tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104682562024-03-09T21:45:54.432-05:00Jointblog - The Blog Site For Media Trend WatchingCommentary posts from Social Media and the Net as we watch media trends form. The On-Demand Entertainment Economy. New tech, radio, TV, gadgets and all things digital. Buzz and trends in media evolving your near-future. Media trend watching blog from Joint Communications to identify, capture and keep audiences. Fair Use Creative Commons Supporter -- some rights reservedAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.comBlogger643125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-66050796279185150842012-09-15T18:32:00.000-04:002012-09-15T18:52:27.597-04:00Avoid Work Overload and Negotiate Your Expectations In AdvanceEarlier this month, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/fred-jacobs/0/aa/aa">Fred Jacobs</a> of <a href="http://jacobsmedia.com/">Jacobs Media</a> published a blog <a href="http://jacobsmediablog.com/2012/09/06/spineless-maggots-%E2%80%93-a-response/">post</a> talking about the importance of DJs and station staffers stepping it up to provide more value to their stations...reinforcing the idea of individual “indispensability,” a concept popularized by Seth Godin in <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2011/11/29/seth-godins-linchpin-theory-sound-advice-or-career-suicide/">Linchpin</a>.<br />
<br />
This post also attracted a lot of responses and retweets, including comments submitted by <a href="http://www.jointcommunications.com/">Joint Communications</a>' President and founder <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-parikhal/2/b83/323">John Parikhal</a>.<br />
<br />
The Jointblog agrees it was also worthy to post. Here it is complete...our thanks to Jacobs Media:<br />
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://m3.licdn.com/media/p/1/000/030/069/13b9a08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://m3.licdn.com/media/p/1/000/030/069/13b9a08.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i>Researcher, futurist, and radio vet John Parikhal submitted a comment that is worthy of attention here, and in the hope of continuing the conversation, it appears below as a guest post. John is best known as president of Joint Communications, an international media consulting firm that sports an impressive client roster.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Like many of us, John is adapting and evolving, forming a partnership with renowned business expert <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/philippe-denichaud/a/743/7ba">Philippe Denichaud</a>. As John notes, “Peter Drucker and Philippe are my biggest management influences. From them, I learned how to apply practical strategies to help businesses survive and grow.”<br />
<br />
Today, we get a great lesson from John:</i><br />
<br />
Great article, Fred. It’s a good list for any hardworking employee to think about.<br />
<br />
The tough thing for a lot of people is that they will work harder, show up earlier and do all the extra crap jobs – and still get fired.<br />
<br />
Here’s how to avoid this fate (or at least reduce the likelihood):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.expatcareers.com/files/userfiles/negotiating_your_network.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://www.expatcareers.com/files/userfiles/negotiating_your_network.jpg" width="250" /> </a></div>
<b>NEGOTIATE your expectations in ADVANCE</b>.<br />
<br />
For example, how much does the station value a speech at a local high school or business? How much is it worth to the sales department? How much are your time and speech skills worth personally to you? What about all the other things you do? <br />
<br />If you are doing a lot of “extra” work for the station, it’s a good idea to get an estimate of its value.<br />
<br />
So, <b>ask your boss</b>.<br />
<br />
When you go to your “boss,” be polite and frame intent … “I’m a hard worker. I want to help the station. I seem to be picking up a lot of work that wasn’t in my original job description. I’m just wondering if what I’m doing has value. And, if it does have value, I’m curious about how you value it?”<br />
<br />
If the “boss” is evasive or doesn’t want to talk about it or says “We’ll figure something out later,” ask them when they would feel comfortable talking about it.<br />
<br />
After they tell you how much time they need to figure out the “value,” schedule a meeting for that day to discuss it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://countrystore.blogspot.com/images/rlermey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://countrystore.blogspot.com/images/rlermey.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><b>This will help later when they decide to “make a change.”</b> They will know what the work was worth and, as Fred mentions in his comment, the “value” is no longer a random gut call by a manager when they are cutting staff.<br />
<br />
They know how much more you are worth than before.<br />
<br />
You may think it’s risky to raise the issue of what “extra” work is worth (very few of us like “confrontation” with someone else and you might think of this as confrontation even though it’s simply a professional business question).<br />
<br />
However, it’s <b>more</b> risky <b>not</b> to raise the issue.<br />
<br />
<b>Here’s why</b> … if you get known as a jack-of-all-trades, you may survive in the short run but in the long run the company has no job description called “jack-of-all-trades,” which means that it’s always going to be a subjective call and few people survive more than a couple of those.<br />
<br />
Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t step in and pick a few extra things up when they have to be done. We all need to do that from time to time. No need to negotiate that.<br />
<br />
<b>Here’s what you need to watch out for…</b><br />
<br />
When you do something 3 times, it becomes a “recognized” pattern of behavior and when you do it 4-6 times, it becomes “expected.” By that point, you might want to “negotiate” your expectations of what you’ll get for the extra work.<br />
<br />
Or, at least ask someone you trust to tell you what it’s worth … to you … and the company you work for.<br />
<br />
<i>Thanks, John. And as always, we welcome your comments.</i></blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com99tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-58277236214032193072012-05-10T11:03:00.000-04:002012-05-10T11:59:37.140-04:00Branding for News/Talk Radio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vgbYmq2VGxNJ2EhohT1EBir-hg18Gln-GMxemno0DEg0ymMx9LpmVFJcTSsBh5FNwXSmEMDakcyFgyYyeV3LssrTpKS7KKHOX6MG6XPxIMAedOWhw45w5Qebe3xGR-T7bSZF-w/s1600/Radio+Mic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vgbYmq2VGxNJ2EhohT1EBir-hg18Gln-GMxemno0DEg0ymMx9LpmVFJcTSsBh5FNwXSmEMDakcyFgyYyeV3LssrTpKS7KKHOX6MG6XPxIMAedOWhw45w5Qebe3xGR-T7bSZF-w/s320/Radio+Mic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.gellermedia.com/bio.html">Valerie Geller</a>, president of Geller Media International Broadcast Consultants, works to help communicators become more powerful in 30 countries for news, talk, information and personality.
<br><br>
She asked Joint Communications President John Parikhal - who has contributed to Valerie's latest book <b>Beyond Powerful Radio</b> <i>"Can an established News/Talk station be re-branded to get a younger audience?"</i> As published on <a href="http://www.radio-info.com/programming/newstalksports/branding-your-station-ideas-from-john-parikhal--2?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=0b4b04500f-NewsTalk_Edge_May_10_2012&utm_medium=email">Radio-Info.com</a>, he shares some advice on News/Talk station branding:<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Valerie Geller</b>: What are News Talk stations doing right and what are they doing wrong when trying to create, establish and maintain their brands?
<br><br>
<b>John Parikhal</b>: OK. Let’s start with a couple of really important basics:
Basic No.1, is the definition of a brand. What’s a brand? It’s a promise and a guarantee, surrounded by ‘cues’ that remind the customer of the promise and the guarantee. These cues might be jingles, taglines, ‘images’ (TV, billboards, online), and connectors (blogs, social media, word-of-mouth, etc.). Your promise is based on how you satisfy the practical and emotional needs of your listener. Your guarantee is how consistently you meet your promise.
<br><br>
Basic No. 2. Your listener defines your brand. Not you. You can say whatever you want about your station but if it’s not in sync with how the listener metabolizes you, it’s just empty posturing or noise.
<br><br>
So, great branding starts with your understanding of the listener and the practical and emotional reasons they listen. Specifically, practical reasons for listening to News/Talk are for news, traffic, weather, insight on events, predictions, etc. But the power of a brand nearly always lies in the emotional reasons for listening. These emotional needs include the feelings of safety, security, affirmation of belief system (huge on talk radio), vindication, and many more.
<br><br>
Unfortunately, very few radio stations research these emotional needs, which is why there is so much weak imaging focused on non-differentiating ‘practical’ reasons. For example, when you tell a listener you have traffic every 10 minutes, it makes your station a commodity. When your traffic makes them safer or more secure, your promise and guarantee is so much more powerful.
<br><br>
That’s why I’m a huge fan of <b>Nick Michaels</b> and his brilliant work imaging the ‘emotion’ of news and talk stations.
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: What’s more important, branding the personalities or branding the radio stations?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: A personality is part of the brand of the radio station. If each personality doesn’t support the promise and the guarantee of the whole station, then listeners won’t think of the station as a ‘brand’. So, the short answer is … think station brand and then creatively demonstrate how the personality reflects and supports a key piece of the brand.
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: Last week this column focused on using jingles for News/Talk imaging. How important are jingles and sound imaging to create and cement a News/Talk brand?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: Jingles are very powerful audio cues that can support the brand. Unfortunately, in radio, most are clichés and eventually become background noise for the listeners.
<br><br>
I prefer audio ‘logos’ or ‘soundmarks’ which are custom designed to reflect the unique station brand. If you want to develop an audio logo, prepare for hard work. It’s like crafting a hit song.
<br><br>
And, if you’re like most program directors these days, you are doing two jobs or more. Where will you find the necessary creative hours to do this important function?
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: What should stations be doing to expand their brand using social media?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: First, stop making listeners ‘like’ you on <b>Facebook</b>. Forcing them to act like a dog rolling over to get a bone sets a deep subconscious resentment. The latest research on brands suggests a 10% loss in positive imaging after one year if you demand a ‘like’ click on Facebook. In other words, your brand loses 10% of its equity.
<br><br>
The best way to use social media is to support your listeners, especially your uber-fans. Use <b>Twitter</b> for real time help, [and] Facebook if your listeners want to interact with your talent and events. Use your website for top stories (or on music stations for songs you’ve just played), and for pictures of DJs and station events. In every case, use keywords that support and reinforce your brand.
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: Do 20th century methods — print ads, billboards, TV commercials, give-aways, bumper stickers, T-shirts — still apply? How much of that still works in today’s multi-platform world?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: The ‘old stuff’ are all the cues that support or reflect the brand. Almost anything can work if it’s creative and rooted in the emotional needs of your brand. However, not everything is cost effective. TV is very expensive and not terribly efficient for most stations. In some markets, billboards can still work, but not if they are pure utility such as ‘weather every 10 minutes’ or ‘we have the best news reporters.'
<br><br>
And, to optimize, update them often – at least once a month. If you give away T-shirts and your target is women, focus on fit. If you want them to wear a shirt outside, they need to look good in it.
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: Can you name one station that’s doing it right and tell us why?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/">KCBS-AM</a> in San Francisco is doing a great job. <a href="http://www.nickmichaels.com/">Nick Michaels</a> is doing the imaging, and it’s focused on emotion and connection. For example, they play to the fear (emotion) of their listeners with imaging such as ‘The news today isn’t just about information, it’s about survival.’ And, they have quirky thought provokers such as ‘Information is like water. What are you drinking?’ They always focus on how they serve the listener rather than how great the station is.
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: Many established or heritage talk stations are now targeting younger audiences. How can you successfully take an established News/Talk station and “re-brand” to create a new or fresher image for that station and make it work?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: It's simple, people will re-brand you if you improve their lives. Start by improving' what you do. [There are] lots of ways to do this: deeper, more insightful, more engaging, funnier, etc. Focus creative energy on the improvement.
<br><br>
Back in the day, they just slapped “new and improved” on the box. Think about how the improvement makes the listener's life better, easier, more validated, etc., and image around the feeling this creates. The KCBS San Francisco imaging around news is one example. Because of the bigger news staff and the CBS ability to get access, you get “closer” to the news, which creates a feeling of specialness in the listener. <br><br>
That's the emotional hook.
<br><br>
A slogan alone will not work. That's why Oldsmobile is now out of business. It was your father's Oldsmobile.
<br><br>
<b>VG</b>: How can branding play a role in bringing new audiences to News and Talk?
<br><br>
<b>JP</b>: A brand is earned, not created by advertising. Advertising is just a cue. In spite of social media, for radio, most trial is generated by tuning around the dial or word-of-mouth. Think <a href="http://www.npr.org/">NPR</a>. What’s the slogan? What’s the jingle? It doesn’t matter because its listeners have created the brand. Smart. Unbiased. Deep. Comprehensive. National. NPR meets the practical needs of “unbiased” (to its listeners) news as well as more detailed analysis and insight. It meets the listener’s emotional need to feel smarter, more informed, and a step ahead of everyone else.
<br><br>
A brand starts and ends with how it meets the listener’s practical and emotional needs. And, this means constantly checking with them, understanding them, and working to innovate to give them what they need.</blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-77629339890714287652012-04-19T08:48:00.003-04:002012-04-19T08:51:50.902-04:00Valerie Geller on Storytellers: "Generator Or Reactor?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://identitypr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/storytelling-wordle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="309" width="500" src="http://identitypr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/storytelling-wordle.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We are big fans of <a href="http://www.gellermedia.com/">Valerie Geller</a>, who literally wrote the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V7U7LI/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0964793008&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1BXNZ818CD3Z86BXQ2Y3">Powerful Communication</a>.<br />
<br />
No matter how good you already are, her breakthrough insights on <a href="http://www.radio-info.com/programming/newstalksports/are-you-a-generator-or-a-reactor?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=e707b26d6f-NewsTalk_Edge_April_19_2012&utm_medium=email">Generators and Reactors</a> will help you get even better on the radio.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.backboneradio.com/Portals/42239/images/Valerie_Geller-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="236" width="269" src="http://www.backboneradio.com/Portals/42239/images/Valerie_Geller-crop.jpg" /></a></div>Here's her latest, as posted on Radio-Info.com today:<blockquote>"It's not what you say, it's what they hear." — Red Auerbach<br />
<br />
Have you ever noticed that some on-air personalities, while they may be completely professional, are somewhat boring by themselves? But the minute someone else walks into the studio, they seem to come alive and get much better. Some personalities seem more talented when they are performing live in front of an audience. Others are funnier, sharper, and more creative by themselves. It turns out that talent usually falls into one of two categories: generators or reactors.<br />
<br />
In order to coach talent effectively, it helps to identify the talent’s strengths and natural abilities. Sometimes that can be achieved by clearly defining the talent’s roles. Consultant Dan Vallie advises, “There must be an anchor or director, a creative chief, a producer, etc.” But before you define the role, knowing the type of performers you are working with lets you guide them toward their maximum performance. The programmer is then able to design powerful radio by making the shoe fit the foot, instead of trying to do it the other way around.<br />
<br />
<b>What Is a Generator?</b><br />
<br />
The natural skill of a generator means that he or she can easily work alone or as part of a team. A generative talent can easily visualize original ideas. (These ideas are not always good or usable ideas, but generators do tend to come up with a lot of them.) A generator has a strong, independent imagination. The generator comes up with a myriad of topics, undaunted by the blank page. True generators are rare. Generators can be the “life of the party.” Something interesting happens when a true generator enters the room.<br />
<br />
<b>What Is a Reactor?</b><br />
<br />
Reactors are also creative individuals. A reactive talent takes existing ideas and comes up with numerous ways to make them better or more workable.<br />
<br />
No less talented than a generator, the reactor nonetheless has a very different style. A reactor alone faces the blank page with terror. However, the moment a reactor comes in contact with a generator, he or she can instantly and very cleverly pick up on remarks, comments, or nuances and be very funny.<br />
<br />
A reactor is usually the one who responds to just about any stimulus with an insightful or witty remark. Reactors can have a lot of fun talking back to their TV sets and radios.<br />
<br />
If you’ve ever listened to a talk show that seemed to have a slow start, but then picked up after the interview or calls began, you were likely listening to a reactive talent. The minute the host can “react” off of the callers or interview guest, generating for him or her, the show comes alive.<br />
<br />
Many stand-up comedians are reactors. Although they might seem to be generative, after all, they’re standing up doing a monologue in front of a live audience. In reality, if you put those people in a studio, alone in a room, without that live audience generating for them, they may be less colorful. Reactors work best with other people in the room to spark their creative energy.<br />
<br />
Both types of talent are valuable and good, but the right casting here is the key. Forcing a reactor to carry the show as a generator doesn’t work, and forcing a strong generator into an equal or subordinate partnership with another generative talent can lead to an almost painful on-air clash. The trick is to identify each person’s specific strengths and then to encourage the person to develop those strengths.<br />
<br />
Putting two generators together as co-hosts or as a team can sometimes be a disaster. They tend to battle for the microphone, seldom listen to each other, and compete for attention. The show sounds like two kids fighting at the dinner table. It is hard to listen for very long.<br />
<br />
Putting two reactors together is not much better. The audience hears them casting a net for ideas over and over again. The process is dull, and, if nothing swims into the net, the show becomes weak and boring.<br />
<br />
Electric connection with the audience happens when you have a balance of both elements.<br />
<br />
<b>How Do You Tell the Difference between a Reactor and a Generator?</b><br />
<br />
It's fairly simple. Generators have a lot of ideas and energy. They take huge risks and worry about it later. They have moments of brilliance. They sit alone in a room, and their minds overflow with ideas. That is not to say that every idea a generator produces is a perfectly conceived show, but consistently they seem to be practically exploding with new material.<br />
<br />
If you are looking at a reactive talent, you will notice that he or she is quick with a story, a memory, an imitation or a line for any topic you could give him or her. But you must lead the reactor by giving that first push, that suggestion, or a good opening. Leave the reactor alone in a room with no external catalyst for the show, and he or she is miserable. Reactors may do brilliant interviews, or pick things out of the newspaper that are unique, but they need some kind of initial stimulus to begin the process.Reactors often come alive in a room full of people. But again, you probably have a reactor on the air if he or she is dull until the news person shows up or until the calls begin.<br />
<br />
Generators are scarce. Most people are reactors. It is a little like being left- or right-handed. One is no better than the other. If absolutely necessary, right-handed people can adapt to use their left hands, and vice versa. You can certainly force people to improve in the area where they are weaker, but in most circumstances it is best for the station to take advantage of their natural inclinations.<br />
<br />
<b>A Cast of Dozens</b><br />
<br />
You might think it takes a generator to host a morning show. That is not always the case. One reactor, “Casey,” found a cast of generators in his listening audience. “Rita” owned and operated a local beauty salon. She was also Casey’s loyal fan and listener. Rita started calling in on a semi-regular basis to chat about hot movies and goings on around town. She was funny and charming and had unique views. Rita became a regular on the show. The listeners started calling in wanting to meet Rita. She participated at station events and appearances.<br />
<br />
Next, Casey added another regular listener, a talkative cab driver. Then he found a local construction guy with fix-it tips, who also happened to be 27-years-old, dating regularly, and happy to talk about his weekend adventures.<br />
<br />
Using interactive media, Casey continues to add appropriate players as they appear. He now has a winning show with lots of generators to show off his reactive talents. He assembled his own generator-reactor team.<br />
<br />
If you're an on air personality, it helps to know your own strength. Are you a generator or a reactor? And if you are a manager or programmer, it is your job to identify each person’s specific strengths and then encourage each one to develop those strengths. Once you know who your generators and reactors are, you can get onto the business of creating powerful radio.</blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-36279630148049789402011-06-16T17:42:00.010-04:002011-06-16T18:13:42.451-04:00John Parikhal: How To Profit From Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5RNKOvZZF1Mo9Di0UcsAHSm3mi_0hD4JaTVdoHWRJLweT5jlkbSEhj-SYhb0d9MmJNou7BFoNVJ80ZlZJJTMycuf6gJG9dskKPD6LGWzcdsrdl0v98JDV53csTo4r9eJScvMoQ/s1600/Change.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="166" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5RNKOvZZF1Mo9Di0UcsAHSm3mi_0hD4JaTVdoHWRJLweT5jlkbSEhj-SYhb0d9MmJNou7BFoNVJ80ZlZJJTMycuf6gJG9dskKPD6LGWzcdsrdl0v98JDV53csTo4r9eJScvMoQ/s320/Change.png" /></a></div>Last month, John Parikhal of Joint Communications spoke at the annual British Columbia Association of Broadcasters convention about the opportunities of digital media and how all broadcasters can profit from the change digital media provides. <a href="http://www.broadcastdialogue.com/imag/TI%202011-06-14/index.htm">BroadcastDialogue</a> magazine covered his speech and wrote the following article abut it:<blockquote>Once upon a time, life was easy.<br />
<br />
Radio was the theatre of the mind. Families gathered around the television set. Selling radio and television advertising happened more often on the golf course or over lunches than via phone calls or e-mails. Companies planned three, five, 10 years down the road.<br />
<br />
Life was predictable.<br />
<br />
Life has changed!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLSSm9RcFAw7whCUSgENoiOLwp1SG4fYrvPKlwfhG3_U9v1rq8cLISdH7P_SUzyWo9tXkCpIomtY3Qp1Xpj-oS78_amE6bZseYlXdNo-hhymmRGmcF2fHtARrnXqbFBlr1hkD4w/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-16+at+5.51.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="285" width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLSSm9RcFAw7whCUSgENoiOLwp1SG4fYrvPKlwfhG3_U9v1rq8cLISdH7P_SUzyWo9tXkCpIomtY3Qp1Xpj-oS78_amE6bZseYlXdNo-hhymmRGmcF2fHtARrnXqbFBlr1hkD4w/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-16+at+5.51.49+PM.png" /></a></div>At the recent British Columbia Association of Broadcasters convention, John Parikhal of Joint Communications talked about the causes of the media jungle: tech earthquakes, connected customers and “Googley” advertisers.<br />
<br />
The tremors of tech earthquakes are felt throughout the industry. Things are faster: mobile, gathering, locating, processing. Things are getting easier: consuming, connecting, engaging, creating. Things are disintermediated: the middle disappears, the “broad” in broadcast is gone. <br />
<br />
If you don’t like what you see or hear, you go somewhere else.<br />
<br />
The second shift is the connected customer. Judging from conference participants’ behaviours – that’s YOU, too! Always on. Always connected and in control. Always multitasking, checking e-mails and voice-mails; always filtering – skimming and diving if you see something interesting.<br />
Googley advertisers are confused and nervous because they are not sure how media works anymore. They are everywhere now. They experiment with social networking, try to be friends on Facebook. They want metrics, they want engagement, they want action and they want savings.<br />
<br />
Parikhal offered five rules to manage and profit from this tectonic shift:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Love your customers.<br />
2. It’s Not about you.<br />
3. Help your advertisers and yourself.<br />
4. Engage, engage, engage.<br />
5. Good enough Isn’t good enough.<br />
</b><br />
The BIG transformational new rule is Good enough isn’t good enough.<br />
<br />
Back in the good old days choices were limited. Viewers and listeners were satisfied with the notion of “this is good enough”. Guess what? It’s no longer true because in this new world, people expect excellence, they have vastly more alternatives for their entertainment. The same holds true with customers – they expect excellence as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Parikhal’s Rule #1: Love your customers!<br />
</b><br />
Love them! Make it faster. One click and they’re there without waiting. Give them control. Make it easier, don’t let them jump through hoops. Do a usability test for them. Have you tried to load your site? Have you tried to load it on your phone? If it takes more than two seconds, invest in reducing the load speed. You don’t want to lose your customers. Reward your customers, don’t disappoint them. Don’t make somebody listen to your radio station and write down a song at 1:10, 3:10 and 6:10 for a prize to win. Anyone who has the time to do that shouldn’t actually have a job. Don’t disappoint a lot of your listeners when they tried to phone you a thousand times to be the tenth caller.<br />
<br />
<b>Don’t block and drop connection and conversation.</b> Let people who want to network with you do that, let them network with their friends through you, make it easy. Learn from the mistake that Michael Eisner did when the Internet first started: He lost the Mickey Mouse Fan Club when he prohibited Mickey fans to use Mickey's likeness on their fan pages online. There were hundreds of Mickey fan clubs. Eisner, said you can’t do that, Disney owns that. He crushed them, destroyed every Mickey Mouse fan club just by not letting people connect and not by facilitating the conversation.<br />
<br />
<b>Reward your customers with unexpected joys and hidden surprises.</b> Parikhal mentioned the Ford Taurus into which 50 unexpected things were built without telling customers. Customers would discover these things and be absolutely delighted. “What unexpected joy and hidden surprises can you give your viewers and your listeners?” asked Parikhal.<br />
<br />
<b>Parikhal’s Rule #2: It’s not about you!</b><br />
<br />
It’s only about your customers! Their only question is, “What’s in it for me?”. You simply cannot take anything or anyone for granted anymore. There are way too many other entertainment choices and you have to earn your customer every day.<br />
<br />
On today’s game, there is no #2. But before puffing your chest, here is the sobering news: #1 doesn’t matter much, either.<br />
<br />
Parikhal told the story about a station requiring imaging for a segment that dealt with children having been killed. It insisted that the imaging should deal with the concept of “We’re #1”. The voiceover talent declined and was threatened with being fired. Finally, he got his point across and the imaging said something along these lines: “When bad things happen we’re just like you, angry and confused and just like you we try to understand. That’s why the Channel x news team is working hard to get the news to you fast.”<br />
<br />
The only big question your customer ever knows or cares about is what’s in it for me and you have to earn it everyday.<br />
<br />
<b>Parikhal’s Rule #3: Help your advertisers and yourself!</b><br />
<br />
Parikhal suggests that this rule represents the biggest opportunity he has seen in this industry in maybe 25 years. Your advertisers need help to conquer the media jungle. They are confused and don’t really know what’s going on.<br />
<br />
How? Get a point person in the organization who can answer all questions about media, whether it’s traditional or new. Train and educate all your sales staff and prepare them to cut a path through the jungle. Sell all customer touch points, including streams.<br />
<br />
<b>Get real with metrics.</b> Determine how much do you expect the needle to move; on how many people they expect to show up; how much they are expected to spend; and what they expect them to do.<br />
<br />
<b>You’ve got to get to know your customers</b> rather than sell a spot whether it’s radio or television. Talk to them about results.<br />
<br />
<b>Use iPads for presentations.</b> Parikhal suggests handing it to the customers so that they can push the buttons, so that they’re in control. On top of your advertisers getting the answers they’re looking for, it looks incredibly cool and adds to your reputation that you must be understanding something that I as the advertiser do not.<br />
<br />
Help yourself! Measure. Work to improve measurement. Measure every stream and source. Even if it’s not 100%, keep measuring. Think brand and plan a strategy across your platforms. Improve creative. It must create “water cooler talk” - virtually or actually. If your customers don’t send it, if they don’t talk about it, it’s not very good.<br />
<br />
Think longer and act faster. Go beyond 90 days. Try it, and if it doesn’t work, get rid of it. If it works, move on.<br />
<br />
<b>Parikhal’s Rule #4: Engage, engage, engage!</b><br />
<br />
First thing, meet customer needs, not your needs. Next thing - tell stories. Stories are very powerful. Think Gestalt and discovery. When you leave the middle, people try to close it and other people try and close the circle. They are much more engaged. What you don’t say is more powerful than what you do say, what people discover is much more important than what you tell them.<br />
<br />
Give the URL. Engage people and let them discover more about you online. Give them what they want. Get beyond ”the box” and form partnerships.<br />
<br />
<i>What it boils down to...</i><br />
<br />
<b>Understand the change: Tech earthquakes aren’t predictable. Understand the connected customers: they’re skimmers and divers, are multitasking all the time, they want to be your friend if they choose to, not because you want them to be. It’s not about you, it’s all about them. “Googley advertisers” are a really good thing because there is nothing better than a scared advertiser. Now you can be the expert, the front person.</b><br />
<br />
Apply the new rules: <br />
Love your customer. Do you really have to love them? The answer is yes. Apple loves its customers. Honda loves its customers. They don’t even need slogans.<br />
<br />
It’s not about you. #1 doesn’t matter. It’s all about them.<br />
<br />
There are huge opportunities. Help your advertisers and help yourself.<br />
<br />
Engage, engage, engage.<br />
<br />
By understanding what’s going on out there and applying the rules, you have the opportunity, you’ve got the skills, you’ve got the brains, you’ve got the power – you can profit from this change.</blockquote><br />
- reprinted with permission from Howard Christensen and <a href="http://www.broadcastdialogue.com/">Broadcast Dialogue</a> MagazineAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-60067809790209635312011-06-16T09:09:00.003-04:002011-06-16T09:13:24.402-04:00Online Radio Streaming Hits Critical Mass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrAP6YLAtPxs-PCv_jE5y9OMnrPMlk0C0jVICYlxaXkWyVTkZkmYe6_CltTZ08bkWxLkxe8rfZzaUZpxIsbb8TZeAu-jbSCi9KYf260Elv3FOh17PvQahjdMR4jtDBPhscyzN9Q/s1600/e1308185131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="106" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrAP6YLAtPxs-PCv_jE5y9OMnrPMlk0C0jVICYlxaXkWyVTkZkmYe6_CltTZ08bkWxLkxe8rfZzaUZpxIsbb8TZeAu-jbSCi9KYf260Elv3FOh17PvQahjdMR4jtDBPhscyzN9Q/s320/e1308185131.jpg" /></a></div>As reported this morning by the guys at <a href="https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1401332.7102200965/rid:b07f1384af6211d32faf417425aa4a13">RAMP</a>, they did a little reading during the intermission of last night's Stanley Cup Game 7 of the new Parks Associates/ TargetSpot research study about online radio usage...and make some great points (re-published below):<blockquote>The old adage says, "Fish where the fish are." Pretty self-explanatory -- if the people you want to reach are somewhere, be where they are and don't wander off in another direction. With that in mind, it's mind-boggling that radio people still aren't acknowledging the draw of Internet radio streaming and not seeing the potential to reach listeners there. In a study that Parks Associates did recently for TargetSpot called Digital Audio Usage Trends: A Highly Engaged Listenership, the research company concluded that digital audio listening has indeed reached critical mass, with 39% of all broadband-equipped American households using Internet radio... though it's important to note that Parks included online simulcasts of terrestrial stations as part of their "Internet radio" figures. Online streaming mirrors broadcast radio usage, with around 80% of respondents consuming 1-7 hours of radio -- both Internet-based and online streams of broadcast stations -- daily on their laptops, desktops and tablets; the only device where online beat transmitter was via smartphones, which topped out at 84%. One bright spot in these figures was that 66% of Internet radio users actually listened to the same amount of -- or more broadcast radio as a result of streaming.<br />
<br />
Here's where the money kicks in, so get your salespeople to read this next part: Listeners' ad-response rate was great for Internet radio, with 52% recalling seeing or hearing an ad online, and 40% actually responded to the commercial. Plus, Parks reports that "combining Internet radio with broadcast radio advertising boosts broadcast ad recall and increases response by 3.5 times over broadcast-only rates." Translation: If you're wasting your online stopsets, you're losing valuable revenue that can be used to reinforce your over-the-air spots. It's worth your while to <a href="http://www.cdn.targetspot.com/pdfs/TargetSpot-Inc_Digital_Audio_Usage_Trends_White_Paper-2011.pdf">check out the full report</a> and to rally your troops to fish where the fish are -- because smartphones and Internet streaming aren't disappearing.</blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-35069574893204351292011-05-04T14:58:00.002-04:002011-05-04T15:00:21.799-04:00All Access: With Valerie Geller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beyondpowerfulradio.com/images2/BPRmontage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="440" width="470" src="http://www.beyondpowerfulradio.com/images2/BPRmontage.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.gellermedia.com/">Valerie Geller</a> is a top personality and talent coach for radio. In a nutshell, she helps build great communicators. She started working in newsrooms and eventually worked her way up to Program Director for WABC in New York. Since then, her consultancy has taken her around the world many times over. She's also proven be a highly-sought-after conference and seminar speaker as well as a highly-regarded author.<br />
<br />
Her latest book in the <b>Creating Powerful Radio</b> series is titled "<a href="http://www.beyondpowerfulradio.com/">Beyond Powerful Radio - A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age</a>" - is fabulous, blending her own insights with thought pieces from leading radio experts - talent, managers, coaches, consultants, researchers and marketers (including a chapter on "Branding" by <a href="http://www.jointcommunications.com">Joint Communications' John Parikhal</a>).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.allaccess.com">AllAccess.com</a> just interviewed her...here are some highlights:<blockquote><b>AllAccess: </b>Your new book "Beyond Powerful Radio - A Communicator's Guide to the Internet Age" is now available -- what's new compared to the previous (and still available) "Creating Powerful Radio?" What, and who, is the new book for?<br />
<br />
<b>Valerie's reply: </b>Beyond Powerful Radio is for anyone trying to navigate and become a more powerful communicator in the digital age...It's meant to be for a diverse audience of working broadcasters, both managers and talent, and people aspiring to do creative work, manage creative people or market content in any platform.<br />
<br />
<b>AllAccess: </b>Speaking of Internet content, are there similarities in producing talk audio content for podcasts or streaming as opposed to broadcast?<br />
<br />
<b>Valerie's reply: </b>Powerful, relevant content always wins the day. Good storytelling always works and it applies in any medium. What the internet gives you is the ability to enhance your storytelling by working with the visual component to integrate still images and video with lengthier print pieces with your audio stream or podcast. The internet also offers a new component, but it's not new to talk radio - that's the constant conversation with your audience.<br />
<br />
To master the digital world: <br />
<br />
<indent>1) Adhere to the principles of powerful storytelling.<br><br />
2) Entertain and inform whether it is live or on-demand.<br><br />
3) Keep in mind that shows that are downloaded may not be heard right away.<br><br />
4) Conversely, you should also expect that when there's news of an immediate nature, or a big break in a story, people will still go to their radios, TVs, and computers with the expectation that you will give them the most immediate up-to-the moment information.</indent></blockquote>To read the rest of the article, click <a href="http://www.allaccess.com/news-talk-sports/10-questions/archive/9992/10-questions-with-valerie-geller">here</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-73604579814636102352011-03-07T17:28:00.003-05:002011-03-07T17:29:53.937-05:00Radio Can Expand Client Base By Thinking Media Mix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4863341224_b4b64ae4ac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="275" width="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4863341224_b4b64ae4ac.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.radioink.com">Radio Ink</a> posted a good article earlier today that is worth pointing out and sharing with you.<br />
<br />
In it, David Gifford writes on <i>why</i> advertisers <b>must</b> still use radio as part of the overall media advertising mix for ad buys.<br />
<br />
He also explains why salespeople should know <i>how</i> to sell a mix of media. It's the way successful salespeople are making money these days...not just by only selling your own radio station or cluster. As Radio Ink states, if you are involved with radio sales, this is an article you are going to want to make copies of and pass out to your salespeople for your next sales meeting.<br />
<br />
The good news: radio is not dead...if you adapt (eg. innovate) the content and the value of the selling message.<br />
<br />
Among the highlights:<blockquote>Media Mix translates to adding more and different ad media. Adding more ad media increases reach. Increasing reach increases advertising's cost. And overspending on reach media at the expense of driving commercial messages home re-peat-ed-ly represents the biggest mistake in advertising today.<br />
<br />
Witness: Whereas Procter & Gamble can afford reach, effective reach, and frequency, even with its $8 billion global ad budget, P&G can not afford "effective frequency” without radio. Inasmuch as radio is advertising's primary frequency medium, Media Mix campaigns need radio!<br />
<br />
With advertisers becoming increasingly aware of the importance of Media Mix in all size markets, radio's obvious imperative is to get included in as many Media Mix campaigns as possible. Growth money!...<br />
<br />
A proactive, radio-driven Media Mix campaign might include a spot radio schedule, promotions, and/or big event sponsorships, texting and Twitter, website tie-ins linked to prospects' websites, direct mail to your listener database, point-of-purchase merchandising, and partnering with outdoor to help advertisers reach those active Lifestyle consumers when they’re out shopping.<br />
<br />
<b>HOW TO SELL MEDIA MIX<br />
</b> <br />
1. Target the largest non-radio national/regional/local advertisers who can afford Media Mix.<br />
2. Ask direct non-radio advertisers and media planners if they're open to learning about a new breakthrough approach for media planning.<br />
3. Teach the concept of Media Mix advertising (see below to qualify which ad media apply).<br />
4. Sell ideas and solutions to make that happen.</blockquote>For the full article, click <a href="http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2127068&spid=30800">here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-6621604810617502432011-03-07T16:41:00.003-05:002011-03-07T16:42:45.847-05:00A Smart Viral CommercialLove this online Smart Water commercial...great example of mocking viral videos while creating one. Does this mean 'Jen Aniston' can act as a spokesperson?<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="490" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rc47LcvIxyI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-62646268017712937462011-03-06T12:40:00.005-05:002011-03-06T12:57:22.474-05:00How Disruptive Will Spotify Be?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://musically.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Spotify-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="126" width="240" src="http://musically.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Spotify-Logo.jpg" /></a></div>Greg Nisbet says there is a "natural human compulsion to look for curators, human filters and processors".<br />
<br />
That's why he thinks that Spotify and other on-demand services might not be as disruptive as the techno-leaders think they will be.<br />
<br />
Good news for radio, storytellers and record company promo people.<br />
<br />
More <a href="http://tinyurl.com/46x32v6">here</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-62980278152979019602010-09-24T15:04:00.001-04:002010-09-24T15:09:08.163-04:00Better Design Can Innovate Stagnant BrandsEven if your form of traditional media or product category is stuck and mired in stagnation, you <b>can</b> find new growth again. Innovation comes not just from ideas or changed paradigms; at the heart of innovation is DESIGN.<br />
<br />
Give designers - for example, in radio, this would mean Program Directors - the authority and resources to change the design of your product. This means for everything - from your workflow and staffing to branding and marketing to the product itself. For radio, this includes the on-air product as well as the website and other digital applications.<br />
<br />
Too often in the age of corporate ownership and consolidation, mature (and stagnant) products get managed "by de facto committee", where real decisions keep getting deflected upward, downward and elsewhere - delayed for yet another meeting for more discussion and review until the idea finally gets old, stale and killed. For lots of reasons -- including fear, budget, adverse environment against "change", and much more.<br />
<br />
Here, in this <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/501">Ted.com video</a>, new and completely fresh design has helped increase circulation sales for newspapers. Substantially. It required management approval and the courage to try something not ever done in the past nor previously expected from the product. It meant no interference from corporate above.<br />
<br />
It meant <b>giving design leaders the power to lead change</b>. It's not about copying what everyone else is doing in a stagnant industry. It's about creating unique value in your marketplace no other product can provide.<br />
<br />
Radio can do this, too...it just needs the courage.<br />
<br />
<object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/JacekUtko_2009-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/JacekUtko-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=501&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=jacek_utko_asks_can_design_save_the_newspaper;year=2009;theme=media_that_matters;theme=words_about_words;theme=tales_of_invention;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=the_creative_spark;event=TED2009;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/JacekUtko_2009-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/JacekUtko-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=501&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=jacek_utko_asks_can_design_save_the_newspaper;year=2009;theme=media_that_matters;theme=words_about_words;theme=tales_of_invention;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=the_creative_spark;event=TED2009;"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-55537427405308409662010-07-05T10:34:00.006-04:002010-07-05T10:58:53.349-04:00The New Rules: A Power Shift Re-Shaping Media<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbvjMKaf2_4kpnPu_RxxDt9KxEAHNUZCdz4zV_t1PgOKE6tlKWsLNjyIkCuCwP-TAUJXfhWcD7-CT1azv8lJIMVMjQoQo5tcck_BhYut9CA_m0b4y12aMsuOqyuYKGNupYAGqBA/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-05+at+10.31.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbvjMKaf2_4kpnPu_RxxDt9KxEAHNUZCdz4zV_t1PgOKE6tlKWsLNjyIkCuCwP-TAUJXfhWcD7-CT1azv8lJIMVMjQoQo5tcck_BhYut9CA_m0b4y12aMsuOqyuYKGNupYAGqBA/s200/Screen+shot+2010-07-05+at+10.31.41+AM.png" width="148" /></span></a><i>(republished from the July/August 2010 issue of Broadcast Dialogue Magazine)</i><br />
<br />
John Parikhal, CEO of Joint Communications and author of The Baby Boom says there’s a power shift going on that’s re-shaping the media. As a result, old rules are being changed and new ones are being created.<br />
<br />
The good news is that media can profit from the shift.<br />
<br />
Five trends shaping everything are:<br />
<ol><li><b>The demographic disconnect</b>. The demographic shift is from young to old. For the first time, Canada is now producing more older people yet agencies still focus on 25-54s. Also, the population as a whole has much greater diversity.</li><br>
<li><b>The disappearing middle</b>. There is nobody in the middle anymore. It is direct, and in a direct communication world it’s entirely different.</li><br>
<li><b>The always-on culture</b>. The power shifts from the transmitter with its intrusiveness to the receiver who has the choice of how to do things, how to use information and how to communicate.</li><br>
<li><b>The chaos</b>. The chaos is a shift from scarcity of advertising inventory to excess of ad units. Now there are so many different ways to reach people.</li><br>
<li><b>The filter factor</b>. The final shift, says Parikhal, is hugely significant. The power shift has gone from reach to engagement. It’s no longer enough to just get to people, you have to get their attention and engage them. Simply buying reach is barely relevant because of this ability to unconsciously and habitually filter out people who’re trying to sell stuff.</li>
</ol>So what does this mean?<br />
<br />
Boomers are lepers. No one wants to engage them. Nobody seems to do anything for boomers, despite the fact that almost 10% (approximately four million) of the Canadian population is between 55 and 64.<br />
<br />
The disappearing middle is almost gone. In its place is the new middleman—either what Parikhal calls “atomized” or “gigantic”. An atomized middleman is one person operating as a reseller or an intermediary on the web. The gigantic middlemen are the likes of Amazon or iTunes. They’re between you and whatever the deal is.<br />
<br />
In the always-on culture, people are connected 24/7. Speed beats accuracy. Getting it quickly is more important than getting it right. How often have we heard something to the effect of “Unconfirmed reports say that …”<br />
<br />
<b>People like the feeling of being connected</b>. Parikhal’s concern is that we become increasingly sloppy thinkers as a result of the speed at which information is thrown at us. We accept things quickly and don’t check for fact. We live in a “skim and dive” world where we fulfill the “tribe need” and “my need”. We need to know what everybody else is checking out and this is a skim. And then there are people who need details; the divers. Media businesses need to decide to either serve the skimmer or diver; sometimes it’s possible to serve both but not that often.<br />
<br />
<b>Parikhal cautions against these two chaos elements: Cost of point and PPM</b>. Cost of point results in commoditizing the industry or, as he says, the death of a thousand cuts. PPM is a disaster, he says, due to the small sample size. Instead of saying that “PPM is here, go with it”, it would be smarter in his opinion to either not participate or increase the sample size.<br />
<br />
He advises that <b>educating your advertisers is the best thing you can do</b>. Transparency is here to stay. They want to see whether it works or not. The filter factor means that we don’t even notice advertising anymore. We have a filter for time, for attention and engagement, utility, story, and novelty.<br />
<br />
Parikhal describes it this way: “I have a filter for novelty. It wants to be stimulated, with something new and different and it doesn’t last very long. I have a filter for utility, what’s the time, what’s the weather, does the Loonie go up or down today. I have a filter for story where certain kinds of stories really engage me and my filter keeps everything else out. I have a filter for attention and engagement.”<br />
<br />
There are a few generational differences — boomers, busters and boomer digerati. Boomers have learned to set filters. When boomers first started watching TV and listening to the radio, commercials were well done and the environment fit, with rock stations selling stereos, top 40 selling bubble gum and Pepsi. They didn’t put up any filters. As people got older and bombarded more and more, they developed the mute button, the channel shifter, the DVR. But every time a boomer turns on a filter, it requires energy, so they usually are angry about the commercials.<br />
<br />
<b>Younger listeners and viewers have developed finer filters</b>. Commercials may be blaring but are ignored until they hear something that interests them and they immediately tune into it. This begs the question: 'Who has the power now?' Innovators in radio and television have the power to do something about this. Companies that have really grown had innovation built into their structure.<br />
<br />
Parikhal warns that <b>innovation and creation should not be confused</b>. Innovation means making changes to something that already exists by introducing new methods and ideas.<br />
<br />
<b>He suggests having a formal innovation plan in place to get innovation baked into the organizatio</b>n. Most important, the best ideas come from the bottom up and not from the top down.<br />
<br />
Think about the consequences of people getting older. What do they want, what do they need? Consider becoming a digital middleman. Middlemen look at all the products sold, create blogs, they twitter, they provide information and get a percentage for every sale they make. Re-image your station from scratch by looking at these trends and ask yourself what should my business look like? What talent do I need? Is a digital middle man a new function?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-1075673101811959252010-05-07T13:28:00.001-04:002010-05-07T13:35:15.593-04:00Social Networking vs EmailAs social media has risen the last 5 years, email has lost its leadership for online correspondence, both for overall usage as well as for time spent.<br />
<br />
In the latest Morgan Stanley <a href="http://linkback.morganstanley.com/web/sendlink/webapp/BMServlet?file=5ap1ldi3-3nq6-g000-a6b4-837482e192d8&user=81t2wwjjvzf-990&__gda__=1365681493_016222e0c5bc8775a0a8ce70b5a20450" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #000099; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Internet trends report</a>, it contained this eye-popping chart:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb96t-btUrOiiGQ8JvbYP7yQWfoOOG0_gEp_4_-ky02uDM6QRuqE1UvHkKFeMSp4JcRrQF7B6bt1Rfofp2sUAa9zeOeQdSRlKhj97xpu5NCZS3X9SA0VvuU_2lbUm943SZ_-aliw/s1600/6a00d83451b2c969e20133eca71e90970b-500wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb96t-btUrOiiGQ8JvbYP7yQWfoOOG0_gEp_4_-ky02uDM6QRuqE1UvHkKFeMSp4JcRrQF7B6bt1Rfofp2sUAa9zeOeQdSRlKhj97xpu5NCZS3X9SA0VvuU_2lbUm943SZ_-aliw/s320/6a00d83451b2c969e20133eca71e90970b-500wi.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Social networking keeps growing and growing while time spent using email is flat. While email won't be going away anytime soon, more and more of it is getting repurposed just for heavier official or corporate/business documentation or simply just for spam.<br />
<br />
Another way of looking at it is a division of "private sharing" vs "public sharing".<br />
<br />
I encourage you to read the entire Morgan Stanley <a href="http://linkback.morganstanley.com/web/sendlink/webapp/BMServlet?file=5ap1ldi3-3nq6-g000-a6b4-837482e192d8&user=81t2wwjjvzf-990&__gda__=1365681493_016222e0c5bc8775a0a8ce70b5a20450" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #000099; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Internet trends report</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-37813503410051325302010-02-15T17:45:00.003-05:002010-02-16T01:16:44.042-05:00SF Chronicle: Facebook now directs more online users to portals than Google<a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> keeps on growing its influence. Looking at some of the latest comparative online web traffic analytics, Facebook is nearly as big for generating daily unique visitors as either Google or Yahoo (click <a href="http://siteanalytics.compete.com/facebook.com+google.com+yahoo.com/">here</a> for Compete.com's results).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQebCtnnViaLMVc1tyFqqO53rjStzy0Idi5SFJfLtl4gHV058yieOWUE7O3CZd5eKg3xmFVDzV1a79OieKPXwuYAY389TG2H6yfWF4uSvuNiSckBc3XIWTvE7SVENt1LsZcs0spw/s1600-h/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQebCtnnViaLMVc1tyFqqO53rjStzy0Idi5SFJfLtl4gHV058yieOWUE7O3CZd5eKg3xmFVDzV1a79OieKPXwuYAY389TG2H6yfWF4uSvuNiSckBc3XIWTvE7SVENt1LsZcs0spw/s320/Picture+1.png" /></a></div><br />
And now the San Francisco Chronicle <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/14/BUU51C0AMN.DTL">reports</a> Facebook directs more online users to the major portals (like Yahoo and MSN) than Google.<br />
<br />
That's big. And that's big influence. Which explains why <a href="http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/02/facebook-responsible-for-majority-of-online-traffic/">Google is feeling threatened</a> by social media's powerful growth lately.<br />
<br />
Reports Benny Evangelista from the SF Chronicle @SFGate.com today:<br />
<blockquote>A big part of the Facebook experience is how friends and family share Web links to interesting news stories, photos, videos and Internet sites.<br />
<br />
This "friend-casting" of information has helped propel Facebook into a major force in directing traffic around the Web.<br />
<br />
According to Web measurement firm Compete Inc., Facebook has passed search-engine giant Google to become the top source for traffic to major portals like Yahoo and MSN, and is among the leaders for other types of sites.<br />
<br />
This trend is shifting the way Web site operators approach online marketing, even as Google takes steps to move into the social-media world.<br />
<br />
Some experts say social media could become the Internet's next search engine.<br />
<br />
"People are spending less time navigating the Internet on their own and are now navigating the Internet based on their friends' recommendations or their friends' activities," said Dave Yovanno, chief executive of Gigya Inc., a Palo Alto firm that offers social-media services. "That's one of the big trends we started picking up on probably four or five months ago."<br />
<br />
For years, Web content creators had to worry whether they had the proper level of search-engine optimization to make sure search engines listed them among the top results. Now, they have to consider what companies like Gigya offer - social-media optimization.<br />
<br />
"Marketers must focus on social marketing in addition to traditional search, as customers have a multi-pronged way of finding information," said Jeremiah Owyang, a Web strategist for the Altimeter Group, a San Mateo consulting firm with clients like Gigya. "The clear-cut channels of yesteryear are now an intricate set of connections."<br />
<br />
Using a snapshot of Web traffic from December, Compete's director of online media and search, Jessica Ong, found that 15 percent of traffic to major Web portals like Yahoo, MSN and AOL came from Facebook and MySpace. The lion's share of that traffic, 13 percent came from Facebook.<br />
<br />
Google, which has profited handsomely from directing Web surfers to their destinations during the past decade, was third with 7 percent, just behind e-commerce site eBay, which had 7.61 percent. MySpace was fourth with just under 2 percent.<br />
<br />
<b>Surprise gain<br />
</b><br />
The numbers proved eye-opening because Google used to dominate most Web-referral categories. "I was surprised to see Facebook has become No. 1," Ong said.<br />
<br />
In other categories, Compete's data showed Mountain View's Google still on top, but Palo Alto's Facebook was not far behind. For example, Google accounted for 21.3 percent of referrals to sites catering to movie fans, but Facebook was second with 12.4 percent. And in a video category, Google - which owns YouTube - was first with 22.9 percent, but Facebook was next at 12.7 percent.<br />
<br />
Facebook's meteoric growth as a Web destination was a factor. Facebook says it has 400 million active members, including about 225 million added in just the past 12 months. Its size now rivals that of major Web portals and its demographics mirror those of the Internet in general, Ong said.<br />
<br />
"Putting all this information together, we can say that Facebook has become an integral part of the consumer Web experience, similar to how portals like Yahoo and MSN are part of most consumers' online sessions," Ong said. "So the message for the advertising industry is that more serious attention needs to be paid to social-networking sites like Facebook, and advertisers need to figure out how to leverage this traffic."</blockquote>Read <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/14/BUU51C0AMN.DTL#ixzz0fe9ZaAI2">more</a>:Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-45600398208116866102009-11-23T16:11:00.013-05:002009-11-24T13:19:59.489-05:00The Economy Did Not Cause Radio’s Problems<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESdnsIymdzc5BzQtHhiAkQ2YXcLKQzwnO_LOyBprABDiee00KMoHn2ZZAX-Zh_Mc0DpY9ve605wZkOSiSePGi981iaiFreekZVS-EzRD9_RYIUlCif9uBdr3CSPSlL8I4CRhVYA/s1600/6012_1203132671694_1029903960_662694_5023526_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESdnsIymdzc5BzQtHhiAkQ2YXcLKQzwnO_LOyBprABDiee00KMoHn2ZZAX-Zh_Mc0DpY9ve605wZkOSiSePGi981iaiFreekZVS-EzRD9_RYIUlCif9uBdr3CSPSlL8I4CRhVYA/s200/6012_1203132671694_1029903960_662694_5023526_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407411791110945010" /></a>Joint Communications CEO John Parikhal was <a href="http://www.ntsmediaonline.com/?p=12391&utm_source=NTS+MediaOnline+Subscribers&utm_campaign=d6a28bdbae-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email">rummaging</a> through some old cyber-files in his office over the weekend and came across an interview he did with legendary radio programmer Steve Rivers in 2005.<br /><br />In the article, John put on his "hat" as a longtime media guru and futurist and shared some predictions about radio's future, which clearly came true.<br /><br />Asked what he saw as true "radio killers" between then and 2010 Parikhal (pictured) replied,<blockquote>"The biggest killer of all will be current management, unless they: Stop dancing to Wall Street's whip, institute formal training and recruitment, start surrounding themselves with smart people who challenge them, create cultures of formal innovation and begin to get serious about spot loads. Radio can control this. They can't control [Apple CEO] Steve Jobs, the Internet or any other of the so-called "killers" of the medium."</blockquote>Parikhal says that while many in radio today are blaming the economy for the industry’s woes, re-reading what he said five years ago suggests otherwise.<blockquote>"This was all predictable, long before the current economic crisis," he says. "You could see it coming, yet irresponsible people — who didn’t want to invest the necessary time and money — caused terrible pain for so many in the industry."</blockquote>For a re-read of the full article, click <a href="www.byrnesmedia.com/News/2005/october/parikhal.html">here</a>.<br /><br />And what about some other past predictions? <a href="http://www.fmqb.com//article.asp?id=215000">Here's some more thinking</a> from 2006 about the pending state of radio just prior to the economic ad rev meltdown.<br /><br />As a reminder, here is what John said in September 2009 at this year's annual NAB on <a href="http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/10/john-parikhal-at-nab-how-to-stimulate.html">how radio to get back its growth</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-73562064742155612602009-11-12T17:53:00.011-05:002009-11-12T18:48:58.760-05:00Branding: Share-Able and Share-Worthy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhys6qCG2bi4kvW_BmX-LPky9lX423zoS7PLAutaLuAMX5XDMT-JuJKSxwjq2wehPyj2wGRoo-OryPV7YUW3TpKaTmngCRvLg5WdE6W5-hSzmPTjD4iVqOT-kBudOE_DmAU3j4WUg/s1600-h/n550280992_9413.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhys6qCG2bi4kvW_BmX-LPky9lX423zoS7PLAutaLuAMX5XDMT-JuJKSxwjq2wehPyj2wGRoo-OryPV7YUW3TpKaTmngCRvLg5WdE6W5-hSzmPTjD4iVqOT-kBudOE_DmAU3j4WUg/s320/n550280992_9413.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403362554014398994" /></a>More and more, brands are "opening up" their brands by making them "share-able" -- how they get used and where they show up, to be enjoyed by various online user communities.<br /><br />Being "share-able" is not enough.<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight:bold;">Share-worthy</span>" should be the goal.<br /><br />Such as the picture at right. The Montreal Canadiens know exactly how to draw your eyes to their logo. And now that it is on the Internet, that brand logo placement can be shared with far more than just the people who saw the woman wearing the outfit that day.<br /><br />BMW <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=U4oH54I6p4IC&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59&dq=Unusual+BMW+Mini+Cooper+marketing&source=bl&ots=g7fCjHXs1M&sig=UC8RHd6MflIX2aWDAAU0A-tAiRM&hl=en&ei=WZ38SsC0DsqTlAeu7dz1Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBwQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false">Mini Cooper advertising</a> may have started the trend of placing brands in unusual settings a decade ago, later <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cityfile.com/system/images/908/77238_thumb.jpg?1205994264"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="http://cityfile.com/system/images/908/77238_thumb.jpg?1205994264" border="0" alt="" /></a>explained by media thinker <a href="http://cityfile.com/profiles/seth-godin">Seth Godin</a> as a form of unusual and remarkable "purple cow" marketing.<br /><br />With online viral content, user-generated customized mash-ups, "green screen challenges", customized theme avatars and various social media platforms, brand "sharing" among people is stronger than ever...allowing marketers to participate and engage in meaningful advertising campaigns by giving people a chance to develop a deeper relationship with their favorite brands.<br /><br />Brands know they have to be part of the action online by offering their brands in "share-able" and "share-worthy" ways.<br /><br />In the end, brand logo placement online impacts marketing bottom line results...and cheeky social media buzz campaigns often keep brands from falling behind the competition.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-18601540006624598222009-10-07T10:52:00.005-04:002009-10-07T11:24:23.281-04:0024 - The Unaired 1994 Pilot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CSFsXqEzopi3Wn-19SIMx7PsqfnE6VsBmq1scsF3IdgjiIkPaQ4Py4R3J7O_iOTZlsNuqWnZrw4lbSfgkoK9lgaMvPYSuTUGHJM3LEc-dujf19a7Vi2KVGzAgyp6NTeuANi0eg/s1600-h/24wallpaper1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CSFsXqEzopi3Wn-19SIMx7PsqfnE6VsBmq1scsF3IdgjiIkPaQ4Py4R3J7O_iOTZlsNuqWnZrw4lbSfgkoK9lgaMvPYSuTUGHJM3LEc-dujf19a7Vi2KVGzAgyp6NTeuANi0eg/s200/24wallpaper1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389878753594454274" /></a>My, how times have changed.<br /><br />15 years ago, there were an estimated 38 million Internet users worldwide, mostly in the U.S. (IDC).<br /><br />As of June 2009, approximately 1.67 billion people worldwide use the Internet, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Internet_usage">according</a> to studies by Miniwatts Marketing Group.<br /><br />Humor often can be insightful. "Insightful" isn't a typical description for the humor found on <a href="http://www.collegehumor.com">CollegeHumor.com</a>; however, the site's content is often damn funny.<br /><br />My media friend Dan Forth of ClassicRockForever.com discovered something both "funny" and "insightful" from CollegeHumor: the "unaired pilot" of '24'.<br /><br />Ever wonder how Jack Bauer could save the world and stop the bomb from exploding back in the day when we relied on payphones, slow modem dial-up, and AOL/Prodigy chatroom for online conversations?<br /><br />Well, now you can see...and marvel at how fast our world operates online now. Times have changed.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JMLH_QyPTYM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JMLH_QyPTYM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-89756816985506080792009-10-04T17:57:00.006-04:002009-10-05T08:33:46.278-04:00John Parikhal at the NAB: How To Stimulate Radio’s Growth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMWKYUnby7ms5RNfmPDK3FllCjUHWo8pTnduJHMObDaQYmPbK4sp7z4vVVSEd_NAwLrVf9NVlK0vTUP2C3oDUYUAHsE4IaA6Lydb5rb-F5AtQL9Am8nDU1e8rtfMo_tQjCu2URA/s1600-h/logo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMWKYUnby7ms5RNfmPDK3FllCjUHWo8pTnduJHMObDaQYmPbK4sp7z4vVVSEd_NAwLrVf9NVlK0vTUP2C3oDUYUAHsE4IaA6Lydb5rb-F5AtQL9Am8nDU1e8rtfMo_tQjCu2URA/s200/logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388872055287092178" /></a><br />At the NAB in Philadelphia on September 25, 2009, <a href="http://www.rbr.com/radio/17097.html">Greg Solk</a> hosted a panel of 'stimulus Czars' to see what could be done to help radio.<br /><br />These are <a href="http://www.nabradioshow.com/2009/conferences/participantbio.asp?id=14756">John Parikhal</a>’s notes for his contribution to the discussion:<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote><font size='4'><span style="font-weight:bold;">Two Things Before You Even Start<br /></span></font size><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Get rid of all Czars</span>. They screwed up everything in Russia and exploited the people. So, why do we put Czars in charge and expect things to get better?<br /><br />Why don't we think about stuff like this? We don't question words, even when they don’t make sense.<br /> <br />If we are going to fix radio, we have to think more. Which means the first step is...<br /> <br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Stop lying to yourself</span>. Things are bad. The top people in radio made a lot of mistakes. You can’t take true action till you are honest with yourself. Things can get better – but not if you don't face the truth. It’s like the 12 step program. Start with honesty. <br /><br />Describe your 'current reality' – honestly. The tension between 'current reality' and what you want to create (your Outcome Statement) is what creates action.<br /><br />Then, if you still want to take action, use <span style="font-weight:bold;">3 Tools</span>.<br /><br /><font size='4'><span style="font-weight:bold;">Three Tools for Being Proactive Around Growth<br /></span></font size><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Use Strategic Thinking</span>. This is the most powerful strategic tool in business. Create an <span style="font-weight:bold;">Outcome Statement</span> – what 'outcome' do you want to create? Once you have identified what you want to create, identify what you have to 'do differently' to get there. Start making the changes.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Use a '90 Days' summary</span>. Work with your direct reports and, for each of them agree on what they have to do in the next 90 days. <br /><br />And, demand that your boss meet with you (in person or on the phone) every 90 days to determine what you have to get done in the next 90 days.<br /><br />This is the best get-it-scheduled-and-done tool in the business. It worked for Lee Iacocca.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Practice Listenomics</span>. Get rid of all Czars and be like Lego and Nokia. Empower your fans. Don’t try to control them. Listen to the conversation. More details at <a href="www.gomediafix.com/2009/09/the-chaos-scenario-part-3/">gomediafix.com</a>.<br /><br /><font size='4'><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Most Important Thing To Do On-Air<br /></span></font size><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Focus on what's immediately relevant</span>. Relevant is <span style="font-weight:bold;">more important than local</span>. Even though local is important, it is a subset of immediate – not the other way around. <br /><br />Get rid of all the Czars – the same ones who said HD was the next big thing. The same ones who say the only future is local. They are playing follow-the-leader.<br /><br /><font size='4'><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Litmus Test<br /></span></font size><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Sell a 20 year old on working in radio</span>. Write a speech to persuade them to come into the radio business. Think your speech through. Write it down. Try it out. Be honest. <br /><br />If you can't persuade them, ask the 20 year old - <span style="font-style:italic;">'What would have to change in order for me to be able to encourage you to work in radio?'</span> <br /><br />Next, ask yourself – <span style="font-style:italic;">'What would I want to change in radio to make it more attractive to a 20 year old?'</span><br /><br />Then, look at your answers and theirs - and set to work immediately on <span style="font-weight:bold;">influencing</span> the necessary changes. One step at a time. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.<br /></blockquote>For additional coverage of the NAB 2009, click here: <a href="http://www.rbr.com/radio/17368.html">RBR</a>, <a href="http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.5203">RadioToday</a>, and <a href="http://www.insideradio.com/article.asp?id=1517804&spid=32061">Inside Radio</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-401509243901042552009-08-11T19:02:00.003-04:002009-08-11T19:27:38.948-04:00What the F**k is Social Media (One Year Later)Social media is no longer just a new marketing experiment. Nor is it just a hot fad. 3 out of 4 Americans and 2 out of 3 worldwide web users are on it. Yet, corporations still only think of it as a marketing tool. It is much more than that. It's a chance for business to communicate with its fans; to create, build and satisfy new audiences; it's a chance to brand. Yes, all those things. But that's just on the business side. It's also a chance for listening, sharing, exchanging with fans, who will in turn help promote you more.<br /><br />So why the f**k is social media so important? This updated report from Marta Kagan really explains it well.<br /><br />Get on it.<br /><br /><div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_1729300"><a style="font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/mzkagan/what-the-fk-is-social-media-one-year-later" title="What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later">What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later</a><object style="margin:0px" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=wtfissocialmedia5-090716070117-phpapp01&stripped_title=what-the-fk-is-social-media-one-year-later" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=wtfissocialmedia5-090716070117-phpapp01&stripped_title=what-the-fk-is-social-media-one-year-later" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size:11px;font-family:tahoma,arial;height:26px;padding-top:2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">documents</a> from <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/mzkagan">Marta Kagan</a>.</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-64030376276511053742009-06-25T18:03:00.002-04:002009-06-25T18:11:00.743-04:00AdAge.com: Do African-Americans Need a Separate Search Engine?<span style="font-weight:bold;">What Went Wrong With Rushmore Drive<br /></span><br />As posted on <a href="http://adage.com/bigtent/post?article_id=137571">AdAge.com</a> today, an article co-written by Pepper Miller and John Parikhal:<blockquote>RushmoreDrive.com, the first black search engine, recently shut down only a year after its launch. This raised the question about whether there is a market for a black version of Google.<br /><br />Rushmore Drive was the brainchild of Barry Diller's IAC, which <a href="http://www.blackweb20.com/2009/05/07/rushmore-drives-new-design-focused-on-search/" target="_blank">just reported</a> a "first-quarter net loss of $28.4 million compared to a profit of $52.8 million in the same quarter a year ago."<br /><br />Too bad. Rushmore's failure is not only another negative statistic from the fallout of the economic downturn, but also from questionable planning.<br /><br />Early on, several folks from both the black and mainstream blogosphere balked at the idea of Rushmore. Bloggers criticized Rushmore for being racist and separatist while others didn't understand the concept at all. Additionally, a few questioned why IAC, whose focus is e-commerce websites, would even consider such an idea. Importantly, naysayers wondered how Rushmore would compete with the powerful Google brand?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://adage.com/images/bin/image/x-small/bloghead_miller.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="http://adage.com/images/bin/image/x-small/bloghead_miller.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>At Hunter-Miller, we understand why and how Rushmore (and even <a href="http://www.blackbirdhome.com/" target="_blank">Blackbird</a>, the black web browser) traveled down that path. Many African-Americans -- be they business owners who target African-American consumers, students or those who want a deeper understanding of black culture -- look for specific black content, resources and stats. These black-consumer information searchers often complain that the web isn't delivering. We discovered several types of African-American content that appeared on earlier pages of Rushmore's site but appear a lot, lot later on Google and on Bing, Microsoft's new search engine. Thus, it appeared that Rushmore was better than Google at collecting, organizing and disseminating Black information.<br /><br />There are some who are sorry to see Rushmore go.<br /><br />Donna Smith-Bellinger, co-founder-VP of <a href="http://www.pcgintl.com/" target="_blank">PCG Technology Services</a>, a digital strategy company, says: "We need special search engines like Rushmore Drive to make it easier to identify and locate African-American information online. An African-American search engine not only helps other African Americans find Black-owned business websites, but it can also aid corporations looking for minority companies to hire."<br /><br />Additionally, Donald Moore, newly appointed president of <a href="http://www.burrell.com/burrell.html" target="_blank">Burrell Digital</a>, added: "I believe that ethnic search engines have a place in the digital space. What I do question is how will they build scale and sustainable profitability?"<br /><br />However, business strategist <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jacklynn-topping/9/452/857" target="_self">Jaclynn Topping</a> doesn't agree. After learning about Rushmore's failure on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/10/rushmore-drive-search-eng_n_213959.html" target="_self">Huffington Post</a>, Topping questioned Rushmore's strategy. "There was nothing missing [from using Google] as a Black person. The concept of a race-based search engine (or browser) is ridiculous, especially in the face of the move to open platforms. The world-wide-web is color-blind, gender-blind, disability-blind. No barriers. It's all about the tag, keyword density and linking strategy. It's the Internet's greatest strength. What is Rushmore giving me? What's Black about browsing?"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://adage.com/images/bin/image/x-small/bloghead_parikhal-john.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="http://adage.com/images/bin/image/x-small/bloghead_parikhal-john.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://www.gomediafix.com/">John Parikhal</a>, co-author of this post, and an expert on both the internet and black consumer preferences, provides another perspective: "Rushmore's failure is really about a lack of consumer understanding. They didn't recognize the difference between search and engagement. Search usually starts with utility -- just give me something I want. That's what Google, Yahoo and Bing are fighting over. It has less to do with color. But engagement (which really makes ads work) is different. That's where understanding Black America really pays off."<br /><br />~ ~ ~<br /><em>John Parikhal is a "practical futurist" and consultant specializing in media strategy, marketing, research and consumer trends. </em><br /><br /><em>Pepper Miller is founder and president of the Hunter-Miller Group, Chicago.<br /></em></blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-79299263049716928072009-06-22T08:47:00.006-04:002009-06-25T18:03:25.856-04:00Parikhal on Radio-Info and the Return on Inveatment of the Mercurys<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mercommawards.com/images/Mercury08LogoR.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 126px;" src="http://www.mercommawards.com/images/Mercury08LogoR.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As reported in this morning's <a href="http://www.Radio-Info.com/">Radio-Info.com</a>, Joint Communications' John Parikhal had come choice words about how Mercury radio advertising award competition need a big re-think. Says Parikhal:"Return On Investment really shouldn't be a measure for the Mercurys. A radio ad can be engaging and persuasive, but the product packaging might turn customers off at the store. Or the price might be too high, etc. In other words, the ad worked, but the rest of the chain didn't.<br /><br />For serious marketers like Procter & Gamble or Coke, ROI is a complex equation in which the ad medium and the dollars spent are only a part of the formula. But if by ROI, you mean - can I tie the ad to a sale? - then take a page from the best awards ever - the Effies. They measured 'effectiveness', asking participants to submit their 'before and after' case studies with the ad.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Mercurys should be about 'effective' radio ads - not 'creativity.'</span> And, an effective ad starts with 'engagement.’ Often, judges confuse engagement with entertainment when they are asked to decide what is most 'creative.' They choose 'entertaining' ads and call them 'creative.’ Some very engaging ads are not entertaining. But they work. Just check out spoken word ads on News and Talk stations. Bring back the Effies.”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-6147326014354619312009-06-08T11:52:00.003-04:002009-06-08T11:56:19.174-04:00Formats are the Internet's Killer App<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gomediafix.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/app.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 165px; height: 98px;" src="http://www.gomediafix.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/app.jpeg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Formats are the internet’s killer app. Yet, they get little attention and even less respect.<br /><br />Formats <span style="font-weight:bold;">create more value online</span> than content. Yet, content gets all the press.<br /><br />There’s already a mountain of content available online – most of it free. We don’t need more content. We need better formats.<br /><br />Formats have been around for a long time, packaging and organizing ‘content’ to make it worth a lot more.<br /><br />Top 40 radio is a format. It takes about 40 songs that are ‘worth’ 99 cents each at iTunes and packages them so that can be worth millions in advertising. The Top 40 format <span style="font-weight:bold;">adds millions in value</span>.<br /><br />We can see the same format power at work for Amazon, eBay, Zappos, YouTube, and Facebook . Formats have added <span style="font-weight:bold;">billions</span> in value online.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Amazon</span> is a format. It doesn’t create content – it formats or packages it.<br /><br />Amazon made a fortune because it formatted the department store online.<br /><br />It formatted (organized) its store as a simple, one-stop shopping experience - with a series of ‘departments’ ranging from books and electronics to garden tools into -just as Sears had done in the physical world 40 years earlier.<br /><br />And, Amazon made millions without manufacturing <span style="font-weight:bold;">any</span> ‘content’<br /><br />Even <span style="font-weight:bold;">eBay</span> is a format. They are worth billions because they formatted the flea market. eBay simply created the packaging that sold someone else’s ‘content’.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">iTunes</span> formatted the online music store. And, the <span style="font-weight:bold;">iPod</span> re-formatted the record player. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.zappos.com">Zappos</a> formatted the shoe store. They don’t make shoes. They format the experience of the world’s best shoe store to appeal to shoe junkies. And, it works.<br /><br />Or, consider <span style="font-weight:bold;">Facebook</span>. It formatted the reunion. It hasn’t earned much profit but it could sell today for billions of dollars even though there is no clear business model. That’s the power of formats.<br /><br />The same is true about <span style="font-weight:bold;">YouTube</span>. It formatted the ‘home’ movie, never made much money and got sold to Google for over $1 billion.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the biggest online business of all, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Google</span>, makes most of its money from formatting, not from content.<br /><br />Google makes enormous profits by formatting the ‘library’ experience for users and then selling ‘knowledge’ about user interests to advertisers. That’s the power of formats.<br /><br />One could even make the case that the Mac operating system (OSX) and Windows are both a form of format. They organize the way we can use a computer.<br /><br />If you make that case, then the ‘format’ that jumpstarted the world wide web – Netscape, is the granddaddy of them all. And, it sold for <span style="font-weight:bold;">billions of dollars</span>.<br /><br />That’s why we’re <span style="font-weight:bold;">bullish on formats and formatting</span>. Because, there’s already a staggering amount of content available online – most of it free – and, most of it is not formatted well, if at all.<br /><br />We see <span style="font-weight:bold;">big growth opportunities</span> for companies that get better at formatting. And, lost opportunities for those who don’t.John Parikhalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01880347070143595704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-19711717015357960182009-06-02T14:57:00.009-04:002009-06-02T15:51:12.147-04:00Most Popular Canadian Radio Stations Online (By Alexa, June 2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV-IYs8BWAXURDXOwGQVVFkocsGEUXyhcN4fQPkkdIb7hZyNS7uL8vWUTUWvzNbw5dS0e-3sGMocos5d5iHkpKld_Vgr5pY3d4zrBi2WDmDs3JikRLvKI2y-avvXEW1Uo37yOoQ/s1600-h/radio-on-the-air.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV-IYs8BWAXURDXOwGQVVFkocsGEUXyhcN4fQPkkdIb7hZyNS7uL8vWUTUWvzNbw5dS0e-3sGMocos5d5iHkpKld_Vgr5pY3d4zrBi2WDmDs3JikRLvKI2y-avvXEW1Uo37yOoQ/s200/radio-on-the-air.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041111149185600242" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexa.com">Alexa.com</a> is an Amazon.com-owned web traffic analytic tool that estimates website usage. It's not as precise or accurate as comScore, MediaMetrics, Nielsen or other more sophisticated Internet measurement tools...but Alexa is good for getting an idea of what search engines are considering "top performers."<br /><br />The higher a websites Alexa ranking, the higher "authority" that site receives from search engines.<br /><br />Having higher search engine authority means it is much easily to get found online through search engines.<br /><br />Viewing the latest rankings, News & Info stations lead the pack with ten within the Top 20. Corus has 9 in the Top 20, while CBC has 4, Astral has 2, NewCap has 2, CTV has 1 and Rogers has 1. Toronto's airport and business station is also in the Top 20 (in <a href="http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2007/03/most-popular-canadian-radio-stations.html">March 2007</a>, it was the "station" with the most Alexa web traffic).<br /><br />Curiously, Virgin Radio doesn't appear to be captured accurately by Alexa. It doesn't include any of the Virgin station on their list. When searching Alexa for the individual Virgin station traffic rankings, each market's stations (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver) don't show up. Instead, only the main domain (virginradio.com) appears (the station sites are found their sub-domains). Collectively, all Virgin Radio station would rank 26th, just behind CHOM and ahead of Rock 101.<br /><br />Prior to the Virgin flip, Mix 96 in Montreal was a Top 20 online web traffic radio station.<br /><br />Here's the latest Alexa search for <a href="http://www.alexa.com/topsites/category/Top/Arts/Radio/Regional/North_America/Canada">Canada's top 20 radio station traffic rankings</a> (June 2009):<br /><br />1) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CBC Radio - British Columbia</span> (www.cbc.ca/bc) (CBC)<br />2) <span style="font-weight:bold;">Radio Énergie</span> (www.radioenergie.com) (Astral/Anglo & French AC)<br />3) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CKOI FM 96.9</span> (ckoi.com) (Corus/Anglo & French Hot AC)<br />4) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CKWX - News 1130</span> (www.news1130.com) (Rogers/News)<br />5) <span style="font-weight:bold;">VOCM Radio</span> (www.vocm.com) (NewCap/News & Info)<br />6) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CFYZ 1280 AM</span> (www.gtaa.com) (Toronto airport & business)<br />7) <span style="font-weight:bold;">102.1FM The Edge</span> (www.edge.ca) (Corus/New Rock)<br />8) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CBC Radio</span> (www.cbc.ca/radio) (CBC)<br />9) <span style="font-weight:bold;">Country 105</span> (www.country105.com) (Corus/Country)<br />10) <span style="font-weight:bold;">Q107 FM</span> (www.q107.com) (Corus/Classic Rock)<br />11) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CKNW 980 AM - Vancouver</span> (www.cknw.com) (Corus/News & Info)<br />12) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CBC Radio 3</span> (radio3.cbc.ca) (CBC)<br />13) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CHUM 104.5 FM</span> (www.chumfm.com) (CTVglobemedia/Adult CHR/Hot AC)<br />14) <span style="font-weight:bold;">HOT 89.9 FM</span> (www.hot899.com) (NewCap/Rhythmic CHR)<br />15) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CFOX 99.3</span> - The Fox (www.cfox.com) (Corus/Rock)<br />16) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CBC 102.1 FM Calgary</span> (www.cbc.ca/calgary) (CBC)<br />17) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CJAD 800 AM</span> (www.cjad.com) (Astral/News & Info)<br />18) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CJOB 680</span> (www.cjob.com) (Corus/News & Info)<br />19) <span style="font-weight:bold;">CISN 103 FM</span> (www.cisnfm.com) (Corus/Country)<br />20) <span style="font-weight:bold;">AM 770 CHQR</span> (www.am770chqr.com) (Corus/News & Info)<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://www.live-radio.net/canada_splash.shtml">a quick link</a> to find all Canadian radio stations streaming online. Or here's <a href="http://www.canadianwebradio.com/">another good link</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-13991841788501829702009-06-02T13:47:00.005-04:002009-06-02T19:15:00.624-04:00Debut of The Tonight Show With Conan O'BrienLast night was the debut of the new <a href="http://www.thetonightshowwithconanobrien.com/video/clips/biden-gets-excited-for-sotomayors-nomination-060109/1116124/">Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien</a>, following in the historic path of Steve Allen, Jack Parr, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. He's off to a good start...with <a href="http://www.tvweek.com/tvmojoe/2009/06/ratings-obrien-off-to-a-strong-start-on-tonight.php">strong opening ratings</a> and plenty of funny. He kept Max Weinberg and his band (along with the opening theme from the Late Show), brought back his original co-host Andy Richter and even kept his trademark cutting of the puppet strings move.<br /><br />Liked the run-across-America move to open the show, his hanging with new fabulous LA friends watching a Lakers game, the entrance of first guest Will Ferrell and first musical guest Pearl Jam.<br /><br />Very different first show than his debut on The Late Show <a href="http://youtomb.mit.edu/youtube/fvhn4pWZFCI">September 1993</a>.<br /><br />With all the changes in late night programming (Leno earlier, Jimmy Fallon replacing Conan), late night just got fresher.<br /><br />Good of NBC to open up the show video clips to share and embed on their site instead of containing it only on Hulu.<br /><br />Heeeeere's Conan!<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4a2562f8cab93bfc/4741e3c5156499a7/6b1a42d0/-cpid/850f53352a820f74" id="W4727a250e66f97234a2562f8cab93bfc" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4a2562f8cab93bfc/4741e3c5156499a7/6b1a42d0/-cpid/850f53352a820f74" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-4548589762587376372009-05-14T14:36:00.003-04:002009-05-14T14:47:51.899-04:00Google SquaredGoogle just <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-search-options-and-other-updates.html">announced </a>it improved its search tools. They call it <strong>Google Squared</strong>, allowing Google searchers to fine-tune and filter their search results with greater precision. All you have to do is click the "More options" link right below the search field.<br /><br />Check out the explanation of the new tool below or click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtirDMfcOKE&feature=player_embedded">here</a>:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MtirDMfcOKE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MtirDMfcOKE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10468256.post-34279723206977904462009-05-06T18:01:00.012-04:002009-05-14T14:11:36.920-04:00I Think, Therefore I Am<a href="http://blog.newsweek.com/photos/levelup/images/original/Rodin_2700_s-_2200_The-Thinker_2E002200_-Courtesy-of-innoxiuss_2C00_-edited-by-Level-Up-_2800_green_2900_.aspx"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 400px;" src="http://blog.newsweek.com/photos/levelup/images/original/Rodin_2700_s-_2200_The-Thinker_2E002200_-Courtesy-of-innoxiuss_2C00_-edited-by-Level-Up-_2800_green_2900_.aspx" border="0" alt="" /></a><em>"Cogito ergo sum"<br /><br />"Je pense, donc je suis"<br /><br />"I think, therefore I am"</em><br /><br />In whatever language you speak it, Rene Descartes's famous self-analysis phrase on existence speaks volumes about the shape of radio, the ad industry and media itself.<br /><br />With the latest ad revenue results for the last 6 months (down 15% to 32% year-to-year, depending on the radio group in the U.S.), the radio industry (and media in general) thinks the market sucks...and therefore it continues to be.<br /><br />The industry/market seems to be in a vicious self-perpetuating cycle: huge operating/financial debt loads, dramatic downturn in economy, smaller ad budgets, more media competition for fewer $$$, staff cutbacks, weakened local programming, more syndicated/voice-tracked content, missed budget goals, forced unpaid days off, speculation about inevitable radio group bankruptcies, more cutbacks -- leaving remaining staff with work overloads, etc.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.electraradio.com/~pochettes/200/r.e.m%20-%20everybody%20hurts.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.electraradio.com/~pochettes/200/r.e.m%20-%20everybody%20hurts.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Execs are even turning down their contracted bonuses and stock options. When it gets to that, you know things can't be good. With times like this, <em>everybody hurts</em>.<br /><br />Gosh, all that bad news does wonders for industry self-confidence.<br /><br />"<a href="http://ericrhoads.blogs.com/ink_tank/2009/05/as-radio-thinketh-.html">I think therefore I am</a>"<br /><br />We are all living in the "aftermath of a go-go economy." As Peter Drucker, father of modern management practices, once <a href="http://www.sixsigmaiq.com/columnarticle.cfm?externalID=447&columnid=11">said</a>: <em>"Every such era believed there would be no limit to growth. And every one ended in debacle and left behind a massive hang-over."</em><br /><br />For the last year or so, this is the massive collective hang-over.<br /><br />Now that the NAB is looking for a new chairman, Radio could use someone with serious vision mojo to help the industry see out of this morass. Someone who can take a room of radio CEOs and get them to see past this mess they helped create on their own watch.<br /><br />But whom?<br /><br />Who is that person?<br /><br />As the expression says, <em>"Go where there is growth."</em> (as said by Google CEO <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119524451858696044.html?mod=JR-Women-to-Watch-Nov-2007">Eric Schmidt</a> and countless others.)<br /><br />As another well-known expression goes, this time from <a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/26032.html">Albert Einstein</a>: <em>"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."</em><br /><br />Who can avoid doing the same thing as radio has done before and go where there is growth in order to expect different (better) results?<br /><br />On the Jointblog, we've already suggested <a href="http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/02/radio-practice-your-stuart-smalley.html">Stuart Smalley</a>...but he is busy trying get to formally accepted into the Senate.<br /><br />What about the return Eddie Fritts? Doubtful, as Fritts left due to the board's need for change and who now heads The Fritts Group, a D.C.-based lobbying operation that represents Fortune 500 companies on Capitol Hill.<br /><br />Too bad Bill Clinton is also busy with political conflicts.<br /><br />Jack Welch? He seems to have time on his hands.<br /><br />Someone smart who can think different, express change and the new reality...and lead others to growth...<br /><br />Tony Robbins?<br /><br />Tom Peters? (if ever there a need to returning searching for excellence, this is that time)<br /><br />Donny Deutsch<br /><br />Guy Kawasaki?<br /><br />Jeff Jaffe?<br /><br />Chris Anderson?<br /><br />Walt Mossberg?<br /><br />Steven Covey?<br /><br />Seth Godin?<br /><br />Chris Brogan?<br /><br />Or, to be really contrarian, how about <a href="http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/if-i-ran-clear-channel.html">Jerry Del Colliano</a>?<br /><br />Who do you nominate for the NAB search committee to replace <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i9e2018c9ba716c8549f3e30c8b72bf3c">the resigning David Rehr</a>?<br /><br />New NAB chief: <em>"I think, therefore I am."</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687934905735525953noreply@blogger.com0