Brindle Media

Archive for the ‘Branding’ Category

Last week, Fareed Zakara interviewed Sony Chairman Howard Stringer on CNN. During their discussion about the impact on Japan’s economy of the recent disaster, Stringer also discussed SONY’s mistakes in creating products for vertical vs horizontal platforms. The conversation offers some useful perspective about platform thinking in the 21st century.

The internet has certainly made researching a topic, company or individual easier but, if you’re like me, you still encounter a lot of stumbling blocks. Ann Smarty offers some very useful advice in this blog about Advanced Social Media Search
http://mashable.com/2011/03/25/advanced-social-media-search/

I’ve never used Google Adwords and, to be honest, feel a bit daunted by the process. Here’s a good primer from Matt Silverman:
http://mashable.com/2011/03/27/google-adwords-tips/

I’m not a member of Rotary but my wife was once president of a local chapter and I have a lot of respect for the work that its members do. One of the missions of the International Rotary organization is to help eradicate polio. Here’s their latest :60 PSA

In a recent article in The Sunday Times Magazine, Jon Bon Jovi is quoted as saying: “Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it. God, it was a magical, magical time. I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am, and you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: ‘What happened?’. Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.”

Former record label promotion executive and music industry blogger responded in his weekly blog to Bon Jovi’s comments with an open letter. Here are some excerpts from Steve’s letter:

“Dear Jon:
You’ve been making records a long time. In fact, when you had your first Billboard chart hit in 1984 (“Runaway,” which peaked at #39) CDs had already been in the retail music market two years.

Funny thing about CDs, I don’t ever remember any artists I worked with at the time complaining about the hefty royalty checks they were receiving as their catalog(s) were released in the new format and sold millions all over again. Not a one. Nope. It was a good time for the labels and all their artists as billions were generated in revenues just from re-releasing older albums on CD.”

You can read Steve’s entire letter at http://stevemeyer.webs.com/

So, what do you think? Do you agree with Bon Jovi or with Steve Meyer’s assessment of this situation?

In a recent blog, radio consultant Fred Jacobs notes that advertising agencies may finally be readjusting their thinking about the value of consumers aged 55-64 year old.

“The demographic targets may finally be reacting to the Baby Boom generation. If that sounds totally counter-intuitive, the fact is that agencies essentially stopped thinking once they cemented the 25-54 target in place more than two decades ago.

The Boomer train continues to move, and those over 55 are abundant and a whole lot different than fiftysomethings of just a generation or two ago.

As David Poltrack, head research maven for CBS, points out in a recent Hollywood Reporter article, “The fact is an affluent 58-year-old is certainly more valuable than a 22-year-old who is just getting by.”
As TV demos age – the primetime average is now 51 – there’s a certain logic to advertising targets aging with them. As the Hollywood Reporter notes,Tom Selleck and Kathy Bates are winning in prime, while Classic Rocker Steven Tyler is reinventing American Idol.”

Duh!!

I remember having conversations with agencies about older consumers back in the early 1980s. Historically, the agencies used young adults in their early 20s to make decisions about the value of older consumers and there was a tendency to attribute irrelevant information about the buying habits of previous generations to modern consumers. Thirty years later, now that those 20-somethings are now 50-somethings, it’s nice to see that agency thinking is starting to change.

You can read Fred Jacobs excellent blogs at www.JacobsMedia.com

The March 7th edition of Time magazine features a cover story about pain management and discusses how the new medical concept that chronic pain is a disease of the central nervous system is impacting the approaches that science and medicine are taking to help provide relief.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2057269,00.html

Time also discusses non-pharmaceutical approaches using alternative treatments to ease pain including acupuncture and massage therapies. While reading these articles, I started thinking about about my daughter’s current project for her U.S. History course in which she’s researching PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and how it’s been viewed and treated in the context of various combat situations: The Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea , Iraq and Afghanistan.

It also reminded me of a technique which I’d just learned about called “Tapping” which, in my admittedly primitive understanding, combines a mash-up of massage and acupuncture theories. “Tapping” is a term being used to describe EFT (Emotional Freedom Therapy) which was originally created by Gary Craig. This 19 minute video on the Stress Project site features vets from Vietnam and Iraq who suffer from PTSD and who have employed this therapy. I don’t doubt that you’ll be moved when you watch it.
http://www.stressproject.org/

EFT originator, Gary Craig retired in 2010 & transferred resources to the EFT Universe site. Craig warns about watered down or bastardized versions of EFT as “tapping” or “meridian tapping” therapies. You can see more details here.
http://www.eftuniverse.com/

The concept makes a certain amount of intuitive sense to me but I would need to explore it more fully. You can judge for yourself.

In the meantime, to quote Monty Python, “Now for something completely different”.

Digital media specialist and consultant, Shelly Palmer recommends that we fund PBS for just 3 more years and then cut them out of the budget. His argument centers around digital trends, not politics and whether or not you agree it’s an interesting read:
http://www.shellypalmer.com/2011/03/public-broadcasting-needs-three-more-years/

Some items in the news which I think are relevant to our 21st Century
Boomer Experience.

Tablets are the hot new device in the social media world. Although I didn’t really want one, I received a Kindle as a Christmas present this year and, truth be told, the benefits of using it aren’t yet apparent to me. Since US News & World Report has ceased producing hard copies of the magazine, I do load the digital version of my subscription onto the Kindle but then I forget to read it. I’ve also loaded several ebooks which have been sitting unread in my PC files for ages. I haven’t read those either.

Nevertheless, like smartphones, tablets will become a more ubiquitous part of the Boomer lifestyle in coming years so it’s a good idea to stay abreast of new developments and improvements in the technology. Apple’s iPad 2 becomes available on March 11th. Here’s a review from Engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-first-hands-on/

The fervor and passion of today’s teens and young adults remind me of Boomers in the late 60s and early 70s. For instance, this story about using social media to keep women safe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/business/01road.html?_r=1

Remember the slogan, “Ford Has A Better Way” ? Bill Ford Jr. spoke yesterday at the TED Conference about his vision for your driving experience in the future:
http://mashable.com/2011/03/02/bill-ford-jr-ted-talk/

If you run across a story which you believe might be interesting to fellow Baby Boomers, feel free to email it to me at BrindleMedia@gmail.com.

Either because they’ve chosen to retire or because they’ve been eased out of companies into an involuntary state of unemployment, many members of the Baby Boom generation who still want to pursue productive careers have become entrepreneurs and started their own small businesses.

If you’re one of those Boomers who I’ve just described, I thought that you might find the information below interesting:

If novelty drives attention, perhaps you’ll find an idea here that inspires you http://mashable.com/2011/03/01/video-business-success/

For years, there’s been an adage in the marketing community that older adults are brand loyal and aren’t worth the energy or investment needed to try and persuade them to switch. Of course, many of the people who believe this tend to be in their 20s! It may have been true of preceding generations but I would content that Boomers are a different breed. Although they may not be part of the “early adopter” cohort when it comes to new technology, Boomers aren’t Luddites, either. SmartPhone penetration among Boomers continues to increase so a significant percentage will have access to video on their phones within the next few years and it could become a significant factor for small business as part of the marketing mix.

Similarly, if you have expertise, podcasting (either audio or video) might be a venue to share your knowledge and build your brand. Here are some small business podcasting success stories.
http://mashable.com/2011/02/28/podcast-small-business/

Car & Driver Magazine predicts that internet in-car penetration will hit the 25% mark within the next five years which will make audio podcasts more accessible for drivers. Something to think about as you devise ways to build your brand and “drive traffic”.

Here’s some information that I thought you’d find useful or at least interesting:

BrandSavant, Tom Webster tells us that some radio friends in New Zealand are asking for our help. They’re not looking for monetary donations but are instead asking that we send voice messages of encouragement and support which they can play over the air to help boost the spirits of their countrymen as they cope with the devastation caused by last week’s earthquake.

All you need to do is record a quick MP3 file that gives your name, where you are from, and a short (5-10 seconds) message of hope, to tell the people of New Zealand that we are thinking of them during this very dark time. Please email those .MP3 files to Tom at a special email address he’s set up at : help_nz_audio@fastmail.fm. Tom will make sure he gets them, and that your voices ring out across the Land Of The Long White Cloud.

Skype simplifies cheap overseas calling from any phone.
http://mashable.com/2011/02/25/skype-overseas/

Linkedin Tool Visualizes Profile Updates in Your Network
http://mashable.com/2011/02/24/linkedin-profile-tool/

How music can boost your immune system
http://www.realage.com/tips/how-to-boost-your-immune-system-positive-mental-attitude?eid=1098931007&memberid=22592203

Staying focused is tough especially when you’re a home-based entrepreneur. I never realized how ADHD I was until I left the corporate office world where I had specific work hours , a defined job description and a list of specified daily tasks and responsibilities. Working solo, developing a business from scratch and being based at home leaves everything wide open and undefined. It’s wonderful, exciting and overwhelming. This blog by “Hello, My Name Is Scott” Ginsberg offers some useful advise:

http://www.hellomynameisblog.com/2011/02/how-to-focus-your-face-off.html

Adam Singer writes a digital marketing and PR blog called “Future Buzz”. Although his blog seems targeted at people in the Millenials and GenX’ers, it does contain advice that can be useful to entrepreneurial Boomers. For instance:
http://thefuturebuzz.com/2011/02/22/paid-promotional-tactics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheFutureBuzz+(The+Future+Buzz)

Boomer Authority is a web-based social network for Baby Boomers. The organization has a website named Boomer StrataGEMS which provides useful information like this:
http://www.boomerstratagems.net/2011/02/how-marketers-can-use-mobile-technology.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+Boomerstratagems+(Boomer|StrataGEMS™)&utm_co

Check them out and let me know what you think about these ideas. I’d also be interested to learn what types of information would be of most interest to you!

Research shows that Baby Boomers who are unemployed are much less likely to be hired than other unemployed persons who are younger. So, even when the economy begins to recover in earnest there’s a strong possibility that Boomers will be sent to the back of the line when new jobs become available.

Many Boomers will sit around, complain about the system being unfair and expect a champion to save them. Others will recognize that it’s time to reevaluate their situation, readjust and move forward. The members of that group might be interested in these entrepreneurial small businesses which have been having some success using Facebook as a tool to connect with customers and sell their products.
http://mashable.com/2011/02/21/facebook-commerce/

Eighteen months ago, I inherited my wife’s old BlackBerry and started using it when I was at a convention. Previously, I’d been using an old Nokia as a cellphone just to check messages and to make or receive an occasional call. I didn’t want the outside world to be able to access me during every moment of every day. However, it dawned on me that it would be much easier checking and sending emails from the Blackberry while at the convention rather than lugging around my laptop and searching for WiFi hotspots.

Now, of course, I’m constantly checking email for business and texting with my family. My Blackberry isn’t particularly adept at connecting me with websites and I don’t have the ability to access apps. It seems like it’s time for me to graduate to a more advanced phone.

Many of my friends seem very happy with their Droid smartphones and it does seem like the Droid is replacing the BlackBerry as the phone most favored by traditional business people. The iPhone is favored by creative types and, let’s face it, Apple has been brilliant at positioning the iPhone as the standard by which all other smartphones are judge and at generating all the industry buzz.

But I don’t like to be cavalier when making these kinds of decisions. We became AT&T wireless customers years ago due to an arrangement made by a former employer. Although we live near an airport and the cellphone service near our house is terrible, we haven’t had many problems with AT&T. I’m not sure that switching to Verizon would make much sense or that Verizon’s much vaunted superior service will continue when all those AT&T customers transfer over and clog up the Verizon network.

It seems like there’s a lot to consider and that’s why I found this recent article by Shelly Palmer useful.
http://www.shellypalmer.com/2011/02/how-to-switch-from-att-to-the-verizon-iphone-4/”>