Three things you need to change a mindset: a wide perspective, a good story & an interactive experience
An Edge of Government case story
Economists, thinkers and business theorists alike sometimes make an attempt to define the type of economy that is prevalent. We live in an information economy, typified by its global scale, use of technological advancements and profits being derived from the speed of innovation and the ability to attract and retain customers. We live in an experience economy, whereby instead of pushing a product or service, you make a personal connection on the level of emotional involvement with the result of a lasting memory. We live in a purpose economy, where value lies in establishing purpose for employees and customers through serving needs greater than their own, enabling personal growth and building community.
None of them are true and all of them are true, at the same time. This is mainly because none of them are absolute and describe our economy for the full 100%. Instead, they are accurate descriptions of certain developments taking place, guided by what is deemed important or prevalent in our time. For any organization, company or brand they offer important guiding insights that do not necessarily need to contradict each other. The information economy offers an opportunity to connect people on a cross-cultural and global level, the experience economy lets people participate with an organization and the purpose economy forces brands to show their relevance and intrinsic value to the consumer and the world they live in.
Edge of Government
In 2018 and 2019 Sinc was involved in a project that combined all of these into one single entity: Edge of Government. This annual event is organized in Dubai by the Prime Minister’s Office and it challenges visitors, who are often public officials or decision-makers themselves, to think in new and often counterintuitive ways about how to solve the most pressing public challenges of our time.
The event showcases smart innovations from around the world and the exhibit’s main purpose is to trigger new thinking through interactive experiences. For Sinc, we were responsible for the curation of the cases, the ‘concepting’ and storytelling of the whole event and the production of the interactive experiences.
In both years, the idea that drove us was to establish a change in mindset by convincing the visitor they can play an active role in finding solutions to public challenges. Not by telling but by doing. Not by receiving but by participating. With concepts like ‘You Are Light’ and ‘Powered by You’ this pro-activity was translated into art installations, such as Submergence by Squidsoup, as well as interactive case experiences that invited visitors to engage with the innovation at hand.
The latter varied from exploring what it’s like to be a cyborg, experiencing how a chip implant could smoothen public transportation and discovering how rewarding your steps can benefit public health. We present them the challenge and offer them the steering wheel to set course for the right direction towards a solution.
A wide perspective
Engagement in this sense is happening on different levels. It’s making a cross-cultural and meaningful connection with innovators and visitors around the globe, it’s serving a need that is greater than one’s own and it’s building a memory that is meant to last. It’s not subversive to one idea of economy or marketing, but utilizes experience, purpose and information elements all at once.
For Edge of Government, as is the case for any brand or organization, making an impact means taking a wide perspective on how people, organizations and cultures relate to each other. That is as true for a government official as it is for someone buying a soda in the supermarket.
Want to know more about this project? Ask our creative strategist Jens!
