Matter/Anti-Matter

(Credit: TED)

These days, conferences are thankful for not having the word "economic" in their names. Yet the difference between the World Economic Forum in Davos, which, according to most accounts, was a pretty somber affair ("how did we get into this mess?"), and the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Long Beach, Calif., is not just a semantic one.

While both venues summon an elite group of thinkers and doers, TED is decidedly more optimistic. "The Great Unveiling" is this year's theme, and so far, the program has lived up to its promise: Bill Gates unleashed mosquitoes, David Hanson made robot faces from "frubber," Arthur Benjamin introduced circus flair with his "magic squares," and photographer Yann-Arthus Bertrand embarked on a project to connect us all ("6 billion others"), to name just a few highlights.

With the words written on a TED attendee's arm: "All the really exciting things possible in a lifetime require a little more courage than we usually have."

The bigger story here might be the new power of the creative class. Well, it's not really new, but it's certainly a welcome renaissance. The right brain seems to be creating a surplus at the very moment the left brain sees its executive pays cut. Bail us out of the misery, TEDsters!

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2009 will be a year of major uncertainty. The doom and gloom of the economic downturn, the deterioration of mass markets, the pervasiveness of the digital lifestyle, a host of explosive political conflicts, and the fragmentation of traditional societal institutions are causing anxiety and propel a new search for simplicity and non-economic value systems.

Consumption-driven wealth and status are being replaced by identity, belonging, and a strong desire to contribute and do something "meaningful" rather than just acquire things. Trust and reputation are no longer enablers for the exchange of goods, services, and information, they are replacing them. Values are the new value. Meaning is succeeding experience and customer satisfaction. "The job of leadership today is not just to make money. It's to make meaning," writes management consultant John Hagel. Out: Bottom-line-pragmatists and financial wizards. In: philosophers and ethicists.

This new cultural climate presents a historic opportunity for brands to transform themselves into arbiters of meaning. Becoming Chief Meaning Officers, business leaders must move beyond simply connecting products and customers with the goal to facilitate transactions - they must now create "meaning" through actions and interactions. When your brand is a vector, your base becomes a movement - that's what we learned from Barack Obama's campaign.

In 2009, we will see more examples of "meaningful marketing" and businesses generating value that goes beyond just meeting consumers' needs. This will imply several profound paradigm shifts: essence instead of luxury, free sharing instead of monetized scarcity, radical transparency instead of brand control, authenticity instead of image, empathy instead of focus groups, conversations instead of messaging, collaboration instead of dissemination. A "meaning surplus" will become imperative: Only brands that give more than they take will be able to create sustained brand loyalty.

(Credit: Monocle)

Yes, we live (again) in the "age of conversations." There is something reassuring about listening to smart people having cultured conversations. When I was young, I would listen for hours to music-free radio programming that sounded like black-and-white movies.

Today, Monocle Magazine brought some of that magic back by launching Monocle Weekly, a 30-minute audio podcast. Hosted by editor in chief Tyler Brûlé, the short-form show extends the publication's monthly print content by offering fresh angles on stories in current and past issues, discussions, previews, field reports, and interviews. The light conversations on serious issues are entertaining and informative, and the old-fashioned stereo split of voices evokes the coziness of good old vintage radio.

Highlights of the first issue include FT markets correspondent Rachel Morarjee revealing why 'under the mattress' has become a favorite place to keep your savings (at least in the UK), and philosopher Alain de Botton explaining why happiness will be more important than watching your salary in 2009: "There is no wealth but life, so concentrate on your portfolio of life, and not your portfolio of cash."

Well said. Although this may not be the most effective response to someone who just lost his or her job, the longing for new meaning in private and public life ("why exactly do we work?") will likely be an overarching theme in the forthcoming year. This presents a huge opportunity for brands of all kinds and industries: they are the arbiters of meaning.

Listen yourself: http://monocle.com/The-Monocle-Weekly/ (also available on iTunes)

(Credit: TED)

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), arguably the world's most influential gathering of creative thinkers, is coming back to Europe - and staying. TEDGlobal 2009, the companion to the TED conference in California, is to be held in Oxford, UK, July 21-24, 2009, and every year after that.

TED curator Chris Anderson says that one of the main reasons to return to Oxford (after a tentative trial in 2005) is the more convenient time zone for simulcasts of the conference program to the growing TED communities in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

TEDGlobal 2009 was officially announced at London's Tate Modern last Wednesday, at an exclusive preview event hosted by Chris Anderson, Bono, Sir Ken Robinson, and Liz Murdoch. The theme for TEDGlobal 2009 will be 'The Substance of Things Not Seen.'

More info on TEDGlobal 2009: http://ted.org/pages/view/id/207