drew a packed house in the Latrobe room, and the future-thinker and Talkers magazine publisher didn’t disappoint. He offered “ten principles”, and I don’t think he’d mind being quoted. I thought #7 was particularity interesting! wanted to share...
#7 – Qualitative is the new quantitative. “You can make a fortune with a small audience, or lose your shirt with a big audience.”
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Charles Osgood signs off on his CBS Sunday Morning TV show with the line: “See you on the radio.” Osgood, a member of the Radio Hall of Fame, explain
No television set that’s made
No screen that you can find
Can compare with that of radio:
The theatre of the mind
Where the pictures are so vivid
So spectacular and real
That there isn’t any contest
Or at least that’s how I feel
No screen that you can find
Can compare with that of radio:
The theatre of the mind
Where the pictures are so vivid
So spectacular and real
That there isn’t any contest
Or at least that’s how I feel
Friday, August 13, 2010
Resilience and the incredible power of slow change
Most existing systems (organizations, cities, careers, governments) are resilient to external shocks. If they weren't, they wouldn't still be here. Earthquakes, edicts and emergencies come and they go, but the systems remain.
And yet, it's the emergencies we pay attention to.
No single event demolished the music business. It was a series of slow changes over the course of two decades, all the way back to the CD.
Smoking killed far more people than terrorists ever did. It's just not as dramatic.
No single technology destroyed the business model for newspapers. Sure, Craigslist hastened their demise, but the writing has been on the wall for a decade or more.
Your career won't be made or broken on the back of one interview, one meeting, one sales call. Sure, it might help (or hurt), but the sudden impact of one event isn't sufficient to change everything forever.
The slow changes in the media landscape are accelerating and virtually every pre-digital system is in danger. The slow changes in the marketing landscape are in their second decade and these changes will have their effects on every business and cause as well.
Cultural shifts create long terms evolutionary changes. Cultural shifts, changes in habits, technologies that slowly obsolete a product or a system are the ones that change our lives. Watch for shifts in systems and processes and expectations. That's what makes change, not big events.
Don't worry about what happened yesterday (or five minutes ago). Focus on what happened ten years ago and think about what you can do that will make a huge impact in six months. The breaking news mindset isn't just annoying, it may be distracting you from what really matters. As the world gets faster, it turns out that the glacial changes of years and decades are become more important, not less.
And yet, it's the emergencies we pay attention to.
No single event demolished the music business. It was a series of slow changes over the course of two decades, all the way back to the CD.
Smoking killed far more people than terrorists ever did. It's just not as dramatic.
No single technology destroyed the business model for newspapers. Sure, Craigslist hastened their demise, but the writing has been on the wall for a decade or more.
Your career won't be made or broken on the back of one interview, one meeting, one sales call. Sure, it might help (or hurt), but the sudden impact of one event isn't sufficient to change everything forever.
The slow changes in the media landscape are accelerating and virtually every pre-digital system is in danger. The slow changes in the marketing landscape are in their second decade and these changes will have their effects on every business and cause as well.
Cultural shifts create long terms evolutionary changes. Cultural shifts, changes in habits, technologies that slowly obsolete a product or a system are the ones that change our lives. Watch for shifts in systems and processes and expectations. That's what makes change, not big events.
Don't worry about what happened yesterday (or five minutes ago). Focus on what happened ten years ago and think about what you can do that will make a huge impact in six months. The breaking news mindset isn't just annoying, it may be distracting you from what really matters. As the world gets faster, it turns out that the glacial changes of years and decades are become more important, not less.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Good joke....
A man walks into a pet store and says, "I want a talking parrot."
The clerk says, "Yes sir, I have several birds that talk. This large green parrot here is quite a talker." He taps on the cage, and the bird says, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." He knows the entire Bible by heart. "This red one here is young, but he's learning." He prompted, "Polly wants a cracker." And the bird repeated back, "Polly will want a cracker." Then I've got a mynah bird but he belongs to a sailor, so if you have children you won't want that one."
The man says, "I'll take the younger one, if you can teach me how to make him talk."
"Sure, I can teach you," said the pet store owner. He sat down with the man and spent hours teaching him how to train the parrot. Then he put the bird in the cage, took his money, and sent the man home to start his training regimen.
After a week the man came back into the store very irritated. "The bird you sold me doesn't talk."
"He doesn't? Did you follow my instructions?" asked the clerk.
"Yep, to the letter," replied the man.
"Well, maybe that bird is lonely. I tell you what. I'll sell you this little mirror here and you put it in the cage. The bird will see his reflection and he will start talking right away," responded the clerk.
The man did as he was told but three days later was back in the shop. "I'm thinking of asking for my money back, that bird won't talk."
The shop owner pondered a bit and said, "I bet that bird is bored. He needs some toys. Here, take this bell-no charge. Put it in the bird's cage. I bet he'll start talking once he has something to do."
In a week, the man was back angrier than ever. He walked in carrying a shoebox. "That bird you sold me died." He opened the shoebox and there was his poor little dead parrot. "I want my money back."
The show owner was horrified. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what happened. But. . . tell me . . . did the bird ever even try to talk?"
"Well," said the man, "he did say one word, right before he fell off his perch and died."
"What did he say?" the clerk inquired.
The mean replied, "Fo-o-o-od."
The clerk says, "Yes sir, I have several birds that talk. This large green parrot here is quite a talker." He taps on the cage, and the bird says, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." He knows the entire Bible by heart. "This red one here is young, but he's learning." He prompted, "Polly wants a cracker." And the bird repeated back, "Polly will want a cracker." Then I've got a mynah bird but he belongs to a sailor, so if you have children you won't want that one."
The man says, "I'll take the younger one, if you can teach me how to make him talk."
"Sure, I can teach you," said the pet store owner. He sat down with the man and spent hours teaching him how to train the parrot. Then he put the bird in the cage, took his money, and sent the man home to start his training regimen.
After a week the man came back into the store very irritated. "The bird you sold me doesn't talk."
"He doesn't? Did you follow my instructions?" asked the clerk.
"Yep, to the letter," replied the man.
"Well, maybe that bird is lonely. I tell you what. I'll sell you this little mirror here and you put it in the cage. The bird will see his reflection and he will start talking right away," responded the clerk.
The man did as he was told but three days later was back in the shop. "I'm thinking of asking for my money back, that bird won't talk."
The shop owner pondered a bit and said, "I bet that bird is bored. He needs some toys. Here, take this bell-no charge. Put it in the bird's cage. I bet he'll start talking once he has something to do."
In a week, the man was back angrier than ever. He walked in carrying a shoebox. "That bird you sold me died." He opened the shoebox and there was his poor little dead parrot. "I want my money back."
The show owner was horrified. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what happened. But. . . tell me . . . did the bird ever even try to talk?"
"Well," said the man, "he did say one word, right before he fell off his perch and died."
"What did he say?" the clerk inquired.
The mean replied, "Fo-o-o-od."
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Five Reasons to Advertise on the Radio!
Reason 1: Control Brand Image
Traditional media, like radio, provides a valuable platform for brand managers eager to build and sustain an image in the midst of this era today of commercial free subscription radio, ipods and mobile TV. Radio is messaging in one direction. Advertisers control the message and therefore the brand image.
Reason 2: Association Control
Many brands, especially luxury ones, take great care to ensure that their advertisements are found in places that support the brand image. Here’s where radio steps in. Radio allows brands to ‘place’ their ad in the traditional sense. Not just how they want them, but where they want them. Image creation requires strategic placement, not just a great creative.
Reason 3- Back to What We know
As much as people love the new, in times of crisis, people tend to go back to what they know. Traditional media buys bring comfort in crumbling times and rather than try to convince their clients to try something different, advertising agencies suggest the fundamentals. Even if traditional media was imperfect, no one considers it the cause of the crash and frankly, we know it works.
Reason 4: The Internet is Still Hard to Measure!
One of the greatest digital phenomenon of the past decade, the viral advertising campaign, has an unquestionably powerful reach and impact that will never be predictable or measurable. In radio, you think of a funny or brand-appropriate creative, put together an entertaining little pitch, place it, estimate your GRPs and do it again until you reach your desired reach and frequency. It may be simple, clean, and less sexy, but it is effective.
Reason 5: Internet and Digital Revive Radio
More people are turning to the Internet for streaming radio. Just as consumers listen to the radio while driving, they listen to digital radio while surfing the web. According to the RAB’s study, digital radio’s returns increased by 18% during the recession.
Traditional media, like radio, provides a valuable platform for brand managers eager to build and sustain an image in the midst of this era today of commercial free subscription radio, ipods and mobile TV. Radio is messaging in one direction. Advertisers control the message and therefore the brand image.
Reason 2: Association Control
Many brands, especially luxury ones, take great care to ensure that their advertisements are found in places that support the brand image. Here’s where radio steps in. Radio allows brands to ‘place’ their ad in the traditional sense. Not just how they want them, but where they want them. Image creation requires strategic placement, not just a great creative.
Reason 3- Back to What We know
As much as people love the new, in times of crisis, people tend to go back to what they know. Traditional media buys bring comfort in crumbling times and rather than try to convince their clients to try something different, advertising agencies suggest the fundamentals. Even if traditional media was imperfect, no one considers it the cause of the crash and frankly, we know it works.
Reason 4: The Internet is Still Hard to Measure!
One of the greatest digital phenomenon of the past decade, the viral advertising campaign, has an unquestionably powerful reach and impact that will never be predictable or measurable. In radio, you think of a funny or brand-appropriate creative, put together an entertaining little pitch, place it, estimate your GRPs and do it again until you reach your desired reach and frequency. It may be simple, clean, and less sexy, but it is effective.
Reason 5: Internet and Digital Revive Radio
More people are turning to the Internet for streaming radio. Just as consumers listen to the radio while driving, they listen to digital radio while surfing the web. According to the RAB’s study, digital radio’s returns increased by 18% during the recession.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Why Radio???
First, radio’s reach as a mass medium, combined with its reasonable cost structure, makes it an attractive medium to raise awareness. An effective broadcast schedule is affordable for all potential advertisers, large and small. We don’t require the creative investment that television or cable does, and a bit of creativity goes a long way. Live spots and personal endorsement spots have proven highly effective for local businesses talked about by local personalities.
We’re transforming our business into an extraordinary local capability to provide an advertiser with a turnkey and affordable integrated solution to their marketing problem.
Radio’s toolkit has expanded to include video and audio, both streaming and on demand; engagement tools like online games; texting and mobile solutions that can drive listeners to specific advertiser locations; and e-mail and social media marketing efforts that can single out interested listeners and deliver them through online platforms to the advertiser to close the sale. And that’s just scratching the surface
On the air, online and onsite, we want to be available to our listeners and increase their loyalty and involvement with our brands.
And advertisers still need the reach of radio to spread the awareness!
Our medium sits at the intersection of broadcast mass media and hyper targeted digital media. I, for one, cannot think of a better place to be.
We’re transforming our business into an extraordinary local capability to provide an advertiser with a turnkey and affordable integrated solution to their marketing problem.
Radio’s toolkit has expanded to include video and audio, both streaming and on demand; engagement tools like online games; texting and mobile solutions that can drive listeners to specific advertiser locations; and e-mail and social media marketing efforts that can single out interested listeners and deliver them through online platforms to the advertiser to close the sale. And that’s just scratching the surface
On the air, online and onsite, we want to be available to our listeners and increase their loyalty and involvement with our brands.
And advertisers still need the reach of radio to spread the awareness!
Our medium sits at the intersection of broadcast mass media and hyper targeted digital media. I, for one, cannot think of a better place to be.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
We're the same, we're the same, we're...
Take a look at just about any industry with many competitors--colleges, hotels, sedans, accounting firms (especially accounting firms)...
The websites bend over backwards to be just like all the others. You can't identify one hotel website from another if you delete the name of the hotel (unless there's a beach or a snow-capped mountain in the background).
Sometimes, we try so hard to fit in we give consumers no choice but to seek out the cheapest. After all, if everything is the same, why not buy what's cheap and close?
How about a site that says, "Here's why we're different." And means it.
The websites bend over backwards to be just like all the others. You can't identify one hotel website from another if you delete the name of the hotel (unless there's a beach or a snow-capped mountain in the background).
Sometimes, we try so hard to fit in we give consumers no choice but to seek out the cheapest. After all, if everything is the same, why not buy what's cheap and close?
How about a site that says, "Here's why we're different." And means it.
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