Thundersnow!

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Wow. The ludicrous actions of the general public never cease to surprise me.

To explain - we have been experiencing some drastic weather as of late. The media is of course blowing it out of proportion, but to be fair it has caused quite a lot of disruption to daily routines - such as bus services being reduced to minimal routes, if not cancelled completely, trains being cancelled, schools and universities closing and some local amenities closed until further notice. Roads are blocked quite badly with only main roads being cleared properly, and several cars have been stuck in my street. The latter however, has been enjoyable for me from the warmth of my house - as I have been stuck at home with no transport, and university and work closed.

It has also been the source of the explosive term infecting every corner of the internet at the minute - "thundersnow". As we have been experiencing heavy snow, it has caused thunderstorms to occur as well. It is unusual, and a first for most people, but the reason I think most people are so animated about it is because they just like saying it. Most people didn't know what was going on during the night when it first begun - I myself woke up confused, genuinely thought it was the apocalypse and went back to the sleep with the attitude: well I'd rather be asleep for this anyway - it's not like I have an arc to safely save all species in. A similar incident occurred when the snow slid off the roof and past my window. The building shook and I couldn't see a thing out the window, which left me in a state of panic for a moment or two!

For you lot who enjoyed geography at school - get your teeth into this one: 

Thundersnow: it got so badass it even struck the Police HQ! 

So, thundersnow aside (even I can't stop saying it), I went to my local supermarket today - as the buses were running for a short period - to get some vegetables to make some nice homemade soup. Nothing wild. I wasn't panicking. I was cold, sure, but not losing my mind. With layers on similar to what my Aunt has to wear while working in the South Pole - I ventured out.

Well. On arrival to the supermarket I realise that I am quite alone in my calm shopping technique. 

The shelves were bare. There was virtually no bread. The vegetable aisle was derelict, with all produce long gone. I half expected tumble weed. People had panic consumed the whole shop, and probably stolen the toilet rolls from the customer toilets as well. 

Social networking sites have been ablaze with stories of the psychotic antics of the public in and around Scotland during these arctic conditions, which provide quite a lot of hilarity and amusement. There have been sightings of people taking sledges to the local supermarket in Dunblane, as "they got milk delivered". 

I myself, don't understand this hysteria. It's as if it's an apocalyptic freeze over - the start of a new ice age. It's quite insane. Common sense has been completely lost, and panic consumerism has taken over. Even if you wiped the milk shelf clean out, buying 150 pints of the stuff - it would still go out of date in around 5-6 days. Logic has been catapulted out the frost covered window, not unlike a snowball.

If Tesco were a cartoon character - it'd have dollar signs in it's eyeballs right now. I'm not sure when I became such a cynic but I'm convinced they will be sneakily raising their prices to get more out of this somehow. Cue supermarket mavens, swooping in like the unappreciated superhero. 

But alas, it won't go on forever. Eventually normality will be restored and albeit it will remain cold, I will be able to continue with my normal routines. Studio, work, a quick bite to eat then sleep, repeat.

In the mean time, a good snow ball fight is on the cards - and lets face it, nobody gets too old for that. 

Design Studies: What Came First, The Viral Or Design?

While YouTubing my weekend away as it's too dark and miserable outside to contemplate socialising, I came across this:

It's everything I've been looking for. It's for The Conran Shop, and it's a Viral advert that promotes designers.

Rubber Republic are a UK based company, whose sister site - Viral Ad Networks - provide viral marketing. Above is an example of their work. 

Established in 2001 they have gathered quite an extensive and impressive list of clientele; including the likes of Channel 4, Nokia, Hewlett Packard, O2 and PlayStation.  They "seed" your campaign online, by "infecting" popular pages - so to speak. For example, they may post links in forums based around a similar topic, where people who tend to read the related threads would then click on the video out of curiosity.

They also have a blog, which I from now on will be following as I'm hooked! 

Below is another good example, by Viral Agency for FedEx:

I initially selected this topic as a derivative from the Airwalk Casestudy, which was brought up in The Tipping Point, where Lambesis came up with a marketing strategy to promote Airwalk in an entirely new radical way. I have since researched into this, and intend to research further, with respect to deriving how viral ads can aid design. So far, from the examples I have shown here in my blog, and from the many, many more examples I have seen myself, I am currently at the conclusion that viral marketing can promote any product or service. This means means it is suitable for design, as some design is in the form of a product ( product design, textiles, jewellery, etc.), whereas other aspects of design come in the form of a service (architecture, interior design etc.).

What I have also come to realise however, is that viral marketing itself is in fact - design. It can be film. It can be graphic design. It can be an installation. It can be a product itself that gets distributed to promote something entirely different. 

It's limitless and infinite, and I fear I have only touched on the tip of the iceberg! 

Design Studies: The Tipping Point

As previously mentioned two posts ago (in My Tipping Point), there are some things I need to add in order to complete my tasks for Design Studies.

The tasks are as follows (all relating to Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"):
Read the book
Mind map the book as a whole in small groups
Mind map an area of interest individually
Harvard Reference the end notes of your area of choice
Annotate your references
Highlight said references within your area of choice
Tie the references in to your mind maps
Post as a blog post

Jonathan had also warned us that merely ticking the above boxes would only gain us a pass at a D level. In order to increase our grade we must take things further, which I suppose is reasonable.

I have chosen to reference the entire book, as I don't like having just bit's of something like that done. I suppose normally it would annoy me but, since it will hopefully aid my final grade, I guess I don't mind so much.

As I have read the book, and posted my joint mind map previously, I will cut to my individual mind maps. I chose to map the whole chapter of "The Law of the Few". I subcategorised these into the subtitle of the chapter Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. The assignment had stated we do not need to do a whole chapter, just a selected area of interest, but as I couldn't decide I have done all 3. I have also chosen to map out the Airwalk case study and the Baltimore Syphilis outbreak.

Below are my mind maps of Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen respectively (including their references). Click to enlarge:

Connectors

Mavens

Salesmen

Above, in the Salesmen map, I have added in some well known salesmen that I have come up with, as I felt my map was not as full as the others.

My mind map of the Airwalk case study:

Airwalk Case Study

and finally, my Baltimore Syphilis outbreak map:

Baltimore Syphilis Outbreak

Below are my references by page they occur throughout the book. I have annotated the references used during "The Law of the Few" and the "Airwalk Case Study" in blue. References for the entire book can be found on my page entitled "Tipping Point Bibliography".

CHAPTER TWO: THE LAW OF THE FEW
Page 30:
Fischer, D. H. (1994). Paul Revere's Ride. New York: Oxford University Press.
This reference is used throughout the book to put Paul Revere into context as not only a Connector but also a Maven.

Page 34:
Milgram, S.(1967). The Small World Problem. Psychology Today. Vol. 1, p.60-67.
Relates to how are humans connected. Six degrees of separation test. 160 people from Omaha, NB to get their letter to a stockbroker in Sharon, MA. 24 made it, via the use of a Connector.

Kochen, M. (1989). The Small World Problem. New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corp.
Six degrees of separation.

Page 35:
Werner, C. & Parmlee, P. (1979). Similarity of Activity Preferences Among Friends: Those Who Play Together Stay Together. Social Psychology Quarterly. Vol. 42 (1), p.62-66.
Study showed 88% of people living in the Dyckman projects in N. Manhattan have their closest friends in the same building. People chose similar ages and races to them as friends. Univ. of Utah found people say they make friends with people who have "similar attitudes" when really it is that they live in a close proximity. 

Page 47:
Tjaden, B. Brett Tjaden Project. Available: www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/.
"Six degrees of Kevin Bacon" game. Tjaden created calculations to work out most connected actor, at the Univ. of Virginia. 

Page 53:
Granovetter, M (1995). Getting a Job. Chicago, USA: University of Chicago.
Sociologist found that 56% of technical and professional workers found their job via a connection. Only 20% applied directly.

Page 60:
Inman, J. J., McAlister, L. & Hoyer, W. D. (1990). Promotion Signal: Proxy for a Price Cut? Journal of Consumer Research. 17, p74-81.
Examples of things Mavens take note of. Signage in shops advertising low prices, but not actually cutting the price. Mavens would notice that this appears as false advertising. 

Page 61:
Feick, L. F. & Price, L. L. (1987). The Market Maven: A diffuser of Marketplace Information. Journal of Marketing. Vol. 51, p83-97.
Linda Price of Univ. of Nebraska pioneered in Maven research. Videotaped interviews with several Mavens. 

Higie, R. A., Feick, L.F. &  (1987). Types and Amounts of Word-of-Mouth Communications About Retailers. Journal of Retailing. Vol.63 (no.2), p260-278.
Research into what how Mavens shop.
Price, L.L., Feick, L.F. & Guskey, A. (1995). Everyday Market Helping Behaviour. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. Vol.14 (2), p225-266.

Maven personality research, backing up the above.

Page 74:
Mullen et al, B. (1986). Newscasters' facial expressions and voting behaviour of viewers: Can a smile elect a President? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol.51, p291-295.
1984 Presidential election. Pro Reagan ABC anchorman Peter Jennings persuasive news casting. Survey conducted between ABC, NBC and CBS viewers showed ABC viewers voted more towards Reagan. Salesmen example. 

Page 77:
Wells, G. L; Petty, R. E. (1980). The Effects of Overt Head Movements on Persuasion. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. Vol.1 (3), p219-230.
How persuasion can be subtle. Headphone test - students told to nod/shake their heads while "testing" headphones that played messages about rising education fee's. Nodders were pro edu. fee rise, shakers were against. 

Page 84:
Hatfield, E., Cocioppo, J. T. & Rapson, R. L. (1994). Emotional Contagion. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Mimicry is how this book claims humans infect one and other with their emotions. Emotions are not inside to out, they can be "caught" from outside and work inwards.

Page 85:
Friedman, H. (1980). Understanding and Assessing Nonverbal Expressiveness: The Affective Communication Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol.39 (2), p333-351.
Univ. of California developed the "Affective Communication Test" which aims to measure ones emotional "contagiousness'. Also related to persuasiveness. Highest mark is 117. Tom Gau, example salesmen scored 116.

Friedman, H. & Riggio, R. (1981). Effect of Individual Differences in Nonverbal Expressiveness on Transmission of Emotion. Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour. Vol.6, p96-104.
Further research into the above by Gladwell.

CHAPTER SIX: AIRWALK CASE STUDY
Page 196:
Ryan, B. & Gross, N. (1943). The Diffusion of Hybrid Seed Corn in Two Iowa Communities . Rural Sociology. Vol. 8, p.15-24.
Few famers were willing to take the risk with a new hybrid seed, however the when the risk paid off, the majority of famers followed suit. Example of "Early Adopters".

Rogers, E. (1995). Diffusion on Innovations. New York: Free Press.

Continued research into the survey above.

Page 197:
Moore, G. (1991). Crossing the Chasm. New York: HarperCollins. p.9-14.
Further research into the workings of the "Early Adopters" and their incompatibility with the "Early Majority". High end technology is used here an an example of products that have not "taken off" yet.

Page 201:
Allport, G. & Postman, L. (1947). The Psychology of Rumor . New York: Henry Holt. p.135-158.
Explores the rumour surrounding the Chinese tourist in 1945 Maine who was soon mistaken as a Japanese Spy during World War II. Three aspects - levelled, sharpened and assimilated.

Page 204:
Valente, T., Foreman, R. K. & Junge, B. Satellite Exchange in the Baltimore Needle Exchange Program. Public Health Reports.
The needle exchange program provided drug addicts with a clean way to use. "Super-exchangers" of drug Mavens used their connections around town to sell clean needles 24/7, when the van was unavailable. Dual outcome: addicts made money (employment), and the service also benefitted as it was more readily available. 

Design Studies: My Tipping Point

Epidemics.

When most of us hear that word we think disease. Media induced mayhem. Catch it, bin it, kill it. Quick, you might catch something. Keep your children indoors and immediately phone round all your elderly relatives to make sure they aren't feeling a little "off".

Swine flu. Foot and mouth. Sars. Even in my relatively short life I have been exposed to several epidemics.

But, after reading Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" I have come to understand epidemics in another fashion. Not only disease, but society's behaviour is also susceptible to epidemics, epidemics of trend. Human nature after all, is imitation.

Contagious. There is another disease ridden word. Again though, after reading The Tipping Point I have come to understand that epidemics of trends are contagious. Not unlike a virus. It takes over, spreading through the population, working it's way through vast distances.

The kid wearing the shoes you don't think are "cool" anymore. What are they thinking? Well, 5 months later those same so called "uncool" shoes are on your feet. Trends start by special people, rare people. People who don't mind being out there, different. The thing is, these trends may drift by, unnoticed in the business world. A huge opportunity missed, as not only did they miss a chance of propelling their own product onto the stage under the beaming lights of mainstream, but they of course, and perhaps more importantly to them, missed out on profit.

Airwalk did not miss out. They spotted it. Trendy Southern Californian teens were wearing their brand. They were making a reasonable profit out of this but they were hungry for more. But how to catapult you're brand into the mainstream, yet keep it's underground original cool-ness? Mainstream after all, it not where trends are set. Mainstream is where the lingering dregs of trends hang out. By the time it's in you're local mall, it's not the newest, coolest thing out there.

This was Airwalk's issue.

So they hired a marketing company to create innovative adverts. Not unlike the viral adverts seen today, they created odd, off the wall adverts, that were highly contagious. But this took a lot of behind the scenes leg work to make sure the right topics were brought up via the adverts. They needed the topics that the underground hipsters were interested in, before it hit the fan of mainstream. This is where DeeDee Gordon comes into the picture, as she was another special type of person. Infact doubly special as she was two types out of the three types that The Tipping Point splits people into. Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. These are the three categories rare people fit into, and the types of people who are required in order to tip a trend over the edge and into an epidemic. She is both a Connector - somebody who collects acquaintances and knows many more people than the average person - and a Maven. A Maven is someone who knows a lot. She is somewhat of a fashion Maven. Somebody who has the power of knowledge and has the ability to know when something is going to take off. Due to these traits, she was able to keep tabs on underground trends and use them through Airwalks adverts, early enough that it was new to Joe Public, but cool to the underground scene.

Thanks to the series of ad campaigns, Airwalk seen their peak profit tip $175 Million a year.

Pretty clever really. All by expoiting certain personality traits. This line of attack is seen every day in todays marketing world, although done subtly enough, you probably are blissfully unaware. Yet I'll bet you trudge as I do like a robot and buy whatever has been made into a fashion must have. Be it technology, fashion or a number of other things. Some epidemics are a matter of fate, such as the Baltimore Syphilis outbreak, yet others are constructed to happen with the benefits for the tippers themselves exponential.

Airwalk is only one of several topics brought up throughout Gladwell's "The Tipping Point".  It puts several example epidemics into the context of Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen, and explains why some trends take off, while others sink. The drop of crime in New York City during the 1990's. The Syphilis outbreak of Baltimore. The Hush Puppy trend. The Suicide epidemic of Micronesia. Paul Revere during the American Revolution, the examples are endless.

For Design Studies - part of our task was to mind-map the book and then select an area in which to mind-map further. Below is my joint one with Ross, with my own one to follow shortly. I have selected Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen as I find that the most fascinating area.