Richard Feynman, a famous physicist and notable expert on quantum theory, once said “Nobody understands quantum theory”.

I spend a lot of time thinking in metaphors when I am trying to understand something and lately I have been thinking about quantum mechanics and how some of the concepts cross over to social media.

Now I am no expert in physics, but the basic parallel here is this: The smaller the scale, the less certain you can be about anything.
We all learned in school that atoms move around fast and they are filled with mostly empty space, so when something feels solid there is actually more nothing than something in it. Because of our large size (and the electrical bonds of the atom) we don’t sink through the floor with every step. This makes our everyday world fairly predictable and is described by classical or Newtonian physics. For centuries it has been the dominant mode of thinking and allowed us to predict the motions of planets and trajectories of cannonballs with very precise accuracy.

When you get down below the atomic level things get a lot weirder, where notions like particles and waves, matter and energy, here and there become indistinguishable. Stuff can exist in many places at once (Superposition), the act of measuring changes what it is you are measuring (Uncertainty Principle) and what appears to be static and solid is actually writhing and chaotic (Quantum Foam).

So here is the point:

Mass advertising is like Classical Physics; large-scale, mostly intuitive and somewhat predictable.

Direct Marketing is like Atomic Physics; small/medium-scale, mostly logical, but the segmentation aspects start to show some bumps and troughs on what appeared to be smooth and simple.

Social Media is more like Quantum Physics; small-scale, counter-intuitive and usually unpredictable.

Mass advertising operates in the realm of large groups of people and these target markets are big clumps and follow a somewhat consistent pattern when you look at them all at once. Traditional marketers deal with everyones opinions in big bins like sales figures, national focus groups, opinion polls, etc. These roll-ups average out the inconsistencies of individuals and blur together to form tendencies, trends and preferences. The actions taken in mass marketing can expect a relatively consistent result (i.e. send out a coupon and you can expect a certain level of redemption and sales revenue to come from it and the larger the audience, the more likely it is to average out at a predictable result). This is the world that marketers are familiar with and all-in-all it makes sense if you know the system.

Social Media on the other hand acts on the niche and individual level where things are a lot less certain. The complex nature of blog posts is hard to parse out into definitive numbers and trends. One blogger’s opinion might be indicative of thousands of others or no one. If you have ever been in a relationship or had siblings you know that individuals are complicated, can hold multiple contradictory opinions at once and often don’t do what they say they will. The lack of large numbers makes the reaction and result of social media efforts difficult to determine and measure. It is much more difficult to roll up all of these disparate opinions into a meaningful decision than to look at an opinion pie-chart.

As the potential influence of the individual grows these “quantum behaviours” which always existed in people become more obvious (if not more predictable) and we can start to track, trend and examine them. So in essence, social media tools have given marketers a microscope powerful enough to see what is going on at smaller scales. And just like the traditional physicists who opposed quantum theory (like Einstein for example) many marketers in the classical camp are not very happy with what they see, because it doesn’t confirm what they thought they knew. Decisions which appear obvious when looking at large sample sizes becomes more nuanced and contracdictory when you see everyone as an individual.

After having spoken about the implications of Social Media with loads of traditional marketers and seen presentations by those with a lot vested in the current “classical marketing” model, I can understand the hesitancy. Accepting Quantum Physics like accepting social media force the traditionalists to admit some things that are uncomfortable, like:

• The world doesn’t always make sense
• There are no guarantees
• Some people may need to question basic assumptions or even re-learn everything they thought they knew (for many traditonal marketers, the notion of going back to first principles is a tough one)

The final point is that those who were most familiar with developing new concepts were also confused by what they discovered. Here (and another at the beginning) is a famous quote from physicist Niles Bohr who once said “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory does not understand it.”

If the parallel holds between Quantum Physics and Social Media, what does that say about all of us who think we “get” social media?

[tags] quantum, uncertainty, marketing, theory, socialmedia, physics [/tags]

She is offering her photography services gratis to families with young children where a parent has a life-threatening illness and may be facing limited time to enjoy their family. From the post on the Tot Shots Blog:

I know how devastating cancer in particular is and how difficult of a time it is for families faced with a similar situation. I recognize that professional pictures are probably the last thing on most people’s minds. However I also know that most families are trying to spend as much time together and to have as many good memories as they possible can together. This is why I think that it is only fitting to capture these moments. As such, I am offering a complimentary session and CD package to those families where a parent of young children is faced with the fact that they have a limited time left with their family. I think that these children will need something like this to cherish and look at in years to come.

As she is only a one person outfit and can’t support everyone who is in this position, so she is requesting that the referrals come through her existing clients.

Even though this is a blog about digital and word-of-mouth marketing, I would feel a little mercenary deconstructing this initiative. However, I will say that I think it is a smart business move as well as a wonderfully charitable way to give of oneself. I really, really like it when businesses can benefit from doing the right thing.

[tags] totshots, calgary, photography, charity,[/tags]

In a recent flight from Calgary to Toronto, I stupidly left my iPod (perhaps my most prized possession) in the seat pocket. I realized this only once I was in my rental car and driving away from the airport. I tried to contact Air Canada, but could not find my way to the right department while driving. So once I arrived at my destination, I spent quite a while trying to contact via phone and email, but simply could not get through to anyone who would help me. I tried lost baggage and they wouldn’t help (I had to report it at the airport), I tried reservations (they wouldn’t help me unless I was buying from them) and customer service had no phone number and accepted email only (for which I have yet to receive a response).

So if there was a way to contact a real human being who might have been willing to assist, I could have informed them prior to the next passengers getting on the plane and at least had a small chance of recovering it. I do not think that me losing my iPod was their fault, but with Air Canada’s ever downward spiralling customer service, making it impossible for me to contact them removed my last chance of recovering it. And that is why I am angry with them. And yes perhaps I am perhaps externalizing a portion of the anger I feel at myself.

Here is an interesting analogy: If I enter a contest and can prove that I followed the rules, but my ballot was not entered into the contest, I can potentially bring the whole contest down or demand the top-prize for myself and I would have a very good legal case to make. In this case I actually believe that Air Canada must shoulder some of the responsibility for my lost item, since they basically made it impossible for me to contact anyone who could possibly help me.

I have to wonder if I had called them with an Arabic accent* and ominously stated "I have left an electronic device in seat 18-D on Flight 125", whether I might have received more prompt attention…

* It was pointed out to me in the comments below that this comment was not well considered. In hindsight I agree. My intent was to ridicule the stereotype and not reinforce it. I try not to post-edit, so I am writing this note in case anyone takes this the wrong way, with my apologies.

Over the holidays I attended the WestJet Christmas party and heard the stories of how they go above and beyond for their customers (including one stewardess who rescued a customer’s engagement ring left in an airport bathroom from the finger of the cleaning lady who had found it).

I think I will be flying WestJet when I can. Either that or just take better care of my possessions.

Update: David was kind enough to send me the correct phone number for lost and found. I called and was dealt with very efficiently and courteously. I may just have been too upset to find the right number, but thanks to David, I still may never see my iPod again, but I feel at little better that at least I was able to log it with them. If only the people I spoke to were as helpful as you, David…

Disclosure: My wife is on WestJet’s Crisis Communications team at H&K.

[tags] WestJet, iPod, Customerservice, AirCanada[/tags]