Ben Huh's talk from Future Insights Live 2014 in Las Vegas: "The 20th Century was about the dominance of one or two formats per medium (TV for video, radio for audio, etc). Welcome to the new world where everything can do everything, but that doesn't mean everything will be successful for everything." Miss his talk? Join us at a future show: www.futureofwebdesign.com. Sign up for our newsletter at futureinsights.com and get 15% off your next conference.

1. much knowledge
amaze data
wow glasses
such business

2. @benhuh

3. BravoTV/LOLwork

4. Cheezburger’s Business
Happy Moments
for our Audience.
!
Sharable Stories
for our Advertisers.
@benhuh

5. The Medium is the Message
Marshall Mcluhan

6. The Format is the Message
Ben Huh, Cheezburger
@benhuh

7. It’s Inside the Computer?
@benhuh
Zoolander

8. Device
Format
@benhuh

9. @benhuh
16:9

10. Explosion of devices =
Competition for attention
!
Using new formats to reach
consumers with thinning
attention-span
!
Pie isn’t shrinking.
Embrace constraints.
Leverage Moments.
Devices & Formats
1. Background
!
!
2. Challenges
!
!
!
3. Answers
@benhuh

11. “Devices” of the Past
@benhuh

12. The Simple Past
TV
Movie Theatre
DVDs
!
Books
Newsprint
!
Radio
CDs
Watch
!
!
!
Read
!
!
Listen
@benhuh

13. From Vertical...
Read Listen Watch
Books Radio TV
Print CDs Theatre
Device = Format
Activity
@benhuh

14. Devices of Today
@benhuh

15. To Horizontal
Books Radio TV
Print CDs Theatre
Computers
Smartphones
eBooks
Smart TV
FormFactor
Read Listen Watch
Activity
Devices ≠ Format
@benhuh

16. Watch,
Read,
Listen,
and write,
take photos,
and shoot
HD videos.
They’re Everywhere and Do It All
Smartphone
Tablet
Laptop
Desktop
Google Glass
Smart TV
!
What’s the difference?

17. Humans Use
the Devices, but…
@benhuh

18. The Formats Make Up the Network
Facebook

19. Which
one is
your
favorite
TV?
iMore

20. 168 hours in a week, 112 awake
@benhuh

21. Opportunity in Challenges
Opportunity
Opportunity
@benhuh

22. 2036: Global Media Apex?
The 112 Limit
@benhuh

23. Do I Have Your Attention?

24. We Live in a Thin-Crust World

25. The Kitten Photo TestTM
The most abundant content in the universe.
The Kitten Photo TestTM
The most abundant content in the universe.

26. ● Fragmentation
● Competition
● Growth
● Creative freedom
● Visible failure
● Resource constraints
● Lack of experience
What’s Driving This?
Push
Pull
+
- Risk
@benhuh

27. Example One
@benhuh

28. 2005

29. 2010

31. Example Two
@benhuh

32. You Change TVs, not Room Size

33. 4K Ultra HD
HD
DVD
@benhuh

34. 46” HDTV
Median US HDTV Size
9’ sitting distance
@benhuh

35. 140” 4K Ultra HD
@benhuh
● 4x the resolution
● Same 9’ distance
● 140” optimal size

36. Did you notice something missing?
@benhuh

37. Why not put the house on the outer edge?
@benhuh

38. Peripheral
Vision
Peripheral
Vision
Why not put the house on the outer edge?
@benhuh

39. ON

40. Formats in Reality
@benhuh

41. @benhuh

42. Embracing a Format
@benhuh

43. What happens to old formats?
@benhuh

44. Many become specialized.
@benhuh

45. Old formats die hard. (High-fidelity analog audio.)
@benhuh

46. New Formats
@benhuh

47. The Future of Devices
Smart watches
Roku/AppleTV/Chromecast
XBOX One/PS 4
Google Glass
Oculus Rift
Connected In-Car Systems
Ultra High Definition
3D printing
@benhuh

48. VR won’t just be for gaming.
@benhuh

49. Even... Back to Analog

50. Formats don’t produce linear evolution.
Generational Change Required
@benhuh
Not what you were expecting?

51. 1. Copy old format
(Pre-roll, Mobile banners, games)
2. Creative few embrace the new
(Tweet, Instagram, GIFs, in-game purchase)
3. Mainstream embrace
(Vine, FB Fan Pages, Memes)
The Stages of Format Innovation
@benhuh

52. Bad Format?
@benhuh

53. ben@cheezburger.com

55. Different Formats
for
Different Environments
@benhuh

56. Reaching the Real-Time Audience
@benhuh
Stunts
Live sports
Topical trends
@customer_service
1:Viral
1:Channel
1:Group
1:Interpersonal

57. Reaching the Real-Time Audience
@benhuh
Stunts
Live sports
Topical trends
@customer_service
1:Viral
1:Channel
1:Group
1:Interpersonal
Audience
Scale
Content
Volume

58. The Undiscovered Future
@benhuh

59. Creativity does not
come from absence
of constraint.
!
Constraint is
the catalyst that
frees us from
our own restraints.

60. 6-Second Stories?
@benhuh

61. How We Tell
Stories Today
@benhuh

62. Pixar/Up

63. Assumption of Context
@benhuh

64. @benhuh

65. Adapted from History
@benhuh

66. @benhuh

67. @benhuh

68. @benhuh

69. @benhuh

70. @benhuh
Triptych
Jacobello Del Fiore/
Triptych of the Madonna della Misericordia
circa 1415

71. If You Understand This,
You Understand Me
@benhuh

72. Final Words
@benhuh

73. Formats are Made
by Building Products
@benhuh

74. New devices create new use
cases
!
Old formats don’t fit in this
competitive world
!
New formats to better
fit new user environments
New Devices Love New Formats
1. Background
!
!
2. Challenges
!
!
3. Answers
@benhuh

75. @benhuh
cheezburger.com

76. Q&A
!
BTW, @Cheezburger is hiring devs!
http://chzb.gr/L33T