Andy Boyer

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Category: Business (Page 18 of 24)

People, You Cannot Control Social Media

March 31, 2008 /

One of my favorite things to watch is when businesses choose to ignore a technology or shift in human behavior, and honestly believe that if they ignore it well enough, it will simply go away.

We saw this in the music industry, where executives refused to believe that anyone would rather listen to thousands of songs on a device the size of a credit card rather than using a clunky cd player and devoting an entire wall for storing that same music. 

The newspapers were no better, refusing to consider that carrying a dirty glob of paper with old news was less appealing than simply logging on to a computer and getting the freshest info. 

This makes a story Garrett found even more humorous.  The Chicago Sun Times has some sports columnists who occasionally draw the ire of their readers.  Jay Mariotti is one such columnist.  Apparently, people were responding to his articles in a negative way, so the Sun Times made the decision to stop allowing readers to comment on his columns.  You can almost hear the conversation, "Well if we turn off the technology that allows readers to write negative things about Jay, then no one can write anything negative, and we won’t have to worry about it anymore. Problem solved!"

Except of course, that it’s 2008 and the world doesn’t work like that anymore.  Maybe in 1970 that was a good idea.  But nature abhors a vacuum, so if people want to write negative things about Jay Mariotti, and the Sun Times won’t let it happen on their site, the people will find a new home for their vents.

And they have, thanks to crosstown rival, the Chicago Tribune, who have geniusly embraced Social Media by developing a forum where readers can post comments about Jay Mariotti. And for that matter, other Sun Times writers. 

And guess what, two giant ads on the page.

So, you have one paper pretending that taking away the voice of the people would be helpful.   And you have a other that is profiting on the idea of letting people have their say.  By foolishly thinking you can control the voice of the people, you lose all control of the situation, because now you can’t even moderate out the particularly distasteful ones.  And your competitor gets the ad money. 

Lesson to be learned here: No one has 100% approval rating.  The only way to have any control of the situation is to let the people speak on your turf.  

How Would You Market the MLS?

March 29, 2008 /

mls_logo.gifOk, marketers: Here’s your project.

  • A sport with huge appeal to a small niche audience
  • One brand name that is more powerful than the league itself
  • A product that is sub-par in quality in comparisons to similar products in other countries
  • In other countries, history and tradition are built on rivalry and proximity, which your league does not have
  • Established round-the-calendar competition from 5 mega-sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAA FF, NCAA BB) and 5 to 8 mini-sports (NHL, WNBA, Arena, UFC, Golf, Tennis, Boxing, Lacrosse)

Now you see what the MLS is up against.  It’s the equivalent of a European-wide Basketball League trying to compete against soccer in England.

But here’s the thing – For the first time in the 10 or 15 years the MLS has been around, I am actually aware that this is opening weekend.  I actually am somewhat interested in catching a few games.  I am going to be in LA and actually looked to see in the Galaxy or Chivas would be in town.  Why?  Several potential reasons.  Let me know if you can think of others.

  1. jozy.jpgSince Seattle is getting a team next year, i want to learn about the league.
  2. I’m growing tired of the other sports(?)
  3. I’m watching enough English League Soccer, that I recognize more players on more teams, some of whom who played in the MLS.
  4. I’m following the US National team enough, that I want to see them play a few times on their MLS teams.
  5. Fifa 08 for Xbox has consumed enough of my leisure time, that I want to see who these guys really are.

Anyway, the point is that I am fully aware that this sport has HUGE marketing and logistical issues in front of it, but I am slowly coming around.  And really, I’m the sweet spot for their marketing.   A small % of the country would come watch them play in a high school stadium.  And you have a huge percentage of the country that wouldn’t watch if they served free beer and pizza all game long.  But people like me, who spend too much money on the Mariners, who irrationally go to a bar to watch a college basketball game, and don’t think it’s weird to take a charcoal grill out of a pickup truck when there is a restaurant right across the street, we’re the guys the MLS needs.  Sports fans – people who are there for the experience more than the result.  And I’m coming around, even though I know the product will not be as good as one I could see on channel 401.

Anyway, MLS starts up this week.  Take a peek if you get a chance.  And if that doesn’t grab you, start with some EPL and Champions League Games on TV, or even better, at the George and Dragon.   

Does Youth Marketing = Long Term Sales

March 29, 2008 /

NikePremierClub_03_black.jpgNow this may or may not have existed when I ws a kid, but today there are exclusive soccer academies for youth players, boys and girls.  I was talking to a parent of one of a player in one of these elite programs last week, and fascinated by all the expenses.  Monthly dues for coaches salaries, several hundred dollars for travel, and sveral hundred dollars for a complete kit.

The kit is what made me laugh (in soccer a uniform is called a "kit").  Home and away jerseys and shorts, practice kits, 5 pair of socks, warm up gear, sweatshirt, jacket, bag, etc…and they all are NIKE.
 

Furthermore, don’t even think about showing up onany field with your team in anything other than Nike.  Let’s say by chance, as you are putting your socks on, you rip a giant hole in the heel and toe.  So mom runs down to the local sporting good store to get you some new socks.  If they don’t have Nike socks, you will not get to play that day.  That goes for games and PRACTICE. No Nike, no play.  (Thankfully, for safety reasons, shoes are a player’s personal preference.)

nikeball.jpgNow, I get what Nike is doing.  They must provide some equipment or something to the program, and in return, this academy becomes a running, shooting, tackling billboard all over the state.  But I have to wonder if it’s effective.  If kids see Nike as a "uniform" that they have to wear (and buy), is it the same as "choosing" to wear something?  When they get older, will they choose Nike because it is ubiquitous in their mind with "Soccer gear" or will they choose another brand that represents "going against the grain" and "not what your mom made you wear for soccer."  And the other teams, the ones who get beat 8-0 but this Nike wearing machine, does that leave them with a feeling that they want to wear Nike as well?  Or does it make them mad that Nike is sponsoring kids that aren’t them.  

I’d love to see research into this.   

March Madness Ads, Hour 18

March 21, 2008 /

Ok, so I am justifying my near addiction to watching March Madness by doing “research” on national TV ads running non-stop on CBS.  Now while they are all interesting the first time you see them, here are my reviews 18 hours in:

1) The “What does your creative team actually do all year?” Award – Enterprise Rent-A-Car:  Seriously guys, who’s sleeping with the head of the agency you are using for these predicatble, lame ads.  Your as are on ike 20 times a game.  And there’s a hand written sign that says, “Repair Shop” in frame in case we can’t figure out why there is a mechanic working under a hood. You’ve been doing these ads for 10+ years, spend a couple bucks and get a real creative team.

2) The “Thanks for The Cool Highlights, Do You have Anymore” Award – Again, Enterprise.  4 or 5 awesome college highlights.  But only one spot?  You can’t find another 40 or 50 cool highlights and splic ethem together so I get new highlights all the time?  Please?

3)  The “Best New Ad Tagline I Remember So Far” Award: I dig the new AT&T ad where everyone says hello in a different way.

4) “Best use of a Single Letter” – I can’t remember which car the are promoting, which is a problem, but the visual concept of a world without the letter H is clever.

5)  “Second Favorite” – The Bud Light “Dude” campaign.  It works because you get it whether the sound is on or off.

6) “Favorite Ad” – This ad isn’t exclusive to the Tourney, but I love the Nike Sparq, “My Better is Better than your Better” campaign.

Other Ads I have positive feelings toward:  I think I remember liking the CBS shows (Brittney Spears on next week), DiGiorno, Papa John’s and State Farm.

Sunday Aternoon Additions:

  • Ok Enterprise, your ads just get more annoying with every watching…
  • Why does State Farm think it’s cool for a groom to be wearing tennis shoes?
  • I’m almost compelled to join the Marines or Army.
  • I’m also getting ready to jump on Rhapsody and listen to the Apple Air theme song in its entirety.
  • Finally, the Saturn ads make me laugh every time.

In conclusion, I guess I don’t understand enough about brand marketing and TV ads to know why you would buy and entire weekend worth of ads, playing for people who will see them over and over again, and not really spend a lot of time or money on top-notch creative.  Congrats to the companies who put in the effort.

 

“Stuff White People Like” Gets Unfair Criticism

March 20, 2008 /

A few weeks ago, a friend pointed me to a blog called "Stuff White People Like." If you have a sense of humor and can understand wit and sarcasm, you’ll find the site hilarious.  White people making fun of all the stupid things white people do.  Instant classic.

It’s also obvious that it’s just a site where a few guys like you and I started writing a few gags for friends and family, and it kind of went viral.  The site is still hosted on the WordPress.com domain, meaning they don’t even make any ad revenue on it.  It’s just people writing because they like to write, like most of the other 40 million blogs out there.

Well maybe they are a victim of their own success.  Or maybe the whole race issue has really gotten out of control.  But a Houston Chronicle article says, "Race-related Blog Causes Controversy." The article gos as far as to say, "It’s the latest in a string of racially charged blogs that act as a virtual shrink’s sofa for those tackling the tricky topics of race and class.’

Good god.  Are you kidding me?  When did white people making fun of white people become "racially charged."  The article’s author, Corilyn Shropshire, is really stretching when she makes claims that the site is anything more than what normal, well-adjusted people would find funny.

Check it out and tell me if you disagree. 

Pity the Poor Guy Running the Wyoming Caucuses

March 5, 2008 /

Think about this.  As long as Wyoming has been a state, it hasn’t mattered one iota what happened in their caucus.  Heck, a caucus was simply a reason to get together in March and have a few beers and celebrate the coming spring. 

It’s not a knock against them, it’s just nature.  Being Wyoming, they couldn’t risk having a caucus in the middle of a January blizzard.  And since barely anyone lives there, no candidates were coming to visit anyway.  So they put some guy named "Joe" or "Steve" or "Sam" or something in charge of making sure ballots got printed.  And Joe or Steve or Sam had to call a bunch of buddies, or just the same people from 4 years ago, and find a few houses willing to throw a few caucuses.

But not this year.  All of a sudden, Wyoming’s 12 little delegates matter.  And now you have a whole bunch of guys named Jack or Jim or something calling Joe saying, "Uh, I only have room in my living room for 12 people.  On the latest evite, it says 237 people are coming…"

As my friend described it, it’s like being the kid in school who forgot about his science project, grabbed 5 leaves from outside and taped them to construction paper, only to find out everyone has to present in front of a live televised audience, and Hannah Montana and LeBron James are the judges. 

Look at Texas, where the Democratic Party had weeks to see that there would be a huge turnout.  Yet you have the biggest mess ever imagined, a caucus that people compared to a rodeo.  You think those guys are the only ones who are going to be stuck with their pants caught in their lassos?

I mean, pretend you volunteered up to run your kid’s Little League tournament, and then 6 months later you find out the other teams will be from Iraq, Dubai, Pakistan, Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia and the US teams will be coached by Brad Pitt, Bono, Rosie O’Donnel, David Duke and Louis Farrakhan.  It’s not your fault.  You aren’t prepared for this.  It just is what it is.

So pity the poor guy running the Wyoming Caucus.   And make sure you tune in.

 

The Fight to Keep the Sonics – A Hero Emerges

February 29, 2008 /

simmons.jpgThe sad story concerning the absolute theft of the Sonics from Seattle by Oklahoma oilmen has gotten almost no publicity to date.  Considering we are the city that launched Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft, RealNetworks, Cranium and Pearl Jam, you would think collectively we might have the phone number of one PR person in town.

But amazingly, for the most part, no one outside of Seattle seems to take note of a very simple story:

  1. In 2006, Oklahoma guys buy team that’s been in Seattle for 41 years  A team that plays in a 17,000 seat arena, in the middle of downtown, that was renovated 10 years ago.
  2. New owners demand $500 Million new arena from taxpayers, an arena that would cost more than the 70,000 seat football stadium and 47,000 seat retractable roof baseball stadium.
  3. City tells Oklahoma City guys to stick it.
  4. Oklahoma guys claim they can’t be successful in Seattle and announce they have remarkably found a city willing to take the team – in Oklahoma City.
  5. Local Billionaires who were asleep at the switch in 2006 say they will buy team to keep it in Seattle.
  6. Oklahoma guys, who now have Kevin Durant and six 1st round draft picks in the next 3 years, tell the local Billionaires to stick it.
  7. David Stern looks at Seattle fans, and tells them to stick it.  Then stick it again for good measure.
  8. Everyone acknowldges the only question is whether they leave in 2008 or 2010.

Thankfully, one national reporter has taken up the cause.  And the amazing thing is, he is the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, as influential as any writer in sports today.  His letterbag column is a must read, and carries with it the potential that NBA fans from across teh country could tell David Stern, "Hey, this isn’t right.  I support the Pistons, but damn if I’m going to support a league that will let some oil baron rape and plunder a 41 year old legacy."

So please, read Bill Simmons.  Send an email to thank Bill Simmons.  Join the Bill Simmons Facebook Group.  Send the Bill Simmons column on to your friends.  Blog about Bill Simmons.  Because this Bostonian has emrged as the only sportswriter who seems to care that the Sonics belong in Seattle.  

Digg the Bill Simmons article here.

Dirty Rotten Comcastic Scoundrels

February 27, 2008 /

Net Neutrality is a term that isn’t sexy enough to get the iTunes, MySpace and Facebook crowds excited.  But thankfully, we have a bunch of watchdog technologists keeping a close eye on this.

In a nutshell, as I understand it, Comcast and other Internet Service Providers want to control how fast certain web sites can deliver content.  Think about Web site content as a car.  Right now, every car has access to every super wide highway, and there are no speed limits.  But if Comcast and its friends get their way, they would get to decide which cars get to drive on super highways, and which ones have to drive on pothole filled dirt roads.  They argue this would allow them to control piracy. 

But most others argue that its a way for them to effectively shut down blogs and alternative media.  For example, my blog could be stuck on their "dirt road" list and take 2 minutes to load, effectively stopping anyone from reading it.  They could charge millions o fdollars for super highway access, and only the major media outlets and super corporations would be able to deliver content quickly. It would be impossible to launch a small web business, because your site would take much longer than the established ones.

Since most people don’t follow this too closely, most people don’t really think it’s a big deal.  So here’s evidence that it is INDEED a big deal.  

How big are the stakes in the so-called network neutrality debate now raging before Congress and federal regulators?

Consider this: One side in the debate actually went to the trouble of hiring people off the street to pack a Federal Communications Commission meeting yesterday—and effectively keep some of its opponents out of the room.

Broadband giant Comcast—the subject of the F.C.C. hearing on network neutrality at the Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts—acknowledged that it did exactly that….

Be sure to read the whole article on Portfolio.com.  Very shady, very corrupt, and an indicator of the lengths Comcast and others will go to  control what web sites you have access to. 

A Web Show About Web Celebrities

February 27, 2008 /

A few months ago I was at Blog World Expo in Las Vegas, and I was amazed at the cult icon status some of the influential bloggers had achieved.  It was really quite cool to see these bloggers in person, and to see them interact with their readers.

So now we see the rise of a new web startup based on this phonomenon.  You have your tech moguls like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.  You have your giants without household name recognition like Larry Ellison, Sergei Brin and Jerry Yang.  And then you have your web celebrities who are really only famous inside the Web 2.0 community.  And darnit, these guys deserve press as well.

This is the theory behind Pop17.com a webcast dedicated to the semi-stars of Web land.  So if you have your Andy Warhol 15 minutes of tech fame scorecard, you can now add the hosts and writers of this webcast to the list of semi-celebrities who all of us in this alternative world love.  Please someone create, "The making of Pop17.com – Behind the Show."

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