Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Everyday There is New Research

You can read my last two posts on User Controlled Media and tell me I am full of hot air, however you cannot deny the research that is released just about everyday.

Check it out.
No Coffee and Newspaper in the Morning For Working Mothers
Working mothers, according to The Media Audit, are spending less and less time with television and newspapers but, radio, the Internet and direct mail still command their attention.

According to Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, producer of The Media Audit. "There are approximately 20 million working mothers in the 87 metropolitan markets we survey, and they have a newspaper index of 60 which is 40 points below the market average of 100. Television has an index of 81."
Get the rest of the story HERE

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

User-Controlled Media - Part Two

The same digital media industry that is crippling the traditional media industry will be it's savior? That is where we left off last time. Jacob Leffler's Short Attention Span Theatre: User-controlled Media Part One

It is pretty simple really. Follow the money and you will see where the traditionals are going. Print publishers are growing online ad revenue while their print ad revenue shrinks, broadcast television is seeing their ad dollars shrink, while exploring how to make it up online. Radio, well their whole world is turning upside down and since the FM side of the dial is tied directly into the recording industry, it is tougher to predict. They have challengers ranging from satellite to hundreds of thousands of podcasters to online radio stations. Yikes.

Like addicts traditional media companies, and their ilk (ad agencies), are trying to ween themselves off traditional ad revenue because the ratings that drive those dollars are splitting up, going in different directions, and in some cases just going away. It is tough however slowly but surely these folks are realizing that if they learn how to become relevant to their audiences (again) they can re-gain the ad revenue lost, online. It takes an entirely different mindset, a re-positioning of the content, a new attitude as it relates to the audience, a new attitude on how to find and grow the audience and an entirely new ad model that does not alienate, but gets the audience to participate.

We will save that for part three. See you then.

Monday, November 27, 2006

A Lot to Be Learned

Edelman Urged To Overhaul Wal-Mart Flogs
PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY EDELMAN WILL likely need to completely overhaul its online blogging strategy for its large retail client Wal-Mart if it hopes to maintain its membership in the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
Click Here to get the rest of the story.

The world's largest privately owned pr firm cannot even get it right. The worst part is, there has been no sincere action taken by the firm. Richard Edelman, up to this point, from all reports that I have read, hasn't really done much about it. Coming from a guy who is supposed to be a pr whiz, that is rather unfortunate.

This is why we focus on the user. This stuff is user-controlled and those that refuse to acknowledge, respect and happily work within that parameter will suffer from the same fate as Wal-Mart and Richard Edelman.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

I Can't Move

Here is something I am sure you have heard 1,000 times already - I ate too much.

Seriously, it is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I think I am going to fast today. Lots of good times had over the last couple of days, but soon enough we will be back getting you the news and discussion we are here to provide.

If you just can't wait go to the links and check out some award-winning web sites ar the atomic big wheel demo site. Both are sure to entertain.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Close to Thanksgiving - So Let's Talk Food

The day before Thanksgiving and I really have started to think about food. This is strange to me because I am not a food guy. I eat because I have to. I enjoy very simple foods, thus do not consider eating a big deal.

Some people can talk about food for hours. Not me, there are other things I care about more - like my wife, my kids, rock n'roll, The Sopranos, etc. However, there is one thing that I cannot figure out - the abundance of restaurants and the abundance of people who love to go out to eat at these establishments. A lot of these places are not good, but still get a lot of business.

Is this the result of people just really not wanting to cook? I go and eat at a restaurant and then the next night I will cook, and invariably I will like what I make better, it is healthier and less costly. I am starting to think I am alone here. Maybe it is because the landscape in suburbiaville is littered with chains and they are not good? Maybe I am just weird.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

User-controlled Media

What does this mean and why should you care?

It all started back with the remote control. That is the first time we as Americans did not have to get off our duff to change the channel. The result? Commercial comes on and we hit a button to see what's on elsewhere. Fast forward to cable television and now our audiences are segmenting with targeted programming. Channels solely dedicated to music, history, etc. Fast forward to the Internet 1.0 and we now can get any information we want at our fingertips. Fast forward to broadband - the audience is now tired of, and beyond that, fed up with the bombardment and quantity of ad messaging thrown their way, tired of watching programming that is of marginal quality and delivered according to someone else's schedule, and is rapidly migrating from traditional stalwarts like the evening news, primetime programming and traditional retail to non-traditional alternatives like the ever expanding Internet, services like iTunes and social communities and a variety of personal devices like the iPod.

The user is controlling their experience with media like never before and it is turning industries upside down. Sounds exaggerated doesn't it? Well, how do we account for the number of music downloads skyrocketing daily while record stores close, or network news ratings plummeting while blog, news site and news-related forums grow their audiences by the thousands daily, or how about the most telling sign - ad revenue at all traditional media outlets stagnating or even dropping (with the exception of niche magazine pubs), while online ad spending is growing in excess of 25% year after year. So why would the Short Attention Span Theatre make the bold statement that the same digital industry that is crippling the traditional media industry will be it's savior? Stay tuned to find out.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Clear Channel Sold

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Clear Channel Radio's days of trying to get Wall Street's respect are over. The radio giant announced yesterday its sale to a group led by Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital Partners, in a deal worth approximately $26.7 billion, which includes the company's $8 billion of net debt repayments.
Catch the entire story here - http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=113246

What the critics are saying...

"I may have been off the air now for quite some time, but I am ahead of the curve when it comes to new media thanks to the Short Attention Span Theatre!"

"When I am not bowling, I am locked into the Short Attention Span theatre!! It's where I stay plugged into the latest in digital communication. I have learned a lot."



" I am a frequent front row ticket holder to the Short Attention Span Theatre!! I give my dad, err, I mean Jacob, 5 stars!!"









Thursday, November 16, 2006

Another big traditional on the block

"Clear Channel Communications Inc. has agreed to be bought by a group of investors for nearly $19 billion. The buyers, led by Thomas H. Lee Partners LP and Bain Capital Partners LLC, both headquartered in Boston, will also assume about $8 billion in debt (whoa!). It is the biggest leveraged buyout in the media industry. San Antonio-based Clear Channel said in a statement that the agreement allows it to continue soliciting competing bids through Dec. 7."--Indianapolis Business Journal

Couple that with the pursuit of the Tribune Cos. by Gannett and there is a whole lotta shakin' going on with some of our largest traditional media companies.

Clear Channel owns a handful of Indianapolis radio stations,a group of stations that I briefly worked for. In the one year I was there those stations were bought and sold on 3 separate occasions.



Internet Video Advertising On Fast Growth Track to $3 Billion in 2010

I received this nugget of information this morning via email. Check the full research brief here http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/cfmr_brief.cfm?fnl=061116

Considering that Steve Ballmer predicted to a room full of ad executives a few years ago that all advertising would be delivered over IP networks by 2010, this becomes even more noteworthy. Now, when Mr. Ballmer made that bold prediction did he really think that a full 100% of advertising would be delivered over IP networks -probably not. But he knew a few things that a statement like that would help the crowd realize:
1. Microsoft, and others, were already developing hardware and software to help make this a reality - in the US household - Have you seen what the new XBox 360 is capable of? I mean outside of just great looking games? Content downloads, it's own network, it's own currency system etc. - pretty amazing stuff
2. Even if was 30, 40 or even 50% of ad messaging delivered over IP networks that would be a huge opportunity for a whole bunch of new breed products, services and personnel in the communications industry (you can 86 the old school ad guy now)
3. 100%!!?? Probably not - but re-read #2

Factor in that Comcast claims that they will have the hardware and pipes to increase connectivity speed for broadband customers by 1600 times (http://gigaom.com/2005/12/20/need-for-speed/) in the next year and a half and what that will do for content delivery - not just how fast you can get it, but what you can produce and deliver, and you start to see the vision unfold.

Now the $64 million question - how will you leverage this to better communicate to your audience?

Inaugural Post - welcome

This is the inaugural post to the Short Attention Span Theatre. First let me say welcome and thanks for coming by. As the days, weeks and months progress I will spend some time shooting out some thoughts on the media industry, and more specifically - the future of the media industry.

If you are not in the middle of the swirling winds of change that occupy this industry (and many aren't contrary to industry email newsletters and popular opinion pushed out everyday by such notable outfits as the IAB, MediaPost, ClickZ and the like) this can be a place where you get it in relatively plain speak. A place that will look to demystify and take the techy jargon out of digital communication, how broadband is helping spread this opportunity to anyone willing to leverage it and what it means to you (how you can benefit).

Let's get to it.