Strands of Genius: Grow your Good, Behind The B Corp Counter, Big Data vs. Thick Data
Guest curated by Connie Lowman
Each year we aim to highlight 50 creative thinkers that have inspired us by giving them the opportunity to guest curate this newsletter, Strands of Genius. This edition is guest curated by Connie Lowman, Media Research and Insight Executive at Good-Loop.
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, CONNIE LOWMAN ::
LOCATION: London, UK
PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Good-Loop
Hiya, it’s great to be here. I’m Connie Lowman. University of the Arts MA Advertising 2021 Graduate and digger of opportunity in pretty dire advertising situations. For my Masters Final Major Project, (think dissertation but less conventional…or boring) I spent about nine solid months exploring the future of data collection as Google’s third-party cookies begin to crumble. And it was actually more riveting than it sounds. As I learnt more about the existing and proposed landscape of addressable advertising, I began to build a pretty morbid picture of the path we, the advertising industry, appear to be heading down. Both in terms of consumer privacy and advertising effectiveness. So, naturally, I wanted to speculate on how innovative technologies might be able to purposefully reenergize the sector...more on that later. But, this is how my path crossed with Rosie and Faris.
Now, I’m exercising this purposeful reenergization (new word, your welcome), with Good-Loop. As Media Research and Insight Executive, I’m part of the team aiming to turn advertising into a force for good, by building more meaningful connections between brands and people.
Editor’s Note (Team Genius Steals): Over the years, we've worked with Paul Caplan who is a Course Leader MA Advertising at London College of Communication. This year we're so excited to be introducing you to some of the students who've recently participated in his program. Their dissertations were thought provoking and have us excited about the future minds of our industry. Thanks for curating some great links, Connie!
:: THE LINKS ::
WOULD YOU GROW YOUR GOOD WITH SOCIAL BUBBLE?
How can brands build trust with Generation Z while serving personalized ads in a post-cookie and post-privacy world? Well, arguably they can’t while the relentless third-party cookies stalk you around the internet. Permutive found that while 60% of consumers were aware companies are buying and selling their data, “less than 20% of people are comfortable with this”. Now this paired with a measly 23% of companies having a formal post-cookie strategy, firms wanting to appease these consumers are going to be open new approaches of reaching and building partnerships with them. So, arguably, the advertising industry is at a turning point, where trust adopts an invaluable status in the post-cookie world to help rebalance the digital value exchange. In my MA Final Major Project, I founded Social Bubble. A start-up looking to revolutionize purpose in the data management space. Simply, Social Bubble is a browser extension. A browser extension that aims to bridge the gap between advertisers with consensual post-cookie ad personalization wishes while allowing browser users to get rewarded for exerting control over data sharing. Check out Social Bubble to find out more about the revolution! (Social Bubble)
BEHIND THE B CORP COUNTER
I've been following the B Corporation movement for a few years now and it's been extremely interesting to see how their 'benefit for all approach' has been brought to life...real life. Their approach to building an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for people and planet, although arguably not flawless, is challenging businesses to push themselves in an ethical direction to be and do better. A little while ago, I visited the B Corp 'Good News' store in the heart of Soho, London. With no products actually on sale, this PR pop-up experience incorporates upcycled materials and is stocked up with B Corp certified products that adhere to their inclusive, equitable and regenerative ethos, designed for all people and the planet. A super cool project brought to life in a super cool way. (B Corp)
BIG DATA VS THICK DATA
Thanks to my MA course leader, I was introduced to the wonderful thinking of Trisha Wang. Tech Ethnographer and Founder of Sudden Compass, who work to generate insights from big data. However, what is particularly interesting about Trisha Wang’s thinking is appreciation for human insights, which provide a very different opportunities for a world so deeply obsessed with number crunching and predictions. Throughout her research and in her TED Talk, Trisha Wang explores her definition of “thick data”. Thick data explores “precious, unquantifiable insights from actual people — to make the right business decisions and thrive in the unknown”. As I begin my career delving into the world of insights in a purposeful space, I feel understanding the human aspects of the space we are operating within is paramount and will give us answers that data alone can never comprehend. Ultimately, let people talk, not big data. Check out Trisha Wang’s Ted Talk to discover more on this thinking. (Trisha Wang)
Looking for more from Connie Lowman? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from Connie in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: Game :: Backgammon
:: City :: Antwerp, Belgium
:: Book :: Small Island by Andrea Levy
:: Podcast :: Freakonomics Radio
:: Album :: In Rainbows, Radiohead
:: THE BUBBLE IS SOON TO BURST ::
Well, that’s me for now. I hope my strands have given you slightly cynical, but also optimistic food for thought and an indication to how I will be navigating my identity in ad-land. If you want to chat about the future of a more purposeful cookie-less world, you can find me the old school way via my email address, or via my social media…Linkedin.
Cheers for having me,
Connie Lowman
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)