The following articles are my ideas and perspective around a number of different topics, though most of them relate to interactive design and the travel/tourism industry online. Enjoy!
"Only twenty-five percent of American respondents in a recent Ernst & Young study said that brand loyalty affected how they shopped. For established brands, this is a nightmare. You can never coast on past performance ... and the price premium that a recognized brand can charge has shrunk." – James Surowiecki, from "Twilight of the Brands" in the New Yorker
This presentation was originally given on January 23, 2015, in front of an audience of about 140 attendees at Outdoor Retailer, as part of the Outdoor Retailer Education Sessions. The presentation format and flow have been modified slightly to better fit our site vs. the presentation slide + speaking format at Outdoor Retailer.
On Friday, August 8th, we had the opportunity while at Outdoor Retailer to sit down for an hour with SmartWool and Nau to talk about brand, e-commerce, content, and how these things relate to the future of adventure brands online. We're expecting to upload video in the next few weeks, but in the meantime here is the presentation deck and some notes from the panel.
As an interactive agency and small business owner, there are many events and observations that happen in my life outside work that remind me of my life at the office. Such an event happened on May 31st when I ran the Timberline half marathon.
Back in November, 2013, I gave a presentation at the University of Oregon titled, VERSUS: Exploring Opposites and Choosing Sides in the Interactive Industry. Part 2 explores what "Interaction is Brand" means and the effect it has on our work. (This is the second in a series of five posts, taking the presentation and parsing it out in blog format.)
"We are focused on building tools to create Snow Falls everyday, and getting them as close to reporters as possible. I’d rather have a Snow Fall builder than a Snow Fall." – Quartz editor Kevin Delaney
Back in November, 2013, I gave a presentation at the University of Oregon titled, VERSUS: Exploring Opposites and Choosing Sides in the Interactive Industry. "Why Substance?" is the root of the presentation, asking the question on a number of levels... why Substance exists as a company, why Substance is the best interactive agency for our clients and prospective clients, why Substance is a great place to work... (This is the first in a series of five posts, taking the presentation and parsing it out in blog format.)
This was my first time at Outdoor Retailer, one of the world's largest and most comprehensive trade shows for outdoor and adventure brands. What I experienced there was overwhelming, inspiring, a bit puzzling, and the desire to purchase a ton of new gear. And I returned to Substance with some thoughts about the experience: the role of brand online for adventure brands, and the brand opportunities for retailer and consumer education.
Our job as an interactive agency isn’t to only tell inspiring stories, just as it isn’t to simply provide information. Our job is to blend inspiration and information to enable people to create their own inspiring stories. It’s not enough to tell the stories that matter. We aspire to more than that. Our job is to tell the stories that matter and drive people to action.