email and encouraging us to reconnect in a more human way, living by our philosophy of P2P (people to people) and taking time to listen, have conversations and build relationships.
It’s why I started Clock in the first place – my passion for helping clients and their businesses reach their full potential – building friendships and brands along the way.
It’s also for me personally, about getting the balance back. Too much of my time is spent facing a screen and not being ‘in the moment.’ I know I’m not alone in this and many people I spoke with at the conference said exactly the same.
Carl Honore referred to this as ‘The Power of Slow’. He spoke about the importance of allowing yourself time to think in business and argued that it’s just as important as looking at statistics.
Another one of the speakers I particularly wanted to see was Rory Sutherland (@rorysutherland), one of my advertising heroes.
He describes himself as the fat bloke at Ogilvy. He’s actually the Executive Creative Director and rather clever. He talks and writes about psychology and why humans behave the way they do. I find it incredibly fascinating and if you get the chance go and see him or watch his TED talk then I’d certainly recommend it.
Rory’s talk ‘why the economists are always wrong’ really highlighted why so many business (and other) decisions are made based on statistics and not the all important human element.
One example he gave was when British Airways were trying to understand why business people weren’t booking flights out of London City. It later became apparent that the PA’s booking the flights for their bosses chose Heathrow because they believed they wouldn’t get sacked for choosing a major International hub over a small, regional airport. London City was seen as more of a risk and the stats simply couldn’t account for the emotive decision-making.
This is a big challenge for many of our clients as well. As B2B specialists we work with companies who deal with process, production and stats on a daily basis. Asking them to let us create work that taps in to the emotional as well as the rational mindset their customers and prospects have is sometimes a big ask and this was something Rory touched upon throughout.
People and businesses (run by people) are overwhelmed by technology and data, and although it’s incredible useful, it shouldn’t replace that human interaction.
However we have to be mindful of who we are talking to and what we want them to do and consider the emotion involved in their decision-making. The data alone won’t hold the answer, we first have to understand what the right question is and then put ourselves in the shoes of our customers.
I love the example of San Pellegrino and the lid they put on their canned drinks. The data would show it’s too expensive to have, however it is there to remind customers how special their drinks are. I buy it because it feels cleaner than other canned drinks, it has a layer of protection over the bit I will drink from and it taps in to my desire for freshness and shows that they care.
It’s a beautiful example of how data may have caused San Pellegrino to make the wrong decision and not have the foil lid. Fortunately, they’ve they’ve understood their customers emotional mindset and made the right decision because they put the customer at the heart of it.
So what is next?
From what I can see a return to good old fashioned values is needed. Put people at the heart of your decision-making, put yourself in the shoes of your customer and overlay data with emotion. Make time for real conversations and the people that matter. And remember, there is room for technology but the clever stuff is still being done by humans. For now, anyway.
Useful links
Thinking Digital London where you can watch the live stream
Carl Honore’s TED Talk ‘In Praise of Slowness’
Rory Sutherland Wiki Man for Spectator
Rory’s TED Talk
The post Inspiration from Thinking Digital London 2016 appeared first on Clock Creative.