David Armano is moving to Austin to work for a new company that offers clients “social business design,” which is something like experience design but it’s “not about marketing–it’s something that goes deeper into the root of how business will need to evolve.”
…what I can tell you from first hand experience working with several large organizations and brands is that there is a much bigger need that goes beyond “viral campaigns” and levering “social technologies” to generate word of mouth (translation, get people saying good things about your product, service or brand). There needs to be cultural changes that take place within organizations in order for them to tap the emerging ways to both develop and market their products and services in a rapidly changing business environment. There has to be a systematic bottoms up and tops down transformation starting with strategy and supported by the right types of technology which can enable more effective human and system interactions. This is the place we hope to play in.
According to Adweek, Armano’s new venture is run by Jeffrey Dachis, the man who started Razorfish in 1995. Dachis is well financed, as Austin Ventures has agreed to devote up to $50 million to the creation of the company.