by nick on September 29, 2008
“Advertising is a tax for having an unremarkable product” said Robert Stephens, Founder and ‘Chief Inspector’ of the Geek Squad. (Gordon Ramsay said the same in his brilliant and inspirational book, Playing with Fire.) Well, Lance Armstrong could also shout the infamous ‘Advertising is dead, long live PR.’
After much will he, wont he, the incredible Lance Armstrong news ‘leaked’ on 8th Sept that he is indeed coming out of retirement. He’ll raise further awareness for cancer by racing in the 2009 Tour de France, having won it an unprecedented seven times already.
The story was meant to be a first for Vanity Fair magazine, penned by Douglas Brinkley, a resident in Armstrong’s hometown of Austin, Texas. The two are acquaintances but far from best friends and I suspect Brinkley was offered first dibbs because of local patriotism.
But Velonews.com pressed ‘Post’ before VF got anywhere near pressing ‘Print’ on their November issue that was due out on 1st October. As usual in 2008, the blogosphere picked up the scent and it travelled the world in minutes (okay, maybe an hour or two) without needing to go near a television set. VF’s hand was forced and they posted the article online and pulled it from print altogether. The official launch was – intended and actual – the 24th September but there was little ‘news’ about it.
I can’t help but think Lance and his team (PR not bike) wanted it this way. It’s not yet clear who Velonews’ sources were, but Lance (such adoration of this demigod affords me the etiquette of first names) had posted a short video on his LiveStrong blog by 9th Sept.
I’m not saying Lance intended to embarrass Vanity Fair or their reporter, I’m saying a story THAT big doesn’t stay embargoed for long. If one can deduce that, then why not play the game a bit and milk the extra coverage of the scoop being scooped?
Regardless of launch strategies, Lance on a bike in Paris again will give next year’s tour a massive injection of energy and interest (and hopefully less dope). Best of all, it will also guarantee a sea-change in exposure for this killer disease.
Allez, Lance and good luck.
photo by Annie Leibovitz for the December 1999 issue of Vanity Fair
by nick on September 26, 2008
The main man, Tom Peters points us to the FT for a reading assignment with “wall-to-wall great material about the financial markets madness”.
All very well and apt, but get over to my even-more-main-man, Seth Godin for a quick fix of inspiration. As ever he’s got an upbeat take on things for the entrepreneur.
[Don’t you think that if Obama had put Godin on the ticket as VP, McCain wouldn’t stand a chance? Or should it be Godin for President?]
by nick on September 22, 2008
Doom and gloom are no longer a ‘possible’. It is a fact, displayed all too vividly with the tectonic shift in confidence toward the financial sector recently. It comes to something when a £12bn emergency takeover of HBOS by LloydsTSB (and a subsequent 30% market share) is regarded positively. Well, rather like a slap to the face, as opposed to kick in the nether regions, it was found less negative than the alternative.
Of course the massive job losses are devastating. And as Paxman said on last Monday’s Newsnight, “It’s hard to call yourself a master of the universe when you’re leaving the office clutching a cardboard box full of your possessions.” But there’s a diamond in the rough for some who’ve lost their livelihood. It seems IT startups on America’s East Coast and in Britain are actively targeting those with advanced degrees in economics or maths and experience in coding algorithms.
Meanwhile America’s pay-for-failures in corporate board rooms continues unchecked. It seems ‘crunch’ doesn’t translate to the penthouse suites of these ‘top performers’. The CEO of asphyxiating insurance giant AIG, Robert Willumstad, is eligible for a laughable golden parachute of $8 million, according to estimates in the NY Times. However, this is nothing short of insulting compared to the recent departure from Merrill Lynch of CEO Stan O’Neal – he left with a pay package of $160 million!
If that doesn’t say ‘Keep up the good work, chaps’ what the hell is it supposed to say instead? A public flogging for irresponsibility and negligence would get my vote. Moral hazard indeed.
by nick on September 17, 2008
They’re valued in the ballpark of $233 billion (£117 billion). Annual sales of $60 million have grown around 18% for the last six years. Their operating software runs on 90% of the world’s computers. Internet Explorer (their own browser) is employed by three-quarters of Internet users. There are over 1 billion Windows Live ID authentifications per day. Bill Gates’ endowments to the Gates Foundation are over $29 billion. How is it Microsoft gets to be so unloved?
It’s not even a polarising love found often in sport where some people may love football, but hate golf and visa versa. I know plenty in industry who adore Apple, but none that rave on about Vista or Windows. Well Microsoft’s Steve Balmer (Mr Gates’ successor) plans to change that by handing a new $300 million consumer-branding campaign to the Crispin Porter and Bogusky agency.
[Although that’s large it’s significantly less than their last product push for the Windows Vista launch where they spent two years and $500 million - only to bomb.]
Balmer’s choice appears an edgy one, having ousted the incumbent, McCann Worldgroup agency. Bogusky have been creating ‘cool’ for the corporate world for over a decade: the stunts on the Mini Cooper and the ‘King’ of Burger King are just two. Their VW partnership didn’t fare so well with Bogusky resigning the contract (perhaps before being pushed?).
The team’s first video volley above sees Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates in a shoe shop. To state the obvious: Microsoft and jokes equals new. With a capital ‘N’.
What isn’t new is the mindset that Microsoft is trying to soften their edges and tell their side of the story instead of coming across as the nerdy, soulless, evil, license grabbing, behemoth.
Back in 2006 artist Hugh MacLeod (now one the blogosphere’s most infamous voices) was employed/contracted by Microsoft to soften them up and to better communicate their ideals. This is Microsoft’s Steve Clayton:
For too long, Microsoft has allowed other people- the media, the competition and their detractors, especially- to tell their story on their behalf, instead of doing a better job of it themselves.
We firmly believe that Microsoft must start articulating their story better- what they do, why they do it, and why it matters- if they’re to remain happy and prosperous long-term.
Personally, I’m more concerned about the client side of things rather than the agency side. Can Microsoft really let these guys in so they can draw out what’s true and great about the company and package it in a fresh, intelligent and humorous way? It’s a big ask to take this disliked goliath who wants to be a master of all things – from home computing expert, to cool gamer, to search champion, to business hero – into a young, cool thing.
Sure, ‘loved’ is a tall order and the brand is never going to be edgy, niche or underground, but a persona that’s a little bit cooler and cuddlier should be possible. After all, it couldn’t really get much worse could it? If Bogusky and his team (I’m betting on when, not if) come close to that objective their fee will have been well earned.
by nick on September 13, 2008
Collective wisdom has it that SMEs don’t plan. If they do it’s likely to be more back-of-the-napkin stuff; or perhaps it’s all kept in the grey matter. Even then it’s unlikely that the boss will actually have told anybody and ‘created a vision’.
But large companies often don’t either. Some have large teams dedicated to planning and you’ve got to ask how accurate they’ve been at forecasting their future (think RBS losses for example). Studying for my MBA in 2004 we looked at the over-50s business, Saga, whose pre-tax profits where £48 million at the time. I was certainly surprised that they claimed not to possess a ten, five, three or even a one year plan.
Although a 15,000-word document may have not existed, a vision for their future and a strong company ethos certainly did. Backed by private equity firm Charterhouse, a MBO buyout from the founding de Haan family valued at £1.35 billion went through soon afterward.
Of course, there’s a contradiction to this. It would be easy for start-ups to fall into planning paralysis, stuck in the drawing of a plan and never actually launching into work. Some banks – even seed investors – may initiate the problem and there will be plenty of ‘experts’ who’ll ask for the Business Plan in a low and officious voice. Something is needed then, but what?
As ever, [His Highness] Seth Godin says it more succinctly than anyone:
…do your best to pick a direction (hopefully an unusual one, hopefully one you have resources to complete, hopefully one you can do authentically and hopefully one you enjoy) and then do it. Loudly. With patience and passion. (Loud doesn’t mean boorish. Loud means proud and joyful and with confidence.)
No flitting, no waiting for proof. Just consistent, overwhelming performance in pursuit of a vision you believe in. That’s far more important than which direction you chose in the first place…
Heading off aimlessly on your own (even with your 800 employees) is like building a skyscraper without the architect’s drawings – destined to fail. Pick that direction and tell your stakeholders, every one of them. Tune your message as clear as words allow. Repeat your ‘clear’ message often. Tell them again in a month, and again in another. Clear and often. And so on.
by nick on September 9, 2008
Think back to your old TV and of the static between TV channels. Well, three-quarters of those radio airwaves, or ‘white space’ spectrum, are completely unused. With the US switching off the analogue TV signal in Feb 2009 Google wants to blow open that wireless spectrum, effectively for a new and more powerful generation of WiFi. Other A-list backers with a dollar or two to spend with lobbyists include Intel, Microsoft and Motorola.
It would be free to air (and unlicensed), like WiFi is now. Needless to say TV execs and wireless services providers are hell-bent on stopping the FCC from ruling in favour of such a free-spirited act.
Take 90 seconds for the pros:
The cons:
- Interference. That’s certainly what some cell phone companies argue.
- So far, the devices that supposedly work over white spaces keep failing [US] government tests.
This is a US only movement but I can’t help but cheer them on in the hope that a successful American model gets put into play in Europe. Unfortunately the FCC vote may well be delayed further than next month.
If you believe in the cause you can sign the petition here.
by nick on September 5, 2008
Michael Arrington says Google launching their Chrome web browser is yet further indication that our favourite search engine is going after Microsoft’s lunch.
If Mr A is right (I wouldn’t ever bet against he with the knowledge) in predicting Google’s strategy then it’s more than ironic that Microsoft themselves had a similar browser project called Chrome! Scoble says Google must have a sense of humour. I’m not sure they’re the ones who need it in order to laugh – Microsoft must be livid. How hardball can you get? Execs all over Redmond must be dusting off their copies of The Art of War.
But Microsoft have at least entered a fighter into this boxing tournament with their latest version of Internet Explorer, IE8.
Reality check: that’s a gross exaggeration. It’s worth remembering that IE has a 73% market share according to Net Applications. Three quarters of users touch websites via Microsoft! Then again, no one believes ‘the cloud’ won’t revolutionise the way operating systems are used/needed/bought. That means ousting not just IE but Microsoft from newly built machines. (And I’ll never forget the Netscape browser had a 90% market share in the 1990s, proving total implosion is always possible.)
Mozilla’s Firefox remains the popular outsider – certainly until Chrome is available for the Mac – with 19% of the market. Its got loads of plug ins that tech users love, is the de facto browser for the discerning user and has just released a new version. Apple’s Safari has a respectable 6%.
Most early adopters seem to be giving Chrome the thumbs up, but can the Google brand pull it off? Will they just be seen as the new Microsoft? Firefox is the poor cousin everyone loves to love. Google don’t have the cards to play it in quite the same way.
by nick on September 2, 2008
Is it me, or did an inordinate amount of the tech news from both sides of the pond seem to be about advertising last month? Not really surprising considering online is about the only area of advertising that’s going to grow this year. Here’s what I think are the more notable ones:
- The ever-innovative TiVo have paired up with Amazon to allow viewers to buy products they see in shows or adverts. This is new indeed and is pro-advertiser as opposed to TiVo’s previous innovation which allowed you to record programmes without the ads.
Evan Young their director of broadband services, said, “For example, if a guest on the Daily Show or Oprah has a new book, CD, or DVD out, you can purchase it on Amazon.com using your TiVo remote without missing a second of TV, whether the viewer is watching live or recorded.”
- ITV has been bigging up its ITV.com audience numbers but sales head, Rupert Howell, had some refreshing words about online cannibalising offline ads. “The growth of the internet as an advertising medium is taking business away from direct marketing, classified and local and regional press but doesn’t appear to be taking away from television. What matters is that we outgrow the growth in internet advertising – in the first half of this year, the internet grew as an advertising medium by 24% and we grew at 43%.”
- Google’s acquisition of Double click appears to have changed their mind on invasive cookies and privacy (DoubleClick plants cookies on users’ computers who see the ads it serves). Advertisers will be cock-a-hoop as they can limit the number of times a single user sees their ads and see how many different people have seen it. They can also track how many people saw an ad and then visited their website.
But what of internet users? Google promises a better experience, because “they will no longer see the same ad over and over again.” The message: cookies are good for you. Better get used to it.
- YouTube is now showing ads plus video, much to the dismay of the NY Times. But if you’d bought the company for $1.65 billion (as Google did) could you persuade the board not to sell, sell, sell?
- Yahoo! has pre-announced a new opt-out so that users of Yahoo services can request not to be on the receiving end of targeted advertising. Though it looks like they will still plant cookies and collect data, even if it doesn’t use the information for behavioural targeting purposes.
- Video search index Blinkx attempting to buy MIVA, the pay-per-click ad network. Blinkx reckons the acquisition would allow it to more quickly roll out the technologies it’s developed over the last year – like its own video advertising proposition, AdHoc.
It seems the eye(ball)s have it – yours, via your monitor. There are plenty out there spending big money to get to them.
