Internet Culture

posted 03/17/08 by Rick Webb

Lolz OMG. Suxxors. Reading the internet can be like reading esperanto.
When we started this company, we viewed the internet as a population, a culture unto itself. We added value for our clients not just through our awesome production, creative and development skillz, but because we understood this internet culture. Because we were part of it. Because we lived it. As the internet usage has expanded in the last 6 years, the mainstream population has moved onto the internet. We’ve got a wider audience. There are “normal” people on this thing now. But that doesn’t mean the internet culture has disappeared. Think on this: the creators of the Lolcat, I Can Has Cheezburger employs nine people and still, to this day, gets millions of page views a month1. Seriously. Think about that. People have made a serious web business consisting of little more than pictures of cats with captions. IT MAKES NO SENSE. Except on the internet, it does.
Our psyche is comprised of several overlapping subcultures, really. We know this. We have our class identification, our race, our religion, and several others. Our hobbies. Our passions. Our obscure interests. Those forums we frequent. We market based on class, we market based on race. We often think of the Barbarian Group through this prism as a multicultural marketing agency for Internet Culture. The Subservient Chicken was a perfect example of this. It was marketing to a segment of BK’s consumers – the ones who get the munchies, let’s say.
This has interesting ramifications against brands and branding. Branding has always been about speaking to everyone in the same voice. We often reject this at The Barbarian Group. Benjamin often points out that he speaks to his mother differently than he speaks to a client, and he may speak to two friends differently and that this is all totally right and good. it is counterintuitive – though obviously less effort – to speak to everyone in one voice. We recognize this in multicultural marketing, and it should be recognized with the internet culture. As an aside, the internet culture is generally a high-value audience: young, educated and upwardly mobile. In searching to be respectful and understanding of our customers, we almost have a duty to speak their language. And if that means we need to shoot beer out of a cannon for no good or apparent reason, well, that’s not such a terrible thing, is it?

1 http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1157418/i_can_has_cheezburger_founder_and_ceo/

Here are some recent posts from our employees about Internet Culture:

rickrolling into relevance.

an examination on the reemergence of rick astley as a popular culture icon and a discussion of the jilted gino vannelli, who finds no solace in his status as an unofficial mascot for boston celtics fans.

Adobe Photoshop Express

We’ve had our heads down for a while working on some SERIOUS BUSINESS, as well a new website, for a while now, but one of the projects we’ve been working on for months now made a debut on the internet today and we thought we should poke our heads up and let you know.

Today Adobe launched Photoshop Express an online, web app version of the venerable Photoshop. Except it’s cooler than that. Like it does more. Online stuff. Galleries. Hosting. Sharing. That sort of thing.

We’ve been working with Adobe on this for months now, and there’s more to come, but this marks the auspicious beginning of an extended friendship. Congratulations, Adobe, on your launch and thank you for being such a good partner.

And feel free to become a fan of this fine product on Facebook! The app is integrated with your facebook photos and can edit and stick them back in your album, which is seriously hot.

Improve Everywhere and the Spontaneous Musical



This is my friend Tomi’s dream in life — to have a spontaneous musical break out around her.


- from the tumbr of ericlodwick

The Big Word Project

The Big Word Project:

Two dudes who are going to make a lot of money very quickly. I just gave them $19.


UPDATE: Look who nabbed president.

Barbarians Sponsor ROFLCon!

N.B. This post was from the last version of our site

Do you know about ROFLcon? You should check it out. It’s going to be a hoot. And productive. And edumacational. And in Boston. And we are going to be a sponsor. I mean, come ON. I Can Haz Cheeseburger, Homestar Runner, Tron Guy and Paperclip to House Guy? All in the same room? In our home town? HELLZ YEAH.

We now return to our regularly scheduled very serious adult business affairs. We promise our next news update will be about Economics or Politics or something.

2 Husbands and New Museum

N.B. This post was from the last version of our site

Hello all! We just launched the new website for the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. The first new Museum construction in decades in New york City, and it was architected by the Pritzker Prize winning Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa for Saana, in their first US construction. The museum opens to the public today, and you should go check it out. We popped into the opening gala last night and can assure you the museum is beautiful and the art is uncompromising. You can read about the museum and the exhibit here and here.

It’s an honor to have taken part in the re-launch of this famed institution, and we look forward to our continuing relationship with the Museum and Droga5, our friends and their brand agency.

Additionally, 2 weeks ago we launched a new reality entertainment website in partnership with The Junior High Men in San Francisco. It’s called The 2 Husbands and we are completely in love with the idea and the site. Enter to win the opportunity to marry either Zach or Tanner, and win $50,000. Yes, you can really marry them. We also got a great writeup in the UK’s Guardian this week. You can read that here

Facebook Page

Hi. We have a Facebook page now. Be our fan!
And Happy Thanksgiving!

Did Someone Order a Beer Cannon?

N.B. This post was from the last version of our site

You might be aware of the fact that beer can be used as a gateway to good times, but did you know that it can also be used to blow stuff up? It can. And that's why we've created the Milwaukee's Best Light Beer Cannon with our dear friends at Mother. Go to the site and see videos of beer and other things getting shot out of a cannon at the worst stuff ever. You know you want to find out who walks away the victor in the battle of Milwaukee's Best Light vs. The Ceramic Kitten. Hint: Beer always wins.