Guest Post by Christopher Flores
Most know me as a New York City joint venture guy or “that moderator on SMC” or “that college dude”. More than being a spectacular person 90% of the time, I’m a scientist of people and cultures, an Anthropology student. In Cyberculture, my thing is Social Marketing and Web 2.0.
Like many powerful concepts of in their hey day, social media is one of those things few people get to use in a grand context. When it comes to Web 2.0, a good majority of people only ever see “the small picture”. And even then, they see the small picture in a very dim light. It’s unavoidable in this information age. That’s why there are Anthropologists – in part, to help you open up the world a little more.
Allow me to make the case to revisit your blog and see it in a grander context. After all, thinking big did wonders for all successful elites (Bill Gates, Google, Ted Turner). Why not for you?
Let’s think BIG, shall we?
Many marketing bloggers or blogging business owners are at the age where they can remember the Civil Rights movement or the Vietnam War. Remember the fights, the marches, the mass demonstrations? This was the power of organized perception and expression. My professor in Anthropology famously said this semester, “Students ended the Vietnam War”.
Let’s revisit that statement again – “Student’s ended the Vietnam War”. That means they caused the ruckus, they made front page news, they made the evening broadcast, they found their way into Washington, and they influenced public policy and world events.
They didn’t “just protest”. Remember that as I hand you a big picture at the end. Remember that you don’t “just blog”. Just like Nadia doesn’t “just draw”.
Case in point: Louis Vuitton vs. Nadia Plesner
Alex Ginsberg of the New York Post reports that Louis Vuitton is suing Danish art student, Nadia Plesner for copyright law violation. Plesnar wished to use a Louis Vuitton bag in her design to draw attention to the genocide in Darfur.
She’s a member of an organization that raises money for the cause and the T-shirt reflected her outrage over what mainstream media covers; Vuitton-sporting socialites like Paris Hilton. Read the rest of the article here.
Analyst Jerimiah Owyang adds in an article about brand hijacking (another interesting subject): “Since then, Darfur has grown in awareness, having now been on Digg, a Facebook group formed, spread in the news, and hundreds of blogs pointing to her site.” (conversation domination anyone?)
I’ve looked into the Facebook group, featuring over 3,00 members and read many of the comments expressed by Nadia’s supporters on Digg. The handbag giant’s decision to take on the small time designer really put them at odds with the artist and human rights/Darfur crowd, many of whom are Louis Vuitton customers (not any longer though).
Arousal and organization is the beginning of a powerful movement (Remember the 60’s?). One that can be staged against Louis Vuitton and do tremendous damage to the brand and dent the company’s bottom line. With tighter organization, more discussions, beginning demonstrations, thousands of supporters had the potential to save Nadia by burying Louis Vuitton in public outrage so that they drop the suit and please public demands.
Did you miss it? The big picture. This is not limited to civil rights, genocide prevention, and other “macro-movements”. It’s any group with any common interest. The tools and media are available to allow a “micro-movement” to take shape and move forward.
What is a micro-movement?
Anything we do at local levels is a micro-movement. There is a group who will rally behind you. All you need is one person. If you can move one person, there’s likely many many more with the same interest. You don’t have to find them all. After a certain number, your fans will find more people to pay attention to you.
That’s why Nadia has a thousand or so people who will buy her T-shirt, visit her site, defend her publicly on the web, and organize on her behalf (even perhaps use more force against Vuitton on her behalf). Nadia was a simple art student from Denmark. Now she’s a global figure.
Nadia has since removed the bag from her design. But I wonder about the different ways this could have gone. What would happen if we set her up with Twitter and other tools and apps, and what if we told her to blog her case against Louis Vuitton, asking and appealing for more action in her defense? What if you did it for her? The groups are there for you to tap. You would have been a pretty popular person for doing it too, wouldn’t you say?
Take another good hard look at your blog, your organization, your online efforts. Think about what you are doing when you blog, rather than think so much of what’s featured on it. Who are you appealing to? Do you want to appeal to them? What are you doing for them?
Use the tools of social media and get in touch with others with the speed and ease that the world has never seen before and appeal to people. Tap the raw power that stops governments in their tracks and turn it toward whatever (ethical and honest) thing you have going on. It’s not pie in the sky, poofy, mystic power. We’re talking proven, observable, true power, YOURS for just the price of shipping and your right to choose to use. Now that’s thinking BIG.
About Chris
Christopher Flores is a Dollarmakers Inc. Joint Venture Specialist, social media enthusiast, and student at SUNY Plattburgh in New York. The self styled “Merchant Of New York City” works with any honest and ethical person looking to find alternative business solutions. He blogs at Merchant of New York and can be reached at Twitter.
Related Posts - Top 142 Social Marketing Blogs on the Web Below is the most complete list I've ever seen of the top social marketing blogs. We created it because it is a list that is...
- The Man Behind Me 2.0 - Dan Schawbel on Personal Branding Dan Schawbel is my personal branding guru. The man has been showing up all over the web and even in newspapers made out of real...
- Trackbacks and PR Web: High PR Links Made Easy I knew this largely underground social Power Linking which comes completely from the blogosphere and NOT marketers per se, had taken another step to becoming...
Related Sites - Tips for Improving Number of Blog Visitors All bloggers are looking for ways that they can improve the popularity of their blog, in order to increase the number of blog visitors. They...
- linklings, money writers edition I'll launch into the roundup by formally announcing (not that it's a surprise to most readers by this point, although some subscribers who don't visit...
- Dragon Blogger finally Gets A Google Page Rank Of 2 As many of my blogger friends know I started this blog on August 23rd 2008, and today is Saturday September 27th 2008. Â My blog has...
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow that was quick. Didn’t I submit my work today?
I’m so happy. Unless you guys hate it. Thoughts?
Christophers last blog post..chris_flores: Yo I just got published on a TOP social marktng blog in under 6 hours. WHAT?? link? darn right i will
http://snurl.com/8cel4
Piss off any big-name person on the web and become an instant success overnight. I just don’t know if I want people to look at me badly.
Then I’d say don’t go into the fashion industry. Between fur, bulimia, raging worship of excess, plastic surgery, and an entire generation of girls trying to look like skeletons, that industry has more to look bad about than most others!
The fear of looking bad in front of just a tiny segment, or even 1/2 of a major population sometimes makes both sides bored.
@ Blog Expert,
There’s very few situations in life where absolutely no one looks on you in a bad light … so don’t sweat it. All I expect and accept of people is that if you do piss off someone, may it be for ethical and honest intents. The idea is that you can harness a great power for your micro-movement. Feel free to express more concerns I’d love to address them.
Christophers last blog post..Why I Automate: A Twitter Confession Part 1
Well Jack , honestly I can fully understand Nadia Plesner and what she wanted to express with her LV inspired tshirt, I even find it is a shocking idea, “for hell what we are giving more attention to nowadays: people in need or luxury goods?” But that doesn’t mean she can infringe copyrigths from LV , and that doesnt mean that you Mr Jack Hammer, can make the fashion industry and LV ridiculous. Sure everybody makes mistakes but how would you feel like if Louis Vuitton would start commenting abot the so-called internet guru’s hypes and products ? How would you feel if Louis Vuitton would start commenting your own Internet Marketing products ?
Those subjects have nothing to do with each other. …. Your posting could have had a title “use copyrights infringments to get worlwide attention , when complaints , remove …..BUT YOU VE GOT THE ATTENTION”
In the meantime do not let’s forget why Nadia Plesner designed that tshirt …. to get attention ….. But that doesn’t give you the need to comment on fashion industry Jack! Unless you know what you are talking about !
GuyHs last blog post..A superb shop for original concert posters and much more
Personally I rather be Unknow than her kind of celebrity.
I mean what kind of artist is she that she couldn’t create something original that would have appealed to her visitors and Louis Vuitton and approach them to help sponsor her cause.
GuyH – you’re right, the industry needs no help from me to look ridiculous. I wouldn’t mind LV commenting on IM gurus and hype products because I don’t consider myself a party to either. But if LV wanted to comment on what I really do, I’d be interested in what they’d have to say.
No, copyright infringement isn’t good. But the issue of picture of a little over priced handbag on a t-shirt juxtaposed against mass genocide makes me wonder if sticking up for the rich against the poor and dying is a wise position to take.
Which was exactly the point of the art. At least the way I interpreted it.
The intent of the artist was clear. Make a statement through resonating imagery. Nadia supported a cause and her art was meant to display a certain reality that we aren’t fully paying attention to. Louis Vuitton, if anything, scaled the matter and helped Nadia the rest of the way through.
Her art is powerful because it forces you to consider the statement and consider a new perspective when you view it. You HAVE to interpret. You HAVE to look at it and ask yourself what is this saying?
And when you start to complain about supposed infringements you still have to ask yourself whether this little legal bout is more important to you than the message trying to get through.
What I keep saying and want to drive home is that this effect is not isolated. You can create a “Plesner effect” for yourself and you’re own blog. And it doesn’t require infringing on people’s rights.
This video features Nadia in it. Her comments are in English so you can interpret the questions from her answers. Watch:
I thought I could embed here. But here’s the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5TVhNkH7jY
Christophers last blog post..Why I Automate: A Twitter Confession Part 1
I get her point, but as someone mentioned, I wouldn’t want a company with the support of its multi-billion dollar parent company coming after me. She probably should have chosen another way. Does anyone know what came of this? Did LV take her for everything? It wouldn’t surprised me if a few shameless celebrities paid her legal fees out of the so-called goodness of their hearts.
p1nk g33ks last blog post..Want to display only banner ads from AdBrite?
Nadia has since removed the images and gave in to the legal pressures from Vuitton’s lawyers. She is an art student after all. She’s no revolutionary in the least, so she gets to pick her battles. I’m sure she’s learned a huge lesson in social internet dynamics.
It’s the same lesson I’d hope others take from it as well. You blog can tap into those dynamics for many different uses.
With so many designs it is really hard to think of another design that the public will love. Even her intentions are clear she shouldn’t used or copied a design from other designers. Imagine you made a design that the public really loved and you paid large amount of tax out of it and some one copy it. Used it with not that good publicity. what if nadia was the designer for LV and the original designer of LV did the same thing to her will she love it or hate it?