Blue Apron Is Entering a New Era of Flexible Commerce
From subscription to freedom with Raina Enand, the meal delivery service’s head of marketing.Read More
As Alex Lubar Exits, Omnicom Won’t Say If It Will Backfill DDB Global CEO Role
Lubar’s departure comes weeks after reports speculated DDB could be retired following Omnicom’s acquisition of IPGRead More
Caveman economics
Marshall Sahlins and others showed that early hunter gatherer societies generally didn’t work very hard. Two or three hours a day were spent gathering food, and the rest of the time was for social engagement and family.
With all the technology and innovation that has followed, why do we work four times as hard?
One reason is leverage. The tools we have offer apparently bigger prizes in exchange for the next unit of incremental labor. There wasn’t a point in working harder to get more berries, because you already had enough berries.
And the second reason is that the systems that created our culture have their own needs in mind. Landlords don’t provide housing as a public service–they do it to make a profit. And the wedding-industrial complex makes happy brides as a byproduct of making a profit. They’re the side effect, not the point.
Systems use status and affiliation within culture to motivate individuals to play along.
When it’s working as we hope, the system of systems produces possibility, civility and achievement. It increases health, connection and even joy.
But no one is in charge of these systems, and, especially as they become concentrated and powerful, they often fail to produce the outcomes we might be hoping for.
Many are intransigent and sticky, and they work hard to remain invisible. When we see the systems, we have a chance to do something about them. The hard part is organizing the community to push back before the new normal becomes permanent.
You’re Not Taking a Moral Stance by Not Using AI
Why the AI industry needs diverse voices right now.Read More
EXCLUSIVE: Yahoo Is Quietly Testing 6 AI Agents for Advertising
New agents will live within Yahoo’s demand-side platform, where advertisers can also integrate their own custom AI tools.Read More
New Agency Artists & Robots Aims to Underpin Brand Experiences With AI
When brands talk about using AI, most describe some version of making content faster, cheaper, or “more personalized.” Heather Salkin and Jason Snyder think that approach is already stale. Their […]Read More
Stop all
Every one of the pings, dings and clicks on this page gives me the hives. Run them in a quick sequence and I need to leave the room. They are our Pavlovian bells, designed to trigger us into action.
At the bottom right is a button that says ‘stop all.’
That’s a useful idea.
We didn’t sign up for this all at once. We were seduced into becoming trained seals gradually, fish by fish.
Important work might not be quick or automatic or easy.
YouTube and Disney Reach Deal to End Carriage Dispute
YouTube and Disney have reached a deal that will restore Disney’s networks to YouTube TV.Read More
All the cards
If someone hands you a deck, you can be sure there are 52 cards covering four suits.
The universe is finite. The cards are the cards, and games work precisely for that reason. Every deck is the same, and all the players have the same options.
Some of the systems we compete in have a limited number of cards, known to all.
More often, though, there is the possibility of surprise. Options that weren’t considered by others, paths that are still unexplored. Technology mints new cards, but so do brave decisions and commitment.
It’s rare to know all the available cards, and rarer still to have them all.
Havas Reportedly Exploring a Deal with WPP
Ad industry insider suggests Havas is eyeing a minority stake, not a full-blown takeover.Read More