Joseph Pine released a report last year called Beyond Experience: it continues on the same theme of creating Authenticity for the Experience Economy.
I haven't yet read the report but you can download it here: http://www.artsandbusiness.org.uk/Central/Research/Branding-consumption/Beyon...
<p>Beyond experience: culture, consumer & brand - panel discussion from Arts & Business on Vimeo.</p>
As an Arts Reporter years ago, I interviewed an opera singer, theatre practitioners and visual artists who identified with this idea that business could learn from the arts and likewise the arts could learn from business. That was 10 years ago, it's not a new idea.
What's new is that Joseph Pine thinks it's key to unlocking the main ingredient customers value in a product or service : Authenticity.
"Are you a Fake fake, a Fake real, a Real fake or a Real real? - I think a lot of artists think they must not be tainted by business.
Businesses like advertising and media are in the culture business whether we like it, are conscious of it or not.
My niece *8* walks around talking fast talk interspersed with "boom-chika!" on the end of a hip thrust and a huge grin - she's created her experience from a controversial TV ad for a men's deodorant. Yes, it drives women wild.
I don't think she's even seen the ad, she's not allowed to watch commercial TV, her friend told her about it.
Business is not about enlightenment - Art is about enlightenment. How do you overcome this? - business has to care about more than the mighty dollar! That's authenticity.
I listened to the audio book: Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It's great in-depth journalism. They have in one book summed up the digital revolution as they've experienced it and given people an insight into how it works. Why is it that mainstream journalism has not been able to do this? Is it conflicted? Is it just ignorant? Smith and Brogan are big on authenticity.
Start hobbling, start walking, sprint if you can because you're going to need a head start on this voracious new generation coming up the track - unless your market is going to be skewed towards the authenticity of the 20th century for the older generations.
I reckon the integration of humanity and technology is just that far away and the arts is the only way to hold on to humanity.
Like Joseph Pine says, authenticity is about knowing yourself, about being connected, being true to yourself and to others.
The arts is the INTERFACE connecting us - images, video, music, film, stories ... yes, even design.
It's always connected us from the first lullaby and the first cave painting to Avatar.
But you have to learn to use an interface - don't you?