The Human Exchange of Ideas

One of our core beliefs at Orbital Socket is The Human Exchange of Ideas: the phenomenon whereby ideas move from person to person and group to group. No matter how much we inject technology into marketing and the concept of activation, its essence will always be human. Humanity is the center of it all, and captivating brands understand this.  

People's needs and wants are what drives marketing all around the world. We cannot dismiss the fact that people want to be dazzled, surprised, and stimulated. People desire for their needs and wants to be met in ways yet imagined and places yet ventured. They want to be surprised and delighted, AND then they want to tell their friends about their new conquests and discoveries. They want to post it, share it, and engage with it. They want to make it part of who they are and their community, too.

There needs to be a two-way exchange of ideas between brands and their audience. Brands desire to gain insight into their consumers' needs and wants, and consumers desire to know what brands stand for. Are they environmentally friendly? Do they give back to their local community? What is their essence?

Exchanging Ideas Through Excitement
Since the dawn of time, humans have been exchanging ideas. They've been exchanging ideas about something as small as a book or a film or about a product. And, the fastest exchange of ideas occurs when there's excitement involved. If a company manages to get someone excited about their product or service, that person will spread their excitement, either through word of mouth or through reviews. 

Customer reviews are the perfect example of The Human Exchange of Ideas because they reveal the consumer journey. People like to know what their peers think about a particular service or product. If that experience is positive, their peers want to be part of it, too. As excitement grows, the new momentum allows the communication of ideas to other people through the conduit of happiness and joy.

Brands want customers to become advocates for their product because good reviews can be more effective than simple advertisements. Peer endorsements are authentic representations of consumer experiences – the endorsement is not based on monetary gain but reflects customer satisfaction. The endorsement builds trust because it comes from someone using the product or service and someone a consumer feels like they can at least identify with or know.

Exchanging Ideas Through Technology
Technology has allowed The Human Exchange of Ideas to become much faster and more ubiquitous than before. Chat apps, social media, calls over the Internet, etc., have allowed ideas to spread faster. Therefore, someone can simply look at a product or a service and send it to their friends on social media. Also, people have formed groups, page chat forums, and subforums on their most beloved topics. They aggregate around those ideas more than ever before. The Internet is today's fireplace, watercooler, and pub.

However, it's not just about tapping into these data transmissions. It's about looking deeper and figuring out why those transmissions occur. The core is still the same, no matter how much the medium has changed. The people who get excited about a streaming service today were getting excited about TV shows decades ago. The same people who love gaming consoles today were lining up to play in arcades years ago. It's not that The Human Exchange of Ideas has radically changed; it's that technology has allowed the exchange to grow and multiply.

Brands must also realize that while people can share the good, they can also share the bad. Once again, customers want to know what your brand stands for. Knowledge of the good you are doing (environmental stewardship, community involvement, etc.) will be celebrated and shared. Knowing what you aren't doing (or at least what the public perceives you aren't doing) will be questioned, challenged, and shared in consumer communities.

At Orbital Socket, we still know that at the heart of it all are people. It's just a matter of understanding your customers and finding those shareable moments that will gain traction with your audience and their friends and community. The Human Exchange of Ideas. It's essential in the world of captivation.