Man & Machine

The culture of innovation & communication

I recently watched a documentary called Synth Brittania which follows a generation of musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.

Besides being the soundtrack of my youth, these early bands formed the way I see the world, by introducing me to books, film, fashion, art, dance, girls and perhaps more importantly, to the meaning of belonging, tribes and attitude — the foundations on which brands are built and probably the reason I have always been fascinated with them and why I’ve chosen to pursue the calling.

SynthPop was the beginning of my (our) relationship with machines. It sought to find the fine balance between man, machine and culture which still defines our existence almost half a century onward.

Computer Love

In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists in the U.K, influenced by German electro-pioneers Kraftwerk (the Model) and British novelist JG Ballard (Crash) began composing the sound of the future with early synthesizers against the backdrop of bleak high-rise Britain.

Early bands such as The Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Voltaire paved the way for more acts that you’ve probably heard of such as Depeche Mode, New Order, Soft Cell who in turn paved the way for such bands as the Pet Shop Boys, Erasure as well as entire genres of electronic music genres from techno to house to dance.

Engineers vs Communicators

But SynthPop wasn’t the only genre that dealt with man’s relationship to machine. You had Sci-Fi before that (the kids who read Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke and Philip Dick).

Besides lacking an official soundtrack, there was one major difference between the Sci-Fi kids and the New Wave kids — social interaction, or as my friends and I would say when we were young, chicks.

While we were busy chasing girls, experimenting with substances of leisure and listening to a bunch of great bands, they were playing with computers, Rubic’s cubes and debate clubs.

As teenagers, we experienced the full spectrum of human interaction, while they were more introverted, often picked on and developed either a misanthropic outlook on life or at least a less social one.

We would grow up to become journalists, designers, writers, filmmakers and ad people, while they would grow up to become engineers, programmers, inventors and controllers of the universe.

But despite the vastly different childhoods, these kids would meet in later years and collaborate. Because, each side needs the other and also, hopefully we’ve also both learned a few things since then and don’t judge people only by the books they read, the Fred Perry polos they wear and the latest records they are listening to (even though I am still slightly biased).

Togetherness

Engineers build, but branders bind. People don’t care about technology, but rather what technology can do for them.

The greatest invention still needs to connect with its audience and in order for that to happen, engineers need to retain people who understand the human condition; who know how to be in context with the user’s life, who can empathize with their condition, imagine what it’s like to be them.

People who naturally know how to entertain, inspire and excite — things they picked up when they were teenagers trying to impress someone at the club and which they have refined over the years to match different environments, audiences and situations.

Because that’s what branding is all about, it’s about creating connections, being aware and being in context.

It’s re-creating that same sense of belonging we picked up when we were young and matching it wherever it’s needed and possible.

The Rhythm of Branding

Storytelling and branding are about engineering emotion. A great brand also has a rhythm, just like great design has a rhythm, preferably 2–3 chords — something simple and catchy that will have you humming.

When I look at the work of the world’s top agencies like Wolff Olins, Landor and Pentagram I can tell what kind of music they either grew up on or what they were listening to while working on the project.

Steve Jobs was that rare breed who balanced both sides of his brain, and that’s why Apple is Apple and the rest try to emulate. Incidentally, Steve Jobs was more into the Grateful Dead and that Hippie shit that comes with popping acid. Oh well, no one is perfect.

The Kids are Alright

Sometimes when we brand people meet a tech founder we feel they are slightly suspicious of us and our offering. They are still the serious one and we are the slightly superficial storytellers compared to their ingenious invention. We will forever be that kid from high-school who is having all the fun but not quite as smart or serious as they are.

Yet, here we are, in the same boardroom, each side having something the other needs and together we put our differences aside and create something powerful and with meaning.