030: Have I been amassing data for this long?
[After - Session 09] Despite being enabled more and more each day—we still have ideas to bring into the world
I started blogging in 2007 after appreciating
’s blogging on all things interactive and design. Once I started contributing, I met so many generous thinkers through their blogging and commenting. And then in 2008 about 40 of us gathered IRL for Blogger Social which was surreal. “It’s you! That person I’ve only known through comments to our respective blogs! You have a physical form!” We ate meals together, took the Circle Line boat tour together, did karaoke until 4:00am together. All because we had taken the leap to publish words on the Internet.I love the word “blog.” I find it hilarious as noun and verb and title. “Newsletter” lacks the same weirdness. But here we are. I write this newsletter, and still maintain the blog for other types of thinking out loud.
This morning I had coffee with my friend Robb, who is—speaking of firsts—the first art director I ever collaborated with. We had a robust conversation around this week’s theme: Data, and all the generative-AI tech. Robb still has the first Apple Watch, but is eagerly exploring Midjourney’s capabilities. He makes gorgeous leather goods by hand, and welcomes what AI can enable. I admire his diversity of discipline.
Walking out of the coffee shop I had two observations:
1️⃣ We’ve always had data. What’s changed, and rapidly, is our ability to access and synthesize it, to leverage it. The brilliant planner Julian Cole just authored a handy guide to “The Best A.I. Tools For Strategists.” What! A! Gift! And not just for strategies, but honestly anyone working within the advertising value chain.
2️⃣ Ideas still matter. Profoundly matter. And A.I. isn’t yet capable of walking into The Fog to locate a relevant, admirable, and business-changing idea day after day after day. Alas, humans still have work to do.
Tomorrow I’m presenting to an AdFed group in Waterloo, Iowa. We’re going to continue the conversation around pivotal moments.
Our next major theme in the ongoing saga that is the future of advertising will be e-sports and gaming. I’m thrilled Marty Wetherall, co-founder and CEO of LeagueOS, will be joining us to share his wisdom.