OPEN

e-Published: my e-book, Brands in Networks…

200809271739.jpg

Phew. I finally finished it. At least, I’ve gone far enough for version 1.0 to go up on the iCrossing website. Ladies and gentlemen, geeks, media types and brandistas I give you: Brands in Networks.

It brings together a whole load of different strands of thought that we’ve been working through in the social media and content teams at iCrossing for the past couple of years, includin:

  • The shift from channel to network media
  • Principles of understanding, being useful and being live in your networks
  • Using new analogies for online media strategy, like attention markets

Very excited and not a little nervous about putting it out there – if you download please do let me know what you think.

It took a lot longer to get around to finishing than its predecessor, What is Social Media? (also re-published with a cool new design by our creative supremo Amo Bassan).

Apart from making the e-book a hell of a lot easier on the eye than it it might otherwise have been Amo designed it so that it uses less ink when you print it out, rather than caning a whole cartridge as some designs might. Clever.

Just like What is Social Media?, it’s under a Creative Commons licence so do with it what you will… ahem. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens this time out…

: : OK now just forgive a quick couple of indulgences… Lastly, although there’s no dedication I would of course dedicate it to my wife, Sarah, who had to put up with me disappearing on Sunday mornings to write. I was – and still am – happiest writing at Redroaster, the finest coffee house in Brighton, which as a Georgian hang out must have a fine history of coffee shops of the old school. So here’s a picture of the moment I first saw a finished version of the e-book on the laptop I wrote most of it on…

200809271749.jpg

, , , , , , icrossing, icrossing, icrossing, , , , redroaster, ,
Antony Mayfield

17 responses to “e-Published: my e-book, Brands in Networks…”

  1. Curtis James Avatar
    Curtis James

    Cool – looking forward to reading it, probably in the Red Roaster

  2. Ian Yorston Avatar
    Ian Yorston

    Great to hear that the book is out; but how how do I actually get hold of it? I’m sure it’s obvious – but I’m struggling to find a link…

  3. Antony Mayfield Avatar
    Antony Mayfield

    Thanks, Ian – looks like there was a broken link: all fixed now. If in doubt go to http://www.icrossing.co.uk/ebooks and click on “Brands in Networks”.

  4. Ben Matthews Avatar
    Ben Matthews

    Thanks Ian – looking forward to getting into this one and although there’s no Georgian coffee shops near by I might find myself an old Georgian pub somewhere…

  5. Stephen Waddington Avatar
    Stephen Waddington

    Hi Anthony, Congratulations, and thanks for sharing this with us. Again you’re right our there at the edge of the envelope, with some very original thinking. I’ve downloaded a copy to read. I’m afraid I’m old fashioned when it comes to eBooks and print them out to read. Cheers, Stephen

  6. Antony Mayfield Avatar
    Antony Mayfield

    That’s very kind of you Stephen – hope to hear your thoughts when you’ve read it…

    @Ben – Georgian pubs will suffice. Oh yes.

  7. Mark Hanson Avatar
    Mark Hanson

    There’s nothing like a good coffee shop to do some thinking/writing/plotting!

    Looking fwd to this

  8. Richard Stacy Avatar
    Richard Stacy

    Read it and liked it. Anything that starts of talking in terms of Gutenberg and Revolution get my vote.

    Not quite in agreement with the number one prediction on page 6 though – most of the digital agencies I come across are too deeply rooted in web1.0 “go out and build me a community” channel type of thinking – but there again, so are most major global brands. A more likely candidate is a PR agency – because they have grown-up operating in a world where you don’t control the channel and often have a better grasp of story and narrative – but there again as a PR type I would say that!

  9. Jia Liu Avatar
    Jia Liu

    Great work! Had a month waiting though. :)

  10. Antony Mayfield Avatar
    Antony Mayfield

    @Richard – thanks very much: glad you liked it. I think you’re right about the approach of many digital agencies, but the ones that combine good, human comms style thinking with the power of data-driven real-time agile marketing can and will take the lead position in marketing.

    PR agencies that make the same shift, and commit to the technology (I’m thinking of aspects Edelman, H&K, Weber) may well be up to that challenge too, but they need to be able to understand and direct others in the marketing mix. That takes an ability to measure and critique all aspects of the marketing mix.

    @Jia – Thanks – and good things come… :-)

  11. Martin Assmann Avatar
    Martin Assmann

    My compliments again. As Richard Stacy has already mentioned it’s a great introduction to start with Gutenberg, Luther and the birth of Protestantism. The revolution has become digital. I really love your numbers and the way you disclosure the potential of this trend. As you described the means of production and distribution have changed. So everybody who is interested in the future of brands should read this amusing e-book.

    Antony, hope to see you in person soon either in the UK or Germany to have some good talks.

  12. Ian Delaney Avatar
    Ian Delaney

    Splendid work, Antony, as ever.

    There’s a missing piece in the whole social media agenda, though, as I see it. I am trying to spark some debate on the topic of ‘how do content owners and publishers get paid?’

    We NEED musicians, journalists, film-makers, etc. but I can’t see how they get paid in your (and many others’) model.

    The musicians are at the vanguard of this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7652053.stm) since they’ve been hit early and hard. But it’s all content producers, really.

    And, yes (as you asked), I do have an event to pimp. Get yourself up town for the Future of Newspapers (http://www.nmk.co.uk/event/2008/9/16/what-happens-to-newspapers)

    ;-)

  13. Ian Delaney Avatar
    Ian Delaney

    *cough* that link will work without the closing bracket.

    Or here: http://is.gd/3wVy

    Anyway, ummm. Nice selection of NY tunes on your Blip.fm, without falling for the obvious. The naked prostitution involved in this comment post is now numbing my fingers. Brandy, please.

  14. Antony Mayfield Avatar
    Antony Mayfield

    Ian – thanks for your comment: and you’re of course right that there’s an important issue around how people get paid for creative work.

    Well, I think there’s not one simple answer.

    I think that there will be several models, as there have been for some time, but that perhaps there won’t be a dominant one. Patronage, sponsorship, franchising and variations on advertising are all potential sources of income/revenue that can fund creative work.

    I think a further blog post on this… Good luck with the event. I’ve signed up just now…

  15. Becky McMichael Avatar
    Becky McMichael

    Defo leapfroggged a few others in the pile for my long train journeys. Looking forward to it. Great accomplishment too. I am in awe of anyone that makes time to do this. Becks

  16. Antony Mayfield Avatar
    Antony Mayfield

    @Richard- turns out some digital agencies are already taking on the agency of record role in the US: http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=132026

    One more point: Clients are more likely to feel comfortable with digital agencies taking on this role than PR companies for another reason too: the digital agencies have been built so that they look and work like a traitional ad agency: planners, account handlers, research, creatives etc.

  17. Richard Stacy Avatar
    Richard Stacy

    OK – I think this proves your point and I cede leadership to digital agencies! However, I have set out here http://tinyurl.com/574wjq why I think that the ascendancy of the digital agency is not here for the long term.

Leave a Reply