Making Digital Work NYC The Role of the Creative Technologist

Scott Prindle, Crispin Porter + Bogusky

“The number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years.”

Gordon Moore, Intel co-founder, 1965

Moore’s Law

More processing power, falling costs

Source: http://www.staps.uhp-nancy.fr/informatique/eniac_fichiers/eniac4.jpg

http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/#gallery01

"The computer in my cell phone today is a million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful than the computer that we used at MIT when I was an undergraduate [1965]," he says. "That's a billion-fold increase. And we'll do that again in the next 25 years.”

Source: http://www.newsweek.com/id/197812/page/3

Ray Kurzweil

More storage, falling costs

Source: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_350.html, http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/storage.asp

5 MB in 1956

Source: http://www.sandisk.com/products/usb-flash-drives/sandisk-ultra-backup-usb-flash-drive

64 GB in 2010

Faster bandwidth, falling costs

Source: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/219665/february-24-2009/1997-flashback

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Free-Future-Radical-Chris-Anderson/dp/1401322905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260176820&sr=1-1

“The ‘triple play’ of faster, better, cheaper technologies – processing, storage, and bandwidth – all come together online.”

Chris Anderson, Free: The Future of a Radical Price

We’ve shifted from a traditional model

To a hybrid traditional/microsite model

To a growing digital ecosystem driven by complex software and algorithms

This ecosystem combines elements of brand story and brand utility

It makes sense then to integrate those who live and breath software and utility – creative technologists (programmers) – into your creative and strategic process.

The future of advertising?

Source: http://www.hulu.com/watch/19050/saturday-night-live-nick-burns

Culture clash at first

Technologists think in code

And think in left-brained, logical, rule-based constructs

If this condition is true

then do this

Else

do this

While this condition is true

then do this

Do this, this many times

And structured data and APIs

XML, HTTP, SSL, JDBC, AJAX, CSS, HTML, FBML, SQL, TCP/IP, FTP, RGB, W3C, ASCII, CAPTCHA, COM, API, CPU, CORBA, GPS, DHCP, XHTML, CSS, FAQ, GSM, WAP, GUI, GPRS, I/O, IP, ISO, KBPS, ITV, IVR, JPEG, MPEG, LAMP, MIME, WYSIWYG, XSLT, ZIP, "T3, TDMA, SMS, SMTP, SVG, RAM, PGP, POP

And speak in a long list of acronyms

And are relatively new to the world of advertising.

The technologist’s evolving bookshelf illustrates the transition into this space.

The early years: brochureware and the beginnings of ecommerce

Source: http://www.amazon.com/HTML-XHTML-Definitive-Guide-6th/dp/0596527322/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1291566619&sr=8-4

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Perl-3rd-Larry-Wall/dp/0596000278/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566664&sr=1-2

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Oracle-Database-Architecture-Programming/dp/1590595300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566696&sr=1-1

The emergence of digital branding: the microsite era

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Flash-CS4-ActionScript/dp/1430218118/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566723&sr=1-1

Web 2.0 and the rise of social media

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Ajax-Definitive-Anthony-Holdener-III/dp/0596528388/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291566750&sr=1-2

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Mashups-Strategies-Enterprise-Jeffrey-Hanson/dp/032159181X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291566772&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Facebook-Development-Successful-Applications/dp/0321637984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291566798&sr=1-1

We’re in the advertising business now.

Shouldn’t programmers know about traditional advertising?

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Ogilvy-Advertising-David/dp/039472903X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566827&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Kellogg-Advertising-Media-Bobby-Calder/dp/0470119861/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291566849&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Groundswell-Winning-Transformed-Social-Technologies/dp/1422125009/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566868&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Everybody-Organizing-Organizations/dp/0143114948/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566890&sr=1-1

Looking ahead: computing extends beyond the desktop

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Design-Development-Practical-Techniques/dp/0596155441/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566933&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/iPhone-SDK-Programming-Advanced-Development/dp/0470683988/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566956&sr=1-4

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Android-Introducing-Development-Programmers/dp/1934356565/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291566985&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-HTML5-Voices-That-Matter/dp/0321687299/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291567009&sr=1-1

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Everyware-Dawning-Age-Ubiquitous-Computing/dp/0321384016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291567028&sr=1-1

The role of the creative technologist

The creative technologist is a key member of the digital creative leadership team.

And helps lead projects from briefing, through concepting, system architecture, development, and final delivery.

1) The creative technologist leads strategic and creative thinking for brand utilities and platforms.

This isn’t throw away brochure-ware. These are major brand investments that need to be architected to live over the long term.

Source: nikeplus.com, fiat.com/ecodrive,www.dominos.com/pages/tracker.jsp

2) The creative technologist introduces emerging technologies into the creative concepting process.

A couple of years ago our toolkit was somewhat limited:

-  Flash

-  HTML

-  Video

-  Databases

Technologies in our now toolkit include:

-  Flash

-  HTML

-  Video

-  Databases

-  Mobile

-  Facebook

-  Twitter

-  Geo-location

-  Multi-touch interfaces

-  APIs/Mashups

-  Tablet devices

-  Augmented reality

-  Voice recognition and audio detection

-  Physical computing

-  Augmented reality

-  RFID

-  e-readers

-  interactive TV

-  automotive technologies

3) The creative technologist manages complexity.

The digital ecosytem is becoming increasingly complex.

The growing toolkit is becoming increasingly complex.

-  Flash

-  HTML

-  Video

-  Databases

-  Mobile

-  Facebook

-  Twitter

-  Geo-location

-  Multi-touch interfaces

-  APIs/Mashups

-  Tablet devices

-  Augmented reality

-  Voice recognition and audio detection

-  Physical computing

-  Augmented reality

-  RFID

-  e-readers

-  interactive TV

-  automotive technologies

And this can be intimidating and overwhelming.

With an in-depth understanding of core computer science and IT principles, this rapid change and complexity is manageable.

The client-server model

The web browser on your laptop is a client.

The smart phone app is a client.

The tablet device app is a client.

Then Internet TV is a client.

Source: http://www.facebook.com, insidefacebook.com

4) The creative technologist builds early prototypes to test ideas, interactions, and functionality.

This creates forward momentum and is very helpful in selling through ideas.

Dominos: visual builder prototype

Dominos: visual builder live

Source: http://www.dominos.com

5) The creative technologist enables an agile workflow.

This helps to ensure high-quality, on-time deliveries.

6) The creative technologist manages relationships with client IT stakeholders.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9197888/Why_CIOs_Should_Friend_CMOs, http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/trends/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227700221, http://www.cmo.com/leadership/cmos-cios-can-relationship-be-saved, http://www.chiefmartec.com/2010/10/align-or-redefine-the-cmo-and-cio.html

7) The creative technologist sparks creative thinking through emerging technology research and experimentation.

”Art, science, and play had merged into the magical activity of programming, with every hacker and omnipotent master of the flow of information within the machine.”

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Heroes-Computer-Revolution-Anniversary/dp/1449388396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291568052&sr=8-1

Steven Levy, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Augmented reality (AR) prototyping

BK: augmented reality banner

Baby Carrots

Source: http://www.babycarrots.com/

Baby Carrots

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqz9sQrFA4

Baby Carrots

Source; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bhq_NL6jL0&feature=related

Experiments with multitouch table

Experiments with the connected vehicle: Trike Plus

Experiments with the connected vehicle: Trike Plus

VW Fun Theory

VW Fun Theory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEKAwCoCKw

One happy family now

Technology will continue to bring about disruptive change in our business.

The creative technologist will play a lead role in creating ideas that carry across the rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.

-  Put technologists on your core strategic and creative leadership team

-  Include technologists in the full project life cycle – from initial research and briefing, through final project delivery

-  Hire technologists who know software architecture and hands-on coding

-  Hire technologists who can communicate and collaborate

-  Understand that making software is a significantly different process than making TV or print. QA is very, very important.

-  Be respectful of the complexity of the software development process

Points to consider when introducing technology into a traditional environment

-  Don’t hide behind esoteric acronyms and buzzwords

-  Enable ways to say ‘yes’

-  Don’t just say you’re creative, show it

-  Be respectful of the creative vision and strive for visual pixel perfection

- Use your knowledge of technology to make ideas better

-  Don’t promote technology for technology’s sake. Start with an idea and fulfill a business need.

- Study the advertising and branding business

-  Understand that frequent change is part of the creative process "

Points for technologists to consider when joining a traditional environment

Blogs - Creative technologist group on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2830357 - www.slashdot.com " - www.ajaxian.com "

Books - HTML and XHTML: The Definitive Guide, Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy - Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Steven Levy - The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary, Eric S. Raymond "

Good resources on technology

Thank you.