The YellowPapers Series

ThePower oSix Degrees

Changing the way we think about communication

Introduction

These days, a lot o people talk about360 degree solutions. Everyone’sdoing it. Trying to surround consumerswith advertising. Using every channeland touchpoint.Following people wherever they go.Bombarding their ‘target audience’with intrusive messages at every turn.But the truth is, it just isn’t working anylonger.For one thing, it’s incredibly expensive. And, or another, intrusive messagescan be pretty irritating ater a while. According to Synovate’s globalstudy on media and advertising romNovember 2009, ad avoidance isincreasing. 87% have actively triedto avoid ads on TV or radio. 50% o respondents in Hong Kong and Taiwansay there are too many ads on cellphones. 67% actively take measuresto avoid websites with intrusiveadvertising.Clearly 360 degrees isn’t the marketingcure-all some people claim. So wehave a dierent idea.

Instead o 360 degrees, how aboutsix degrees?

The Power o Six DegreesThe YellowPaper Series2

Clearly 360 degreesisn’t the marketingcure-all some peopleclaim.

The Power o Six DegreesThe YellowPaper Series3

What is six degrees?

You remember the old urban myth about Six Degrees o Kevin Bacon. Theidea that everyone in Hollywood could be connected to the actor Kevin Baconin six steps or less. It helped to spawn a whole new eld o science. Networkscience. Scientists discovered that nature has a hidden blueprint. A structurethat connects us all. Every network has its hubs and connectors. The scientists believe the six degrees nding has the potential to change theway we ght terrorism, predict pandemics and combat the spread o disease. And, more importantly o course, we believe it can also change the way weapproach advertising.I everybody really is connected to everyone else, they can help spread ourmessage or us. All we need to do is create something compelling, involving andvaluable enough or people to want to pass on.

Lucy Jameson

is the Executive Strategy Director at DDB London. She is responsible or turning the30 or so planners working at the ‘home o planning’ into one collective planning brain. Additionally,she is co-chair o DDB Worldwide’s Planning Futures Group.