The Design of Experience: Recent Episodes
Fifteen4
Welcome to the Design of Experience: conversations about the ideas that make us feel a tribal devotion to the things we love.
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This one's about: Why simple is often always better. How we can all lose ourselves in a story. A subscription service for self-improvement. And personalized gastrointestinal care for long-term relief.
When it comes to designing experiences, when is it time to be direct and obvious versus painting the whole, elaborate picture? Can a website be clever and engaging, but also convey what's being offered within a few seconds?
In response to a recent Dr. J.J. Peterson webinar, Matt, Steve, and Emily discuss the brand and marketing messaging we encounter every day, what separates the good brand stories from the not-so-good ones, and wrap-up with a stroll through the digital world of some of the best (and worst) messaging for products being sold today.
Marketing answers the question of what do you do how does it make my life better and how do I get it? Branding answers the question of how does your brand make me feel?
- Dr. J.J. Peterson of Storybrand
Mentioned in this episode:
- Storybrand Webinar: 5 Things Your Website Needs to Grow Sales
- Madefor
- Evens
- Smartling
- kencko
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This one's about: Premium frying pans that come in soothing earthy colors, Ginsu knives, the Ron Popeil revolution, and snake oil. The allure and wonder of direct-to-consumer products. Are vegan gummies going to fix your anxiety? What about artisanal distilled non-alcoholic spirits? Do you really need a new pan? What if it comes with a special wooden spoon that hooks onto the handle? What are the key components of an influencer video pushing a new product? But wait, there’s more! Matt, Steve, and Emily discuss the current surge in DTC products, dunk on the ones we think are lame, and question the value of these industry disruptors.
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This one's about:Word '97 on a shiny disc, the creation of the New York Subway map, and the everlasting allure of an Eames chair. How has our creation of fast-paced workflows and iterations inside our workplaces affected our expectations and experiences outside our workplaces? Is there a correlation between time and effort vs. meaning and timelessness in design? Through referenced words of wisdom of both past and present (Marshall McLuhan anyone?), Matt, Steve, and Emily deliberate on accelerated workflows and their effect on our lives.
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This one’s about: baseball, complicated storylines and huge worlds made out of LEGOS, and the importance of mentors. Fighting the good fight in the name of Narrative, Narratology, and — if you will — Wordology. How does one decide to pursue the glory of copywriting? The power of embracing failure, just sitting down and getting started, and of course, keeping your eye on the ball.
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This one’s about: The golden age of Nintendo, Reebok Pumps, TMNT, and GI Joe. Vinyl may be final, but do album covers mean anything anymore? How do the interests and hobbies we have as youngsters inform what career choices we make? And more importantly, how many pairs of shoes does it take to be a superhero creative director? Do the weird moments of art school help one navigate the world of design? Take 24 minutes out of your busy day and learn what makes Casey Hawes tick.
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This one's about:The formative impact of Spielberg, Scorsese, and a father's love of film. The power of emotional storytelling and short-form content. How does a creative vision become tangible through a filmmaker's eyes? How does one craft something new and original in times like these? Join us for Sam Oddo's story and see why the passion behind a creative career path can be there all along yet undiscovered for a little while.
Take a look at Sam's and his team's most recent work
Hilton 100 Years of Hospitality Video
Blue Plant Brand Video
Bluebird Cocktail Room: A Brand Film
This one’s about:Six hundred dollar heated bidet solutions, the ever-present possibility of overnight disruptions, and the critical moment of becoming interesting and exciting. Why are shared beliefs between brands and customers so important? Should all brands seek to deeply understand why they exist? And what about generic products and boring, mature markets? Today, Steve, Matt, and Emily ask the hard question: should all brands pursue tribal devotion?
Further Reading
What is tribal devotion and why does it matter?
The Design of Experience: The Tribal Devotion Talk
This one’s about: Lemonade stands. How does the kid in Steve’s neighborhood need to rethink his approach to providing flavored hydration? Lazzberry Lemonade! Steve and Matt disagree on whether caring about people makes you a Marxist. AND… TADA! 5 steps to developing Brand Mindfulness. Today, Steve, Matt, and Emily talk about taking action!
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This one’s about: Being stuck in a moment with Bono and robot voices defining Ikigai. Executives recognizing and navigating change. The roots of mindfulness and what businesses and market leaders can learn from it. Ralph Waldo Emerson, concentric circles, Zen Buddhism, sales pitches… How can you move into different modes of operation based on shifting realities? Today, Steve, Matt, and Emily discern what Brand Mindfulness is and what it isn’t.
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This one's about: That trendy mindfulness thing, the moment of the Kodak moment, and rainbow unicorn soft-serve. What is the common trait of people and brands that weather the storms? Why is it worth it to pause...and look around? In a world where change is guaranteed, the power of adaptation (and the willingness to do it) has never been more important. But how can you adapt if you aren’t quite sure of who you are? Today, Steve, Matt, and Emily welcome Season 2 listeners with the first of a multi-part series on Brand Mindfulness.
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This one's about: Fu Manchus, podcast overpopulation, and the detailed Instagram breakdowns of a Whole Foods aficionado. What is it that you want to be? And—more importantly—what do you want to say? In the final episode of season one, Steve, Emily, and Matt discuss the secret sauce of podcasting.
We’ll dive into these ideas and questions as we reflect on the season:
Why do you really want to want to do this?
How to pick a topic: think both narrow and broad.
What do you have to offer?
Do you really know what your audience wants?
Do you need a script?
Does every episode follow the same format?
Do you have some genuine conflict?
Do your research and invest the time.
High quality editing is a must.
Invite some VIP guests (but don’t make every episode an interview).
This one’s about: Sales pitch knife fights, Wes Anderson slander, and the long awaited return of Creepy Joe. What is the true power of persistence? How can you be a big red X in a sea of white dots? Today, Steve, Matt, and special guest Joe, talk about how an intern’s mistake led to a lesson about the value of humanizing sales.
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This one’s about: Anthropomorphism and hot dogs. The psychology of sounds. Grating voices. The joy of the jingle. Why have jingles fallen out of favor? Will they regain their former glory or continue to be a form of self-parody? Today, Steve, Matt, and Josh discuss the rise and fall of jingles in advertising and riff on the importance of mnemonic branding.
Resources referenced in this episode:
Jingles
Liberty Mutual
LUNA
My Bologna has a First Name
I'd Love to be an Oscar Mayer Weiner
Armor Hotdogs
Wonder Bread
Burger King: Have it Your Way
McDonald’s: You Deserve a Break Today
KFC: Get a Bucket of Chicken
Cotton: (Aaron Neville)
Mnemonic Branding
THx
Netflix
Intel
Windows 95
Mac Startup Sound
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This one’s about: Witty copywriting, faulty car electronics, the role of music in advertising, the smell of crayons, and cars that float. How can a brand redeem itself after a worldwide scandal? Can we forgive a brand when it overdramatizes a crisis it created? Today, Steve, Emily, and Matt discuss Volkswagen’s evolution from the people’s car to a major lifestyle brand.
Resources referenced in this episode:
Doyle Dane Bernbach print ads for Volkswagen
Floating Beetle VW commercial
Fahrvergnugen VW commercial
Pink Moon commercial
Hello Light VW commercial
This one’s about: Cathead whimsy, avant-garde food establishments, and a nerdy J.K. Simmons. Why is humor so disarming and connective? How do you find the right kind of humor for a brand? Today, Steve, Emily, and Creative Director of Animation, Ryan Thurber, discuss the brilliance and timelessness of humor in the brand experience.
Resources referenced in this episode:
Fifteen4: Animation reel
Artist: Yayoi Kusama
Artist: Ed Ruscha
Artist: Andy Warhol
Bruce Cockburn: Humans, Fascist Architecture
Ryan O’Leary: How 3 Consumer Brands Use Humor to Create Memorable Brand Experiences
Fifteen4: The Adaptive Network video
Bankwest: Halo Payment ring commercial
Brian Regan: Pop-Tarts
Brian Regan: Reading
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This one’s about: Motorcycle gang morality, software taste testing, and Apple evangelism. Is culture more impactful than company strategy? How can you find what truly holds meaning for consumers? Today, Steve, Emily, and Matt discuss the consumer journey to tribal devotion.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
Tribal Marketing, Tribal Branding by Brendan Richardson
Slack’s $25 Billion Dollar Secret Sauce by Andrew Wilkenson
How I Built This with Guy Raz: Slack & Flickr, Stewart Butterfield
Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
Stages of Tribal Leadership cheat sheet
Nielsen Norman Group: Don Norman
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This one’s about: Redemption burritos, the Woke Washing Epidemic, and the striking similarities between guts and guac. How has authenticity become commercialized? What can seeing into a restaurant’s kitchen teach us about running a business? Today, Steve, Emily, and Matt get transparent about transparency.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Adweek: 3 Big Cannes Lions Takeaways Marketers Can Learn From
AdAge: Why top-to-bottom rebrands are all the rage
Upserve Restaurant Insider: The Naked Restaurant: Restaurants Bare All in Move to Transparency
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
This one’s about: The attitude adjusting powers of Woodford Reserve, the party scene in airport terminals, and moments of clarity in a P.F. Chang’s. What’s the ROI of a smile? How can anticipation and spontaneity take your brand from respected to preferred? Today, Steve and Emily discuss how the smallest moments can have the biggest impact.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Culture Blueprint by Robert Richman
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
How I Built This with Guy Raz | Zappos: Tony Hsieh
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni
Ideas to get you started on some little things:
Personalization
Anticipation
Familiarity
Empathy
Complimentary goods/services
Establishing trust
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This one’s about: Indestructible hot beverage containers, shooting Womp rats in a T-42, and the surprising positives behind cardboard pizza crust. What stories need to be told? How does a brand cast their buyer as the hero? Today, Steve and Emily talk about the elements of storytelling that resonate with human beings.
Resources referenced in this episode:
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
Reply All - a podcast by Gimlet Media
Diamondback Brewing Company - Locust Point, Baltimore, Maryland
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This one’s about: Parenting-induced time travel, The Cult of Anti-Instagrammers, and the definition of digital as told by Walt Whitman. Should you tell stories you don’t believe in? Are there analog experiences impossible to translate into the digital world? Today, Steve and Emily—and Matt, again—discuss how to discern genuine acts of authenticity in an age where being authentic is a trend.
Resources referenced in this episode:
http://manifestlydigital.com/
This one's about: The formative powers of Pacman, the ROI of custom shoelaces, and Amazon as a digital gateway drug. In an age where everything is accelerating and information is ambient, how do digital and analog coexist? How do online experiences translate into real life, and vice versa? Today, Steve and Emily—along with special guest Matt DeVille, Fifteen4’s VP of Digital—talk about the intersection of digital and analog worlds.
Resources referenced in this episode:
manifestlydigital.com
lilium.com
kubrick.life
Bruce Mau Manifesto
The Medium is the Massage
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This one’s about: Abercrombie and Fitch perfume warfare, The Disney World Underground, and the marketing power of the bathroom floor. Are brand experiences more powerful than products themselves? How do we uncover the crown jewels hiding in plain sight? Today, CEO of Fifteen4, Steve Smallman, and web designer/marketer, Emily Wolf, talk about the common threads that are woven into meaningful brand experiences.
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