A few years back I wrote a small post on ADD, and the fact that we treat it as if it is a disease. Not so. Like it or not, ADD is simply part of our evolution as a species. Evolution used to happen over long periods of time, barely noticeable. Today, just as we are what we eat, we are what we create and our technology is as much a reflection of who we are as it is a reflection of what we are about to become. Simply put, apply Moore's law to ourselves and the new speed at which we are evolving makes noticeable evolution the order of the day. ADD may be the first tangible proof of that, as we rush to label behaviours that we find hard to accept or understand - our minds and bodies racing to keep up with the pull and distractions of our own invention.
Social Media, a derivative of our core psychology as social beings is nothing new. What is new is how the fast-paced evolution of technology extends the interconnectedness of us all without boundaries. It is how we now communicate.
History tells us, that if we are to be a part of evolution, we need to evolve to survive - those who do not will die.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Content Dilemma
Given the momentous nature of the day, I could not avoid connecting the subject matter with this historic event. About 18 months ago I wrote a post entitled "Will YouTube choose the presidency?". My point was in recognizing how the protected walls of the traditional media powers no longer controlled what was broadcast to the consumer. In the race for the presidency, candidates no longer had to pander to, nor did they have to spend the media dollars required in the past in order to reach their supporters. (How many of you saw Bill and Hillary's spoof of the Sopranos on YouTube?). The paradigm shifts that played a major part in the election reveal opportunities for us as digital marketers and content creators.
Big Media no longer has the luxury of being an appointment based medium, requiring FCC licensing. Non linear, what you want, whenever you want it, however you want it, digital delivery will become the order of the day and big media will be forced to deliver revenue models against this. Hulu is probably the closest view into what traditional TV may look like in the future and evidence that all professionally produced content will be accessible digitally via the web, mobile or otherwise. The challenge will be in the fact that all digital video will be accessible in this way creating even greater competition for the major networks. Browsers do not discriminate and anyone can now compete at marginal cost. Watch for the next big content hit coming from an unknown talent or - gasp - a brand. The big advantage the networks have are the dollars to market their own properties and the power to buy the ones that challenge their own.
UGC will evolve. It has to. As we experiment with a new medium, we will gain the skills to become better storytellers ourselves. The consumer will ultimately be empowered by the fact that they can and will compete directly with professionally produced content. The best of us will challenge the networks by forging new creative paths and creating new business models. Look for brands to compete with the networks for access to the best undiscovered talent.
Branded Content must seek to tell stories beyond the brand. Brands must find the places that they are passionate about, create value and give the consumer a voice. Anything resembling a chest-thumping, commercial excercise will be skipped, deleted or passed over. Brands need to create transparency by embracing the issues facing their industries and by being open to being challenged in the open.
Search will evolve beyond words and links. We watch more than we read and contextual video will force the search engines such as Google to deliver media rich results. I was greatly inspired by the article below in the NYTimes this past weekend that pointed to the fact that video search via YouTube was becoming a reference tool for kids. If that is not an opportunity for creating value, I'm not sure what else is.
No matter what part of the content ecosystem we participate in, change is here and embrace it we must.
At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool.
All Digital Eyes on Obama
Article highlighting the potential role the new administration may play in regulating the marketing services industry and how we as an industry are looking to self regulate.
Big Media no longer has the luxury of being an appointment based medium, requiring FCC licensing. Non linear, what you want, whenever you want it, however you want it, digital delivery will become the order of the day and big media will be forced to deliver revenue models against this. Hulu is probably the closest view into what traditional TV may look like in the future and evidence that all professionally produced content will be accessible digitally via the web, mobile or otherwise. The challenge will be in the fact that all digital video will be accessible in this way creating even greater competition for the major networks. Browsers do not discriminate and anyone can now compete at marginal cost. Watch for the next big content hit coming from an unknown talent or - gasp - a brand. The big advantage the networks have are the dollars to market their own properties and the power to buy the ones that challenge their own.
UGC will evolve. It has to. As we experiment with a new medium, we will gain the skills to become better storytellers ourselves. The consumer will ultimately be empowered by the fact that they can and will compete directly with professionally produced content. The best of us will challenge the networks by forging new creative paths and creating new business models. Look for brands to compete with the networks for access to the best undiscovered talent.
Branded Content must seek to tell stories beyond the brand. Brands must find the places that they are passionate about, create value and give the consumer a voice. Anything resembling a chest-thumping, commercial excercise will be skipped, deleted or passed over. Brands need to create transparency by embracing the issues facing their industries and by being open to being challenged in the open.
Search will evolve beyond words and links. We watch more than we read and contextual video will force the search engines such as Google to deliver media rich results. I was greatly inspired by the article below in the NYTimes this past weekend that pointed to the fact that video search via YouTube was becoming a reference tool for kids. If that is not an opportunity for creating value, I'm not sure what else is.
No matter what part of the content ecosystem we participate in, change is here and embrace it we must.
At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool.
All Digital Eyes on Obama
Article highlighting the potential role the new administration may play in regulating the marketing services industry and how we as an industry are looking to self regulate.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Challenging the definition of mobile...
I'd like to challenge the very term of mobile as being superfluous. When we talk about mobile, we inherently think about a specific point in time when we are 'away'. A point between A and B. Whether it be literally in the form of our commute or business travel, or on a more figurative journey - exploring the best solutions for our rapidly evolving business.
Some of us think of mobile as determined by the device we are using. Aren't they all built for mobile, and don't we use them all in that way? When are we not mobile...in our offices, our homes...? Even so, I use smaller, mobile devices just as much in these 'permanent' locations as I would 'on the road'.
And so I argue that we are now always mobile - either as an evolving mobile workforce or on a journey towards a better evolution of our business.
Now more than ever, the journey is the destination and our success lies in the permanence of being mobile.
Some of us think of mobile as determined by the device we are using. Aren't they all built for mobile, and don't we use them all in that way? When are we not mobile...in our offices, our homes...? Even so, I use smaller, mobile devices just as much in these 'permanent' locations as I would 'on the road'.
And so I argue that we are now always mobile - either as an evolving mobile workforce or on a journey towards a better evolution of our business.
Now more than ever, the journey is the destination and our success lies in the permanence of being mobile.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Adoption vs. Invention
With digital being all about the law of attraction, we strive to create programs with rich media content that will attract our client's target. What has a better chance of success? Adoption; whereby we 'adopt' a trend or relationship that is already authentically connecting with both the target audience and closely aligned with the client beliefs, or Invention; whereby we invent, from scratch, an initiative, movement or trend in the hopes that what we think is brilliant will be just as well embraced by the consumer.
My vote is for adoption. We cannot be so naive as to think that we will have any better success at creating a winning concept over the entertaiment industry who have been fine tuning the process for years with limited success. True cultural hits are few and far between. We too are creative, but the risks of success are high and unlike the entertainment industry, our clients expect return every time.
I am not saying the days of creativity for us are over. What I am saying is that there is an abundance of cultural content waiting to be supported and the right partnership, can be a win for everyone.
My vote is for adoption. We cannot be so naive as to think that we will have any better success at creating a winning concept over the entertaiment industry who have been fine tuning the process for years with limited success. True cultural hits are few and far between. We too are creative, but the risks of success are high and unlike the entertainment industry, our clients expect return every time.
I am not saying the days of creativity for us are over. What I am saying is that there is an abundance of cultural content waiting to be supported and the right partnership, can be a win for everyone.
Monday, January 07, 2008
New Year's Revolution...
UK advertisers are set to spend more online by 2009 leaving TV trailing in overall media spend - This forecast was made by Group M, a subsidiary of WPP. Sweden is expected to experience that phenomenon THIS year. UK internet advertising revenues are expected to swell by more than 30% to £3.4bn this year. TV advertising, on the other hand, is expected to grow by less than 1% to £3.56bn in 2008. And by 2009, after Sweden, the UK is likely to become the world's first major economy to witness the ascent of the internet past one of its biggest rival mediums in the advertising arena.
When it comes to local markets, pure play internet companies for the first time will control a larger share of the local online ad market than national newspaper sites. This according to a Borrell Associates report cited in the Wall Street Journal. Internet firms had 43.7% of the $8.5 billion local online ad market in 2007, compared to 33.4% for newspaper companies.
This all qualifies my point of the past two years in this blog; that changes are happening faster than we think. It is nice to finally see the larger holding companies recognize the fact - an acknowledgment which is sure to contribute to Moore's law and continue to escalate the pace of change.
And don't think that the UK & Sweden will not hold up to a US comparison. Granted, their viewing populations are smaller, as is their media inventory. But the digital media convergence, now global, effects us all and successful transformation no longer needs a passport.
Another point to all of this is our focus on Digital Media as an important component of the marketing mix. Digital Media is NOT a component, and in the near future we will not need to make this distinction. Why?...because it will ALL be Digital Media, so lets stop talking about it as if it where an alternative media strategy.
2008 will prove to be a faster ride than 2007, so strap on your seat belts.
When it comes to local markets, pure play internet companies for the first time will control a larger share of the local online ad market than national newspaper sites. This according to a Borrell Associates report cited in the Wall Street Journal. Internet firms had 43.7% of the $8.5 billion local online ad market in 2007, compared to 33.4% for newspaper companies.
This all qualifies my point of the past two years in this blog; that changes are happening faster than we think. It is nice to finally see the larger holding companies recognize the fact - an acknowledgment which is sure to contribute to Moore's law and continue to escalate the pace of change.
And don't think that the UK & Sweden will not hold up to a US comparison. Granted, their viewing populations are smaller, as is their media inventory. But the digital media convergence, now global, effects us all and successful transformation no longer needs a passport.
Another point to all of this is our focus on Digital Media as an important component of the marketing mix. Digital Media is NOT a component, and in the near future we will not need to make this distinction. Why?...because it will ALL be Digital Media, so lets stop talking about it as if it where an alternative media strategy.
2008 will prove to be a faster ride than 2007, so strap on your seat belts.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The simplicity of Social Networking...
Social networking - it really is no surprise that the interconnectivity of the web has brought upon this virtual social phenomenon. What is a surprise is how we (individuals, groups, businesses & brands) are quick to betray the simplicity of the idea and wonder why we get burned as a result.
In all their simplicity these networks work best when they reflect the way in which we have always built our own personal communities which are made up of
People (who I am)...
...with Friends (who I know)
...engaged in Activities (what i am doing)
...that are always Growing (in a state of persistence)
Not a new idea, but an extension of our societies, utilizing technology which empowers us in new ways. The technology helps us organize our own social structure and space while expanding our 'circle' toward the potential of a worldwide network. This is evolution in the purest sense of the word...and the technology is just in its infancy. Today, in order for the network to work for us, we need to first work for (it). But this will change as technology improves and AI (artificial intelligence) develops, at which point (it) will start to work for us.
Enough philosophy for now, but my point is simple - veer from the rules above, and you break the model.
Facebook learned the hard way this week with its abuse of Beacon. The good news is that it learned quickly and retreated from its initial plans for a "Beacon" marketing model that would track and published users' off-site buying habits. The lessons for other publishers may be obvious, but lets spell them out.
First off, Brands are remiss if they think that their users are such fans that the very nature of the Brand itself will drive us consumers to join or visit their enclosed social experience. Brands need to forget about 'Brand' and tap into the unique consumer insights that link their consumers. If these insights unveil tangible and unique values that would inspire like minded individuals to congregate you may have something. If not, don't bother.
It's about creating something around a conversations that already exists, it's not about starting a new, soulless conversation...get it?
If you are lucky enough to be the owner of a brand that does inspire these values, don't make the mistake of abusing it. Tell users of major policy changes before you make them, and give them the opportunity to opt-out should you make major membership changes. Even if you don't think users care about privacy online, you should act as if they do. Just because word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing it does not mean that the consumer wants to be a brand evangelist.
"They love our Brands, they identify with our Brands, they can't wait to tell other people about our Brands, they will swap Branded widgets, they will write about us in their blogs...." We fantasize that consumers love our Brands so much that they will do our marketing for us. Beacon failed because there was no real benefit in if for the consumer and the consumer saw right through it.
We value real connections and this is why I believe that MySpace, unless it changes its ways, will ultimately lose against Facebook.
If you want your Brand to evolve and become part of the conversation, go deep, develop value and experiment with software that connects us in ways that contribute to our evolutionary cycle as social beings.
In all their simplicity these networks work best when they reflect the way in which we have always built our own personal communities which are made up of
People (who I am)...
...with Friends (who I know)
...engaged in Activities (what i am doing)
...that are always Growing (in a state of persistence)
Not a new idea, but an extension of our societies, utilizing technology which empowers us in new ways. The technology helps us organize our own social structure and space while expanding our 'circle' toward the potential of a worldwide network. This is evolution in the purest sense of the word...and the technology is just in its infancy. Today, in order for the network to work for us, we need to first work for (it). But this will change as technology improves and AI (artificial intelligence) develops, at which point (it) will start to work for us.
Enough philosophy for now, but my point is simple - veer from the rules above, and you break the model.
Facebook learned the hard way this week with its abuse of Beacon. The good news is that it learned quickly and retreated from its initial plans for a "Beacon" marketing model that would track and published users' off-site buying habits. The lessons for other publishers may be obvious, but lets spell them out.
First off, Brands are remiss if they think that their users are such fans that the very nature of the Brand itself will drive us consumers to join or visit their enclosed social experience. Brands need to forget about 'Brand' and tap into the unique consumer insights that link their consumers. If these insights unveil tangible and unique values that would inspire like minded individuals to congregate you may have something. If not, don't bother.
It's about creating something around a conversations that already exists, it's not about starting a new, soulless conversation...get it?
If you are lucky enough to be the owner of a brand that does inspire these values, don't make the mistake of abusing it. Tell users of major policy changes before you make them, and give them the opportunity to opt-out should you make major membership changes. Even if you don't think users care about privacy online, you should act as if they do. Just because word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing it does not mean that the consumer wants to be a brand evangelist.
"They love our Brands, they identify with our Brands, they can't wait to tell other people about our Brands, they will swap Branded widgets, they will write about us in their blogs...." We fantasize that consumers love our Brands so much that they will do our marketing for us. Beacon failed because there was no real benefit in if for the consumer and the consumer saw right through it.
We value real connections and this is why I believe that MySpace, unless it changes its ways, will ultimately lose against Facebook.
If you want your Brand to evolve and become part of the conversation, go deep, develop value and experiment with software that connects us in ways that contribute to our evolutionary cycle as social beings.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Big Media & Entertainment vs.The Ad Industry...who will triumph?
The question is who is in a better position to service the largest shift in how brands communicate? Traditional Advertising or the Entertainment and Media industries.
The convergence of the internet and traditional TV, social networking, blogs, vlogs, widgets & Googles have changed everything. With the ability for anyone to publish, consumers no longer have the patience for traditional 'push' advertising messaging. They have been given the controls, and are unlikely to give them back. The brands that connect in the future will be those that can do more than just get involved in the conversation with their audience, but those that produce something of value for them. Whether that be in the form of information, education, software, games, social networking or via entertainment properties.
This has naturally started a race between the traditional advertising agencies and the media/entertainment industry to see who will best be able to service this shift.
The agencies own the brand relationships and know best how to engage the brands in order to deliver marketing solutions against product & brand strategies. The agencies also know how to execute across multiple mediums, but media fragmentation has slowed them down and they can no longer execute efficiently. What they cannot understand or execute, they buy, but fail to assimilate - which eventually cripples the integrated offerings they have struggled so hard to create. They are also losing the trust of their clients as they struggle to keep up with digital media along with creating a convincing & authentic narrative which ultimately delivers authentic audience engagement.
Media and Entertainment have the opposite problem. They know how to deliver engagement across media platforms but lack the experience of creating strategic, bespoke solutions for brands across multiple markets. They know they need to move away from being realtors of space and time, but they are hampered by their sales departments who are holding onto age old relationships with.....gasp.....the agencies!
As I look for my next opportunity, I also struggle for clarity on who will be the winner. Perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. Perhaps there will be no winner, or loser. Perhaps the two sides need to realize what the other's strengths are and partner to service this revolutionary transformation. If so, what will this mean? Should agencies rid themselves of creative departments and focus on strategy, media and local market implementation, while entertainment focuses on content, a dialogue, transparency, personal expression, experience, reinvention, connection via audience participation and integration?
Whatever the solution it is certain to shake our industries to their core.
At every industry event I attend, questions along these lines addressed to the panelists in the spotlight spawn answers fraught with the political undertones of a presidential race that are about as clear as fog. A clear sign that change is afoot, leadership is scarce, and the shake-up is just getting started.
The convergence of the internet and traditional TV, social networking, blogs, vlogs, widgets & Googles have changed everything. With the ability for anyone to publish, consumers no longer have the patience for traditional 'push' advertising messaging. They have been given the controls, and are unlikely to give them back. The brands that connect in the future will be those that can do more than just get involved in the conversation with their audience, but those that produce something of value for them. Whether that be in the form of information, education, software, games, social networking or via entertainment properties.
This has naturally started a race between the traditional advertising agencies and the media/entertainment industry to see who will best be able to service this shift.
The agencies own the brand relationships and know best how to engage the brands in order to deliver marketing solutions against product & brand strategies. The agencies also know how to execute across multiple mediums, but media fragmentation has slowed them down and they can no longer execute efficiently. What they cannot understand or execute, they buy, but fail to assimilate - which eventually cripples the integrated offerings they have struggled so hard to create. They are also losing the trust of their clients as they struggle to keep up with digital media along with creating a convincing & authentic narrative which ultimately delivers authentic audience engagement.
Media and Entertainment have the opposite problem. They know how to deliver engagement across media platforms but lack the experience of creating strategic, bespoke solutions for brands across multiple markets. They know they need to move away from being realtors of space and time, but they are hampered by their sales departments who are holding onto age old relationships with.....gasp.....the agencies!
As I look for my next opportunity, I also struggle for clarity on who will be the winner. Perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. Perhaps there will be no winner, or loser. Perhaps the two sides need to realize what the other's strengths are and partner to service this revolutionary transformation. If so, what will this mean? Should agencies rid themselves of creative departments and focus on strategy, media and local market implementation, while entertainment focuses on content, a dialogue, transparency, personal expression, experience, reinvention, connection via audience participation and integration?
Whatever the solution it is certain to shake our industries to their core.
At every industry event I attend, questions along these lines addressed to the panelists in the spotlight spawn answers fraught with the political undertones of a presidential race that are about as clear as fog. A clear sign that change is afoot, leadership is scarce, and the shake-up is just getting started.
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