OS X vs Vista

Well... David Pogue gives us his comparison. I think it is fun as I may be looking to convert to the dark side. Or is that the right side?

Guy Kawasaki: Ten Questions With Aziza Mohmmand

This post struck me this morning. I guess it goes to show you that when you make a difference in peoples lives you are rewarded. Give it a read and let me know your thoughts.

DVR captures a different audience.

Nielsen product placement has come out with a few new numbers that show that DVRs are being used to time shift drum roll.... Scripted shows instead of reality shows. What this means is that all of that fabulous product placement going on surrounding reality shows is not garnering the repeat eyes. People watch these scripted shows because they get hooked into the plot and want to watch repeatedly and when they want to. Their also is an interesting discussion of how production techniques may be changing sow that viewers on the smaller screen may get a better look at the subject. Production people will be required to shift their ideas on how they produce content as their is a shift to smaller screens both for those pesky product placements as well as to better showcase the production.

Girls Go Bend

Take a look at Bend!

Stephen Spielberg anti viewing movies on iPods?

A statement he made through Reuters/Hollywood Reporter:

"That's one medium where I have to draw the line," he said. "We'll shoot for television and the movies and let there be a wide gap" between that and the small 3-inch screen. He also said that he felt that people are social animals who will choose to go out to a movie rather than watch a show on wide screen."

Now I can agree with this statement in principle, but after watching a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy playing off my iPod onto my TV I will have to disagree. The general principal of viewing content on the smaller screen is not without its challenges, but the realization of the when we want it world is coming. I certainly hope the MPAA is up to letting us have it our way.

I also know that in a recent Nielsen study it shows- less than 1% of content items played by iPod users on either iTunes or the device itself were videos. Among video iPod users, that percentage barely improves, up to 2.2%. So video is not being played back using the iPod, but what if it was a different experience. Media today is not necessarily targeted at this small device, but it can be used as a tool to shift that content and make it easier to playback on other devices like your television. I also believe this shows that there is a large opportunity for growth within this market if the user experience can be improved.

So the future of media is yet to be truly determined, but with Apple, Microsoft, Tivo, SlingBox, and many more actively working on how we can shift the media to when we want it I believe it is only a matter of time.

Why the TSA should think differently

Marketing guru Seth Godin rants on his experience in travelling in the last week and why the TSA should be different. On a more personal note Jo Ann flew to Denver last week and had a very similar experience as Seth writes.

read more | digg story

Why have you stopped posting?

Well... BendFilm.

This is an exciting time with the "buzz" that goes on around Bend. Independent cinema for the filmmakers and fans. We are proud to be providing the AV logistic and consultation for this years festival. It is an exciting time. I will post photos of the happening this weekend.

So now a quick multi billion dollar thought on gootube...

Do you really doubt you should have video on your website? I think it will take Google to monetize YouTube. Just my thought, but it makes sense. I am not sure that it is worth the amount, but Google I think needed the technology and had the cash to buy it.

Just my humble opinion.

Okay finally back....

It was a wonderful ceremony and I am so happy.

A few thoughts on convergence and media:
1) Apple and their news. First I applaud their increasing the size of their resolution to 640 X 480. This will allow a better quality viewing experience as they migrate with their "iTV" project. Now I feel this is important because their are not many devices out there that will just plug in and work and as I have mentioned before Apple seems to at least understand that. This device will allow you to automatically (not sure how they are planning on it completely) allow you to play and watch your iTunes library content on a TV connected to it. There are some other interesting ideas like taking your photos and having those play with music as a nice different background for a party or a slide show. I have 3 hours of photos from our last vacation wan't to watch? Okay maybe not.

The other interesting thing that this will make possible is targeted delivered video podcasts on subjects that people enjoy. Easy all I have to do is go down to the podcasts and watch them. This could be interesting.

2)Amazon- They launched their new download service. I am trying it out with the pilot episode of Studio 60. The challenge is that Joe consumer still will have a challenge. Amazon became easy because all one had to do was find the book they wanted and click buy. Once their details were entered it came right to them. The challenge I still feel is how are we going to make that jump between easy and hard. I will let you know tomorrow the whole details of the experience.

"Labor Day"

A labor of love. That is what it is and will always will be. A business is about a way of love if it is done correctly. You must have that feeling of love for it. You work long hours and at often times for an unsure future, but if you are staying pure to your thoughts and why you do it you will succeed. Do it for the love of it and not the money. Do it to make a difference and change something. Oh and truly love those around you that help you make these things a reality! Thank you Jo. I love you.

A quick post and a thought

Check out this little tidbit in Guy Kawasaki's Blog about word of mouth advertising.

I was having this conversation in regards to Zappos' return policy with my fiance and she mentioned she would not shop at Nordstrom because she had an experience that was bad. When I asked what it was she mentioned that many years ago she purchased some clothes that simply fell apart and that colored her experience. This is interesting because how many of your customers may be out there with that one experience. Nordstrom has very good customer service, but the one experience they could not control was the life of the clothes and have lost a customer.

This sort of measurement and feedback is essential to continued growth and development of a company. When is the last time you talked to a long term client or customer about their satisfaction level?

Your authentic voice

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”
-Helen Keller

Daring, scary, hard, but can be rewarding in many ways. Today now more than ever we owe it to ourselves to have that authentic voice and as companies we need to be able to handle those voices. The success of YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, Flickr, and many other social networking sites are built on having an outlet for that authentic voice. Some would say that this is a niche market and yes it is, but the case can be made that as that niche grows being authentic and real leads to an even wider succeess. That is one of the conclussions made in the book "The Long Tail". We are increasingly a culture of choice and we enjoy showing how we execute that choice.

The real challenge as a company is how do you stay true.
1st Find it! Take some time and get inside yourself. Really spend some time in that uncomfortable or comfortable place. This is crucial as not only does this really allow you to explore your thoughts and feeling, but it can help chart the course to that voice.
2nd Make a statement. Now this does not and should not be a long winded blah blah blah speech, but how does it relate and empower me to do what I/We want. Make it a few words.
3rd Follow it. Try living in that statement for a week. Does it hold true? Can you live with it?

We owe it to our employees to listen to their voices as well. Some of the advantages of Google is that they try things. I am sure they are trying things behind the scenes that never make it to prime time, but they try them. Yes they have lots of money, but if the risk is low try it. Maybe even if the risk is high maybe you will help change the world. Be bold!

Probably my longest post to date, but I hope it gets you thinking. Don't believe that it can work?

Guy Kawasaki: Video about entrepeneurship
Chris Anderson: "The Long Tail"
Seth Godin: What you should be learning about marketing with your voice.

New media alert..

So over at TechCrunch they have a post in regards to Amazon's upcoming launch of their store. This is an interesting find and I applaud the guy who found it. I just hope they don't go mess it up with DRM issues.

Also this little tidbit about iTunes and a Lions Gate tie in. Now this really isn't news, but it does show that all of the larger players are moving to make downloads of video content a reality. I put the Digg link in because if you haven't seen digg go check it out.

Is this truly revolutionary?

Okay normally I post links to the stories I quote, but today I am going to copy and paste this from Mediaweek.


Mediaweek-
Couric's Show to Be Simulcast on Web

Marc Berman

AUGUST 17, 2006 -

The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric, which launches with the former Today Show co-host on Tuesday, Sept. 5, will become the first network evening newscast to be simulcast live on the Internet.

Viewers can now see the CBS Evening News live, as never before, said Sean McManus president, CBS News and Sports. This is a groundbreaking development in making the program available to the largest possible audience. For people who can'’t be in front of their televisions when the Evening News is on, they can now watch the program live on their computers. It's another giant step towards providing CBS News content to people wherever they are in their homes, in their offices, in their cars, on their computers or on their cell phones.

In addition, CBS Evening News With Katie Couric will also be available as an on-demand program any time after the live simulcast, via daily blog Couric & Company, via Web-exclusive Eye to Eye, and daily Web exclusive on-camera rundown CBS News First Look with Katie Couric.


Groundbreaking? It is more of a what took them so long. They should have been streaming the show to the world a long time ago. Now for the more subtle it is time for everyone to wake up moment. Big media companies are realizing they are losing eyes and hence ad revenue. The model is shifting to the when you want it and CBS may be moving in the right direction with this one. So who is next?

Oh yeah kudos go out to KTVZ for already thinking that the VOD idea makes sense. I think this has been on there since they relaunched the website.

Web 2.0 Experience

With these sites popping up all around I thought I would dabble with one. I have made a lens about Bend. Let me know your thoughts. The process is easy, but time consuming. I think these tools will empower us all to be experts in our fields and allow others to interact with us much like blogs have already done.

Media Consolidation In Bend

So this was posted on Mediaweek as of around 12:00.

AUGUST 16, 2006 -

Meredith Broadcasting announced Wednesday it is exiting the Bend, Ore. market with an agreement to sell KFXO-CA, its low-power Fox affiliate to NPG of Oregon, Inc., for undisclosed terms.

The deal gives NPG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of News-Press & Gazette Co. a duopoly in the market, where it owns KTVZ-TV, the NBC affiliate.

Jerry Upham, vp and general manager of KFXO has resigned his position with Meredith and will be replaced by John Edwards, sales manager of the station, until the transaction is finalized.

So media in this market is changing. Any thoughts?

Streaming VS Downloading

In this Mediaweek report there is discussion about CBS and their streaming of shows for free the next day. While I applaud CBS for doing this why not take the next step and allow purchase of these shows? Broadcasters need to develop another model for their content. I realize their is other negotiations with rights holders, but they are not helping their future by not allowing purchase.

My belief is that even YouTube should develop a model like Google Video that allows videos to be sold and to share in that profit. Google Video at least allows you to download the video in iPod or PSP format. That is forward thinking for sure.

We want content when we want it and how we want it.

Another video

Here is another video that we put over at YouTube. Nice to know they are back up after being down for a few hours today. This was for a local organization called On Track Ministries.

Today's Link List

So a few things have stuck me as interesting in todays blast of emails:

Google coupons: Google maps to add coupons in this deal. Could be an interesting way of tracking direct customer to interaction.

Cable upfront flat: Television is not the king it used to be.

Seth Godin: Some interesting thoughts on the current state of travel and customers. This even has implication for marketing.

Prosumer video production: Read this and then email me.

FOX/IN: Proof that it is what and when we want it. Not thrilled about their pricing, but it is a step in the right direction.

That is it for now.

Tech Geek Alert!

I think this has potential. Leave it to Sony and forward thinking. This is definetly let's try and make it work product. It would appear that it is a high risk, but may offer a high rate of return.Tech geeks of the world unite.

The battle of the titans

So it would appear that MTV Networks is making a play to out fox Mr. Murdoch and Google will be in the middle of it all. In today's news MTVN as they are known has aquired Atom. Now while this doesn't seem very interesting they put up $200 million to aquire them. MTVN has quietly been aquiring properties and repositioning themselves to aquire more eyes and hence make their properties much more attractive to the potential on-line ad dollar. MTVN will be basically running into the 20 ton gorilla that is MySpace/Fox online. This will be an interesting thing to watch. Anyone want to take bets who will come out on top?

Oh yeah and also MTVN has made some of their content available on Google Video on a pay to own basis. The model is changing for distribution and the big networks are beginning to shift as well.

Seth Godin at Gel

How can we do it better?

Here is the Google Video version

Which do you think looks better?

First of many!

Embrace the change!

The swan song...

Okay so first read this.

Now my 2 cents. I find it interesting that they find these finding shocking. Watch my 12 year old son and you will see he would much rather use the computer than watch TV. We are a fractured world and my feelings are that the only kind of television we are going to watch is the kind that we have delivered when we want it. A shift has been started and we will need to figure out a way to shift our dollars to the new model. The article also talks about there is still a future. Oh yes be sure to hang on to that future. Television is changing and in order to truly compete we have to provide better programming or deliver it to our customers when and how they want it.

EBay Changes Advertising

In the changing face of advertising this may allow all of us to buy ads across the country.

read more | digg story This may be an interesting future. This levels the playing field and just maybe will bring prices down. Well we can hope.

UPDATE:
I just found this much better post on the WSJ.It is interesting how AdWeek says that this will not replace the upfront and yet WSJ suggests that this is the future. Read them both and let me know what you think.

The end of the AOL Coaster

I will miss it...


Sometimes you have to adjust your model. It really is amazing at what AOL helped do for the early adopters of this so called internet. "A series of tubes"... Just a dig there.

Speaking of that dig if you support net neutrality go here.

Ch Ch Ch Changes....

Okay you have to sing the song when you read the title. A couple of interesting things in the news.

First has to do with Apple. With building anticipation to Steve Jobs' keynote on Monday regarding the new Apple products, this little tidbit has been released in regards to the Apple and iTunes legality in foreign countries. Now in my opinion Apple is going to need to adapt and figure out a way to make this work out. Apple has been sitting a top a virtual monopoly because they designed a great player and made their software as easy to use. They will need to be careful to not alienate consumers while navigating these new legal waters. Maybe a licensing program? I know they fear this because of their last dealings, but maybe a strategy.

And also this one. Time to go start shooting some video. I use iStockPhoto all of the time for stills as they have some great contributed stills, but with this change projects may get even easier.

One laptop per child project prototype

The first working prototype of the laptop for children of third world countries. A noble endeavor! Not really marketing, but this is definetly a different way of looking at computers and could help empower other parts of the world. Also I am curious about what people will watch these days. From a production standpoint not the best, but interesting content.

Embrace the change

So Amazon is embracing the new age of digital media with this new service. From a marketing standpoint I wish they wouldn't have called it "DV" as in the production world DV is a tape format, but I think this shows that there is a demand for this service or they are going to at least give it a try. The article also talks about Apple and Microsoft strategies for the future. What excites me is that increasingly this will allow "Jo Schmo" to sell their products to a larger audience.
Hopefully digital rights management and GUI don't mess it up.

Your way today!

Some thoughts today revolve around what media is to people today.
1) Have it your way
2) Tell us your story
3) Be authentic
4) See number 1

I only put number four on there because this is truly what today's digital age is about. You Tube, Google Video, MySpace, and a host of other social networking sites is about having it your way. Now your way is not a slogan that was used by one of those burger joints it is about the freedom to choose. People have chosen that is why MySpace truly does rank up there because people have chosen to have it their way and yet also tell their story. Hence number two which combined with number three is again the reason why we are seeing this influx of social networking and video sites.

The face of advertising is changing. Media is about you not about someone else. Each of us has the power to let others know how we feel and make it authentic. As advertisers we owe it to our customers to reach out and share our feelings on our product. Make it real and authentic not sanitized. Empower the customer to make a choice through the experience.

If you doubt what I am saying see number one again.

Links:
Seth Godin (Social commentary)
Washington Post (free registration)
Media Works
(How people have it their way and yet ad retention went up)

The changing face of MySpace?

So I posted a while ago about a commentary on how they could kill MySpace. Do you suppose this little tidbit is the forshadowing of things to come?

Now every provider of "free" content reserves the right to cancel said service at anytime it is just interesting timing. Now I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I would imagine that there are for more objectionable MySpace pages.

This one will be an interesting one to watch.

UPDATE: So it is back up.... Ted Stevens Fan Club

Oh and you need to learn more about what this is about!

Cutting through the clutter... How not to

So in this article in the USA Today there is great discussion how Honda is using a 5 second ad to thwart DVRs, but do you need to spend that money to thwart something? Why not spend the time developing loyal customers who will sell your product. I can see the trend now more and more shorter ads to get around the commercial skip function. This will only improve the already prevalent clutter in the broadcast market. I think that broadcasters who will increasingly become more and more hungry for revenue will back right up to this model. People choose DVRs because they both want to cut through the clutter as well as watch the shows when they want to.

Let's not clutter it up more.

New term or viable for marketing

So there is a new word out there called freedbacking. What is proposed is this will be a tag that will allow users to post feedback on a product for all to see. What this could mean as a marketer would be the ability to spot early trends on how your product is actually being used. Thoughts?

What do you project?

Each of us projects an image to those around us and to our customers. This fact struck me as I went to the recent concerts this last Saturday in Bend. Both acts were good musicians, but they did not do well with the audience. What I mean by this is they played well, but there was no interaction. Today more than ever we want people to relate to us and this was not done.

We owe it to our customers and clients to give them the same simple form of interaction. They are there to relate to you and your business for the long term unless you don't want them.

Future of mainstream television

The easiest way to fall behind is to not look ahead. I found this story this morning on NPR very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the piece where NBC's Zucker appears like he really is not sure how they are going to pay for shows in this new era. So if you are a big agency thinking that television still has power listen closely. I think even he may be a bit worried.

My Space...

So My Space is successful at networking, but this article posses some interesting questions.

My Space is tough to commoditize. How do you "sell" a site that has a lot of users, but they are there to network not be sold.

The changing face of television

Anyone who may think that TV is still king may well read this article. It seems there is a vast digital wasteland out there besides TV and media buyers may be interested in shifting resources.

Makes perfect sense to me.

I couldn't resist

Okay this is just embarrassing! Does anyone else see a problem with this or am I just being picky?

If you are trying to convey important information make it easy. Maybe just a click here button?

Where am I?

So we are on a job right now. I took this yesterday. Any ideas where I may be?

I just like them!

Creative funny and true to life... Well if you believe everything that the spin meisters want to tell you!

Event last night

We helped produce an event for the Cascade Festival of Music. It went very well. I guess I can't stop fighting this strange feeling of the amount of hours it takes to do an event right and yet it goes by so quick. I used some new software from Serious Magic called Ovation that does amazing things, but it still takes some time to get it to look right. When I put together a show I prefer to layer graphics with transparencies. Now I am not a Photoshop wizard, but at least feather and make the edges softer. This takes time and a lot of it. Do people notice? I hope so. I think I do it because I can and feel it is right.

This time is the difficult thing because when you say I will put together your PowerPoint people think okay well it should take you about an hour so I will pay you accordingly. Now I am not saying this is the case with the production we did last night, but it goes to show the perception that people have.

This thought goes towards how each of us as contractors should value each others time. We should be thinking about not trying to underestimate, but overestimate on our projects. We should do this not in the interest of gouging the client, but to allow the time to do the job right. If we take less time then we bill the client for less.

Let all of us take the time to do things right.

Course charting 101

The first thing you must do is establish it!

Hmmm.... That seems to be a bit hard. We dabble as a company in so many things!

Current projects include:
1) Church History Project DVD
2) Events for
Cascade Festival Of Music
Red Cross
PIA Weekend Conference
3) Promotional DVDs

And this is just a partial list. I think the thing I enjoy most about owning your own business is you get to pick the work, but it can be exhausting with all of the difference in it all. So how to chart the course?

In order to focus you need to have a goal. Mine is to support my family, but more importantly provide the best production that I can provide for the clients we serve and when it comes to the events we produce how can we make them different and unique. Now the goal can become a bit askew from time to time, but it is important to allow minor course corrections occasionally. Time for one....

Man I am vague. Anyone want to read between the lines?

The seeds of an idea

Sometimes the randomness of the world will collide and germinate an idea. These ideas grow until you have to listen to them and act. I know a bit cryptic, but more to come soon...

So we went to NAB last week and saw HD for everyone as Sony coined it. Interesting use when not everyone can enjoy watching it due to things like in this market only having one true over the HD outlet. The further fighting over HD DVD vs Blue Ray DVD is beginning to put a damper on what consumers want which is true HD that they can watch. Only when the final battle over the next DVD format has been one will we have the answer. Meantime I think I should go shoot some HD to see how it works out.

Apple's announcement of the 17" Mac Book Pro is another advancement in the future of media. I found it rewarding to have Apple demonstrating how easy it is to use Garage Band to create Podcasts. I wonder why Adobe doesn't get that?

So the future is HD and in so many other things. With the course uncharted it is time to chart a course.

Events

Here are a couple of pictures from what we worked on this last weekend. It is enjoyable working with such a professional group. Furthermore it was a vey uplifting event. The Oregon FFA Association is a positive uplifting group and it was wonderful working with so many talented youth. We helped produce an IMAG feed as well as DVDs of the event for sale.

What it means to be a marketer

Read this post from Seth Godin and you may learn a few things about what you may want to do with your own business. Authenticity

What could you do with 1.68 Million

That is a very good question and as we approach the second highest viewed Television event that is what you would have to pay to get your add on ABC's telecast. It is amazing that there are budgets out there to support that. How do you measure ROI on $1.68 million? So maybe a time to change is in order here. The ability to leverage that $1.68 million is at hand with existing technologies and to engage your clients and customers and pull them in.

Imagine investing in a digital signage platform that utilizes your media that you are preparing for video podcasts. Video that you have produced and prepared to reach out to your customers because you know they are your customers.

Am I dreaming or would you rather spend that $1.68 million on a chance of capturing your audience?

Where did you go?

Okay so no posts for a while because I was unwinding from the Drake Awards. I am big into truth in everything I write on these pages and with that in mind a little about the event. I say truth because it did not go well. I can remember writing many months ago about technical challenges and that is what happened again. A glitch during the dry run set us back a few hours and unfortunately that was to many hours. We did have one of the two screens completely functional and that was a saving grace. It all went okay in the end and I think I am probably my worst critic, but needed to at least comment on it. Learned a lot and mainly never volunteer for a show of this magnitude as it is probably the largest show in existence with a huge amount of awards and graphics to be built. Definitely will change the way we do it again.

Well back to convergence next week.

Pictures posted from today

Click on the link above and check out the pictures from today. It went smoothly and the room looks great. I am excited about the show tomorrow.

T Minus 3 Days

Full production mode for the upcoming Drake Awards. Most of the details are worked out and we are preparing and programming close to 200 elements in order to completely automate the entire show. We will post photos starting on Thursday. It is enjoyable watching the production come together and watching the production when it starts. All of the work is sometimes very much worth it and this is one of those occasions.

Some podcasting stats

I found this interesting.

Over 4.8 million people downloaded a podcast from a radio station or other source in 2005, compared to just 820,000 in 2004, according to Bridge Ratings, which measures radio audiences. By 2010, podcasts may reach 45 million users. Other findings include:

* 20% of those who download podcasts do so weekly. This group downloads an average six podcasts per week.
* Only 20% of this group currently listen on MP3 players.
* ‘Innovators’ pull the change in technology use and comprise 2.3% of the overall population.
* ‘Early adopters’ comprise another 13.5% of the population; these opinion leaders try out new ideas and technology, but carefully.
* The skeptical ‘Late majority’ are 34% of the population.
* ‘Laggards,’ at 16% of the population, are traditionalists who tend to be the last to adopt a technological innovation.

So with that said we will be producing our own podcast by the end of the month. I am not sure what the topic will be, but look for it soon.

How to cut through the clutter

During this week of ultimate hype how can you cut through the clutter or the noise of all of the hype. The simplist way probably is just tell your story. As I have gone through this business I lost that fact somewhere. I called myself the ultimate geek that everyone knows, but no one knows how I can help them and their clients. So one of the best ways to market is to just tell your story, but make it better. I don't mean make a lie out of it, but figure out how you can do things better and do it. As small business owners we have the ability to move quickly and make mistakes and correct from them. So I guess it is really time for me to go make some mistakes.

A new paradigm

Something I am working on to again have a wider reach. Let me know what you think.

Podcasting Production Value

I would like to take a few moments and talk about why you shouldn't just hook up a microphone and record a podcast. I have been listening to different podcasts and the ones that engage me are the ones that in my opinion are producing them the correct way. I recently was following one of the links for a large advertising weekly and discovered they had a podcast. I thought it would be interesting to listen to and found it on iTunes. If you aren't in iTunes you should find a way to be in there. Listening to it I was shocked. Image is everything in today's business and with technology now at such an amazing cost point it is fairly easy to make a decent sounding podcast. Theirs is not and that is to bad. Podcasts are not just being listened to on those tiny headphones, but are listened to on large home systems now and we owe it to ourselves to make good sounding ones and if you don't know how contact me and I can give you some ideas.

Okay stepping off my soapbox.

Frank Deford On NPR

So I was listening this morning to Morning Edition and Frank Deford had a commentary piece. For those that are not familiar with Mr. Deford he is Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated. He has an interesting paradigm for the motion picture folks to consider in relationship to professional sports. If you want to listen to the entire thing click here.

His question is that movies as we know them have reached a point where they may start to have declining sales. It truly is an interesting thought that movies are bent on saying that they have x dollars in sales the past weekend. As a consumer this may just anoy us even more. What would happen as Mr. Giford wonders if they said this weekend we had 1 million people come see this movie. I think many would want to check out the movie and see why people are going. An interesting paradigm to think of. I think the rest of his piece is humorous and you will enjoy the changes he recommends for the Oscars. What changes would you make with the traditional movie theater experience?

Mainstream Convergence

I think it is a sign of the times when the NFL puts the Super Bowl ads on their own platform. The NFL announced that they will be distributing just the ads to VOD platforms and cell phones. It truly is moves like this that continues to change the playing field in how we distribute our message to the general public. How are you distributing yours?

The Big Build Up!

The only time that people truly are waiting to watch television ads is you guessed it the Super Bowl. Now I am not much of a sports enthusiast, but I will admit that I have watched the super Bowl and sometimes for the game. I do enjoy watching the commercials. It is the only time that a hush goes over a room so that you can listen to what is on the commercial. An interesting thought is how many of the viewers of the Super Bowl are just like me watching for the ads.

Watching the trades right they are filled with the buildup to their ads on the Super Bowl. In one recent trade publication I saw three press releases about upcoming ads on the Super Bowl. With this much marketing for the marketing it is no wonder people watch for the ads.

This year though I have a reason to watch because the one team I occasionally watch is the Seahawks and they made it finally this year.

The intellectual power struggle

With only days remaining to find out if my BlackBerry goes dead it strikes me that the new frontier in technology is truly the assets of knowledge. At stake for RIM (Research in Motion)is if they can continue to transmit data over cell providers. Now I will spare you the lengthy discussion of court and legaleeze, but really the future stake holders of this digital wasteland will be the knowledge barrens. So only in a half a decade we have gone from the oil barrens to the knowledge barrens. I wonder if this term is on Winkipedia? So the keys to the future may truly be in design and this knowledge mining. What does it take to be on the new frontier these days?

Planning an event

With only a few weeks to go to the 2006 Drake Awards I am excited about how many entries we have. This has been a great year with over 50 companies represented by over 380 entries. Management of this much content is definitely a team effort and it is wonderful having such an incredible board around us as we go down this road. We will again be driving the show as automated as possible with the use of two screens to showcase the work appropriately. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer.

Features and Big Companies

This week Adobe announced an upgrade of their production bundle. What surprised me is that within Audition they have no quick way to make a podcast. I am not sure why as I have not seen the product, but it surprises me in that this is such a major trend going on. I am sure they would say that you could prepare one with it and you certainly can, but why not include and easier way to do it.

That is the secret of being the small company. The small business owner can spot these trends and adjust their strategy. In fact as a small business owner you must adapt. We do not have the ability like the big companies to just get by with status quo. Challenge the way you do things and you may find a brand new trend.

The power of customer service

The almighty buck is very much tied into the all mighty customer. I know that goes without saying, but what are you doing for your customers? What experiences are they having when you greet them or even how they feel about the service they receive? I ask this because we were at a local restaurant the other day. This restaurant has very good Mexican food and has good service also. We had finished our meal and were waiting for our check and it had not come. Some time went by and still no waiter or check. We actually were beginning to wonder what was going on as this usually never happens. Finally we asked another of the staff and within moments our waiter came over and we joked that we thought it was free the next thing out of his mouth made us a customer for a long time. He said that he was very sorry and that indeed it was on him. What a way to turn a situation. Now we were not in a hurry, but it made a difference and now we will be going back with no hesitation and will probably recommend it. SO how are you treating your customers?

Leveling of the playing field

Google has announced that it will acquire a company that specializes in radio buys in local markets. Now people are probably wondering why, and it would seem that they want to own not the production, but the distribution. What this means from a marketing standpoint is simply that once Google figures out how to do it you will be able to place an add with them that will get a spot on their video site, have links in text searches and now will be able to place your radio adds in select markets. This is some power for advertisers and gives that power to the small guy. It may be time for some entrenched agency to start listening to their clients and do work for them as opposed to for their reel. Google has the muscle to go toe to toe with the big guys and will use that muscle. Another convergent strategy to watch.

14 million

Often times we forget that simply changing a paradigm can create a huge market. Apple has done that with an over 80% market share they have created a unique market. As I posted earlier they have excelled in making the interface easy to use. They have created a new paradigm with video that now google is following. Video is a new convergence and the distribution model is changing also. What will the next change be?

Instant Information

Okay so as I posted a long time ago about mac versus pc I do enjoy using a mac and so I am reading a live transcript of the goings on. I think this is a testament at how quickly you can truly move the information about your brand if you are set up properly. Kudos to Mac Rumors.

Dreaming of convergence

Here is the link to the blog posting in regards to Google's CES announcement. Interesting to see what Steve Job's says tomorrow.

Do you think this will backfire?

Okay so just read it and tell me what you think about the fine telephone company. Message - Tell customers what they are getting and what they can't do upfront.

Traditional Media Today

I decided to let a bit of the edge of this weeks events calm down before posting. First let me say that I have all of the sympathy in the world for the miners families and I hope that the one remaining miner will continue his recovery. With those things said I find it interesting in this day and age of instant information that it is so easy to get it wrong. Before I went to bed on Tuesday I had heard that they had found the miners alive and yet only one ambulance left the scene. This puzzled me as time went by and I went to bed thinking I am not so sure that all of them are alive. I listened to NPR the next morning and heard that truly only one was alive and the families were struggling because only hours earlier they had been told they were alive. Maybe it is human nature that we seek hope in our deepest hours of despair, but why do we lead with that on the news? Even today CNN has the post from that evening still up. I just did a Google search and it was 5th on the list. The hardest thing is reading the paper and just like the Dewey wins headline there it was the next morning "Trapped Miners Found Alive". I guess if I am trying to make a point with this it is that local media should concentrate on what is around them. There are true journalistic stories waiting to be told, but aren't. Today's information society also owes something to checking facts and just because some family member hears it from someone else and then tells CNN that it is true shouldn't we make sure that it is true?

Okay stepping off my soap box now. Any thoughts?

Marketing and early adopters

Okay so I have been doing some very serious thought about convergent media and how we can cross the chasm that Geoff Moore talks about in his book Crossing the Chasm. For those that are not familiar the curve looks like this:


Already Apple is positioning itself to try to cross the chasm by deploying another unique product to an installed base that knows how to use an iPod, but there are also even more winds of change blowing. The problem is crossing the chasm and moving the technology into the hands of the middle of the curve users.

I consider myself an early adopter of as much technology as possible if it will make what I do easier, but I also am very conscious of cost associated with some early adopter technologies. The key here is how the marketing can demonstrate how easy it is to use the technology so the middle majority, as I will call them, will adopt it. My feeling is that is why experiential marketing has truly grown in recent times. This power of experience gets the product into the hands of the buyer of the technology and empowers them to use it and see how easy it is to use.

All of this talk of convergent media will mean nothing unless the tools on the final end become easy to use. iTunes certainly has made it easy as have TiVo and others, but when you go forward and look at how you can now through Slingbox get your television delivered to you at any time through the net that changes another paradigm but only if it is easy to use.

So how do we design the product to make it work with ease?