“Kids in Japan are taking moves from a YouTube video created in Detroit, building on it within days and releasing a new video, while teenagers in California are taking the Japanese video and remixing it to create a whole new dance style.”

But there’s more to this global phenomenon. Recently, Tech Crunch published an article titled “The Cloud Will Cure Cancer.” This is the other side of this new paradigm — The Cloud — millions of computers sharing the load and more capable together than they ever could be apart. The article makes a compelling case: shared research, data correlation and computational capability on a global scale translates to “exponentially faster medical progress.”

As the Cloud/Crowd continues to grow — in every arena — innovation accelerates as it must.

So why is any of this relevant at the corporate level? I was thinking of this just the other day when someone asked me whether Social Media was really relevant to the success of a company. And to that I would say it is not just relevant — it has become one of the most effective ways a company has to foster innovation.

No matter how small or large a company is, innovation is enhanced by collaboration, and collaboration is fostered by connections. Social Media both facilitates and accelerates connections. Ideas can be tested on a grand scale, quickly and effectively. Information can be disseminated almost instantaneously, both up and downstream. Everyone has a voice.

And all of this starts with the establishment of Social Media mechanisms that a company can use to connect with it’s employee base, everywhere they are. Many companies make the mistake of thinking Social Media is meant simply for recreational activity. But it is so much more than that — it is a tangible, authentic, and active connection to everyone that makes up that company. And for any company that hopes to succeed in the 21st Century and beyond, that kind of connection is just plain necessary.

Last week, Ikea announced its new living room concept Uppleva, their first dip into consumer electronics. But there’s a twist. Ikea tackles the age old dilema, “what do you do with all those damn cables?” Though not a revolutionary idea, it appears that Ikea is perfectly positioned not only from a cost perspective but an unconscious consumer need for seamlessness; an invisible relationship with technology.

Since the ’50s and ’60s designers have been trying to integrate TVs and other consumer electronics into furniture. In the 2003 parody ‘Down with Love’, there are many examples of these built in electronics that further accentuates the main characters’ 1960s playboy lifestyle. Unfortunately, just like the lifestyle, only a select few could afford such customized, expensive products. As a result when electronics became available in pieces, the seamless integration was de-prioritized. We learned to live with cable and wires from radios, video/dvd players, record/vhs/tape/cd players, computers, monitors, external drives, and the hardware of choice that let us connect to the internet.

Then (for me anyway) wireless devices changed the consumers relationship with technology. Technology started to integrate seamlessly with everyday life. The stacks of metal boxes in the home became smaller, untethered as technology became affordable, accessible, necessary. Consumers didn’t have to choose between power and size. At the same time the concept of an integrated lifestyle started to become popular again. Microsoft, over the years, produced it’s ‘Vision of the Future’ series that explores what a lifestyle where technology is seamless could look like. But, as the title suggests, it was still a peak at the future.

Last week Ikea closed that gap. At least in the living room. The success of Ikea’s new line is yet to be seen but, more than before, it seem it will have a chance to be tested by everyone, in real time. I’m sure this will spark shifts in many companies product pipeline. I for one won’t miss the dust bunnies that currently live in the wire-nests behind my TV. They will just have to hop along and find new homes elsewhere.

In most cases the image on the right is the most recent version. Thank to the internet for all sourced imagery.

Flipping the image — no one would notice, would they?

At least there was a little color adjustment going on here.

The transparent overlay of skyscraper and clouds really didn’t ‘cover’ this.

It’s all a bit grotty 70′s motel, but at least Peter Handke’s original story DID come out in 1974.

No comment.

Adding illustration, flipping the image and increasing color saturation helps, but it’s not really new, is it? Even the titles are in the same place.

Apparently these two almost identical books came out barely a month apart.

An ever-so-slight color adjustment made here.

These two even kept the same sepia tone.

OK, we get it.

For those that need a palette cleanser, visit “The Book Cover Archive” and Surrounded by Colours, “Polish Book Covers.”

Our office is located in Santa Monica, so I often have cause to drive along Lincoln Blvd, its main thoroughfare. I comment all the time on how run down and shabby so many of the storefronts are. The paint is peeling off, neon signs are only half lit; stores, inside and out, are a cluttered mess. I wonder why the building/business owners don’t seem to care to make their place of business more appealing to the passerby. I’m sure it all comes down to cost, especially “in this economy”, but shouldn’t the curb appeal of your business equate to more money for your business and therefore the whole reason why you should spend more?

An article published by yellowpages.com states:
“Your storefront can make or break your business. It’s a form of advertising, as well as the beginning of the customer experience. You can have the perfect location but waste it if your storefront and building looks shabby and dated or if customers fail to notice it. Retail curb appeal is more than just creating an aesthetically pleasing storefront. Retail curb appeal is about making people want to come inside and buy. If you are a retailer, your store is your brand. Effectively attending to your storefront and building, then, is one of the most important branding steps you can take. The storefront sends the world a message about your business and its personality.”

Making people want to come inside and buy. Enhancing curb appeal. Sounds like what we do for our clients.

It’s nothing new to note that we are inundated with mounds, truckloads and entire planets worth of information on a daily basis. The argument can be made that this is a fantastic development for humans—people have never had this kind of access to this amount of collective knowledge in history. True. But just like the constant meaningless “rabble” that goes on in each of our brains tends to distract and slow us down, so too does the constant bombardment of information that may not even be helpful to us.

Because of this age of “Information Overload,” several things are beginning to develop within the glutinous information consumers. The first is that we are becoming just that—obese with information. There are so many articles, tweets, ads, blogs, etc. that we feed on—coming from so many different categories—we never have the time to fully digest any of it and, therefore, never really apply it. We become mentally slower. The second is that people are beginning to catch on to this trend and are developing mental spam filters. They’re beginning to quickly determine which information meaningfully applies to them and which information is just dessert—which, honestly, is about 90% of what we come into contact with. Finally, everyone wants to keep up. It is hard to be the only guy out there not sharing content. So the information consumers are becoming guilty of regurgitating and sharing anything just to stay relevant.

What, then, are the implications of this on your business? The largest is time. Employees are spending more and more time filling themselves with news, updates, statuses, events, articles etc. and writing them too. Making sure the time is useful and not completely wasted should be the focus. The following tips can help cut the fat:

SHARING:
Know your audience. Don’t write on just anything to just about everyone. Know who will be reading your content. Who would seek more information from you? Write to them.

Use infographics and videos. When you can, an infographic or video can help solve the issue of adding to the constant bombardment of content. Dissolve it for the reader and pull out the nuggets to tell the story. Marrying design with information will create a visual solution that is engaging, compelling, digestible and time-saving!

Be concise and respectful of others’ informational diets. Quality is more important than quantity and your networks will appreciate it. If you’ve found something interesting that you’d like to share, be courteous and cut the fat for everyone else—give them what’s useful. Your followers will appreciate it.

Include briefs into articles. As seen in this article we probably saved a lot of people’s time by giving them the gist of content, so that they can decide if it is something they can throw a few minutes at. You can also do this by making your titles very informative.

Be helpful! People want to learn and be in the know, not have their time wasted. Give tips, share insightful articles and keep your audience informed. This will help you position yourself as a thought leader and trusted source and keep the readers coming back.

CONSUMING:
When consuming information spend less time on the “oh that’s cool” information and more time on the “needed” information. Ask yourself, while feasting, is this information actually useful to me? Something that I can actually apply to what I do? Or is this something that will just give me an extra conversation piece at the water cooler? Choose wisely.

Schedule your consumption. Go ahead and indulge in your favorite food porn site, watch some webseries or youtube “babies laughing”, just give yourself some boundaries as to not create a vacuum of your productive work hours.

Skim. Usually the real takeaways of any article are in the tips, headlines, and titles as well as in the last paragraph when everything is brought together. Drift your eyes over the longer pieces and see if you can’t gain what you need from it.

Lastly, for yourself, unplug! Close that Twitter feed, give Facebook and Linkedin a timeout, sign off and focus on a project for a while. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done and how much better you’ll feel afterward.

The construction site was completely obscured by fencing, but the posted architectural renderings caught my eye. When the fencing was finally removed, I realized the renderings didn’t do it justice. I saw an elegant and thoughtful design, beautifully integrated into a slope at a corner of hilly Pan Pacific Park. Partially below ground, it’s rooftop paths seem like extensions of the walkways in the park. When on top, or viewed from the park, one might be surprised to learn there is something inside.

Perhaps this was a problem. It was too integrated, too calm and collected. How could anyone find it?

The signage that now mars the museum exterior is clearly the result of poor planning, not to mention taste. I imagine a reactionary “signage committee,” eager to address a problem but unable to comprehend a larger picture. It looks hastily “designed” and installed, with absolutely no sensitivity to what the architecture was designed to achieve. A ham-fisted LOS ANGELES MUSEUM OF THE HOLOCAUST, set in Helvetica Bold , white letters crammed in a long black rectangle debases the museum. Making matters worse, the name is bookended on each end by what is perhaps the worst logo ever—an inelegant, literal symbol that further devalues the museum.

From across the street you can see the sign is crooked. Not even the installers cared enough to step back and take a good look.

Individuals are willing to go further than ever to do good; from buying locally to hiring personal eco-concierges. Increasingly, consumers want to buy from companies that care about the triple bottom line—so much so that we’ll research brands and their parent companies to know who’s behind them. “People aren’t fooled by sustainable sub-brands” such as Kashi or Odwalla Juice. Moreover, employees want to work for companies whose corporate responsibility is up to par. They’ll seek out those that practice a “fundamental human value that is authentic to the brand.”

That information isn’t hard to find either. We live in an age of unprecedented transparency. Lists like Co.Exist’s “25 Companies that Practice Good Corporate Citizenship and Still Make Lots of Money,” Sustainable Brand’s “50 Fastest Growing Brands That Serve a ‘Higher Purpose’” as well as articles about the corporations that aren’t doing it  make it easy to spot heroes and villains. Through email blasts and social networks, this news spreads far and fast, making it harder than ever to get away with what consumers dub greenwashing.

With more eyes on accountable corporate responsibility, the way to do business is actually becoming the right way to do business. Customers and consumers know that information is power, and they arm themselves to and make decisions and a difference on every level. This is something to applaud, to step up to and engage.

In the 1990s, CR was downplayed as a “nice to do” or a mere marketing tactic. But in the past decade, the business case has been made: CR done right contributes to bottomline business success. The CR effort is not just something to bolt on to a company but can be a means to change the entire business. CR is a lens through which companies must see their business futures. Strategies and tactics that don’t consider impact on people and the planet, as well as profits, are already a step behind and living on borrowed time. But fear not. Consumers and employees alike know that CR is a process, and change takes time. For established businesses, the first step is commitment and accountability. Progress, as in life, is more important than perfection. So try!

Think Penn State and the NCAA, Bank of America, Herman Cain, your local (you name it).

Internally, studies indicate only one in five employees understands how their work contributes to the overall strategic direction. This lack of clarity is exacerbated by a daily bombardment of information, which interrupts focus and impedes innovation. Companies that neglect to connect with employees, customers, investors and the public stifle growth and risk backlash and irrelevance.

As brand ambassadors, everyone involved with an organization must fully believe their support is relevant to the mission. This extends from the investors, board of directors and employees to the customers and vendors. In order to achieve buy-in, to energize and motivate, organizations must communicate openly and honestly about their corporate strategy. The four most effective ways to do this are through storytelling, using vivid pictures, engaging in discussions and by walking their talk.

Strategy in Storytelling
A brand’s strength derives from authentic colorful stories. At its core, emotive branding is concerned with storytelling that forms a bond with people. Your supporters must not only be invested in what is currently happening with the company but also what occurred in the past and what transpires next. Apple’s phenomenal success, for example, was intertwined with each victory achieved by Steve Jobs. Disney has its magic. Virgin Airlines has Richard Branson. When I worked at the biotech company Cephalon, we had Frank Baldino.

I love the way my friend Gary Baker of Baker Brand Communications describes storytelling as the essence of a brand. Successful branding relies on portraying authentic attributes that accurately reflect an organization’s fundamental strategies. The elements of a good story − analogies and metaphors – encourage people to invest in your company, work for you and buy your products.

Strategy in Pictures
I am a visual thinker. Before I engage, I envision an activity, outcome or relationship. I prefer to be pulled by a vision rather than be pushed by a plan. Making an emotive connection in the multimedia world in which we live requires vivid images that play upon the senses. People should feel your brand. They should see in their mind’s eye how their life will improve by doing business with you. Visual intimacy, emotive images and immediacy are why YouTube receives more than two billion hits each day.

Strategy in Discussion
We must also engage with whoever wants to talk with us, wherever they are, anytime they choose. This is especially important in the social media age, where anything is said regardless of accuracy. The inescapable fact in today’s world is employees, customers, investors and the public talk about your brand and strategy whether or not you join the conversation.

Strategy in Action
Finally, success also depends on a company staying true to its words through its actions. The media are full of examples of executives, celebrities, and politicians saying one thing and doing another. Inappropriate actions – and inaction when decisive action is needed – come at a steep price to brands and reputations. When trust is broken, it is somewhere between difficult and impossible to recover. You do have to talk the talk and walk the walk.

But for every Apple, Disney and Virgin Atlantic, there are dozens of other organizations that find storytelling, the use of inspiring and authentic imagery, personal engagement and “walking the talk” an awkward process, at best. Those often-used words “transparency” and “authenticity” require gut-churning change for many, but both are essential to executing strategies and building solid brands and reputations.

Organizations that ignore the imperative to change how they communicate are going to like irrelevancy even less.

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About this contributor:

Robert Grupp
Grupp Global Partners LLC
www.gruppglobal.com

Robert Grupp is a guest contributor for our blog. He is a talented corporate communications executive and public relations professional who understands how to channel the energy created by an organization’s brand identity. He has more than 25 years experience in science-driven businesses and trade associations operating in the US, Europe and Asia. We partnered with Bob to articulate and design a corporate brand for Cephalon, when Bob was Vice President of Corporate Affairs. Bob is a leader who sees both challenges and opportunities and applies strategies and tactics to maneuver through an often-complicated environment to find solutions and a path forward.