The Mind of TCHO

Through my interactions with Will Wright I’ve had a chance to see Spore at it’s nascent stages. It’s INCREDIBLE. This game will change the conceptual landscape of computer gaming / simulations.

BTW, Will loves chocolate and robots and wants to come visit.

link of Brian Eno and Will at Long Now presentation.

here’s a link of Robin Williams playing Spore.

from http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3162206

Spore is finished. That’s the first thing I learn as I head in to my play session at the Leipzig Games Convention. Obviously, the game isn’t finished finished (as in ready to ship), but in terms of its content offering, it’s all there—the game is complete. At this point, EA is spending the next several months paying attention to feedback from players to tweak and polish Spore for its release next Spring. But otherwise, it’s done. So here I have the “final” game in front of me to play. And I’m the very first person outside of EA to get this opportunity. Ironically, I had to trek halfway across the globe to play a game being developed right across the San Francisco bay. But whatever. I’m too excited. I’m also kind of intimidated. Having a game so massive in scope at my complete command—at least for my all-too-brief gameplay session—is pretty daunting. Where do I even start? I decide to go with the cell form; I figure, might as well start from the beginning. Following an incredible intro sequence (one that doesn’t hiccup at all, unlike how we’d seen transitions in previous showings) taking me from far out in space to a crash landing in a planet’s ocean, I begin to control my little blob. Spore begins much like the game flOw, actually. I swim around and begin to eat organisms—very basic at first and then larger ones as I grow in size and experience. As in flOw, I move up levels as I progress, each time taking me closer to the ocean’s surface—though meanwhile introducing me to new creatures, challenges, and experiences. Even early on, it’s all extremely experimental. I need to explore and see which creatures I can eat; whether I can digest them yet, whether I’ll become sick if I devour them, or whether they’ll attack me in return (some have nasty spikes, some emit electricity, and some are just, well, way bigger than me). SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Spore screens. Once I’ve attained enough DNA points (essentially “learning” or “experience” points), I get to start spending them on my character. He’s Bob. (All creatures are Bob as a default). I start to play around, making him leaner or fatter, then adding basic physical accoutrements. But almost immediately I realize just how overwhelming this can be. Why? Because I have to be willing to concede that experimentation is simply part of the game. Putting an eye here, or a mouth there; there is no right answer. Unlike, say, a Nintendo Mii, the choices I make aren’t merely cosmetic—they ultimately greatly affect my gameplay. And there’s a lot of weight that comes with that. I decide to give my little guy a mouth on each side of his body instead of one big one in the front—which, although one might think would be beneficial, is probably a mistake. Once I return to the environment, I realize that eating certain enemies is more difficult; I need to attack them in a sweeping motion in order to effectively use the mouths. The next time I have enough DNA points, the first thing I do is fix up Bob’s mouth.

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I am thinking more about the theme of connection for our brand. I think it’s definitely a fundamental thing that people crave in their lives right now (or has this always been a fundamental craving?).

I’d like to explore further what companies have successfully created connections between consumers and the origins (people and land) behind their products. I realize our definition of connection is much broader than simply that between origin and consumer—but I am personally very interested in this facet.

From my previous work in the specialty coffee world, Illy Caffe immediately springs to mind. Illy Caffe has had a long partnership with Sebastaio Salgado, who has taken breathtaking photographs of coffee workers around the world.

Their project, Il Principio, is a multiple year photo-journey around the world in coffee lands (a personal subject to Salgado who worked for the International Coffee Organization prior to becoming a world-renowned photographer). Stunning photos from Brazil, Ethiopia, and India (more countries to come in the future). It’s all there--the long journey from the crop to your cup, the dramatic landscapes, the poverty-weathered striking faces, and above all, the dignity of humankind--all in signature Salgado style. While I think our approach to creating a similar connection would have more potential for interaction, I think this project actually succeeds in telling a meaningful story behind coffee and creating a deeper connection and appreciation for its origins.

That’s the title of the book by Douglas B. Holt. “Identity brands” according to Holt, “compete in myth markets, not product markets.” By that he means:

Identity brands ... compete with other cultural products to perform myths that resolve cultural contradictions. Identity brands participate in myth markets, competing and collaborating with films, music, television, sports, and books.

Holt is describing our mediated life:

In cultural branding, communications are the center of customer value. Customers buy the product to experience these stories. The product is simply a conduit through which customers can experience the stories that the brand tells. When customers sip a Coke, Corona, or Snapple, they are drinking more than a beverage. Rather, they are imbibing identity myths anchored in these drinks. An effective cultural strategy creates a storied product, that is, a product that has distinctive branded features (mark, design, etc.) through which customers experience identity myths.

Identity branding relies on identifying a social contradication and then supplying a new myth that answers the need for individual resolution. The Coke ad with the kids on the mountainside wanting to teach the world to sing was an answer to the social division of the 60s—a message of hope and unity.

Iconic brands don’t mimic existing culture, nor do they grab on to emerging trends. They are cultural innovators that beckon to their audiences, using artistic techniques, to change how the viewers think and act. Leading trends is a superficial approach to cultural change. Iconic brands help to change culture at a deeper level, influencing how people understand themselves in relation to the nation’s ideals.

That doesn’t mean that the myth a brand forwards is not a reflection of the company’s real values. On the contrary, the company and its myth are one.

The company exists within the populist world, and the myth is an expression of the company’s ethos (as well as its fellow insiders within the populist world). Brands that rely on organizational populism develop the brand to express—in a distilled and stylized dramatization—the core ethos of the company.

In other words, identity brands have to be authentic - and charismatic.

Brands earn consumers’ respect as authentic when they deliver on two qualities: literacy and fidelity… To win over audiences with their myths, iconic brands’ communications must exude charisma - a distinctive and compelling style that epitomizes the populist world from which they speak… brand myths succeed when the brand performs the right story, which is authentically grounded in the brand’s populist world, and is executed with a charismatic aesthetic.

“We Are the World” is spelled: Yeh Hum Naheen

From the eponymous website:

Yeh Hum Naheen has become a truly unprecedented musical movement. Featuring the vocal talents of some of Pakistans biggest music artists, including Haroon, Ali Haider, Ali Zafar, Shufqat, Strings, Shuja Haider and Hadiqa Kiani, uniting to sing out the message the world needs to hear.

Written by Ali Moeen, Pakistans foremost lyricist, with music composed by Shuja Haider, its the central message of the song that has compelled so many people to become involved. It is a message of reconciliation, a message of peace and a message of truth. Capturing the imagination of people across the board, Yeh Hum Naheen has given a voice to the silent majority, those in the Muslim world who have for too long been mis-represented.

I just stumbled upon this site, which contains a database of chocolate bars from around the world. Click to the WRAPPERS section to view all the wrappers in one place. Lots of them are from Europe; some are from the US. It’s amazing how similar many of them are. These guys stand out for me:

• Chchukululu (at least it’s colorful)


• Maglio (metallic lettering is cool)


• Antica Dolceria Bonajuto (elegant feel; gold accent piece)

In case you were wondering, this is what Starbucks marches to:

Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.

The following six guiding principles will help us measure the appropriateness of our decisions:

Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity.

Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business.

Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of our coffee.

Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time.

Contribute positively to our communities and our environment.

Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success.