Rahaf Harfoush

Were the progressive tendencies seen in the campaign flash-in-the-pan phenomena or do they represent a kind of sea change in technologies of engagement? Scott Thomas and Rahaf Harfoush lead an interactive discussion on how design and new media played an instrumental role in the Barack Obama campaign. Thomas and Harfoush explore innovation in both campaign tactics and political strategy. In conversation, we explore the impact of many forms of openness on participation in the 2008 presidential campaign.

About the Speakers:
Scott Thomas (aka SimpleScott) is constantly seeking the simplest answer to complex problems. In 2006 he began a design collective entitled The Post Family. The group is devoted to supporting each other’s design habits, from silk screen to letterpress, from illustration to blogging, in an effort to “get back to the hand.” In 2007 Scott’s career took a dramatic leap when he was invited to join the New Media team at Obama for America. The chance encounter led him to becoming the Design Director of the historic Obama Presidential campaign. Scott plans to continue designing for social causes that might just someday change the world.

Rahaf Harfoush specializes in creating authentic conversations in the social media landscape. Her clients include British Telecom, Unilever, InnoSpa, and Duke University. She is an avid blogger, writer, information junkie, web evangelist and social network ninja. Rahaf was the Research Coordinator on Don Tapscott’s Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything and contributed to Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. She recently completed a three-month assignment as part of Barack Obama’s New Media Team at his headquarters in Chicago. Rahaf blogs at TheFoush.com

When we think about creative industries, is data the first thing that comes to mind? Creative outputs have long been considered as intangibles – hard to quantify and hard to measure – but that’s all about to change.

Thanks to the rise of data abundance, smart companies like Target, Amazon and Netflix have tapped into this new quantitative intelligence to better understand their consumers. Now, we are entering the next phase of this disruptive transformation: Companies are turning those sophisticated algorithms inward, using analytics to attract and retain the best and brightest minds. From Google to Starbucks and Gengo to Prezi, companies large and small are already using data to reverse flagging sales, improve performance, and prevent the repetition of mistakes. An analytical revolution is transforming creative industries. Are you ready?