Από τον Γκαίμπελς στα social media…

Η ανάγκη για ενέργειες χειραγώγησης των πολιτών είναι αρκετά παλαιά. Όπως έλεγε και ο Αμερικάνος ανιψιός του Φρόυντ από το 1920, κύριος Μπερνάις (Edward Bernays, The Engineering of Consent ): «Η συστηματική χειραγώγηση της συμπεριφοράς και των πεποιθήσεων των μαζών είναι απαραίτητη στις δημοκρατίες, από αυτούς που είναι στο παρασκήνιο και ουσιαστικά ηγούνται», δηλαδή τις ελίτ. Αλλά και ο ίδιος ο Γκαίμπελς, μεγάλος θεωρητικός της εποχής του στα θέματα προπαγάνδας, έλεγε το 1940: «Αν και είναι καλό να κατέχεις την εξουσία η οποία βασίζεται στα όπλα, είναι καλύτερο και πιο ικανοποιητικό να κερδίζεις την καρδιά του λαού και να την κρατάς». Την ανάγκη χειραγώγησης των πολιτών τη γεννούσε ο κρυφός φόβος κυβερνήσεων / ελίτ κ.λπ., για ενδεχόμενη εξέγερση των μαζών, ή η επιθυμία τους να επιτύχουν την ύπνωσή τους. Μπορεί κανείς να βρεί ολόκληρο το άρθρο ΕΔΩ.

Δημοκρατία και Τεχνολογία – Η εποχή της “μετα-αλήθειας”

Η 15η Νοεμβρίου 2016 θα μείνει στην ιστορία ως η “μαύρη ημέρα” για την Δημοκρατία.Ήταν η ημέρα που το Oxford Dictionary ανακήρυξε ως λέξη της χρονιάς την λέξη της “μετα-αλήθειας” (post-truth). Τούτο, κατά το λεξικό, για να χαρακτηρίσει μια εποχή, την εποχή της “μετα-αλήθειας” όπου «τα γεγονότα μετρούν λιγότερο από το συναίσθημα», όπως έδειξαν και η εκλογή Τραμπ το 2016, αλλά και το Brexit στη Μεγάλη  Βρετανία.

Το νέο σημείωμά μου στο slpress, για όσους θέλουν να συναντηθούν μαζί του ΕΔΩ.

Weapons of Math Destruction: A fascinating, timely, book by Cathy O’Neil

Weapons of math destruction, are mathematical models or algorithms that claim to quantify important traits: teacher quality, recidivism risk, creditworthiness but have harmful outcomes and often reinforce inequality, keeping the poor poor and the rich rich. They have three things in common: opacity, scale, and damage. They are often proprietary or otherwise shielded from prying eyes, so they have the effect of being a black box. They affect large numbers of people, increasing the chances that they get it wrong for some of them. And they have a negative effect on people, perhaps by encoding racism or other biases into an algorithm or enabling predatory companies to advertise selectively to vulnerable people, or even by causing a global financial crisis. But as the book suggest the mathematics of big data increases inequality and threatens democracy.  More here and at  http://amzn.to/2clQHXG

Economics, in the last decades, has been harmful for most people?

As Chang  had put it in Guardian: “Economics, as it has been practised in the last three decades, has been positively harmful for most people.” !! “Economists are not some innocent technicians who did a decent job within the narrow confines of their expertise until they were collectively wrong-footed by a once-in-a-century disaster that no one could have predicted.” Far from being an inward-looking, hermetic discipline, economics has been a hugely powerful – and profitable – enterprise, shaping the policies of governments and companies throughout much of the world. The results have been little short of disastrous” . A great book, a must read, for all thought leaders. Ha-Joon Chang, Prof at the University of Cambridge,  is one of the leading heterodox economists and institutional economists specialising in development economics . 

A Professor at Cambridge that  is analytically debunking the myths of capitalism in his book “23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism”. A must read.

See more here. 

10 trends that will shape consumer behavior in 2013 and their implications for MarCom people

JWT recently released the eighth annual forecast of key trends that will shape or significantly impact consumer mindset and behavior in the near future. No need to elaborate why such trends have considerable impact in the MarCom strategy of every company in our times.

In this year’s report, new technology continues to take center stage, as we see major shifts tied to warp-speed developments in mobile, social and data technologies. Many of our trends reflect how businesses are driving, leveraging or counteracting technology’s omnipresence in our lives, and how consumers are responding to its pull. However, what should be noticed in the 2013 report, is the fact that MarCom people are for the first time pay attention  on happiness and  well-being and how businesses are addressing it for marketing and real good purpose. Happiness  was a favorite  theme in the book  ‘Nice’ Capitalism four years ago ( you can also download for free ) and a popular topic of many posts in this blog. See more about the ten trends, here . For  stories about the new breed of superior brand species, ie Nice Brands, follow us also in Twitter .

Nice Brands Finish First ? - The Emergence of New Species in the Brand Ecosystem

Analysis is showing that brands today, contrary to what is widely believed are forced both off the market and out of the hearts and minds of people. A number of emerging forces or "known unknowns" have been identified that could have extreme and devastating effects on brands. This leads to the emergence of a New Species in the Brand Ecosystem and the rise of "Nice Brands", a clear winner in the new "brandscape" in comparison to their "Arrogant Brands" counterparts. How to address this colossal corporate threat is a huge challenge for modern corporate leaders and the "Nice Way" strategy proposed could create a clear competitive advantage in our turbulent times. The above was the key massage of the presentation by Costas Kataras at BRANDNEWDAY Conference in Brussels few weeks ago, at the Royal Flemish Theater. At the event were presented new platforms, the shift towards social, content marketing, conversation management.The integration of new media with the classics and the ever changing redefinition of life values by consumers make it both interesting and tough to truly understand the needs of the consumer and to act on them. What's the future of brands and what kind of role does advertising play in it, was a common theme in most discussions. Some of the marketing world's foremost thinkers and talkers concerning this future minded topic presented, including Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive Officer of WPP Group, as opening key-note speaker. To learn more about the Nice Brand paradigm in the emerging new brand ecosystem download for free and read the book “Nice” Capitalism- A Secret Journey to the Death of the Arrogant Brand” click here . If you want a copy of the presentation by Costas Kataras send an email at: info@costaskataras.org or click here. For a Darwinian approach to the essence of the “Nice” Paradigm, see a video series by Richard Dawkins titled “Nice Guys Finish First” here.

"Cradle to Cradle" : A biomimetic approach to the design of products that calls for radical changes for corporations and brands

In Cradle to Cradle, authors McDonough and Braungart argue that the conflict between industry and the environment is not an indictment of commerce but an outgrowth of purely opportunistic design.C2C is a biomimetic approach to the design of systems. It models human industry on nature's processes in which materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms. It suggests that industry must protect and enrich ecosystems and nature's biological metabolism while also maintaining safe, productive technical metabolism for the high-quality use and circulation of organic and synthetic materials The design of products and manufacturing systems growing out of the Industrial Revolution reflected the spirit of the day-and yielded a host of unintended yet tragic consequences. It calls for a radical change in industry: a switch from a cradle-to-grave pattern to a cradle-to-cradle pattern. It suggests that the "reduce reuse recycle" methods perpetuate this cradle-to-grave strategy, and that more changes need to be made. The book discourages down-cycling, but rather encourages the manufacture of products with the goal of up-cycling in mind. This vision of up-cycling is based on a system of "lifecycle development" initiated by Braungart and colleagues at the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency in the 1990s: after products have reached the end of their useful life, they become either "biological nutrients" or "technical nutrients". Biological nutrients are materials that can re-enter the environment. Technical nutrients are materials that remain within closed-loop industrial cycles. The book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality—in cradle to cradle cycles. See also a video with Williams McDonough at TED.

The European Year of Volunteering 2011 : Make a difference

The European Year of Volunteering 2011 is both a celebration and a challenge. It is a celebration of the commitment of millions of people in Europe who work in their communities during their free time without being paid – for example in schools, hospitals, and sports clubs, protecting the environment, providing social services and helping people in other countries. Their efforts and those of the many thousands of volunteering organisations make a huge difference to our lives in countless ways. The world would be much worse off without volunteers! The EYV is also a challenge to the three-quarters of the European population who do not do any volunteering. Learn more how to make a difference here.

Income inequality and the global crisis

Michael Kumhof, Deputy Division Chief, Modeling Unit, Research Department, IMF and Romain Rancière, Associate Professor of Economics at Paris School of Economics are apocalyptic regarding the origins of the financial crisis in a recent article (06/02/2011, VoxEU) and are fully supporting now the ideas and similar findings and forecasts of Costas Kataras as described in his latest book “Nice Capitalism” (2008). The two authors are saying that “ of the many origins of the global crisis, one that has received comparatively little attention is income inequality. This column provides a theoretical framework for understanding the connection between inequality, leverage and financial crises. It shows how rising inequality in a climate of rising consumption can lead poorer households to increase their leverage, thereby making a crisis more likely. The US has experienced two major economic crises during the last century – 1929 and 2008. There is an ongoing debate as to whether both crises share similar origins and features (Eichengreen and O’Rourke 2010). Reinhart and Rogoff (2009) provide and even broader comparison. One issue that has not attracted much attention is the impact of inequality on the likelihood of crises. In recent work (Kumhof and Ranciere 2010) we focus on two remarkable similarities between the two pre-crisis eras. Both were characterised by a sharp increase in income inequality, and by a similarly sharp increase in household debt leverage. We also propose a theoretical explanation for the linkage between income inequality, high and growing debt leverage, financial fragility, and ultimately financial crises”. “Nice Capitalism” is a truly prophetic book . You can now download for free here or to order from Amazon.

When the Social Media Bubble Burst

The social media bubble is about to burst says Axel Schultze, social media practitioner, author of “Channel Excellence”. People are recognizing already that the endless hours of watching the incoming streams from Twitter and Facebook or all the status updates on LinkedIn are hours wasted. All the paid tweets and people or agencies, who have been hired to tweet are not going to contribute to the bottom line. And the fan pages people build to get "fans, followers, connections" are just hopes that it will do something for the business – but it won't.

Axel seems to have a lot of supporters. "Despite all the excitement surrounding social media, the Internet isn't connecting us as much as we think it is. It's largely home to weak, artificial connections, what I call thin relationships", says Umair Haque, author of The New Capitalist Manifesto: Building a Disruptively Better Business, in the Harvard Business Review .During the subprime bubble, banks and brokers sold one another bad debt — debt that couldn't be made good on. Today, "social" media is trading in low-quality connections — linkages that are unlikely to yield meaningful, lasting relationships, says Umair. Further on, Social Media Advertising it seems that is in early infancy, too: represents less than 1% of global industry total, says a recent Deloitte report. Despite the fact that social networks look likely to surge through the 1bn user mark in 2011 and will deliver 2trn advertisements, Deloitte predicts that advertising revenue will remain at a US$5bn, or US$4 per member. It says this represents less than 1pc of the global industry total.“That’s a slow start for the technology sector’s next big thing which has promised greater rewards. The decade-old phenomenon of search advertising and perhaps the billions of stated 'likes' on social networks does not translate into tangible purchases. It is early days for this fast-growing sector which could yet be used as e-commerce spaces or payment platforms while the strong trust element that social networks command amongst users could be harnessed by advertising companies and their clients,” explains the report.

Fashion and Social Conscience: Prestige vs Practices of the Brand.

Most of us have an inherent need to be accepted and will alter the way we present ourselves and our buying habits accordingly, says Yoan Massie in an interesting article about the world of fashion. Over history, the following of fashion and trends has been more about personal validation, self-expression and social acceptance rather than practicality or economy. Today, is this still the case? In the present economic climate, there appears to have been an adjustment of values from the everyday consumer. The onset of the global financial crisis (GFC) has been a driver for shifts in the ‘luxury vs. necessity' boundaries. And Mr Massie continues: “Business guru and author, Costas Kataras points out: "Brands are no longer about products, services or experiences but have risen to a ‘pseudo-status'. There is deep engagement of the human psyche with brands. The consequence of the human encounter with brands by far exceeds the simple transaction at the shop, and affects the future of society and its well-being." In an economy fuelled by uncertainty, cash-strapped consumers are favouring simple pleasures, frugality and conservation over extravagant indulgences. Materialistic culture has been rejected and even people who have the money to spend, appear much more hesitant about showy displays of cash. It seems the latest essential fashion accessory is a social conscience. ‘Eco-chic' is a term that has become increasingly prevalent. Defined as combination of trendiness and environment, being eco-chic is not just a look, but a mentality. Nowadays it seems as though purchase decisions have less to do with the prestige of the brand and more with the practices of the brand. Read the fuel article by Yoan Massie “The Death of the Bling” with clear reference to Costas Kataras’s book and the “The Death of the (Arrogant) Brand” .

"Crisis as an opportunity": A speech of hope at the Graduation of the Nottingham Trend University

That was the theme of the speech of Mr. Costas Kataras, key-note speaker at the Graduation 2010 ceremony of the Nottingham Trend University, at the Goulandris Center in Athens,18/06/2010. Mr. Kataras suggested that although we are now living in turbulent times, a new set of opportunities emerge which will force the new graduates to develop new strategies for personal development and advancement that, finally, will lead to a prosperous carrier. A carrier beyond borders and with a cosmopolitan touch , a long tradition and competitive advantage of great business figures in the country. Hippocrates from the ancient times was suggesting that crisis is a prerequisite for the cure and life. In some other languages, the word crisis is the same as the word for opportunity. Of course, both the above ideas involve some element of danger or risk, that graduates must be prepare to embrace. Present at the ceremony were guests, graduates, diplomates and academics, including the Vice-Chancellor of the Nottingham Trend University, Prof Neil T. Gorman.

Is Internet making us stupid?

Do you think the Internet has altered you mind at the neuronal, cognitive, processing, emotional levels? Yes, no, maybe. Philosophers, scientists, writers, journalists reply to the Edge annual question 2010, in dozens of texts . In the summer of 2008, American writer Nicholas Carr published in the Atlantic Monthly an article under the title Is Google making us stupid?: What the Internet is doing to our brains, in which highly criticized the Internet’s effects on our intellectual capabilities. The article had a high impact, both in the media and the blogosphere. Edge.org – the intellectual online salon – has now expanded and deepened the debate through its traditional annual challenge to dozens of the world’s leading thinkers of science, technology, thought, arts, journalism. The 2010 question is: “How is the Internet changing the way you think?" They reply that the Internet has made them (us) smarter, shallower, faster, less attentive, more accelerated, less creative, more tactile, less visual, more altruistic, less arrogant. That it has dramatically expanded our memory but at the same time made us the hostages of the present tense. The global web is compared to an ecosystem, a collective brain, a universal memory, a global conscience, a total map of geography and history. More than 120 scientists, physicians, engineers, authors, artists, journalists met the challenge.

Frontiers of Happiness

Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness, sharing some surprising tests and experiments . To watch this TED video click here. Dan , a Harvard psychologist, believes that in our ardent, lifelong pursuit of happiness, most of us have the wrong map. In the same way that optical illusions fool our eyes -- and fool everyone’s eyes in the same way -- Gilbert argues that our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy. TED is a global community that believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world and offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers.We are very pleased in this blog that we collaborate with this community and we look forward to contribute to it's motto "Ideas Worth Spreading".