I'm sure this has made the rounds, but if you haven't been lucky enough to be on a distribution list, take a few minutes to enjoy.
Will Farrell just get's it.
http://sjl.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A Werd of Warning
I received an interesting post today and wanted to share it with the millions of you who tune into this blog on a daily, if not hourly, basis.
A new web-site/blog has been created by and for people in the advertising community… or people who have lots of spare time on their hands. It’s called Addictionary. Here is the link:
http://ad.addictionary.org
This is actually a helpful little resource if you are looking to get definitions for all of those “new media” terms that you often hear but seldom understand (such as long-tail).
The Addictionary also includes something called “werds” which are created by the readers in a Wiki of sorts. Here are a few that I really liked:
Egonomics: branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption and transfer of self-esteem.
Mometer: the palm of a mother’s hand when used as a temperature-taking device when a child is sick.
Fame Retardent: any action or behavior which, when engaged in by a celebrity, reduces his or her popularity.
Witard: an individual who cannot manage or hold a Wii remote, let alone us it properly.
I have a few werds that are in development and will be added to Addictionary soon.
A new web-site/blog has been created by and for people in the advertising community… or people who have lots of spare time on their hands. It’s called Addictionary. Here is the link:
http://ad.addictionary.org
This is actually a helpful little resource if you are looking to get definitions for all of those “new media” terms that you often hear but seldom understand (such as long-tail).
The Addictionary also includes something called “werds” which are created by the readers in a Wiki of sorts. Here are a few that I really liked:
Egonomics: branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption and transfer of self-esteem.
Mometer: the palm of a mother’s hand when used as a temperature-taking device when a child is sick.
Fame Retardent: any action or behavior which, when engaged in by a celebrity, reduces his or her popularity.
Witard: an individual who cannot manage or hold a Wii remote, let alone us it properly.
I have a few werds that are in development and will be added to Addictionary soon.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Radio...The Original Social Network
I had dinner last night with my good friend Michael Walter, who is affectionately known as Fin…short for Dolphin. Fin recently returned to Cincinnati after a brief stint with Clear Channel in Atlanta to become the new Program Director for Cumulus Radio’s Rock 96. He has the mouth-watering challenge of taking on the station where he once was the PD…Clear Channel’s heritage rocker WEBN.
As someone who has always loved local radio, it’s exciting to see a company like Cumulus bringing back an “old radio guy” like Fin. It’s ironic that Fin’s return to his old stomping grounds coincides with the recent announcement that Clear Channel will need to divest itself of several properties in Cincinnati because of anti-trust issues. With Clear Channel having dominated Cincinnati’s radio market for more than a decade, it will be interesting and, dare I say, refreshing to see the competitive landscape change so dramatically.
My hope is that Fin and others like him will bring back the thing that always made radio special: its local-ness. Before the web and the advent of social networking through Facebook, etc. al. local radio stations were the original social networks on a market by market basis. People had favorite stations and tuned in for much more than music…they tuned into the personalities, the contests and the activities that defined radio stations. Radio formats became social networks. Sadly, much of that magic was lost during the post de-regulation years when rapid consolidation led to homogenization. Radio slowly lost the one thing that defined it for many years: its link to the community.
But I see a revival on the horizon. Radio is in a unique position to exploit the marketing community’s insatiable appetite to better “engage” consumers. Satellite radio is failing because it isn’t local…and therefore, not very interesting. Television faces tremendous challenges as DVRs and on-line video continue to chip away at attention-strapped consumers. Newspaper is in a fight for its existence as younger, digitally savvy consumers abandon the traditional form of news for the immediate on-line version.
To me, it’s all very exciting stuff as all traditional (i.e. off-line) media must adhere to the oft-repeated axiom: “adapt or die.” I don’t expect any of the traditional media to die, but it will be fun to watch them re-cast themselves to a marketing industry that is rapidly rejecting the status quo.
The opportunity for local radio, in this brave new media world, is to return to its roots and exploit the very qualities that make it a unique medium: immediacy, personality and, above all, local relevance.
I think it was Bette Davis who said: “You better strap yourself in, it’s going to be bumpy ride.”
Comments?
As someone who has always loved local radio, it’s exciting to see a company like Cumulus bringing back an “old radio guy” like Fin. It’s ironic that Fin’s return to his old stomping grounds coincides with the recent announcement that Clear Channel will need to divest itself of several properties in Cincinnati because of anti-trust issues. With Clear Channel having dominated Cincinnati’s radio market for more than a decade, it will be interesting and, dare I say, refreshing to see the competitive landscape change so dramatically.
My hope is that Fin and others like him will bring back the thing that always made radio special: its local-ness. Before the web and the advent of social networking through Facebook, etc. al. local radio stations were the original social networks on a market by market basis. People had favorite stations and tuned in for much more than music…they tuned into the personalities, the contests and the activities that defined radio stations. Radio formats became social networks. Sadly, much of that magic was lost during the post de-regulation years when rapid consolidation led to homogenization. Radio slowly lost the one thing that defined it for many years: its link to the community.
But I see a revival on the horizon. Radio is in a unique position to exploit the marketing community’s insatiable appetite to better “engage” consumers. Satellite radio is failing because it isn’t local…and therefore, not very interesting. Television faces tremendous challenges as DVRs and on-line video continue to chip away at attention-strapped consumers. Newspaper is in a fight for its existence as younger, digitally savvy consumers abandon the traditional form of news for the immediate on-line version.
To me, it’s all very exciting stuff as all traditional (i.e. off-line) media must adhere to the oft-repeated axiom: “adapt or die.” I don’t expect any of the traditional media to die, but it will be fun to watch them re-cast themselves to a marketing industry that is rapidly rejecting the status quo.
The opportunity for local radio, in this brave new media world, is to return to its roots and exploit the very qualities that make it a unique medium: immediacy, personality and, above all, local relevance.
I think it was Bette Davis who said: “You better strap yourself in, it’s going to be bumpy ride.”
Comments?
Monday, February 11, 2008
You Are My Sunshine
A friend from London emailed this spot to me yesterday.
There's a lot of talk in America about how advertising must be "disruptive." Even our most disruptive work (whatever that may be) pales in comparison to this highly-engaging spot.
I'd love to hear your opinion.
Cheerio!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Death to TV...Long Live TV
On Sunday evening, 97 million people made a statement about the future of media and advertising and that is: "if you build it and make it interesting, we will come!
It has become sport in the marketing world for the "digirati" to proclaim the death of all things traditional. TV is dead. Magazines are dead. Radio is dead. Ad agencies are dead. But I ask the question: Why must anything die?The hard, cold reality is that people, like the 97 million who watched Sunday's Super Bowl, look to media for entertainment. Yes, there are now many more choices and digital platforms have indeed changed the face of our world. And, to be clear, I love surfing YouTube for a bit of entertainment. But, I get much more enjoyment out of watching an episode of Boston Legal and I truly look forward to the 500+ pages that come wrapped inside the September cover of Vanity Fair. Yes, ads and all.
We need to stay focused on the difference between information and entertainment. When advertising is at its best, it is a perfect blend of these two elements. And are we "engaged" by good advertising? Without question. Advertising has always been about engagement, despite the fact that the digirati have co-opted the term to describe the role of non-traditional platforms in today's marketing mix. Our business has always been and will continue to be about engagement. It's just that today, we have expanded the engagement continuum by adding a higher level of information and greater actionability.
Indeed, I would agree with the digital pundits who argue that not a single, incremental six pack of Bud Light was sold as a result of the brand's $10MM plus investment in Super Bowl commercials. But 97 million people were entertained (to a degree) by the spots and by the free Super Bowl coverage they engendered. And, for that, I believe Bud Light earns a lot of points with beer-drinking consumers.
Now...where's my February Vanity Fair??
It has become sport in the marketing world for the "digirati" to proclaim the death of all things traditional. TV is dead. Magazines are dead. Radio is dead. Ad agencies are dead. But I ask the question: Why must anything die?The hard, cold reality is that people, like the 97 million who watched Sunday's Super Bowl, look to media for entertainment. Yes, there are now many more choices and digital platforms have indeed changed the face of our world. And, to be clear, I love surfing YouTube for a bit of entertainment. But, I get much more enjoyment out of watching an episode of Boston Legal and I truly look forward to the 500+ pages that come wrapped inside the September cover of Vanity Fair. Yes, ads and all.
We need to stay focused on the difference between information and entertainment. When advertising is at its best, it is a perfect blend of these two elements. And are we "engaged" by good advertising? Without question. Advertising has always been about engagement, despite the fact that the digirati have co-opted the term to describe the role of non-traditional platforms in today's marketing mix. Our business has always been and will continue to be about engagement. It's just that today, we have expanded the engagement continuum by adding a higher level of information and greater actionability.
Indeed, I would agree with the digital pundits who argue that not a single, incremental six pack of Bud Light was sold as a result of the brand's $10MM plus investment in Super Bowl commercials. But 97 million people were entertained (to a degree) by the spots and by the free Super Bowl coverage they engendered. And, for that, I believe Bud Light earns a lot of points with beer-drinking consumers.
Now...where's my February Vanity Fair??
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