4th assignment - visiting professor

We have a new approach for the Account Planning School of the Web this time.

The splendid Grant McCracken has kindly agreed to be a visiting professor. I've asked him because:

1. He's smart and interesting.
2. I thought he'd set the kind of problem that would never occur to me (and he has)
3. He's been on Oprah.
4. You're probably getting bored of me by now (or at least have started to work out what I like, so this'll keep you on your toes)
5. I thought it'd be easier for me.

Grant posted his original thoughts on the assignment here (He even included a suggested reading list). Siince then we've been lazily exchanging emails to clarify the parameters of the task.

So here's the task as I understand it (Grant - chime in if I've missed anything).

Lifestyle Construction.

The task is "building a lifestyle." By "lifestyle" I mean the characteristic choices from media and material culture that a group of consumers uses to define itself and the world. I cast the net wide to include: the Rat Pack, Preps (in the 1980s), Sloan Street Rangers, Geeks, Chaps (see the website www.thechap.net), Mods, Rockers, Skinheads, Hippies, the New Georgians, and so on. You get the idea. (See the bibliography below for supporting documents and other suggestions.)

The Rat pack life style includes characteristic choices in how to conduct oneself in public (fist fights OK), a style of language (lots of beatnik talk), highly characteristic dress (styling suits with thin labels and ties), a defining way of thinking about and treating women, a very particular view of maleness, a very particular view of the world (self advertising mixed with deep solidarity, splashy, public, brawling) and so on. (How particular was this lifestyle versus other lifestyles of the postwar period? Try to imagine Cary Grant as a Rat Pack member, or any of the Rat pack guys as Cary Grant.)

I want APSW students to design a lifestyle from the ground up, specifying favorite music, films, novels, style of dress, home furnishing, style of speech and so on. Make it cohere in some ways. Make it inconsisent in other. Build in some contradictions. It is the latter two, as much as the first, that make a lifestyle live.

That's all a quote from Grant's post. Does that make sense? That's what you have to do. You have to construct an imaginary lifestyle segment. Give it a name. Imagine what brands they listen to. What movies they watch. What books they read. What condiments they favour. Whatever. Grant originally wanted to add some geographic criteria but I persuaded him that was too onerous. We are agreed though that you can't just create some youth or teen lifestyle. That's too easy. This has got to be a proper grown-up lifestyle choice, not a youth fad.

Is that all clear?

I have to say, I think this is a fantastic task. It's something I'd never have thought of. I think Grant will give you really thoughtful critiques, it'll stretch your brains mightily and - if you ever want to be a futurist - it'll be great practise. They seem to spend their whole lifes making up fake lifestyles.

The specific requirements.

1. You have to give your lifestyle a pithy, catchy name (the kind of thing you could imagine journalists ripping off.)

2. You have to write a 20 word capsule summary of your imaginary lifestyle.

3. You have 1,000 more words to describe the whole lifestyle and the array of choices your lifestylees make. (You are allowed, nay, encouraged, to write less.)

4. You may use pictures - but your document can't be bigger than 2MB. It must be a Word or Powerpoint file.

5. Email your answers to me, not Grant, I'm going to compile them all for him. (russell at russelldavies.com.)

6. The deadline is midnight (GMT) Feb 28th.

How does that sound? Exciting? I think so. I'm hugely grateful to Grant but I must confess to some nervousness, I want y'all to show him how great you are. Please, do me proud. And spend some time with Grant's blog. It'll be worth it.

That is all.

Comments

[Diana]

this is really challenging. it got my mind wandering around (big time) as i was reading the first words of the assignment.

[Emily]

This is fantastic! Can I play even though I've been a Planner for several years? Have spent a lot of time defining current lifestyles but never got to make one up before.

[russell]

Of course you can play. I'm thinking of having a go myself. See if I can do anything or if I'm just good at pronouncing on everyone elses.

[Grant]

Russell, this looks great. Looking forward to new species springing to life first as assignments, then as realities. Russell Davies and company, lifestyle architects. This is a start up we must start up. I'm thinking of a subscription model. Consumers/clients pay us $112 a year for a new lifestyle every quarter. Those who want complete supply of the bits and pieces and or deep instructon in the "script" can pay us more. Absolutely, custom made, bespoke lifestyles, well, those cost more. In a transformational, Ovidian culture, surely this is an idea well past due. As to our business model, or better, our business style, I'm thinking of something along the lines of Saville Row tailors. You and me and others standing around thinking deep thoughts on what lifestyle might "suit" this particular client. Me: "I'm thinking this fellow needs a home in the south of France." You: "No, no, no. Rykivik (sp!) one weekend. Mexico City the next." Thanks, Grant

[Ben]

This line of conversation has me really scratching my head.

In my mind this assignment represents the crisis in advertising right now. A push model of trying to manufacture "cool". A concept of cool rooted in certain subjectivity and separate from the organic process that social groups live by. It is a similar problem seen in documentary filmmaking. A doc film about something is never just about the subject it is also about the person making it. The challenge is to allow the real story to unwind without mucking it up by imposing your own beliefs on it.

In an era of social networks doesn't it seem a bit arrogant to be engineering what people want? Shouldn’t we be building on what they are doing.... facilitating their own lifestyles that have more intrinsic and authentic value?

We shouldn't be working against the grain like this. We should be engaging people by making what they already love that bit cooler. For many lifestyles there are issues of access...access to cultural stuff like celebrity or even collaboration with designers certain groups admire as part of their affinity group. Isn't this more organic than simply manipulating into a foreign mixture of behavior. We can encourage/facilitate behavior to shift by innovating in things such as technology...but it is always up to the people to shape.

The consumer isn't stupid. This approach shows certain contempt for them and implies that "we" know what they will like.

[russell]

ben,

Interesting. I don't think we're actually suggesting (well, I'm not) that these are things we can or should actually persuade people to adopt.

At least not seriously.

It's more about imagining possibilities. It's like a scientist's thought experiment. Becuase, for me at least, imagining /making up 'lifestyles' has made me think harder about some of the lifestyle cliches that we talk about everyday.

Does that make sense?

[Maria Eugenia]

Ben,
I totally understand what you´re saying.
Having said that, I must tell you that the assignement is not that serious (it does not offend anyone). We are ought to create a "tribe" (don´t know the word in English, sorry), that could either be "real" (= people you could find somewhere) or not (which I´ve been finding very difficult). They could be avid consumers, or not (belong to some kind of religion that forbids them, be extremelly poor, live in the middle of the jungle). We are not going to advertise to anyone - it´s just a playfull and creative exercise that has everything to do with how much we are able to obserse, understand and connect to PEOPLE.
Think "people", not "consumer". Consumers are boring (they are Smart, Demanding, Powerful, Rational...). People are human, have stories and families and friends, have flaws, are 90% irrational and make funny choices.
That´s what I think...

[Carol]

All documentaries have a point of view - of the maker.

I've read at least 70 biographies of one historical figure - all see him differently.

One of the things I've learned is, go to the archive and hold the actual documents in your hand. The people jump off the page. You get a sense of them from paper choice, handwriting, and don't get me started on the doodles - I love them to bits.

This assignment is really hard and that is of the good.

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

[Oana]

Hi, I just found out about your "school" today, and im really interested! I did notice that you've started in.. November? Could i just catch up.. or just pick up from here? Or you will have another session?
Thank you

[russell]

oona,

Just dive in with this month's assignment. It's a free for all.

[Michael Surtees]

If you've got a couple spare hours, there's some great interviews with Grant on Design Matters; Part One: http://www.business.voiceamerica.com/ez/index.php/plain/business/shows/advertising_marketing_public_relations/design_matters_with_debbie_millman/culture_by_mccracken_anthropological_reflections_on_contemporary_culture_2_25_05 and Part two: http://www.business.voiceamerica.com/ez/index.php/plain/business/shows/advertising_marketing_public_relations/design_matters_with_debbie_millman/culture_by_mccracken_part_2_3_4_05

On Friday March 3rd (2006) he's scheduled again with Debbie Millman: http://www.business.voiceamerica.com/ez/index.php/plain/business/shows/advertising_marketing_public_relations/design_matters_with_debbie_millman