The sharing has started, with an extraordinary morning.
The event started "easy", with an opening speech by Mr. Silva. Moved into "quick" with a thoroughly interesting speech by Mauro Porcini from 3M. Then, dipped into "engage" with an analog / digital presentation by the president of Moleskine America. And, finally we jumped into "thoughtful" with Karim Rashid, he talked while his work was streaming in the background.
The content started off light with "the big idea" coming out rather early. But, it quickly moved to the deep end of the pool with Mauro and Karim Rashid taking on "design thinking" and "designed experiences." The morning couldn't have been packed with a more gratifying meal of intellectual content. And, instead of coming away with that, "oh, I'm full" feeling, I felt like it was the right amount to get us all started.
Then, its into some more rational vs emotional conversations about research. The question was posed by John Silva, "Do focus groups really reveal purchase behavior?" Which, of course because we're research fascinated, we blogged about already.
The afternoon has now moved into a discussion around feminine hygiene products, which I'll leave for others to discuss. Though, Jennifer Westemeyer gave us a great perspective on the subject matter.
Now on to our friend Peter Routsis of Benjamin Moore. Great presentation with insights into where brands originate, "your brand is your culture."
And, what a better way to finish than a behind the scenes on how the Old Spice campaign came to life. Nicely done, thank you Wieden + Kennedy for all your contributions to our culture.