I found this article from The Guardian interesting.  You can’t debate it.  The Internet has given people a platform for anonymously spewing negativity and vitriol in a way they most likely wouldn’t when faced with a ‘real human.’

Psychologists call it ‘deindividuation’ – what happens when social norms are withdrawn because identities are concealed.  It’s covert bullying, and it sucks. If you’re a parent of a kid who uses SM and dig into it, you’ll see it firsthand.

But I have found myself inspired by so many stories of how the Internet has been the vehicle for bringing people together for good.

I was struck by a story of a family who, after finding a paystub with someone’s identification hundreds of miles away from the site of a Midwest tornado, used the Internet to track down its owner, formed a relationship and lent assistance to a family who had lost all.  Similarly, I was blown away by the support that poured in to help Bertie County when @ProjectHDesign put the call out to their followers.

Then, there’s the Japan Earthquake that yielded too many social media miracles to count.  There’s organizations like Kiva. Social good websites aimed at kids. Even a program we helped create: 1 Million 4 Anna

There are two sides to every coin.  Here, both are readily evident.

The Internet has changed how we communicate: the way you use it, the way you teach your kids and companies to use it, can change the world…and each of us too.

So, our gift on this auspicious occasion?  Well, Firehouse was happy to contribute one of the visuals for the 500th post, creating a background by blending key images from posts of the past.  Congratulations again guys.

Anyway, in keeping with my NBA theme, you gotta check out these spots if you have not already seen them.  They were originally done for the NBA Cares charity program, but they were so great that their appeal was broader than that and they ran to simply promote the NBA.

I believe there were 5 spots in the set.  Three were just okay and then there were these two.  And they are amazing.  This is essentially what we do for a living and yet, the first few times I saw these 2 spots (one featuring Kevin Durant and the other Steve Nash), I sat mesmerized.  And then I sat there and tried to figure out how they pulled it off.  Even with the technology and what we can do today, you still have to have the idea and combine it with the commitment to the details.  It is how you turn the good into great.

The premise is that of an NBA fan, sometimes young, sometimes not so young – paying a visit to an early “pre-NBA” version of Nash in one and Durant in another.  The soon to be superstars listen in casual disbelief as the visitor from the future tips them off to the NBA future that is in store for them.  I can’t do it justice.  Just plain super cool stuff.  See for yourself:

As I understand it, the praise goes out to Goodby Silverstein and the creative team of Eric Boyd and Andy Dao.  Lead Creative Director Jamie Barrett too.

Well done folks.  And more important – Let’s Go Mavs!

First off, the keynote and closing speakers were both great picks, delivering unique perspectives that illuminated how to do what creative thinkers do better.

Author, technologist, all-around smart guy Steven Berlin Johnson kicked things off with a talk about the nature of breakthrough ideas – they are rarely a lightning bolt, rather a slow soaking rainstorm, an accumulation. He used the story of John Snow who discovered cholera’s water-born transmission to illustrate the power of “the slow hunch”. You have to give ideas time to grow. Google’s 20% policy, one day a week devoted to free, company- but not job-related thinking, was cited as one example of creating idea breathing room.  Also love the thought of giving staff a reading vacation – work time to read, think, connect ideas (even if what they choose to read is comics or beauty magazines). And like the notion of liquid networks – in short, an unstructured atmosphere for idea sharing (think coffeehouse culture).  Finally:  If you want to innovate, surround yourself with those unlike you instead of you-clones.

Closing speaker Emily Pilloton was downright inspirational. I love this woman. She doesn’t see obstacles, only ways around them.  An architect from San Francisco who moved to relatively impoverished Bertie County, NC, she committed herself to teaching design to high school students in an amazing hands-on way that ultimately helps these kids learn not only skills but self-worth. Implication: All of us have talents that can make a difference if we change our lens on how we apply them.  Emily is the founder and executive director of Project H Design.  Check them out and donate to help fund this important work.  I did.

Breakout sessions I attended focused on The Digital Lives of Multicultural Consumers; The Use of Mobile Tech at Retail; The Relationship of China and the US; The Similarities and Differences Between the US, UK and the rest of Europe; Redefining Aspiration and Aesthetics in a Post-Recession World; and the International Palate and what that may mean for US taste buds. I’ll share only some of the stickier thoughts here:

- Wonder if social media is right for a multicultural target? Was surprised to learn multiculturals pioneered SM in the early ’90s. It’s important is to recognize the motivations that drive engagement for multicultural consumers though. And they’re different.  Think Collectivism, Aspirations, Culture.

- There are a host of tag technologies – from Microsoft tags to Jag Tags to QR codes and several others – beginning to pop up in the retail environment. Don’t worry about learning the differences; natural selection will narrow the field. Instead, think about how to linking to content can provide real value to consumers…that’s the nut most brands seemingly can’t crack.

- The relationship between China and the US will be the one history books focus on in describing our time. We are set on a course I would best describe as symbiotic rivalry.  The Tiger Mom debate interestingly encapsulates so much of the culture clash baked into this relationship. Read “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and watch the education documentary “Race to Nowhere.”

- The cultural differences between people of various nations really can be linked back to values. And values would tell you some stereotypes are true.  Americans are fat; the only fatter country is Saudi Arabia.  Germans are anal, okay practical. Brits are really not over-sexed; a real Austin Powers just might bee-have. And, finally, perhaps the French are actually more insecure than arrogant. (Try boosting their esteem to win their elusive affections.)

- Some brands and properties are playing well to post-recession aspirations and aesthetics:  Anthropologie, Pinterest, Ace Hotel, and Club Monaco.  It’s about how they relate to Individuality, Heritage, Simplicity.

- Iconoculture has introduced a new macrotrend (not something they do often) called Mindful Matters™. It’s about people mindfully re-prioritizing what they buy, who they do business with and even how they live. Less can be more if it’s the right less.  Keep an eye out for how that’s manifesting in your world.

- Finally, the Brazilian Cherry or pitanga may be the next passion fruit; fish sauce an increasingly familiar way to achieve Unami.  And, FYI, I don’t recommend salmon jerky.

These are some sound bites. Find me and I’ll be happy to share more. All in all, some stuff you and I already knew, some I was happy to learn, and some I was inspired to hear. Such is the nature of conferences – at least the good ones.

Versus last year, this Iconosphere was more heavily attended by brand people versus agencies.  Guessing the economic climate may be driving some of that. That’s too bad. Lots to learn for those ready to listen.

The topics ranged from collecting local art (heyshari.com), to everything you wanted to know about redheads (@valerielm), to why you should own a dog (@dmburrows), to a compelling prison entrepreneurship program (@mikeorren), to the confessions of a Widespread Panic addict (@kacewrangler).

It made you think. It made you laugh. It was never boring. And it proved a great opportunity to connect with some interesting new people right here in our hometown.

We look forward to the next one coming this summer. Check back here or keep an eye on our tweets (@firehouseagency) for details.

The occasion was staged in the basement level of the Aloft Hotel downtown, a venue where complete lightless dark was easily achieved. Our server, like all working that evening, was legally blind – and the perfect hostess for helping us navigate a four-course, nearly two hour and utterly sightless meal.

There was some initial trepidation to be sure. More on Kim’s part, but probably the most disconcerting part for both of us though was the total trust you had to place in people (and food) you could not see.

As you might expect, your olfactory senses and taste buds work overtime when unaided by vision. Less predictable was how hard your eyes strained for light during those first ten minutes, how quickly you adapted to the darkness after that, and how you relaxed into the whole thing. Trusting the food, your server, and that your wine glass would be just to the northeast of your plate when you reached for it again.

To say it gave us an appreciation of what it would be like to be blind diminishes the immense challenges that must entail. It did provide a tiny taste though. It also gave us a new way to connect over a meal. And it awakened us to how sleepy your taste buds get when each flavor is forecast by sight.

Upon leaving, we were given a card that said: Dark is never black; just a deep, deep shade of red. The thought felt right – for Valentine’s Day and as summation of the whole experience. It was dark indeed, but we’re happy we took the chance to see things a little differently.

The fun starts at 6:30 on Wednesday, February 23 at the Granada Theatre. The evening promises some fast-paced enlightenment. To get a taste, check out these videos from past IgniteDallas events. Hope to see you there.