I try to keep this blog focused on PR and Marketing, but I've got to make a comment on a media trend that's becoming more and more difficult to deal with. I'm fed up with the non-stop crisis reporting.
September 11th was a terrible event and a true turning point in the trajectory of our nation. However it seems like ever since that horrible day, the cable news networks (and in their wake the local news and papers) have been trying to feed the ratings beast and fill that gaping maw of round-the-clock coverage with a never ending series of scandals and blown-out-of-proportion disasters. Remember Elian Gonzales? How about Terry Schiavo, Drew Petersen, Octomom, etc? Most recently the networks made it sound like the residents of Fargo, ND, needed to build an ark and wait for the end of the world to fall on them. Except... it didn't happen. There was some rain, an some damage, but people did what they had to do and moved on.
I used to be a journalist, actually made a living at it too. I live and breathe media as a PR flack, and I understand how news cycles work. However the combination of "feed the beast" news programming and the war between mediums has created a situation where bad situations get blown up into major catastrophes, which causes panic and perpetuates the problem. I believe that's exactly what happened with this economic downturn. Every seven years or so the economy goes soft. However reporters screaming about "the next great depression" certainly caused some damage to the American psyche and made the situation worse.
I'm seeing very strong signs that this thing is starting to get better. People are spending money again, business is picking up for nearly everyone I speak with. Are we out of the woods? Not quite yet... but things are certainly looking up from my perspective.
So what's next? Smile. Be positive. Go out to dinner. Wax your car and go for a drive. Get back to the important stuff, working hard and having fun. Hopefully one day soon the newsdesk editors I pitch on a regular basis will start doing some positive stories and we can all get back to normal. Save the scary music and crisis graphs for the unfortunate day when they're actually appropriate.
Of course, John Stewart says it best.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wagoner Out
GM CEO Rick Wagoner just posted a note on the GM Media site explaining that he resigned after being asked to do so by the White House.
I won't get political on this blog... but its a shame to see Wagoner go. He was a dynamic and thoughtful leader for GM, more of a politician and less of an actor than his buddy Maximum Bob Lutz. I have no problem with a CEO leaving a company in trouble, but it's the government asking him to leave that makes me a little uncomfortable.
There's a pretty good story about the whole matter at the Detroit Free Press.
On a related note - Chrysler will give up a 35% stake to Fiat, another nationalized auto company run by a head of state.
I won't get political on this blog... but its a shame to see Wagoner go. He was a dynamic and thoughtful leader for GM, more of a politician and less of an actor than his buddy Maximum Bob Lutz. I have no problem with a CEO leaving a company in trouble, but it's the government asking him to leave that makes me a little uncomfortable.
There's a pretty good story about the whole matter at the Detroit Free Press.
On a related note - Chrysler will give up a 35% stake to Fiat, another nationalized auto company run by a head of state.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
InsideFacebook.com just posted the following report on new users for the social media site. In the past two months, the number of people over the age of 35 (Gen X and Baby Boomers) on facebook has DOUBLED. Also of note is the fact that more women appear to be signing up for accounts then men.
These figures don't surprise me. I'm not sure what gelled since New Years Eve, but something has indeed spurned people to sign up for the site that in the past barely used any web apps beyond email and google. My father, aunt, uncle, even my great uncle (in his 80s!) are now on Facebook. Believe me when I say its truly surreal to be sitting around a table at a family function with a group of 50 and 60 somethings as they chat away about status updates and friend requests.
So what does this mean for business? Simple: a faster, more effective way to get your message out than ever. My client Hotchkis Performance has an active and vibrant facebook page, with hundreds of fans and industry insiders signed up as friends. With the new Facebook format, every time we attend an event, launch a product or do something cool, Dennis (Hotchkis' in-house Marketing maven) posts an udpate on both Facebook and Twitter. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive. It's like having a little PR Newswire Feed built into your cell phone.
Of course like Uncle Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility," and that applies to facebook as well as webslinging superheroes. Just because you can post updates ten times a day about every little thing, doesn't mean you should. Keep the posts real, timely, and interesting and your friend list (and reach) will grow.
These figures don't surprise me. I'm not sure what gelled since New Years Eve, but something has indeed spurned people to sign up for the site that in the past barely used any web apps beyond email and google. My father, aunt, uncle, even my great uncle (in his 80s!) are now on Facebook. Believe me when I say its truly surreal to be sitting around a table at a family function with a group of 50 and 60 somethings as they chat away about status updates and friend requests.
So what does this mean for business? Simple: a faster, more effective way to get your message out than ever. My client Hotchkis Performance has an active and vibrant facebook page, with hundreds of fans and industry insiders signed up as friends. With the new Facebook format, every time we attend an event, launch a product or do something cool, Dennis (Hotchkis' in-house Marketing maven) posts an udpate on both Facebook and Twitter. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive. It's like having a little PR Newswire Feed built into your cell phone.
Of course like Uncle Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility," and that applies to facebook as well as webslinging superheroes. Just because you can post updates ten times a day about every little thing, doesn't mean you should. Keep the posts real, timely, and interesting and your friend list (and reach) will grow.
Number of US Facebook Users Over 35 Nearly Doubles in Last 60 Days
Don’t look now, but the number of Americans over 35, 45, and 55 on Facebook is growing fast. In the last 60 days alone, the number of people over 35 has nearly doubled. Developers and marketers may want to think about how to serve this group of new users.
Here are the latest stats on Facebook’s US audience gender and age demographics, according to the company:
Facebook US Audience Growth, Last 180 Days
Looking at Facebook US audience growth over the last 180 days, it’s clear that Facebook is seeing massive increases in adoption amongst users 35-65. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is still women over 55 - there are now nearly 1.5 million of them active on Facebook each month.
The biggest growth in terms of absolute new users over the last six month came amongst users 35-44. Over 4 million more US women 35-44 and nearly 3 million more US men 35-44 used Facebook in March 2009 compared to September 2008.
US Facebook Users By Age and Gender
With the rapid growth amongst older users, the majority of US Facebook users are now over 25. There are now 6 million users 13-17, 19.5 million 18-25, 13.4 million 26-34, 9.7 million 35-44, 4.6 million 45-54, and 2.8 million over 55. In other words, there are more Facebook users 26-44 than 18-25 today.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Lexus Backs First Consumer-Customized Magazine
THIS is very cool, and quite possibly the future of the publishing business.
They already have all the content, why not re-purpose it in a fun and dynamic way?
Lexus is sole sponsor and advertiser of a new effort with Time Inc., and American Express Publishing (AEP) that constitutes what the companies say is the first-ever consumer-customized magazine.
The magazine, called Mine--with the tagline "My magazine, My way"--comprises content from Time Inc. and AEP brands consolidated in a free, personal, customized magazine.
Starting this week, consumers can go to Timeinc.com/mine and choose content from five of eight select titles: Time, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Money, InStyle, Golf, and Travel + Leisure. They can get the magazine either as a limited-edition print format or online, and also receive news, information, and entertainment alerts through a customized widget or mobile application via RSS feeds.
They already have all the content, why not re-purpose it in a fun and dynamic way?
Portfolio: Meltdown, A Marketing Opportunity
Jeremy Dann has penned an excellent piece for Portfolio.com where he interviewed Dominique Hanssens, the marketing chair at UCLA's Anderson School of Business. This is the most pertinent excerpt from the interview:
Dann: What are some companies that have “upped the ante” during down times?
Hanssens: You can easily point to examples of companies who have done successful innovations—new products and so forth despite the fact that these were launched during a recessionary period. The big growth period for Microsoft in the 1990s, when they went from being big to being a giant, coincided with the early ‘90s recessionary years. They had a lot of new value to offer with their products and were not afraid to get behind them with very aggressive marketing. A current example, if you accept the premise we are currently in a recession, would be Apple, which has been very aggressive with its iPhones and is doing spectacularly well, despite some negative news about the overall economy.
Read the rest of the story here.NYT Video
This is a worthwhile video about three small businesses in the NYC area, and how business is slowly getting back to normal for them.
The long Winter is winding down...
Just got back from a four day trip to Las Vegas, working the Mopars at the Strip car show for Hotchkis Performance. It was an interesting experience. Someone on a forum described this show as a "Star Trek Convention for Chrysler fans", and that seems to be the most fitting description I've heard. The three day event features drag racing, road racing, a car show, a swap meet, live bands (including members of Journey and Santana) and more, all catering to the Chrysler faithful.
I've never attended the show before, and was struck by the community that supports it. This was not like a typical Good Guys car show. Mopar (that stands for MOtor PARts, a Chrysler name) fans are fiercely loyal to their brand and their community, and by and large they are not wealthy high-rollers commissioning the construction of big buck show cars. These are hard working middle class Americans. Many of the people who showed up at the event came long distances, and are clearly stretched thin by the economy, but they came anyway.
I know the tough economic times have hurt a lot of people in this country and around the world. Some may think it trivial to focus on a big car show when thousands are losing their jobs - but I think its just the opposite. American have been sucked into the media-blitz of never ending bad news, and as a country we need to collectively lighten up. Go to a car show, attend a local game if that's your thing.
Most of the manufacturers and retailers I know are struggling but surviving. A few are thriving. Those who have the vision to continue marketing and reaching out to the core consumers that are still spending will emerge from this mess bigger, stronger and with a broader customer base than their competitors. To quote Harvey Dent, "The night is darkest before the dawn."
I've never attended the show before, and was struck by the community that supports it. This was not like a typical Good Guys car show. Mopar (that stands for MOtor PARts, a Chrysler name) fans are fiercely loyal to their brand and their community, and by and large they are not wealthy high-rollers commissioning the construction of big buck show cars. These are hard working middle class Americans. Many of the people who showed up at the event came long distances, and are clearly stretched thin by the economy, but they came anyway.
I know the tough economic times have hurt a lot of people in this country and around the world. Some may think it trivial to focus on a big car show when thousands are losing their jobs - but I think its just the opposite. American have been sucked into the media-blitz of never ending bad news, and as a country we need to collectively lighten up. Go to a car show, attend a local game if that's your thing.
Most of the manufacturers and retailers I know are struggling but surviving. A few are thriving. Those who have the vision to continue marketing and reaching out to the core consumers that are still spending will emerge from this mess bigger, stronger and with a broader customer base than their competitors. To quote Harvey Dent, "The night is darkest before the dawn."
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