Mind-blowing technology and is BMW sniffing at Aston Martin’s heels again?
Want to see something incredible? Got seven minutes?
For techheads, this video is a phenomenal representation of what can happen when software takes advantage of collective information. Why does Photosynth work? It’s not just because it’s spectacular technically; it’s because it uses the community as its data source.
As Marc Andreessen writes in his blog:
No single closed service, no matter how good, and no matter how big, could compete with the diversity of thousands and then millions of web sites that were customized to every conceivable user interest and need.
Marc was referring to FaceBook and the ability of developers to create custom apps on their platform, but I think that statement can be easily applied to this general concept:
Software and products that take advantage of our collective dataset and creativity will always be more powerful than software with a private dataset.
If you don’t believe me, try Apple vs. PC, Britannica vs. Wikipedia, or, for that matter, Web 2.0 vs. Web 1.0.
For car buffs, notice anything about the content of the Bimmer ad? Like that it doesn’t refer to BMW at all? The German auto manufacturer quashed rumors last year about being interested in buying Aston Martin, but I can’t imagine that this ad could be a coincidence or a mistake, especially since it’s at a conference sponsored by BMW.
Ford recently sold their stake to a consortium including some Middle East heavyweights—could they be looking to flip it?
June 29th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Fuel from dreams! The ultimate!
BMW seems to have invested in building a top-notch team to position their brand.
There’s a lot of anthropology and science put to use, and neurology. Using EEG or MRI tools to learn about the brain, advertisers are becoming sophisticated. I think BMW may be leading the pack.
Millward Brown posted an article describing some new directions in hoisting today’s brands.
Engaging Consumers’ Brains: The Latest Learning
http://www.wpp.com/WPP/Marketing/ReportsStudies/Engaging+Consumers+Brains.htm
June 29th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Brian,
Thanks for that article! For anyone reading this who is interested in brand engagement and consumer experience, I would recommend following the link Brian put up. What I like about it is that it’s giving marketers scientific reasons for why they have to respect their customers, adapt to the medium, and otherwise engage in behaviors that we all instinctively want anyway as consumers. In other words, there’s no suggestion that in order to get our attention marketing messages should be louder, more obnoxious, or more in-your-face. Well done.
All the best,
Kaila
June 30th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I agree that the BMW has a bit of attitude when it comes to the automotive pecking order, but the fact that they put an Aston Martin ad in there was either a slip or somewhat of a joke. What\’s really interesting is that the main vehicle pictured in the ad was a BMW, but all the stuff below it was from Aston Martin models.
Atul
http://www.thingsivenoticed.com
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:04 am
Atul,
You got it! Why would they go to the trouble of inserting a BMW in an ad with an Aston model name at the top and Aston feature descriptions at the bottom?
I really think we might be the first to uncover their plot… we should buy shares in Aston while we have the chance.
Cheers,
Kaila