Clever is for Muppets

Taken from Think More Analogue, Be More Digital by James Harris

When I was a kid growing up in 1970's Northern England, in the days before we used the word digital, and long before the internet existed, to help us forget the misery of the impending Monday morning trip to school in my fathers beige British Leyland car (assuming it would actually start of course) every Sunday night were allowed to stay up late and watch the Muppet show on television.

Now bearing in mind that we had just three TV channels in those days, It was real appointment to view stuff and one that as a family we never missed, not least as it came after my mum's favourite the Onedin Line. (I suggest you Google that one if you are wondering what that was about)

It was also something that, although I didn't realize at the time, would ultimately help me bring some sense into navigating the digital world and digital technology in a highly effective but simple manner.

So you are probably wondering how a children's TV show, conceived long before the word digital was even in use, could possibly offer a way to navigate todays complex digital and technological landscape?

Well let me explain.

The original Muppet show was comprised of many eclectic and highly amusing characters. Characters such as the Swedish chef, animal the rock drummer, Kermit and Miss Piggy, to name but a few.

However the two who stick in my mind most (bar the grumpy old men, who sadly I fear I am turning into more and more each day) were Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his extremely long-suffering assistant Beaker.

For those of you my age who lived on the moon, or perhaps in Yorkshire in the 1970's and never saw the Muppet show, or for those of you still blessed with the gift of youth, let me explain who they were.

Dr. Bunsen and his assistant Beaker were two mad scientists come would be inventors.

Every week they would create a wonderful new piece of technology such as the banana straightener, the gorilla detector or my own personal favorite - a machine that instantly turned Gold into Cottage cheese - reverse alchemy of the highest order no less!

Yet with a rather predictable inevitability, each week their efforts would end in chaos and spectacular failure along with generally a lot of pain for Beaker, but plenty of laughs for the audience.

So what is my point here?

Well clearly these two were clever. Very clever in fact and so were their countless technological inventions, reverse alchemy of gold into cheese is not to be sniffed at, and would likely require a PHD in rocket science or something similar to achieve.

However the one other thing that could also be said about these scientific geniuses was that sadly, at no point could any of their inventions ever be described as effective.

To be fair to them they may have actually invented a time machine, and seeing that planet of the apes had become a reality, invented the gorilla detector as a result, but assuming not, then I think my point stands.

So herein lies a very simple but powerful analogue thought that can be applied to the digital world around us.

And that is quite simply that clever, without effective is of little or no value.

Now to be clear, I am not suggesting that everyone involved in digital marketing is a Muppet, although based on bitter experience I fear there could be quite a high percentage who are, and doubtless some would throw me into that bucket too!

However the lesson or take out here is for me yet again very basic, but equally as powerful as our previous ones.

Quite simply don't just focus on the clever when assessing technology and digital innovations, rather always think clever AND effective.

In short apply what I call the Muppet test at all times and to all things.

Is it clever? Check. Is it effective? Not sure? Then it is probably best left to the Muppets.

This might sound obvious or simplistic and it is, incredibly so, but the Muppet test is hardly ever applied to anything in the world of digital marketing from what I see around me.

Yet in my view it should always be the starting point, especially when considering new technologies or digital innovations.

Certainly I can't help but feel that if Sir Clive Sinclair had applied the Muppet test to his C5 invention then he may have saved himself quite a lot of heartache, not to mention a huge pile of cash and years of ridicule at the hands of the entire British nation.

And whilst the Muppet test is a fantastic way of assessing the potential for digital technology, I also believe it can be equally as powerful when applied to ideas too.

Is an idea clever? Check.

But is it effective when applied to the real world in which we live, will it work effectively in a real analogue world populated by real analogue people, or is it just clever for the sake of it?

To quote a wonderful term I heard from an agency person recently, how does it comply with what he called 'giveashitaology' - in short will consumers ultimately give a shit about it because it makes things better or more effective for them - if not then best leave it to the Muppets.

Applying this to the real world for a moment, one of the big trends kicking around at present is what is being called 'the Internet of things'.

In short this is the simple idea of connecting different devices to the Internet and each other to make them smarter and by definition more effective or useful.

So using this for a second to illustrate the Muppet test, consider the idea of a light switch you can turn on and off remotely via your mobile device.

Clever? Without Doubt! Effective? Absolutely!

I totally get that. Indeed I myself, a very analogue man, have recently equipped my own home with Wi-Fi switches & plugs to do just that.

These supremely clever little bits of technology allow me to control lights and devices from anywhere via my mobile making them highly effective too, not just for the obvious home security applications but also for saving money when you have two young children and a wife who don't yet fully grasp the concept that electricity costs money.

With this example it doesn't take a PhD in rocket science to see how it could be useful to the average man in the street, clever and effective working together.

So what then about an e-cigarette which unlocks your computer when you have a pint for lunch?

For sure that is damn clever, but can it also be considered effective?

Possibly not, in fact I would suggest that in no scenario imaginable could you could describe that as effective.

Now if that one made you chuckle (or LOL to use the correct digital Jargon) I am afraid I cannot take credit for its conception.

It was in fact generated by visiting whatthefuckismywearablestrategy.com, a website that randomly generates such clever but highly ineffective ideas for the next piece of wearable digital technology, including a sports bra that glows red when there's 10% off at ASOS!

Actually my wife suggested that might actually be quite useful. (Btw sorry in advance if the Internet police have now removed this site by the time you read this, as they do like to spoil good clean fun.)

But hopefully you get the point - clever does not always mean effective, and without effective, clever rapidly becomes the domain of Muppets and nothing else.

Furthermore whilst the Muppet test is a fantastic way of assessing the potential for inanimate digital technology and ideas, I also believe it can be equally as powerful when applied to people too.

In fact I would also urge you to seriously consider applying the Muppet test to the people you both hire and hang out with, at least those in your working life that is.

Are they clever? Check.

Fantastic, but do they apply that intelligence in an effective way, one that actually gets things done and delivers in the real analogue world?

It's a simple fact that you don't need a room full of clever and effective people to deliver great results and make progress, but I would venture that a room full of just clever people with no common sense or understanding of the world around them, is about effective as that infamous room full of monkeys, whom to my knowledge are still trying to recreate Shakespeare's hamlet without much success.

So for me, only technology, ideas and people which exhibit the dual traits of clever and effective are worth considering, developing, deploying, or indeed hiring.

So coming back to what this means for changing our thinking.

Well again it is extremely simple, just think clever & effective at all times, and apply the Muppet test.

Is it clever?

Yes, well that is a great start, but is it also likely to be effective in an analogue world full of analogue consumers?

In short never forget that whilst clever may grow on trees, especially in the world of digital, effective certainly doesn't.

And If at any point you find yourself unsure about whether something does or does not constitute clever and effective, then there is one simple and infallible way to know for sure. Try and see if you can explain it in sixty seconds or less to someone lacking in any prior knowledge of it.

If you can, then the chances are it is both clever and effective and worth pursuing, if not then consign it to the Muppet labs archive, along with the banana sharpener, gorilla detector and reverse alchemy machine.

And always looking out for the dual values of clever and effective will also enable you to spot some of the greatest confidence tricksters ever born, as I will explain in next weeks exert from Think More Analogue, Be More Digital...

#agencyvoices