The one-sentence summary

In a world gone digital, you need to act fast, create direct connections, take risks, and respect how people really feel.

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WHAT THE BOOK SAYS VELOCITY

  • Velocity is the acceleration in the pace of social, cultural and commercial change brought about by digital technology.
  • There are seven new laws for a world gone digital:
    1. A Smith & Wesson beats four aces
      • There’s no such thing as a safe bet – thinking you know it all is dangerous.
    2. It’s easier done than said
      • The best way to see if something works is to do it, not discuss it endlessly.
    3. The best advertising isn’t advertising
      • Showing off and sweet-talking customers doesn’t work – you need direct connections.
    4. Convenient is the enemy of right
      • A close cousin of ‘Good is the enemy of great’, this is the old, slightly macho point of constantly testing your limits.
    5. Respect human nature
      • Proper use of data can provide the early signals about whether you are serving people properly.
    6. No good joke survives a committee of six
      • Groupthink is more dangerous than being radical because it leaves brands and companies anonymous and unmentioned.
    7. Have a purpose larger than yourself
      • This is pretty much the same as Daniel Pink’s purpose point – the suggestion is that individuals who aim to make a ‘meaningful and enduring contribution’ (their words, not mine) will be ‘disproportionately rewarded’ (in what way is unexplained).

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

  • The basic velocity principles of speed, direction, acceleration and discipline are good sense in most markets.
  • Good communication needs to create wonder, new media requires new thinking and mustn’t retrofit traditional mechanics, briefs should indeed be brief, and counting clicks isn’t what counts.
  • The story goes that Wally Olins showed five corporate mission statements to the board of a pharmaceutical company and they were unable to identify their own.
  • Clinical decision- making is crucial. When US Airways flight 1549 was hit by a flock of geese, the captain declared “my aircraft”, took control and landed it safely.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

  • The book takes the form of a conversation between the authors (which it obviously isn’t), and it’s a bit contrived.
  • Because of the choice of examples, it’s pretty much a brochure for Nike and AKQA, the authors’ companies.
  • Despite its claim to be jargon-free, it isn’t, resorting to most of the usual suspects including moving the needle, democratising the idea, monetising content, bandwagoneering, and the classic chasing eyeballs.