Can fiction have an impact on the real world The answer seems to be, in a way, yes. For example, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe is given credit for transforming views about slavery, while books like 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell strongly affected readers’ views of government and politics.
With that in mind, we unveil the four fictional companies that may have had a hand at changing the business world.
(1) Sterling Cooper Mad Men
The 1960s is often dubbed a time of radical change. The world of advertising had stagnated during the war as companies focused on patriotism. But war had redefined cultural interaction, namely the role of women in the workplace. And in Madison Avenue, the location of the critically acclaimed drama Mad Men, barriers began to fall. A wave of young art directors, such as Leo Burnett and David Ogilvy, introduced a new form of energy, style, wry humour and wit never seen before.
It was said that Burnett believed in the power of truth simply told . He disliked tricks and the use of sex and contests to lure consumers. Essentially, they cut off the fat of previously text-heavy print and slimmed it down to an image and a couple of lines maybe even just a motto.
Trying to find out whether fictional firm Sterling Cooper was of the same inspiring fabric, we asked the founder of advertising agency Hunterlodge, Rob Hunter, how Sterling Cooper may have changed the world of business.
For those of us that work in the industry, it was the first show that portrayed an accurate, albeit slightly glamourised, representation of the wonderful world that is advertising. Thankfully times have moved on from the booze fuelled, sexist world of Don Draper, but the power of creativity remains and Mad Men made us remember exactly why we got into the industry in the first place. However, the real impact it had was on the wider public.
By providing a glimpse into the very essence of advertising, it made the industry exciting again. Agencies saw a surge of fresh blood wanting to break into the industry, if only for the perceived long client lunches and a desire not to work in finance!?
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(2) Gekko & Co Wall Street
In much the same light, the antics of Gekko & Co opened a door for those that had been uncertain about joining the industry. In an article by the Financial Times, it was revealed how in 1987 Frank Partnoy, who at that time was studying maths, came across the movie Wall Street and had a change of heart in terms of career.
He said: I was nave but it actually inspired me. It made Wall Street seem exotic and alluring.
He went on to work for Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley as a derivatives specialist. He was not alone, the article explained, citing former USB banker Ken Moelis as having said: The movie became a cult phenomenon on business school campuses. After they joined the industry these kids told me they watched it so many times I thought they knew more about Gordon Gekko than their families.
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What happened was that many embraced the rags to riches part of the story, while conveniently overlooking his ruthless methods. Its no surprise then that the movie seemed to take on a world of its own.
It defined a financial era in the eyes of the public and the industry it portrayed,” said Nouriel Roubini, chairman of Roubini Global Economics. Despite being neither a big box office nor critical hit, its influence on popular culture even now remains strong. Gekko-esque wisdom, such as lunch is for wimps and greed is good , has long since passed into common currency.
Read on to find out about how Stark Industries had a part to play in changing perspectives.
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(3) Johnny Cab company Total Recall
With driver error at the root of 90 per cent of car accidents, it’s not hard to see why companies like Google are pushing towards driverless cars as the ultimate hands-free driving experience. And while autonomous vehicles arent on the market just yet, theyre currently being road-tested.
This means in the not-too-distant future, youll soon be able to share the road with people reading the newspaper, texting or putting on makeup without the danger of them crashing into you at 70 miles an hour.
There’s a scene in the cult 1990 Schwarzenegger film Total Recall where he jumps into a driverless taxi, part of a fleet that ferries passengers around a nameless city. While the film was set in 2084, the world’s first fleet of self-driving city vehicles is almost here 70 years ahead of schedule!This definitely raises a few issues and questions for the travel sector, and specifically the cabindustry.
But lets face it, if you hadnt seen the former California governor use a Johnny Cab would you think the concept was still cool Essentially, what Total Recall has done is change the perceptions about the public in terms of the Internet of Things. Its far more believable to think your car may be smarter compared to the flying vehicles seen in The Jetsons.
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(4) Stark Industries Iron Man
The Iron Man comics have been around for decades, but character awareness went truly mainstream with a big screen adaptation in 2008 that saw the character portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. He’s continued to reprise the role and can be seen as Stark in his seventh outing this spring in Captain America: Civil War.
Though the impact of Stark Industries may not immediately be seen, it will indefinitely change our future. At present, the rise of wearable technology could arguably be thanks to the genius of comic book characters such as Tony Stark. Writers have often mused about the merger of humans and machines, but while RoboCops and bionic superheroes arent likely to fight evil anytime soon, some exciting wearable smart technologies are already here.
What were now seeing is the nation embrace the Internet of Things and smart technologies more readily due to its prevalent use in such fiction. A prime example is how more people tried to find out more about Google Glass and connected products after, in Iron Man 3, Starks heads up display is inside his suit with the ability to search the internet, make telephone calls and defeat Aliens all at the same time.
Similarly, Apples Siri may have been partly based on J.A.R.V.I.S. However, while Apple merely tapped into the the ability of technology to depart wisdom on its user, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is looking to create a digital entity that runs security and technical support for homes and workplaces all of which is enabled with voice control and independent thought.
My personal challenge for 2016 is to build a simple AI to run my home and help me with my work. You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man,” Zuckerberg said on Facebook. I’m going to start by exploring what technology is already out there. Then I’ll start teaching it to understand my voice to control everything in our home music, lights, temperature and so on. I’ll teach it to let friends in by looking at their faces when they ring the doorbell.
