The essence of Hip

19

July

Sit at CafÃ© Doppio running a Mac PowerBook on WiFi and watch for all the signs of approval–that approving glance, the Nod. But run Windows on your Dell and the only look youâ€™ll get is the â€œI feel your pain brotherâ€.

Kathy Sierra points out: â€œTo recognize and appreciate the fact that someone other than you gets itâ€ is a good thing. Bopping along to your Ipod nano doesnâ€™t normally earn you the Nod these days, every Tom, Ahmed and LiYing has one, but stick in a set of B&O headphones and watch the other B&O fans greet you like a long lost relative.

The question is whether the cred is being given to the product or the user? I think there is a bit of both, but the latter has more pull. So all you product and service companies out there claiming to be innovators, creative, end-to-end and whatever other crap - listen up!â€¦.It’s NOT always about having a remarkable product, try helping your end users be remarkable.

The Nod means we recognise an attribute of the person who has that-thing-we-also-have… an attribute we value. Wear run of the mill adidas and youâ€™re another one in the crowd, slap on a pair of adidas Y3â€™s and youâ€™re inherently assumed to possess intelligence, courage, independence, global foresight, cutting edginess, sexiness, experience, expertise. (Sound like me Jade?)

How do products or services get the Nod?

The most important point, I think is to ensure there are ways for others to spot another person who has it. Here we go with the whole branding debate again (Idlethoughts and Monkeyboy on brandkudos sometime backâ€¦.)

We are all defined in some ways by the things we choose, and having the right brands is a way to express who we are and what we dig to others. â€œShareâ€ seems to be the new fad online and everywhere else so why not our own profiles in our real lives (although which is your real life now?), it might even help stop all the fighting.

I know some of you out there might now be thinking what a superficial and shallow dickhead I am, but if you can truly tell me you have no brand connections in some way, you are lying and ought to stop kidding yourself.

So…as a product or service provider, I must be asking, “What does being a user of my product say about the user?” If the answer is… nothing nod-worthy, I don’t necessarily have to change the product itself…(Chinese companies take notes here) We can refocus through community application or partnerships. Drinking Smirnoff at home on a Saturday night doesnâ€™t say much for you, nor Smirnoff, but drink 42 Below in the lobby of JIA Hong Kong and you might have the socialites in HK following suit. This may have no significance to you, but what about 42 Below? Despite the fact that Smirnoff might be a superior grade of vodka, its of no consequence at that crucial point of brand affiliation.

Companies could try projecting the values of the company (no 12 year olds manufacturing it please!), changing the user-experience (like a decent web experience), or even the look-and-feel of the marketing, actually how about some decent marketing to begin with! Not just sorry excuses for creative on a 10 second television ad.

Have you given the Nod or the wink of approval lately?

8 Responses to “The essence of Hip”

The nod is squarely with the cognesceti - the people in the know. The best example lies with the most important accessory for a man: his watch. Anybody notice the lastest Swatch on the guy sitting next to you? No? Is it because it lacks the prestige of the bigger Swiss watchmakers? Or maybe the Swatch is just too common.

But would you notice an IWC Aquatimer, or maybe at Tag Heur Carrera, or even any other Patek Phillipe? Patek who? If you’re in the know, you know what I’m talking about. You’re assumed to be knowledgeable, having great taste and real big salary.

Brand recognition is about the product but it reflects upon the owner, and therein lies the recognition. ‘In people’ recognising you have something in common, that you are ‘in’ You have taste. You have style. And you have something that very few people want and even fewer people actually have.

Closer to mass market, why pay $300 for a pair of jeans. Superior quality of denim? High quality of workmanship? Yes, in part. But the major motivator is people seeing that you have a desireable piece of clothing, you know what’s in fashion. You are part of the ‘in crowd’. There’s no better feeling than being ‘in’. No worse feeling than wearing your 10 year old cargoes out to the hippest new bar in town, only to figure out that you’re out of fashion.

Recognising, impressing and belonging. That’s what it’s all about. Just make sure it won’t date, just like cargoes.

What a load of rubbish. Being “in” or “out” has absolutley nothing to do with what computer your using, what watch your wearing, the brand you into or those shoes that youjust spent a whole weeks worth of salary on.
It has more to do with your soul and your laugh and actually being a believable person.
Don’t belive me?
Put John Howard in a pair of Y3’s, give him an IWC Aquatimer, have him sitting at Cafe Doppio downing an espresso whilst on his Mac PowerBook, he could also be listening to Coldplay on his Ipod Nano if you like…but no matter how hard you try he just isn’t gonna get any less geekier than he already is.
If your cool the sun always shines on you, right BGE? Its in you or its not and brand recognition, marketing or advertising isn’t gonna help you if your naturally just “out”

Its an interesting point on Johnny, however I think that despite his lack of style, Johnny would still be getting the nod by some…and anyway, if he had the savvy to use a Mac at my local then his got my interest.

I think that you have missed my point on this whole nod thing. It doesn’t necessarily need to be about a brand (maybe my fault for not being more clear)but it could be nothing more than a shared interest, but one that isn’t something everyone does. No doubt there is a US vs THEM flavour but this isn’t a required element, although it’s often in there somewhere. It’s just about being… different, in a way that someone else is, without necessarily placing a value judgement on either side. Sometimes it’s just about recognising, “I may be an idiot for spending so much money on a pair of shoes, but at least I’m not the only one…”

The post is trying to highlight the place where individual and collective identity intertwine. We as consumers do the nod thing because a product resonates so deeply with our identity that it feels like part of us; like the creator has personally discovered something important about me and made it real in my life. Recognising others who share this passion leads to The Nod. It says something about me and there is a way to identify others about whom I presume it says the same thing.

It’s what musicians (Coldplay in my case)do so well: gather up a bit of their individual experience and express it in a manner which we recognise and resonate with.

It is an arguable point though about whether a company would want their product to be “Nod” worthy? It seems to be that products that get the “Nod” are rare or fringe dwellers. Meanwhile mainstream products, like the dreaded Dell laptop running Windows, sell by the millions. From a customer’s perspective, great, a Nod product can instill a sense of belonging, perhaps coolness or as Jade suggests maybe a corny try hard attempt, either way Johnny slapping on a pair of Y3’s would be amusing. But from a product perspective, you may prefer to have something that makes a fortune. My take on this is that the Dell laptop may be un-nodworthy (at least in my eyes) but the Dell business model that supports the sale of these things is definatley nod material and it is this that sells millions of unremarkable machines, not the product.

Finally, here’s an “Nod” to you for reading beezhouse!

Your Dell example is intriguing. Sales are obviously the main goal for any company and when you start counting in the millions, you’ve got to be doing something right.

Functionality, affordability, software compatability and accessability are all defining factors in why someone would buy a dull, unremarkable machine.

So said, you just know when you whip out you MacBook Pro at the local cafe, everyone wishes they could have one, deciding factors aside.

No doubt Oz!

Dell is a $56 billion collosus. Last year it grew 14% on revenue and 21% on earnings. It managed this success SOLELY on the notion of supply chain management and doing away with a retail presence.

But things cannot stay like this for ever. Dell’s price advantage is already being slashed by the likes of Lenova and HP as we speak. What do you do now?? - cut cost? This can work, Dell has squeezed their fair share of savings out of what was already a lean model and it would appear that this has been past down to the end consumer (kudos to this!)

But you can’t rely on this damn accountant’s view of life forever, especially when we are immersed in the “innovation economy” of the 21st century. Its kind of a vicious cycle thing. Sales are the main goal for any company, but in order to establish new sales and maintain existing ones, a company like Dell will also have to get in touch with culture and consumers and this has to be done on an ongoing basis, not just once every quarter because there was some empty slots on your task register.

I don’t believe it’s enough these days to come up with just one successor, we want a constant stream of updates and improvements we can give nods to.

Dell will have to embrace a new level of design intelligence, which I think is starting to emerge. Apple demonstrates that a new product must instruct the consumer in what it is and how it works in a single glance (Ipod…stage left). Dell did introduce a music player a couple of years ago. TERRIBLE DESIGN!!

Design is a way of delivering novelty without provoking astonishment, something that Apple seem to be getting and a characteristic that for me at least, is nod-worthy and why you state “everyone wishes they could have one”

While we’re on the subject of Dell, found this interesting little snippet through BoingBoing.

Oz - I saw this post by Xeni as well!!!!You beat me to it. Everyday I am confronted with hints and reasons to convert to Mac, somehow I keep telling myself to hang on…I think time is nearly up!!!

Come towards the light. It is warm and (user)friendly.

1. Oz | July 19th, 2006 at 22:23
The nod is squarely with the cognesceti - the people in the know. The best example lies with the most important accessory for a man: his watch. Anybody notice the lastest Swatch on the guy sitting next to you? No? Is it because it lacks the prestige of the bigger Swiss watchmakers? Or maybe the Swatch is just too common.

But would you notice an IWC Aquatimer, or maybe at Tag Heur Carrera, or even any other Patek Phillipe? Patek who? If you’re in the know, you know what I’m talking about. You’re assumed to be knowledgeable, having great taste and real big salary.

Brand recognition is about the product but it reflects upon the owner, and therein lies the recognition. ‘In people’ recognising you have something in common, that you are ‘in’ You have taste. You have style. And you have something that very few people want and even fewer people actually have.

Closer to mass market, why pay $300 for a pair of jeans. Superior quality of denim? High quality of workmanship? Yes, in part. But the major motivator is people seeing that you have a desireable piece of clothing, you know what’s in fashion. You are part of the ‘in crowd’. There’s no better feeling than being ‘in’. No worse feeling than wearing your 10 year old cargoes out to the hippest new bar in town, only to figure out that you’re out of fashion.

Recognising, impressing and belonging. That’s what it’s all about. Just make sure it won’t date, just like cargoes.
2. Jade | July 20th, 2006 at 22:40
What a load of rubbish. Being “in” or “out” has absolutley nothing to do with what computer your using, what watch your wearing, the brand you into or those shoes that youjust spent a whole weeks worth of salary on.
It has more to do with your soul and your laugh and actually being a believable person.
Don’t belive me?
Put John Howard in a pair of Y3’s, give him an IWC Aquatimer, have him sitting at Cafe Doppio downing an espresso whilst on his Mac PowerBook, he could also be listening to Coldplay on his Ipod Nano if you like…but no matter how hard you try he just isn’t gonna get any less geekier than he already is.
If your cool the sun always shines on you, right BGE? Its in you or its not and brand recognition, marketing or advertising isn’t gonna help you if your naturally just “out”
3. BillyGoatEric | July 21st, 2006 at 10:33
Its an interesting point on Johnny, however I think that despite his lack of style, Johnny would still be getting the nod by some…and anyway, if he had the savvy to use a Mac at my local then his got my interest.

I think that you have missed my point on this whole nod thing. It doesn’t necessarily need to be about a brand (maybe my fault for not being more clear)but it could be nothing more than a shared interest, but one that isn’t something everyone does. No doubt there is a US vs THEM flavour but this isn’t a required element, although it’s often in there somewhere. It’s just about being… different, in a way that someone else is, without necessarily placing a value judgement on either side. Sometimes it’s just about recognising, “I may be an idiot for spending so much money on a pair of shoes, but at least I’m not the only one…”

The post is trying to highlight the place where individual and collective identity intertwine. We as consumers do the nod thing because a product resonates so deeply with our identity that it feels like part of us; like the creator has personally discovered something important about me and made it real in my life. Recognising others who share this passion leads to The Nod. It says something about me and there is a way to identify others about whom I presume it says the same thing.

It’s what musicians (Coldplay in my case)do so well: gather up a bit of their individual experience and express it in a manner which we recognise and resonate with.

It is an arguable point though about whether a company would want their product to be “Nod” worthy? It seems to be that products that get the “Nod” are rare or fringe dwellers. Meanwhile mainstream products, like the dreaded Dell laptop running Windows, sell by the millions. From a customer’s perspective, great, a Nod product can instill a sense of belonging, perhaps coolness or as Jade suggests maybe a corny try hard attempt, either way Johnny slapping on a pair of Y3’s would be amusing. But from a product perspective, you may prefer to have something that makes a fortune. My take on this is that the Dell laptop may be un-nodworthy (at least in my eyes) but the Dell business model that supports the sale of these things is definatley nod material and it is this that sells millions of unremarkable machines, not the product.

Finally, here’s an “Nod” to you for reading beezhouse!
4. Oz | July 21st, 2006 at 23:38
Your Dell example is intriguing. Sales are obviously the main goal for any company and when you start counting in the millions, you’ve got to be doing something right.

Functionality, affordability, software compatability and accessability are all defining factors in why someone would buy a dull, unremarkable machine.

So said, you just know when you whip out you MacBook Pro at the local cafe, everyone wishes they could have one, deciding factors aside.
5. BillyGoatEric | July 24th, 2006 at 10:24
No doubt Oz!

Dell is a $56 billion collosus. Last year it grew 14% on revenue and 21% on earnings. It managed this success SOLELY on the notion of supply chain management and doing away with a retail presence.

But things cannot stay like this for ever. Dell’s price advantage is already being slashed by the likes of Lenova and HP as we speak. What do you do now?? - cut cost? This can work, Dell has squeezed their fair share of savings out of what was already a lean model and it would appear that this has been past down to the end consumer (kudos to this!)

But you can’t rely on this damn accountant’s view of life forever, especially when we are immersed in the “innovation economy” of the 21st century. Its kind of a vicious cycle thing. Sales are the main goal for any company, but in order to establish new sales and maintain existing ones, a company like Dell will also have to get in touch with culture and consumers and this has to be done on an ongoing basis, not just once every quarter because there was some empty slots on your task register.

I don’t believe it’s enough these days to come up with just one successor, we want a constant stream of updates and improvements we can give nods to.

Dell will have to embrace a new level of design intelligence, which I think is starting to emerge. Apple demonstrates that a new product must instruct the consumer in what it is and how it works in a single glance (Ipod…stage left). Dell did introduce a music player a couple of years ago. TERRIBLE DESIGN!!

Design is a way of delivering novelty without provoking astonishment, something that Apple seem to be getting and a characteristic that for me at least, is nod-worthy and why you state “everyone wishes they could have one”
6. Oz | July 31st, 2006 at 22:11
While we’re on the subject of Dell, found this interesting little snippet through BoingBoing.
7. BillyGoatEric | July 31st, 2006 at 22:18
Oz - I saw this post by Xeni as well!!!!You beat me to it. Everyday I am confronted with hints and reasons to convert to Mac, somehow I keep telling myself to hang on…I think time is nearly up!!!
8. Oz | August 1st, 2006 at 21:38
Come towards the light. It is warm and (user)friendly.

beezhouse.com

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