The Fast and The Fleeting?
As Sean recently pointed out, I’ve been becoming more attracted to fast. Specifically, I’m interested in how people (and organizations made up of motivated and empowered people) are using speed to shape culture, build brands, and grow businesses. It started quite a while ago but thanks to a recent string of personal/professional experiences such as ESPN’s Olympics ad and Obama Baton, it’s right in the middle of my radar.
So you won’t be surprised that after last week’s historic election, I found two examples of crazy quick turnarounds particularly sweet.
First, after returning from hologram world (CNN’s set), will.i.am released this video the day after the election:
Second, the guys and gals over at South Park were completely topical with this episode, which aired less than a week after the election. From the article:
…their production team redefined the concept of timely scripted television entertainment. Talk about a turnaround! Even if Parker and Stone produced much of it in advance, the episode didn’t just acknowledge President-elect Barack Obama’s momentous win – it included specific references to Election Night, among them Obama’s destined to be historic acceptance speech.
Now the questions are around the effectiveness of producing and launching these fast-to-market (-media) content. For example, many are wondering: How fast will it be forgotten?
4 Comments to The Fast and The Fleeting?
hi fellow name-holder! some good points, and I like the idea of fast. IDEO uses “rapid prototyping.” that’s also the mindset of a lot (most/all?) of the web 2.0 companies.
but that last question “How fast will it be forgotten?” implies forgetting quickly is a bad thing. If new things are coming out much more quickly, do we NEED to remember as long? Or will we continue to sort through all the other noise in our lives and pick out what’s important to us?
hey seth! i’m a little guilty of wanting to do a “fast post” before bed and wanting to round it out so it didn’t become “check this fast shiz out.” :)
i don’t think forgetting quickly is a bad thing if you (or your company) can continually build on the “it” to create a more lasting impression. however, i do think the “quick hit” has become sexy – the second a branded youtube video reached 100,000 views it’s deemed a success. most clients and agencies wanted this to happen asap, so they didn’t have to worry of course but also so they didn’t have to monitor. and certainly, many have not thought out a plan for continuing connect with “the right” people.
i almost posted “how fast will it disappear?” but i’m a firm believer that the web remembers. that is, will.i.am’s first “yes we can” video has now be revived a bit and he + the cause have benefited from his follow up for new and repeat viewers.
so, i don’t believe we need to remember as long but i think we need to be reminded more often to have short and long term impact.
“short and long term impact.” exactly! get it done quickly, but don’t lose sight of where you’d like to be in a year or five.
p.s. I’m a fan of blog posts that aren’t all nice and buttoned-up. leaves room for discussion if you leave room for people to disagree.
[...] calls out the inevitable ethical issues in today’s ever murky…err…ing picture of media. The race for “first” amidst an abundance of information has made fact-checking harder than ever [...]
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November 12, 2008