Posts
Maybe you will watch Ryan Seacrest this New Year’s Eve. Maybe Dick Clark? But hopefully you are not watching it alone. Even if you alone at least you are sharing a media experience where if something interesting happens many people will have watched it at the same time. But this is happening less and less frequently since the dawn of television and radio.
DVR’s and things like Hulu and YouTube allow people to watch what they want to watch when they want to watch. And that’s a great thing. Yet we lose something with all this on-demand consumption of media. There was a big energy jolt during the Olympics this past summer when we all watched Michael Phelps dominate the pool (even on tape delay but we mostly all watched it together even when we knew the result!). The same thing happened when President-elect Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech in Grant Park on Election Night.
The Super Bowl is the largest shared media experience on the American landscape. People talk about the ads (sometimes even the game) for days and sometimes weeks after the event. But with television viewership continuing to fracture into smaller and smaller pieces the opportunities for shared media experiences will dwindle away. I feel a lot is lost when viewers (and even readers) of content view things over an extended period of time. Time was when we had to have a shared experience with mass media because there were 8 channels of television content (maybe 20 of radio). But it was cool that people would talk about what they had seen and it would often be provocative.
I don’t see this as any kind of solvable problem and I venture a guess that there are those that do not feel it is any kind of problem at all. We are indeed a long way from the time that people gathered outside an appliance store to watch Uncle Miltie. (Ok I am old but I NEVER did that). Certainly standing in the street to watch a television is not the answer. But in this internet age where we have social networking sites to help us share experiences with people we want to ‘follow’, care about and want to reconnect with, large scale shared experiences are going the way of analog TV.
What do you think?
Have a safe New Year’s Eve and a healthy and prosperous 2009!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
What I got for Christmas – a lesson in technology use.
Most importantly I got the gift of spending it with family – my wife’s family for that matter. I have done this for the past 31 Christmases. The family has changed a great deal but as one of my nieces in college said ‘finding your way to come home for Christmas is something that we should do no matter what’.
My place has changed going from the young kid to the middle aged uncle, son and brother in-law. It’s great to see everyone particularly the nieces and nephews who I don’t get to see often enough. All do different things – some are still students either in high school or college, some work full time. None are married – out of 9 cousins aged 15 – 27.
All are consumed with technology. Everyone has a PDA or phone and if under 30 without exception checked text messages or talked on their mobile phone at least once during the afternoon. That’s amazingly different since my first Christmas with the family back in 1978. The technology we had then consisted of a record player, a television (yes it was color) showing the Yule Log (or was that Christmas Eve?) and the long gone Blue-Gray classic college football all star game.
But now our conversations drift in and out of technology all driven by the younger set. Facebook, internet forums, YouTube, dominate. It seems someone is always sitting at the computer near the dining room table before or after dinner checking something. When I mentioned that I now tweet from time to time there were a few cousins that had no idea what Twitter was! And when I mentioned to my recent college grad (2007) niece about using LinkedIn to find a new job, she said she just had not gotten into that. She (like all my nieces and nephews for that matter) does use Facebook regularly but did not see the value in LinkedIn. What she did not see was how it could be relevant to her.
I was able to show her how I could find out about the people with whom she was going to interview after the weekend by checking their profile on LinkedIn. Of course you can Google someone as well to get information but specific to an individual LinkedIn is faster and more accurate since it is user generated.
What I also was able to articulate is how Facebook allows me to offer up my unfiltered and genuine thoughts to friends or ‘Friends’ and maybe that helps them draw a better read on me as opposed to the business oriented sides of LinkedIn and Twitter . Surprisingly my nieces and nephews actually read some of my updates (I did not know that since they never comment) and think they are funny sometimes but revealing more than that. They get to know me and I get to know them (yes I read their status updates and rarely comment) in ways that people never could before. And that might be the best gift I get of them all.
My place has changed going from the young kid to the middle aged uncle, son and brother in-law. It’s great to see everyone particularly the nieces and nephews who I don’t get to see often enough. All do different things – some are still students either in high school or college, some work full time. None are married – out of 9 cousins aged 15 – 27.
All are consumed with technology. Everyone has a PDA or phone and if under 30 without exception checked text messages or talked on their mobile phone at least once during the afternoon. That’s amazingly different since my first Christmas with the family back in 1978. The technology we had then consisted of a record player, a television (yes it was color) showing the Yule Log (or was that Christmas Eve?) and the long gone Blue-Gray classic college football all star game.
But now our conversations drift in and out of technology all driven by the younger set. Facebook, internet forums, YouTube, dominate. It seems someone is always sitting at the computer near the dining room table before or after dinner checking something. When I mentioned that I now tweet from time to time there were a few cousins that had no idea what Twitter was! And when I mentioned to my recent college grad (2007) niece about using LinkedIn to find a new job, she said she just had not gotten into that. She (like all my nieces and nephews for that matter) does use Facebook regularly but did not see the value in LinkedIn. What she did not see was how it could be relevant to her.
I was able to show her how I could find out about the people with whom she was going to interview after the weekend by checking their profile on LinkedIn. Of course you can Google someone as well to get information but specific to an individual LinkedIn is faster and more accurate since it is user generated.
What I also was able to articulate is how Facebook allows me to offer up my unfiltered and genuine thoughts to friends or ‘Friends’ and maybe that helps them draw a better read on me as opposed to the business oriented sides of LinkedIn and Twitter . Surprisingly my nieces and nephews actually read some of my updates (I did not know that since they never comment) and think they are funny sometimes but revealing more than that. They get to know me and I get to know them (yes I read their status updates and rarely comment) in ways that people never could before. And that might be the best gift I get of them all.
Monday, December 22, 2008
2009 the year of better communcation - I hope!
As I write this sitting on a plane heading to frigid Chicago 3 days before Christmas it bothers me to no end that in flight internet access is not a regularly available feature on airplanes. Forget for a moment that the few airlines that are doing it (Lufthansa I think is one) charge passengers for the privilege of wireless web access.
Of course I can still get a diet coke if I want for free. I would rather have the internet access by far. Seeing as I cannot pick up a bottle of internet access at the newsstand (either before or after airport security) I would think that providing free access to the internet on all flights in lieu of free sodas would be a much better deal for the airlines. Remember the airlines are the folks that have brought us the $ 6 can of Budweiser. So why not a $ 3 soda? The point is that the web is ubiquitous and it is more than a mere annoyance that you get to pay hundreds of dollars to sit in a tiny seat on short (under 3 hours) haul flights with no food or in-flight entertainment options (unless you fly Jet Blue). Now I don't want to hear Mabel talking on her cell phone to her husband about what time he should be at the airport to pick her up - EVER! NO CELL PHONES IN FLIGHT. EVER! But in the interest of better communication I think the airlines are going about it all wrong. They don't tell you when you will land but if there were internet access we could figure out what time we would land and at which gate at the very least!
While l waited for my flight (it was delayed three hours which happens I understand) the communication was not good at all as to if or when the flight would leave. Initially it was to be 2 hours late but somewhere along the way the communication stopped and 15 minutes before the flight was to depart a sign finally went up. Why don't the airlines have an information officer on the premises to help passengers with information? The amount of goodwill this would engender would be palpable. I can get more information in the back of a New York City taxicab now (with internet enabled televisions becoming the norm) than I can in an airport.
And once you get to your destination you know what you get to experience. The likelihood of paying for internet connections at your hotel! And the more expensive the hotel the more likely you will have to shell out $ 10.95 or more for 24 hours of internet access. When traveling on business I often stay at Marriott Courtyards for the primary reason that they offer free internet access. And it is far less expensive to stay there than at most other hotels. I just don't get this do you? If we are living in the information age why is so much access behind the iron curtain?
3G networks are on the rise and soon (but not soon enough for me) your internet enabled phone/pda will be able to access the web from anywhere and at great speeds (even in the air!) so eventually all this stupidity on charging for internet access will go away. Unfortunately you will still have to pay for checking your bags on most airlines (this is not going away sadly) and eventually pay for your soda too. It's coming sooner and not later. 2009 may offer a little better communication than 2008 but we still have a long way to go.
Of course I can still get a diet coke if I want for free. I would rather have the internet access by far. Seeing as I cannot pick up a bottle of internet access at the newsstand (either before or after airport security) I would think that providing free access to the internet on all flights in lieu of free sodas would be a much better deal for the airlines. Remember the airlines are the folks that have brought us the $ 6 can of Budweiser. So why not a $ 3 soda? The point is that the web is ubiquitous and it is more than a mere annoyance that you get to pay hundreds of dollars to sit in a tiny seat on short (under 3 hours) haul flights with no food or in-flight entertainment options (unless you fly Jet Blue). Now I don't want to hear Mabel talking on her cell phone to her husband about what time he should be at the airport to pick her up - EVER! NO CELL PHONES IN FLIGHT. EVER! But in the interest of better communication I think the airlines are going about it all wrong. They don't tell you when you will land but if there were internet access we could figure out what time we would land and at which gate at the very least!
While l waited for my flight (it was delayed three hours which happens I understand) the communication was not good at all as to if or when the flight would leave. Initially it was to be 2 hours late but somewhere along the way the communication stopped and 15 minutes before the flight was to depart a sign finally went up. Why don't the airlines have an information officer on the premises to help passengers with information? The amount of goodwill this would engender would be palpable. I can get more information in the back of a New York City taxicab now (with internet enabled televisions becoming the norm) than I can in an airport.
And once you get to your destination you know what you get to experience. The likelihood of paying for internet connections at your hotel! And the more expensive the hotel the more likely you will have to shell out $ 10.95 or more for 24 hours of internet access. When traveling on business I often stay at Marriott Courtyards for the primary reason that they offer free internet access. And it is far less expensive to stay there than at most other hotels. I just don't get this do you? If we are living in the information age why is so much access behind the iron curtain?
3G networks are on the rise and soon (but not soon enough for me) your internet enabled phone/pda will be able to access the web from anywhere and at great speeds (even in the air!) so eventually all this stupidity on charging for internet access will go away. Unfortunately you will still have to pay for checking your bags on most airlines (this is not going away sadly) and eventually pay for your soda too. It's coming sooner and not later. 2009 may offer a little better communication than 2008 but we still have a long way to go.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Mobile contract up time for a new phone right? What to do?
Not that easy. I have a Blackberry Pearl. It is small. I can still see the letters and type pretty well with my right hand thumb. Of course I can only have the T-Mobile network. There are many places in Connecticut where there is simply no service. It does work well in New York and most other cities to which I travel. And it is enabled such that when I travel abroad I can get service quite easily (although I do move to a local SIM card). I do use it primarily for email and phone calls but find myself using the internet function more and more. And it has no music player (ok it is 2 years old now or nearly).
So feeling that I am BB leaning guy I went to Verizon to check out the new BB Storm. How T-Mobile does not sell this phone is a mystery to me. What is it with phone manufacturers that they feel compelled to single provide service (i.e. Apple/AT & T for a long time and BB Storm Verizon)??? And Verizon can crow about its 3G service all it wants but we Nutmeg state residents won’t see 3G in Connecticut until mid-year 2009 at best I am told.
We have a family type plan and at present the rest of the family are on Verizon and they seem to love the service. Of course Verizon is more expensive. And they want to charge for the Storm but T-Mobile who does NOT have the phone I want will offer the phone for free with a contract sign up. OK – I HATE THIS GAME.
Now the Apple cultists will come out and implore me to come out of the dark side and come over to the iPhone because it is the greatest thing EVER. What is it about Apple/Mac/iPhone people that make them appear like they are all one step away from wearing long robes and singing kumbaya? Apple is cool – the Mac is a good operating system as is the iPhone a good phone. But both are far from perfect and believe it or not the Blackberry Storm has some things to offer that the iPhone cannot touch like a really good email set up. The touch screen seems adaptable and something I would get used to fairly quickly. But the BB Storm music player is far from an i-Pod application (MP3’s are so yesterday) and the internet browser is a better experience on the iPhone than the Storm.
So what to do? You can probably tell that I am leaning to going with the BB Storm and consequently Verizon service. But this is not the kind of choice I think we should be faced with. What say you?
So feeling that I am BB leaning guy I went to Verizon to check out the new BB Storm. How T-Mobile does not sell this phone is a mystery to me. What is it with phone manufacturers that they feel compelled to single provide service (i.e. Apple/AT & T for a long time and BB Storm Verizon)??? And Verizon can crow about its 3G service all it wants but we Nutmeg state residents won’t see 3G in Connecticut until mid-year 2009 at best I am told.
We have a family type plan and at present the rest of the family are on Verizon and they seem to love the service. Of course Verizon is more expensive. And they want to charge for the Storm but T-Mobile who does NOT have the phone I want will offer the phone for free with a contract sign up. OK – I HATE THIS GAME.
Now the Apple cultists will come out and implore me to come out of the dark side and come over to the iPhone because it is the greatest thing EVER. What is it about Apple/Mac/iPhone people that make them appear like they are all one step away from wearing long robes and singing kumbaya? Apple is cool – the Mac is a good operating system as is the iPhone a good phone. But both are far from perfect and believe it or not the Blackberry Storm has some things to offer that the iPhone cannot touch like a really good email set up. The touch screen seems adaptable and something I would get used to fairly quickly. But the BB Storm music player is far from an i-Pod application (MP3’s are so yesterday) and the internet browser is a better experience on the iPhone than the Storm.
So what to do? You can probably tell that I am leaning to going with the BB Storm and consequently Verizon service. But this is not the kind of choice I think we should be faced with. What say you?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Let's go out and howl at the moon this Friday December 12th
As we are smack in the middle of the 2008 holiday selling season the bad news seems to be a constant. Corruption scandals (can you believe the still Governor of Illinois' audacity!) layoffs, workforce reductions, terrible sales and earnings reports – it’s enough to make you want to go out and howl at the moon. Well now you have even more opportunity since on December 12th the full Moon is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year. And it will be 14% bigger than usual.
I know I feel like howling a bit so here’s what I suggest. Go outside at 11PM (EDT so it will be dark pretty all across Europe, the continental U.S. and Alaska (sorry Hawaii) and give your best howl to release just a bit of that pent up frustration that resides in us all.
A good howl will not fix your problems but I guarantee that you will feel much better after doing it and every little bit of feeling better can only be a good thing! Make it a good one – I want to hear you. And let me know how it felt!
For information on the upcoming event:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09dec_fullmoon.htm?list89147
I know I feel like howling a bit so here’s what I suggest. Go outside at 11PM (EDT so it will be dark pretty all across Europe, the continental U.S. and Alaska (sorry Hawaii) and give your best howl to release just a bit of that pent up frustration that resides in us all.
A good howl will not fix your problems but I guarantee that you will feel much better after doing it and every little bit of feeling better can only be a good thing! Make it a good one – I want to hear you. And let me know how it felt!
For information on the upcoming event:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09dec_fullmoon.htm?list89147
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
No Iimits.... but there should be
I saw the advertisement in this morning's NY Times on Michael Phelps' new book entitled 'No Limits' which is to be released today. This is his second book - somehow I missed the first one. Like so many Americans (and dare I say even non-Americans) I was enthralled with Mr. Phelps' performance at the Beijing Olympics this past summer. It's even ok that he is now the new Subway sandwich endorser (bye-bye Jared). But with at the ripe old age of 23 I have serious doubts about what Mr. Phelps would have to say about his 'life experience'. Ok we all know that he can swim really fast. Faster than just about anyone maybe ever. Yet what has he done except get wet alot and eat a big breakfast?
I wonder how the book might read? 'I got up early (again) had a big breakfast (again) and went swimming. Had a big lunch, went to school, went swimming again. Then had a big dinner (again) and did some homework then played video games. I did this for 22 years. My mom is a saint and offers many interesting facial expressions when the camera is on her on television.'
I cannot figure where else a book like this will go. What else could he have to say that would be even remotely interesting? I am sure Michael Phelps is a nice guy and maybe even a cool dude. And he has millions of fans and many of them will clamor to read his recent effort (since he has so much more life experience now than before his first book). Celebrity offers much to those that do great things (and sometimes not great things). Here's hoping that Michael Phelps decides to donate a good portion if not all of the proceeds to people in need. He got $ 10 million to endorse Subway so I am guessing he could afford to do so.
And don't get me started on the reported $ 7 million advance offered to Gov. Sarah Palin for her story. Sure to be an engrossing read. If she cannot see Russia from her bedroom, she can surely make out the ATM.
I wonder how the book might read? 'I got up early (again) had a big breakfast (again) and went swimming. Had a big lunch, went to school, went swimming again. Then had a big dinner (again) and did some homework then played video games. I did this for 22 years. My mom is a saint and offers many interesting facial expressions when the camera is on her on television.'
I cannot figure where else a book like this will go. What else could he have to say that would be even remotely interesting? I am sure Michael Phelps is a nice guy and maybe even a cool dude. And he has millions of fans and many of them will clamor to read his recent effort (since he has so much more life experience now than before his first book). Celebrity offers much to those that do great things (and sometimes not great things). Here's hoping that Michael Phelps decides to donate a good portion if not all of the proceeds to people in need. He got $ 10 million to endorse Subway so I am guessing he could afford to do so.
And don't get me started on the reported $ 7 million advance offered to Gov. Sarah Palin for her story. Sure to be an engrossing read. If she cannot see Russia from her bedroom, she can surely make out the ATM.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Did TSA change their policy with the 3-1-1 plastic bag deal?
I flew out on Monday from a NYC area airport and forgot not only that I did not have my 3 ounces or less liquids in my little one quart plastic bag. Not only that I left all the liquids in my carry-on. Went right through security having never given it a thought. Hmmm. I thought was there a change in policy from TSA? I don't recall hearing about it. I removed my shoes but did not seem to recall if other travelers were doing the same. (When I was in Tokyo a couple of years ago the agents could not understand what I was doing taking off my shoes!). I also remember right after 9/11 flying someplace and having an overzealous TSA agent confiscate a nice cigar cutter I had received as a gift.
So on the return flight out of Cincinnati I did not have time to get the proverbial plastic bag but I also noticed that they did not have the 3-1-1 signs or the constant drone of what to do with your shoes etc. They did talk about jackets needing to come off and several travelers had to stand in the special scanner that blew on you. Somehow I was not asked to do this. Just lucky I guess. But once again my bag went right through with my toiletries etc. inside my carry-on not in a plastic bag.
So what gives? It appears I missed some change in TSA policy (by the way at both airports I spent less than three minutes going through airport security so what does one really need the 'Clear' for anyway?).
The next thing you know you will not need to remove your shoes! Also I found the TSA personnel to be pleasant and as usual professional. Interesting since there was a heightened sense of concern over the holiday weekend due to recent world events and even local to NYC threats.
All in all it made for a pleasant traveling experience (yes I traveled coach or second class as my sister used to say). Was I just lucky? Is the TSA going a little soft? I will be flying again a couple of times this month to different cities and will be sure to notice if this is a trend or just an anomoly.
So on the return flight out of Cincinnati I did not have time to get the proverbial plastic bag but I also noticed that they did not have the 3-1-1 signs or the constant drone of what to do with your shoes etc. They did talk about jackets needing to come off and several travelers had to stand in the special scanner that blew on you. Somehow I was not asked to do this. Just lucky I guess. But once again my bag went right through with my toiletries etc. inside my carry-on not in a plastic bag.
So what gives? It appears I missed some change in TSA policy (by the way at both airports I spent less than three minutes going through airport security so what does one really need the 'Clear' for anyway?).
The next thing you know you will not need to remove your shoes! Also I found the TSA personnel to be pleasant and as usual professional. Interesting since there was a heightened sense of concern over the holiday weekend due to recent world events and even local to NYC threats.
All in all it made for a pleasant traveling experience (yes I traveled coach or second class as my sister used to say). Was I just lucky? Is the TSA going a little soft? I will be flying again a couple of times this month to different cities and will be sure to notice if this is a trend or just an anomoly.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Twitter highlights Citizen Journalism in India
When the terrorists struck on November 26th in Mumbai news media feeds and reports were sketchy at best. The tweets that came out first were real time and as it turns out accurate reports as to what was going on moment-by-moment as more than 170 people would ultimately perish.
I have commented that mundane things like 'what am are you doing right now' will possibly choke the growth of Twitter as followers may drown in a sea of irrelevant information. But on the other hand what happened in Mumbai is a fantastic illustration of how social networking combined with Citizen Journalism can be completely relevant and important all at the same time.
There's a certain amount of faith that has to be laid out to start with regard to the person tweeting. But once that person develops a following and as such a reputation for truth and genuine content, the immediacy of Twitter will supplant any 'news' feed since it will not be filtered by an editor.
If the future of Twitter is to be an immediate and relevant source of information on topics of importance (subjective) and interest (doubly subjective!) long live Twitter and Tweets!
I have commented that mundane things like 'what am are you doing right now' will possibly choke the growth of Twitter as followers may drown in a sea of irrelevant information. But on the other hand what happened in Mumbai is a fantastic illustration of how social networking combined with Citizen Journalism can be completely relevant and important all at the same time.
There's a certain amount of faith that has to be laid out to start with regard to the person tweeting. But once that person develops a following and as such a reputation for truth and genuine content, the immediacy of Twitter will supplant any 'news' feed since it will not be filtered by an editor.
If the future of Twitter is to be an immediate and relevant source of information on topics of importance (subjective) and interest (doubly subjective!) long live Twitter and Tweets!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Why would Facebook want to buy Twitter?
Twitter turned them down. $ 500 million in stock was the price tag. $ 15 billion was the valuation on Twitter. Twitter has 6,000,000 registrations and did not want to sell on the first offer. Marc Zuckerberg (Facebook's founder) said Twitter was an 'elegant model'. Now I am on both Facebook and Twitter (don't have a huge amount of Facebook 'friends' nor do I have any real following on Twitter).
I still have trouble understanding how either Facebook or Twitter will make money. And maybe because I am an older guy I have difficulty understanding why people would want to know what I am doing 'right now'. I admit I probably just don't get it. Folks it is not all that exciting most of the time - I mean it's fine for me but why would anyone care about some of the posts I read on both? I realize I am far from being any kind of fascinating person but I also feel that most of the posts I read are self-aggrandizing and frivolous.
As I have noted before unless companies like Facebook and Twitter (and LinkedIn etc.) figure out a revenue model I have my doubts about their long term viability. Will we look back in five years at all this moment to moment posting of life events as extraneous and TMI? My guess is yes to a certain degree but what also is likely to happen is that these social networking sites will mature and morph into something we (or maybe it's just me) cannot quite see at the moment.
I'm off to NYC for meetings a lunch. Yes I know you don't care. Why should you?
I still have trouble understanding how either Facebook or Twitter will make money. And maybe because I am an older guy I have difficulty understanding why people would want to know what I am doing 'right now'. I admit I probably just don't get it. Folks it is not all that exciting most of the time - I mean it's fine for me but why would anyone care about some of the posts I read on both? I realize I am far from being any kind of fascinating person but I also feel that most of the posts I read are self-aggrandizing and frivolous.
As I have noted before unless companies like Facebook and Twitter (and LinkedIn etc.) figure out a revenue model I have my doubts about their long term viability. Will we look back in five years at all this moment to moment posting of life events as extraneous and TMI? My guess is yes to a certain degree but what also is likely to happen is that these social networking sites will mature and morph into something we (or maybe it's just me) cannot quite see at the moment.
I'm off to NYC for meetings a lunch. Yes I know you don't care. Why should you?
Saturday, November 15, 2008
A different type of social media with true engagement
I did not think if it this way until I read about the new expansion pack (Wrath of the Lich King) and the buzz it created for World of Warcraft (WOW). Thursday this week Blizzard Entertainment released the new expansion pack Check out the link to see the buzz and video coverage - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7725328.stm
Ok these people are SUPER engaged. Some might term it fanatical and others might call it more than that. WOW players collaborate on line in the world's most popular MMORPG (if you have to ask then you won't understand) that has 11 million members (that pay a monthly fee to access servers around the planet). The players can talk and share in real time, the content is truly genuine and the engagement motives are simple to understand - they just want to play the game.
It can be addictive for sure and there are even support groups for those that cannot control themselves since they can play for 16 hours per day or more. It would be easy to pass off this group as a bunch of computer geeks with no life if there were not so many of them. But their sheer numbers and committment level make them a formidable force.
Let's see 11,000,000 people who actually PAY something to network with one another both verbally and in writing sharing a real-time experience with participants worldwide. Facebook and MySpace may have more members but neither has figured out any kind of sustainable revenue model.
WOW proves that true user engagement combined with revenue can coexist after all! It's just a different kind of social network.
Ok these people are SUPER engaged. Some might term it fanatical and others might call it more than that. WOW players collaborate on line in the world's most popular MMORPG (if you have to ask then you won't understand) that has 11 million members (that pay a monthly fee to access servers around the planet). The players can talk and share in real time, the content is truly genuine and the engagement motives are simple to understand - they just want to play the game.
It can be addictive for sure and there are even support groups for those that cannot control themselves since they can play for 16 hours per day or more. It would be easy to pass off this group as a bunch of computer geeks with no life if there were not so many of them. But their sheer numbers and committment level make them a formidable force.
Let's see 11,000,000 people who actually PAY something to network with one another both verbally and in writing sharing a real-time experience with participants worldwide. Facebook and MySpace may have more members but neither has figured out any kind of sustainable revenue model.
WOW proves that true user engagement combined with revenue can coexist after all! It's just a different kind of social network.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The sort of mail I receive
Have you noticed what's in your mailbox since the election last week? Or more properly what's not? There was a fair amount of candidate promotional mail up until Tuesday the 4th but aside from the few stragglers who came in with vote pleas AFTER Election Day the lack of volume of mail in our mailbox is noticeable.
It was never good to see three Victoria's Secret catalogs in the same week (well at least not from a business perspective) but now we get none. Holiday catalog mailings are way fewer and page counts are down down down. We all understand the desire to send less and drive the customer (or citizen you would like to be a customer) to the web catalog. But people really do look at the catalog to do shopping. Of course there are the e-commerce dedicated folks who proudly disdain any received mail however they do not make up the majority of the population. And while sending a postcard to drive web traffic is a good strategy it is a dangerous thing indeed to make it the ONLY tactic.
It's obvious that dollar value spend will be down on individual gifts this holiday season. But people will buy gifts and I also am feeling a general backlash against gift cards. A couple of weekends I tried to use a gift card I received earlier this year and found that it had expired. ARRGH! So that really ticked me off and I have vowed not to buy one single gift card for anyone this season. Sure it's easier, less thought involved. But it is also less caring and if I am going to spend less money on someone the least I could do is invest myself in really thinking about what would be the appropriate gift. For the same reason that handing over cash seems inappropriate in lieu of a gift card.
Fewer catalogs, mail promotions this season will only exacerbate the drop in sales that retailers and catalog companies will feel and to add to it then the pipeline will be drier than ever come the end of the holiday season. And keep in mind with the mailbox being less cluttered than in recent memory marketing messages and offers will better penetrate and resonate!
Mailing less and mailing smarter are options that must be considered. But not mailing at all will have companies struggling Q1 2009 to answer the question of where all the top line revenue has disappeared to? They are blowing it big time.
It was never good to see three Victoria's Secret catalogs in the same week (well at least not from a business perspective) but now we get none. Holiday catalog mailings are way fewer and page counts are down down down. We all understand the desire to send less and drive the customer (or citizen you would like to be a customer) to the web catalog. But people really do look at the catalog to do shopping. Of course there are the e-commerce dedicated folks who proudly disdain any received mail however they do not make up the majority of the population. And while sending a postcard to drive web traffic is a good strategy it is a dangerous thing indeed to make it the ONLY tactic.
It's obvious that dollar value spend will be down on individual gifts this holiday season. But people will buy gifts and I also am feeling a general backlash against gift cards. A couple of weekends I tried to use a gift card I received earlier this year and found that it had expired. ARRGH! So that really ticked me off and I have vowed not to buy one single gift card for anyone this season. Sure it's easier, less thought involved. But it is also less caring and if I am going to spend less money on someone the least I could do is invest myself in really thinking about what would be the appropriate gift. For the same reason that handing over cash seems inappropriate in lieu of a gift card.
Fewer catalogs, mail promotions this season will only exacerbate the drop in sales that retailers and catalog companies will feel and to add to it then the pipeline will be drier than ever come the end of the holiday season. And keep in mind with the mailbox being less cluttered than in recent memory marketing messages and offers will better penetrate and resonate!
Mailing less and mailing smarter are options that must be considered. But not mailing at all will have companies struggling Q1 2009 to answer the question of where all the top line revenue has disappeared to? They are blowing it big time.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Direct mail, Email and Social media to Gen X, Gen Y and Millenials
More and more often I am asked about the viability of direct mail. Today I answered a question on LinkedIn'is direct mail deader than disco'? Catchy perhaps, but the question was generally responded to in the positive - direct mail is dead, or they don't read it, I only read email, it is irrelevant etc.
Earlier this week however I saw an article in Promo Magazine noting that 'Gen-X Persuaded by Email, Direct Mail Over Social Marketing: Study. The article published on October 27th http://www.printthis.clickability.com noted that consumers 18-34 report they are more likely to respond to an e-mail marketing message or direct mail than to one they get through a social network.
One of the things about social networking is that it has yet to be proven as an environment for selling anything. The users are there in part because they are not sold anything or offered anything. Not the most promising business model ever developed. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and all the others are feverishly looking at ways to 'monetize' their applications but understand the risks of turning off the very audiences that find them appealing.
Gen Xer's are not nearly as accustomed to direct mail as some of us more experienced folk. But the same rules apply as always. If the offer is good, the direct mail piece or email message creative and relevant, the audience will respond. Keeping up with what is relevant and will generate response is also the same old same old. Things are changing day by day and will continue to do so but what results are just many more ways to communicate with citizens that marketers would like call customers.
The main idea is for companies to communicate with people the way they prefer.
Earlier this week however I saw an article in Promo Magazine noting that 'Gen-X Persuaded by Email, Direct Mail Over Social Marketing: Study. The article published on October 27th http://www.printthis.clickability.com noted that consumers 18-34 report they are more likely to respond to an e-mail marketing message or direct mail than to one they get through a social network.
One of the things about social networking is that it has yet to be proven as an environment for selling anything. The users are there in part because they are not sold anything or offered anything. Not the most promising business model ever developed. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and all the others are feverishly looking at ways to 'monetize' their applications but understand the risks of turning off the very audiences that find them appealing.
Gen Xer's are not nearly as accustomed to direct mail as some of us more experienced folk. But the same rules apply as always. If the offer is good, the direct mail piece or email message creative and relevant, the audience will respond. Keeping up with what is relevant and will generate response is also the same old same old. Things are changing day by day and will continue to do so but what results are just many more ways to communicate with citizens that marketers would like call customers.
The main idea is for companies to communicate with people the way they prefer.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Will P & G kill the golden goose?
So a little blurb in the Financial Times this past Sunday could have a HUGE impact on marketing in general. The direct marketing industry side elbowing in on the retail side. Usually it is the other way around. The article noted that "Procter and Gamble is testing its ability to use the internet to sell its toothpaste, household cleaners and nappies directly to US households, in a potential long-term strategic challenge to its retail partners.
The company is supporting a website, theEssentials.com, that is exclusively selling its brands, with items such as single tubes of Crest toothpaste and bottles of Mr Clean cleaning fluid, to boxes of its Pampers and Luvs brand nappies and Gillette razors.
In an indication of the sensitivities involved, the site is being operated by a third party, which owns the inventory. “We treat them like any other retailer as they buy product directly from us,” said Paul Fox, a company spokesman, of the site, which is still covered by P&G’s legal terms and conditions.'
To read the article you can go to:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04c83c2c-9e16-11dd-bdde-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
Potentially the retail model being blown up is the most significant marketing development of 2009. Allowing consumers to buy P & G products directly has two major advantages to both parties. P & G not paying tribute to the retailer being one and less expensive pricing (dare we think that is possible?) being the other.
As a tried and true direct marketer I am excited and intrigued by the possibilites. Customers having the choice on buying the product through their desired channel is something to CHEER about (sorry I could not resist that P & G brand plug).
Fear not oh ye retailer, you will not be made obsolete as people will still shop in your store to buy products. But this could truly be the DAWN of a new ERA (sorry folks sometimes these things just write themselves!)
What do you think?
The company is supporting a website, theEssentials.com, that is exclusively selling its brands, with items such as single tubes of Crest toothpaste and bottles of Mr Clean cleaning fluid, to boxes of its Pampers and Luvs brand nappies and Gillette razors.
In an indication of the sensitivities involved, the site is being operated by a third party, which owns the inventory. “We treat them like any other retailer as they buy product directly from us,” said Paul Fox, a company spokesman, of the site, which is still covered by P&G’s legal terms and conditions.'
To read the article you can go to:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04c83c2c-9e16-11dd-bdde-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
Potentially the retail model being blown up is the most significant marketing development of 2009. Allowing consumers to buy P & G products directly has two major advantages to both parties. P & G not paying tribute to the retailer being one and less expensive pricing (dare we think that is possible?) being the other.
As a tried and true direct marketer I am excited and intrigued by the possibilites. Customers having the choice on buying the product through their desired channel is something to CHEER about (sorry I could not resist that P & G brand plug).
Fear not oh ye retailer, you will not be made obsolete as people will still shop in your store to buy products. But this could truly be the DAWN of a new ERA (sorry folks sometimes these things just write themselves!)
What do you think?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Not having any fun yet - a thought on how to battle back
Like many of us I have good friends and close business associates that have recently their jobs. And since the end does not seem to be in sight we all have to get up every day and trudge back to work and watch the bad news come and go hour by hour.
Sure we can get leaner (and definitely meaner) and cut back. But my sense is that people have been doing that for the better part of six months anyway. One area I think can be looked at is your child's college education. I have a son in college and daughter in high school so the subject is close to my heart - and wallet! Our son did a year at a university and did not care for the school that much. Consequently he has returned home (very common these days) and is working full time and taking courses at a local community college. He seems much happier and will likely take a full course load come January while continuing to work. The benefits are many. Let's start with the difference of about $ 18,000 per semester! I cannot believe how we parents have bought into the fact that college can cost families upwards of $ 160,000 for four years. What made us sign on to this??? Is the education one gets at a community college decidedly worse than a 4 year university? The professors and teachers at community colleges often have credentials just as impressive as those in universities.
Even getting a 2 year associates degree could save a family more than $ 75,000 prior to a student deciding what he really wants to do and where he wants to go. And by the way college age kids get their information and learning from so many sources that they are informed in ways I could never imagine working.
So hang in there and think about how you could roar back at that declining 401K and college fund. What was does not have to be what will be.
Sure we can get leaner (and definitely meaner) and cut back. But my sense is that people have been doing that for the better part of six months anyway. One area I think can be looked at is your child's college education. I have a son in college and daughter in high school so the subject is close to my heart - and wallet! Our son did a year at a university and did not care for the school that much. Consequently he has returned home (very common these days) and is working full time and taking courses at a local community college. He seems much happier and will likely take a full course load come January while continuing to work. The benefits are many. Let's start with the difference of about $ 18,000 per semester! I cannot believe how we parents have bought into the fact that college can cost families upwards of $ 160,000 for four years. What made us sign on to this??? Is the education one gets at a community college decidedly worse than a 4 year university? The professors and teachers at community colleges often have credentials just as impressive as those in universities.
Even getting a 2 year associates degree could save a family more than $ 75,000 prior to a student deciding what he really wants to do and where he wants to go. And by the way college age kids get their information and learning from so many sources that they are informed in ways I could never imagine working.
So hang in there and think about how you could roar back at that declining 401K and college fund. What was does not have to be what will be.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Two seasons and the sounds of silence
The past week and change has been a true roller coaster ride in financial markets and landscape of the financial sector has been forever changed. I have been saying for quite some time that the country had to survive a hard 'winter' if we were to truly appreciate spring and it seems as if we are in a constant blizzard of late.
But there is still freezing weather to come. This shake out is far from over and the impact is far reaching across a broad range of socio-economic strata. I think that the working world as we know it is going to change as a result. More entreprenuers will arise out of the ashes and people will work differently and more collaboratively than ever before.
Yet before we see an economic 'spring' there will be frostbite and some people will be frozen out of their homes and old life. And what of the marketing world implications? How about Ogilivy and Mather who had won the Wachovia account as recently as last week? Now Citibank takes over that relationship and O & M is out in the cold too. Add to this the constant cold wind that advertisers are pulling back on their budgets as a response to the continued tightening of consumer purse strings.
On the other hand advertising clutter stands a great chance of being dramatically reduced. What this means is that advertiser messages have a much better chance of getting through. Now the trick is to make that message RELEVANT to the target market. No doubt priorities have changed and so should the messaging. The right message combined with the right audience will mean your product or service has a better chance of making big strides in the quiet of this economic winter.
So we will be working with our clients and prospects on getting the right message out there NOW! Besides - Groundhog Day cannot be too far off.
But there is still freezing weather to come. This shake out is far from over and the impact is far reaching across a broad range of socio-economic strata. I think that the working world as we know it is going to change as a result. More entreprenuers will arise out of the ashes and people will work differently and more collaboratively than ever before.
Yet before we see an economic 'spring' there will be frostbite and some people will be frozen out of their homes and old life. And what of the marketing world implications? How about Ogilivy and Mather who had won the Wachovia account as recently as last week? Now Citibank takes over that relationship and O & M is out in the cold too. Add to this the constant cold wind that advertisers are pulling back on their budgets as a response to the continued tightening of consumer purse strings.
On the other hand advertising clutter stands a great chance of being dramatically reduced. What this means is that advertiser messages have a much better chance of getting through. Now the trick is to make that message RELEVANT to the target market. No doubt priorities have changed and so should the messaging. The right message combined with the right audience will mean your product or service has a better chance of making big strides in the quiet of this economic winter.
So we will be working with our clients and prospects on getting the right message out there NOW! Besides - Groundhog Day cannot be too far off.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
One big direct response world
I had occasion to spend time with an old friend over the weekend and in another life he was a general agency 'brand' guy. He was talking about his current company and how he is delivering video promotional content for television and the internet. The content message changes depending on the medium and what he was excited about was the fact they could truly measure the response for each channel to determine which approach performed better.
It was both interesting and rewarding to know that even from the brand side the opportunity to better analyze and understand performance is now becoming the standard. There is no reason we can't all get along in the coming age of more complete measurabilty. Creative efforts will be just as important if not more so but listening and understanding what people respond to will make us all produce more relevant content as well as be better marketers.
It was both interesting and rewarding to know that even from the brand side the opportunity to better analyze and understand performance is now becoming the standard. There is no reason we can't all get along in the coming age of more complete measurabilty. Creative efforts will be just as important if not more so but listening and understanding what people respond to will make us all produce more relevant content as well as be better marketers.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I like PC guy more than Mac guy
And apparently I am not alone. The recent bizarre Microsoft ads with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates are a prelude to a series of ads to come (the Seinfeld/Gates ads are done for the time being) where Microsoft/PC will be taking on Apple/Mac head-on. Maybe it's about time but I cannot tell if the fact that it went on so long was a smart show of restraint on Microsoft's part or confusion on how to counter the Mac vs. PC TV, print and web spots.
I kind of like PC guy. He is always trying something new and Justin Long's smug, superior attitude was funny the first time or two but devovled into arrogance that is sometimes typical of Mac users. I have nothing against Mac as a platform and we use it for some of our business applications in the art area. But Mac users like Mac guy seem to have to needle how wonderful their machine is and how much better Mac's are than PC's. True the Vista operating system has not had the impact that Microsoft had hoped but they have worked out the problems and it is a stable and well-featured operating system. What has Macintosh done lately to improve its operating system? Oh you can have one of the Mac in-store technicians transfer your PC files to your Mac. Wow. At least PC guy makes me feel they are trying to improve and are aware that things are not perfect. As for the Mac guy - I feel like he could use a good backhand slap or two.
The reality is that both PC and Macintosh are good operating systems that always could use improvement. And we the people only want the choice to buy the one we want. But you cannot easily put a PC operating system on an Apple machine nor can you easily put a Mac operating system on a PC. Yes you can have both but it is messy and for the most part impractical. And it shouldn't have to be that way.
I kind of like PC guy. He is always trying something new and Justin Long's smug, superior attitude was funny the first time or two but devovled into arrogance that is sometimes typical of Mac users. I have nothing against Mac as a platform and we use it for some of our business applications in the art area. But Mac users like Mac guy seem to have to needle how wonderful their machine is and how much better Mac's are than PC's. True the Vista operating system has not had the impact that Microsoft had hoped but they have worked out the problems and it is a stable and well-featured operating system. What has Macintosh done lately to improve its operating system? Oh you can have one of the Mac in-store technicians transfer your PC files to your Mac. Wow. At least PC guy makes me feel they are trying to improve and are aware that things are not perfect. As for the Mac guy - I feel like he could use a good backhand slap or two.
The reality is that both PC and Macintosh are good operating systems that always could use improvement. And we the people only want the choice to buy the one we want. But you cannot easily put a PC operating system on an Apple machine nor can you easily put a Mac operating system on a PC. Yes you can have both but it is messy and for the most part impractical. And it shouldn't have to be that way.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Why is premium gasoline SO much more expensive?
I realize that the current thinking that most cars do not even need premium gasoline since performance is only marginally impacted with its use. But I recall that in the not-too-distant past premium would be something like $ 0.20 more than regular. When I went to the gas station over the weekend I noticed regular gas at $ 3.89/gallon (hey I live in very expensive Connecticut) and Premium was $ 4.37/gallon. That's almost $ 0.50/gallon more! What gives?
I tried to remember that when gas was $ 2.50/gallon (not all that long ago) premium was $ 2.70 (or thereabout). Less than a 10% premium for premium. But today it is close to 13%. Since it weighs the same the delivery cost should be the same. Can the refining of gasoline to 92 or 93 octane vs. 87 octane really be worth $ 0.50/gallon? Or are the oil companies trying to get us to give it up entirely (my view). It has to be easier for the oil companies to have only one type of gasoline to inventory and deliver. I see 'plus' gasoline going first and then premium slowly will be less and less available.
So we now live in a world that in contrast to what one would think, has situations where fewer choices reign instead of more choices. Maybe the scam all along was that premium gas was never needed in the first place. But both of my cars have lettering saying 'Premium gasoline only'. I kind of like being defiant when I put in that regular gas! But I still would like to have a choice...
I tried to remember that when gas was $ 2.50/gallon (not all that long ago) premium was $ 2.70 (or thereabout). Less than a 10% premium for premium. But today it is close to 13%. Since it weighs the same the delivery cost should be the same. Can the refining of gasoline to 92 or 93 octane vs. 87 octane really be worth $ 0.50/gallon? Or are the oil companies trying to get us to give it up entirely (my view). It has to be easier for the oil companies to have only one type of gasoline to inventory and deliver. I see 'plus' gasoline going first and then premium slowly will be less and less available.
So we now live in a world that in contrast to what one would think, has situations where fewer choices reign instead of more choices. Maybe the scam all along was that premium gas was never needed in the first place. But both of my cars have lettering saying 'Premium gasoline only'. I kind of like being defiant when I put in that regular gas! But I still would like to have a choice...
Friday, September 5, 2008
A Social Networking Community at its best
I have mentioned LinkedIn and Plaxo (and the fact that they should merge) and have stayed away from comments on Facebook and Myspace but I am a big proponent of social networking. When done right a social network can offer a high level of user engagement and at the same time be genuine. What is evolving is a there huge number of social networks on sites like Ning.com (check it out) that offer micro-communities for those with shared interests even if the topic is narrow.
I have an associate who runs a company in Connecticut called Environmental Data Resources (www.edrnet.com). They offer data records on the history of environmental conditions primarly for commercial properties. What the company decided to do was start a social network www.commonground.edrnet.com where members (costs nothing to join) can ask questions related to environmental issues - WHETHER THEY ARE AN EDR CUSTOMER OR EVEN A COMPETITOR! I love this idea and its forthright approach. Competitive contributors feel compelled to offer relevant content so they can be recognized as a resource by the community as a whole and anybody can say pretty much whatever they want (profanity excluded of course) within the network community. Yes there are blogs, discussions, podcasts and events. It truly exists as a resource for what might be considered a narrow worldwide community.
Are they making any money? Well it does not appear so to me at moment and that only further is evidence if the genuine nature of this social network. Maybe they will be able to find ways to charge for premium content but what makes Commonground special is its trust in the contributing members and the hands off-approach on letting it exist in true organic form. This has many extensions across a broad range of industries. All it takes is committment to updated content and a willingness to trust those in the community to self-monitor. This is where we are headed folks.
I have an associate who runs a company in Connecticut called Environmental Data Resources (www.edrnet.com). They offer data records on the history of environmental conditions primarly for commercial properties. What the company decided to do was start a social network www.commonground.edrnet.com where members (costs nothing to join) can ask questions related to environmental issues - WHETHER THEY ARE AN EDR CUSTOMER OR EVEN A COMPETITOR! I love this idea and its forthright approach. Competitive contributors feel compelled to offer relevant content so they can be recognized as a resource by the community as a whole and anybody can say pretty much whatever they want (profanity excluded of course) within the network community. Yes there are blogs, discussions, podcasts and events. It truly exists as a resource for what might be considered a narrow worldwide community.
Are they making any money? Well it does not appear so to me at moment and that only further is evidence if the genuine nature of this social network. Maybe they will be able to find ways to charge for premium content but what makes Commonground special is its trust in the contributing members and the hands off-approach on letting it exist in true organic form. This has many extensions across a broad range of industries. All it takes is committment to updated content and a willingness to trust those in the community to self-monitor. This is where we are headed folks.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
On-Star Scores big during Gustav
I was reading this morning that GM's On-Star operators (the in-auto emergency satellite service) handled 76 million calls on Sunday (in USA Today 9/3 - but didn't the storm hit Monday?) during Hurricane Gustav's sojourn through Louisana. It was noted that that was double the normal call volume. So that means that on a normal day On-Star handles 38 million calls or so. WOW! Talk about Customer Controlled Communications (TM)!
But what are these people calling about on a non-hurricane day? Surely they cannot all be car accidents, flat tires and other car mishaps. On-Star is marketed as a safety net that deploys automatically say when an airbag inflates during a car accident. But people are using it (among other reasons) for directions, places to eat on the road and a way to reach someone if their mobile phone does not have service.
When we leased a car several years ago it came with a three month or one year (I cannot remember) On-Star trial. This was fine but when it came time to pay $ 9.95/month (maybe it was $ 12.95?) my wife and I declined the service. Part of the reason was the big brother factor of having our car monitored wherever we went. They probably can still do that anyway since the signal still exists we simply did not pay for service. And to think what they could see if they kept track of our travels - trips to soccer games, the mall, the grocery store!
I am rethinking On-Star however and it may be a worthwhile investment although like Satellite radio if it were $ 6.95/month it would be a true no-brainer. Maybe On-Star and Sirius/XM should do a partnership deal and package their services for a better price and single bill option.
In the end I do like the idea of 38 million or more as in the case Sunday having the ability to call into On-Star and get the service, information or help that they need. But it also makes me wonder how many On-Star operators there are at any given time. 76 million calls works out to more than 3 million calls per hour or 50,000 calls per minute. That would require a substantial amount of operators at the ready at any given time. Impressive to say the least.
But what are these people calling about on a non-hurricane day? Surely they cannot all be car accidents, flat tires and other car mishaps. On-Star is marketed as a safety net that deploys automatically say when an airbag inflates during a car accident. But people are using it (among other reasons) for directions, places to eat on the road and a way to reach someone if their mobile phone does not have service.
When we leased a car several years ago it came with a three month or one year (I cannot remember) On-Star trial. This was fine but when it came time to pay $ 9.95/month (maybe it was $ 12.95?) my wife and I declined the service. Part of the reason was the big brother factor of having our car monitored wherever we went. They probably can still do that anyway since the signal still exists we simply did not pay for service. And to think what they could see if they kept track of our travels - trips to soccer games, the mall, the grocery store!
I am rethinking On-Star however and it may be a worthwhile investment although like Satellite radio if it were $ 6.95/month it would be a true no-brainer. Maybe On-Star and Sirius/XM should do a partnership deal and package their services for a better price and single bill option.
In the end I do like the idea of 38 million or more as in the case Sunday having the ability to call into On-Star and get the service, information or help that they need. But it also makes me wonder how many On-Star operators there are at any given time. 76 million calls works out to more than 3 million calls per hour or 50,000 calls per minute. That would require a substantial amount of operators at the ready at any given time. Impressive to say the least.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
What I would want from a personal seat license
I am a New York area guy and we have three stadiums being built simultaneously. The Yankees, Mets and Giants/Jets are all building new stadiums. The Jets announced last week that they would charge PSL's (Personal Seat Licenses) for the lower tier better seats. More than $ 4,000 per seat for simply the 'opportunity' to then pay again for season tickets. It's better than having tax dollars go to pay for new stadiums for sure but people that have been going to games for years, (in the case of the NY Giants tickets are handed down from generation to generation) and my guess is there will be many, are current ticketholders who simply will not be able to afford the PSL's much less the new inflated ticket prices themselves.
And besides the opportunity to pay for seats (and the parking) what else do people get? Very little. Maybe some emails or mailings that offer them 'special' opportunities that in the end are of more value to the teams then they are to the fans. How about special FREE team events with members of the teams? Professional athletes are entertainers (they know this is why they get paid the big $$) and showing up at special events exclusively for ticket holders would not be an undue burden. Creating a sense of community with the fans and the team would be the benefit a deeper sense of engagement would result. BBQ's, fund-raisers would just be a couple of things that could be done to offer a higher value to those that not only buy tickets but buy the privelege to buy the tickets. Yes PSL's can be eventually be re-sold in an aftermarket but tell that to the family that cannot afford to put down more than $ 15,000 for 4 seats before they even pay for a game. Maybe if they tried a little Customer Controlled Communications (TM) and asked their current ticket holders how they feel, what they would like to do and how more value could be derived teams would be able to at least soften the blow and reduce what must be a whole lot of fan fury.
And besides the opportunity to pay for seats (and the parking) what else do people get? Very little. Maybe some emails or mailings that offer them 'special' opportunities that in the end are of more value to the teams then they are to the fans. How about special FREE team events with members of the teams? Professional athletes are entertainers (they know this is why they get paid the big $$) and showing up at special events exclusively for ticket holders would not be an undue burden. Creating a sense of community with the fans and the team would be the benefit a deeper sense of engagement would result. BBQ's, fund-raisers would just be a couple of things that could be done to offer a higher value to those that not only buy tickets but buy the privelege to buy the tickets. Yes PSL's can be eventually be re-sold in an aftermarket but tell that to the family that cannot afford to put down more than $ 15,000 for 4 seats before they even pay for a game. Maybe if they tried a little Customer Controlled Communications (TM) and asked their current ticket holders how they feel, what they would like to do and how more value could be derived teams would be able to at least soften the blow and reduce what must be a whole lot of fan fury.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Children with Borders
In this electronic age and with things like the Amazon Kindle how can a brick and mortar bookstore be relevant? It's one thing for a middle-aged guy like me to like going into a bookstore to peruse the latest arrivals and have a cuppa joe even if I like to buy things electronically and immediately on my Kindle. It's another when you realize that there are a fair number of 20-somethings and even the younger set are seen in Borders storese (by me at least) all the time. And with younger people staffing it as well.
While it is evident that many companies are struggling in these difficult economic times how does Borders deliver a good customer experience? For one thing Borders does a good job of sending coupons via email to drive store traffic. Again, often enough but not TOO often. The stores sell music, magazines, videos and have areas for children and adults to chill while they either shop, read, watch, listen eat or drink. They are delivering both Customer Controlled Communications as well as a customer focused experienced. While the bookstore of the past may never return, here's hoping that Borders lives long and prospers.
While it is evident that many companies are struggling in these difficult economic times how does Borders deliver a good customer experience? For one thing Borders does a good job of sending coupons via email to drive store traffic. Again, often enough but not TOO often. The stores sell music, magazines, videos and have areas for children and adults to chill while they either shop, read, watch, listen eat or drink. They are delivering both Customer Controlled Communications as well as a customer focused experienced. While the bookstore of the past may never return, here's hoping that Borders lives long and prospers.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Amazon's Kindle - Am I Blogging or Ranting?
I have only been blogging for a couple of weeks but in looking over some of the posts it seems to me that I am ranting as much as blogging. So is there a difference between a blog and a rant? I think there is and I will go out on a limb and note that readers of a blog might enjoy a good rant now and again but would follow a blog only if it offers more than that.
Blogs should offer something thought provoking - at least more often than not. I was thinking about this morning when I received an Amazon email regarding my Kindle. I love my Kindle and think as an e-reader it is a terrific first generation tool. I get offered new arrivals on the Kindle from Amazon every couple of weeks (not too often) since there is a good deal of content that has not been digitized (and there will be a good deal of content that never will be digitized).
The next generation Kindle is due to come out at Christmas and it supposedly may offer color screen, a better interface and improved usability. The point is that Amazon has got its I-Pod with the Kindle and they do a continue to do a good job of contacting me just enough to keep me interested without ticking me off. It would be a good idea if they practiced Customer Controlled Communications (TM) by asking me how often I would like to receive offers but as long as they do not cross the line of too frequent communication I am ok. And the Kindle is a must-have device for the eco-consicious person as well as the avid reader.
So the question is - blog or rant? Or both?
Blogs should offer something thought provoking - at least more often than not. I was thinking about this morning when I received an Amazon email regarding my Kindle. I love my Kindle and think as an e-reader it is a terrific first generation tool. I get offered new arrivals on the Kindle from Amazon every couple of weeks (not too often) since there is a good deal of content that has not been digitized (and there will be a good deal of content that never will be digitized).
The next generation Kindle is due to come out at Christmas and it supposedly may offer color screen, a better interface and improved usability. The point is that Amazon has got its I-Pod with the Kindle and they do a continue to do a good job of contacting me just enough to keep me interested without ticking me off. It would be a good idea if they practiced Customer Controlled Communications (TM) by asking me how often I would like to receive offers but as long as they do not cross the line of too frequent communication I am ok. And the Kindle is a must-have device for the eco-consicious person as well as the avid reader.
So the question is - blog or rant? Or both?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A reason not to join Fitness Clubs
Today I walked into a recently opened franchise of a national fitness club chain. I had heard good things from my friends and co-workers. I have not belonged to a gym ever but thought it was time for a change from the solitary nature of at-home workouts. I drove up and there was plenty of parking just after Noon. That's good as I would use it during lunch sometimes. The smiling young receptionist welcomed me and asked approrpriately what I was interested in. I told her I was considering a membership but wanted to have a workout later in the week to determine if I was interested. She said ok asked for my name and home phone number (area code first as if I drove in from some other state to work out and decide on membership) and that she would get someone to show me around right away and then I could go in one of the cubicles so they could get the paperwork together. Paperwork? Hmm. Not good. I was not joining just looking!
Anyway she also asked that I take a seat. Somehow taking a seat and right away don't mean the same thing to me. As I stood there for a moment three other people walked in and were ultimately herded over to where I was standing. The center was huge - complete with umpteen bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, televisions, a basketball court and I had heard (but could not see or hear) a swimming pool. I was thinking that this could work out. But five minutes went by, then ten and I saw several people sitting down in a 'cubicle' getting what I thought might be training. Finally I gave up and walked up to the desk and said that I guessed they were busy and I would come back another time. The receptionist noted that 'they' were in a meeting but would be done soon. ARRRGH!
I left with a not-so-good feeling. It is convenient and from what I heard (although I received NO promotional material) reasonably priced. But now I have to get up the gumption to go back to do what I wanted to do today some other time. I know it could be just that the receptionist was inexperienced but there is simply NO excuse. From a customer communications standpoint surely it would be easy to have someone who is interested in knowing more or even joining sign in, take a walk around within 5 minutes of arriving and then arrange a trial workout if that is what was desired. But no.
And now they have my phone number. I wonder what they will say if they actually call to follow up? I wonder what I will say if they do? I can think of a few things actually.
Anyway she also asked that I take a seat. Somehow taking a seat and right away don't mean the same thing to me. As I stood there for a moment three other people walked in and were ultimately herded over to where I was standing. The center was huge - complete with umpteen bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, televisions, a basketball court and I had heard (but could not see or hear) a swimming pool. I was thinking that this could work out. But five minutes went by, then ten and I saw several people sitting down in a 'cubicle' getting what I thought might be training. Finally I gave up and walked up to the desk and said that I guessed they were busy and I would come back another time. The receptionist noted that 'they' were in a meeting but would be done soon. ARRRGH!
I left with a not-so-good feeling. It is convenient and from what I heard (although I received NO promotional material) reasonably priced. But now I have to get up the gumption to go back to do what I wanted to do today some other time. I know it could be just that the receptionist was inexperienced but there is simply NO excuse. From a customer communications standpoint surely it would be easy to have someone who is interested in knowing more or even joining sign in, take a walk around within 5 minutes of arriving and then arrange a trial workout if that is what was desired. But no.
And now they have my phone number. I wonder what they will say if they actually call to follow up? I wonder what I will say if they do? I can think of a few things actually.
Monday, August 25, 2008
We were watching at the same time
The 2008 Summer Olympics (and what a total triumph for NBC - Dick Ebersol rolled the dice and came up a big winner) are now over and we Americans can turn our attention to the Democratic (this week) and Republican (next week) conventions. One thing I read that was of interest about the Olympics (and the same will be true of the conventions) is that most of us watched the same things at the same time. Because we were forced to of course. I wrote that I would like to have the choice of what I wanted to watch as there were many other Olympic events that I was interested in seeing but were not televised (rhythmic gymnastics would be at the top of the list). But we did all watch (on tape delay in week 2 of the Olympics) Usain Bolt's magnificent performance and people talked about it as a shared experience the next day. DVR's and internet video afford people options on when they want to watch which I think is great. But there is something also cool about people watching the same thing at the same time and then talking about it the next day. The upcoming political conventions will be watched by far fewer people but will offer some similarities. True individual engagement comes in many forms and shared experiences offer dynamics that can't be undervalued.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Shopping with my 15 year old daughter
I went to the mall the other night with my soon to be high school sophomore daughter. She needed a few things for school and it was a great opportunity to spend time with her. I had a really good time. We went to a half dozen stores (or more as they all kind of blend together after awhile). What I did notice is that every retailer (only one of which she had a gift card for) did NOT ask if she (or I) would like any contact from the store on promotions, sales or specials. I know my daughter would have taken them up on their offer as long as the store made it clear that she would A) get money off B) have first crack at the latest and greatest. If they were to offer to text to her cellphone she might have even said ok to that (email is not the preferred channel for reaching high schoolers as far as I can see). So in each case it was a missed opportunity. I don't understand it at all. It is really ok to ask and that is the crux of Customer Controlled Communications. This is not that hard folks.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
$3 million a year for a Mad Dog is a lot of kibble
Sirius/XM has signed Chris Russo to a 5 year deal for $ 15MM. I still have trouble with the idea of paying $ 12.99/month to listen to the radio. Satellite radio reminds me a little of the cable TV industry back in the 70's. The content is still not close to being what it needs to be to make people like me pony up more than $ 150/year. Mad Dog Russo is an entertaining guy and gets it when it comes to why people would listen to him ranting. But until Satellite radio comes down in price to something like $ 30/year it will probably not get the foothold it should. For instance I would want to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal on radio and have the choice of what I want to listen to - the Marketplace section and be able to voice command scroll through articles while I drive. Other publications could also adopt this model. Now there would be value in Communications that would be relevant engaging and Customer Controlled! (CCC!).
They already have some advertising on satellite radio so the commercial-free aspect is already blown up. Make it less expensive, more attractive and there will soon be complaints about a monopoly!
They already have some advertising on satellite radio so the commercial-free aspect is already blown up. Make it less expensive, more attractive and there will soon be complaints about a monopoly!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Don't you hate calling popular restaurants to make reservations?
How many times do you call and then get into the automated attendant deal? Then you wait 2, 4, maybe 10 minutes if the place is really hot to speak to a 'reservationist' (who came up with that one?!). Then if you are lucky enough to get a table other than 5:30 or 9:30 you have to then read off your credit card # to hold the reservation and take the risk of being charged $ 25.00 if you don't show up. Finally you have to reconfirm the day before (even if you are calling 2 days before!)
I have started to more regularly use Opentable.com which allows you (at participating restaurants of course) to make a reservation completely on-line. True, the times they offer after you put in what you want are not always exactly what you want, (it seems to me if I want 7PM they offer 7:15 and if I want 7:15 they offer 7PM) but for the most part it works and I pretty much show up close to the time I want, but when it is convenient for me and not necessarily for them. You also get 100 Open Table points each time you use it (you must verify that when you check in at the restaurant). You can then use the points once you accumulate over 1,000 for awards and things.
The point is that Opentable and other services like it allow the customer to choose the method of communication and it does away with the maddening phone call deal and waste of time. I can literally make a reservation in under 30 seconds. They send a confirming email and it's all good. My friend who is an owner of 5 restaurants (Barcelona Wine Bars in CT and he does not subscribe) says it's good for the customer but not so good for the restaurant as it costs the restaurant to be a part of the system and if the patron does not get the time he wants he may just bail out whereas if you take a phone call reservation you more often can talk the patron into coming in even if it is not their preferred time.
Opentable is a pretty good example of Customer Controlled Communications (TM). You control the experience and get premiums for doing so. I like that.
I have started to more regularly use Opentable.com which allows you (at participating restaurants of course) to make a reservation completely on-line. True, the times they offer after you put in what you want are not always exactly what you want, (it seems to me if I want 7PM they offer 7:15 and if I want 7:15 they offer 7PM) but for the most part it works and I pretty much show up close to the time I want, but when it is convenient for me and not necessarily for them. You also get 100 Open Table points each time you use it (you must verify that when you check in at the restaurant). You can then use the points once you accumulate over 1,000 for awards and things.
The point is that Opentable and other services like it allow the customer to choose the method of communication and it does away with the maddening phone call deal and waste of time. I can literally make a reservation in under 30 seconds. They send a confirming email and it's all good. My friend who is an owner of 5 restaurants (Barcelona Wine Bars in CT and he does not subscribe) says it's good for the customer but not so good for the restaurant as it costs the restaurant to be a part of the system and if the patron does not get the time he wants he may just bail out whereas if you take a phone call reservation you more often can talk the patron into coming in even if it is not their preferred time.
Opentable is a pretty good example of Customer Controlled Communications (TM). You control the experience and get premiums for doing so. I like that.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Is car shopping getting a little better?
My wife and I went to look at a car to replace the SUV we are giving back at lease end. Of course Buick would not negotiate the contract lease to buy price we signed when we leased the car 3 years ago. The finance company takes over and dealer has nothing to do with it. So it is somehow less expensive to go out and buy the exact same car with the same mileage (if we were so inclined) from somebody else. This makes no sense to me at all.
So we went to Toyota and then to Nissan. The Toyota folks were nice but the dealer was crawling with prospective buyers. We could not even get a sales person for 15 minutes! But we were allowed to walk the lot and survey what they has which is what we really wanted to do anyway. But there was no problem there with potential customers! And it was a nice summer August Saturday. At Nissan they were also busy and did not have a sales person available (ok this was strange and 180 degrees from what we thought would happen - I was thinking ghost town and tumbleweeds and things like that on the lot with nobody there). Anyway they also allowed us to walk around and we found something we were mildly interested in and they popped right out with keys, and a non-pushy salesperson and we went for a quick test drive.
All in all it was not what we expected and maybe it was the sales people in particular but both experiences were pretty good and both allowed us to manage the situation to our liking. They did not ask for our contact information as at that point we were not serious buyers but they did give their information for us to call when WE wanted. And yes we will go back because of that!
So we went to Toyota and then to Nissan. The Toyota folks were nice but the dealer was crawling with prospective buyers. We could not even get a sales person for 15 minutes! But we were allowed to walk the lot and survey what they has which is what we really wanted to do anyway. But there was no problem there with potential customers! And it was a nice summer August Saturday. At Nissan they were also busy and did not have a sales person available (ok this was strange and 180 degrees from what we thought would happen - I was thinking ghost town and tumbleweeds and things like that on the lot with nobody there). Anyway they also allowed us to walk around and we found something we were mildly interested in and they popped right out with keys, and a non-pushy salesperson and we went for a quick test drive.
All in all it was not what we expected and maybe it was the sales people in particular but both experiences were pretty good and both allowed us to manage the situation to our liking. They did not ask for our contact information as at that point we were not serious buyers but they did give their information for us to call when WE wanted. And yes we will go back because of that!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wish I could Choose what Olympic events I would like to watch
I have seen enough beach volleyball to last a lifetime. Just because it is live does not mean everyone wants to watch! Yes I know the two American women are doing well but it is EVERY night and I just cannot take it anymore. Why doesn't NBC run a ticker on where you can watch other events that are taking place on MSNBC and other outlets? I imagine people are tuning out anyway! In this case Customer Controlled Communications could allow me to watch what I want - not what NBC feeds me. And I am WAY full.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
LinkedIn and Plaxo should merge
The article in the NYTimes today speaks of LinkedIn being a 'Chamber of Commerce'. Well there is only one Chamber of Commerce in each town and Linkedin and Plaxo do exactly the same thing. Does anybody really want to keep track of both? NO!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
CCC in action!
So today's Wall Street Journal has the front page human interest column (the one everyone looks at first!) about Kendra Wilkinson - Playboy centerfold, Hefner girlfriend and non-invited Olive Garden spokesperson. She ruminates on her long time appreciation of Olive Garden, its great food (better than Italy she says - ok perhaps she is going a little too far) and overall fun experience.
The agency of record is concerned she does not 'represent' the brand. WRONG! She is not being paid, genuinely loves the restaurant and I cannot see how her musings on Olive Garden (on her Myspace page) can do anything but help Olive Garden be cool and relevant. It's not like she is parading around Olive Garden with bunny ears on! Get over yourselves people! The brand is about how people feel not what you make it!
The agency of record is concerned she does not 'represent' the brand. WRONG! She is not being paid, genuinely loves the restaurant and I cannot see how her musings on Olive Garden (on her Myspace page) can do anything but help Olive Garden be cool and relevant. It's not like she is parading around Olive Garden with bunny ears on! Get over yourselves people! The brand is about how people feel not what you make it!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Customer Controlled Communications - its time has come!
CGSM has trademarked the phrase Customer Controlled Communications(TM) - because we believe the customers are in control of marketing! The old way is on its way out - bring on the new era!
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