Every business is trying to adjust to the new era of media, instant access through Twitter and other social media outlets. Major League Baseball is an entity that has actually done a very good job of harnessing the power of the internet.
Their MLB At-Bat app is the number one sports streaming site. That success has added to the already rich coffers of baseball team owners. But Major League Baseball's oldest franchise, the Cincinnat Reds might still be struggling on the uses of digital media. Well, at least their second year manager Bryan Price.
Price blew up at 'beat writers' for his baseball club, upset that they were reporting on personnel changes. In one case, the reporters were announcing a change in the roster even before Price had a chance to break the bad news to the player being sent back to the minors.
The five minute and thirty four second rant featured several f-bombs and some creative ways to describe animal waste. While this rant was very good, it wasn't the best in baseball history. That still belongs to former Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia.
While we can laugh at a crazy baseball guy who was frustrated by poor performances from his team, I do believe there is a media lesson to learned here. If a reporter is talking to you, even if they are really friendly, remember they have a job to do. And that job is to find out information that people want to know about you and your organization, and report it.
Perhaps someone should tell that to Price. Here is one of his quotes from the rant: "Your job is not to sniff out every f****** thing is about the Reds and f****** put it out there for every other f****** guy to hear. It's not your job."
Actually Bryan, it is.
Long gone are the days of beat reporters not telling all they see. Babe Ruth got away with that, President Kennedy got a way with that too. But that was long before social media made everyone a reporter, and breaking news 24 hours a day.
Being combative with the media is rarely successful. Partner with them, and while they won't bury news for you they will often work with you to make sure things run as smoothly as possible. Any company spokesperson needs to be trained on the latest in social media; how it works but also why things happen the way they do.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
How did the newspaper industry lose its classified advertising business to such an ugly, scam filled site like craigslist?
In sports, there are times when the underdog wins the game and you can't help but wonder, "How in the world did they ever win?" In the newspaper world, I sometimes can't help but say that very phrase when it comes to craigslist.
craigslist.com is the absolute leader when it comes to private party classified advertising, items for sale by an individual. Look at any newspaper today at the classifieds section, if they have a section and you'll see a mere fraction of what it use to be. Those tiny classified ads were great revenue for the newspaper industry, but maybe more importantly great readership for the publications.
The free option of craigslist came along, offered immediate publication and often times immediate sales for those items. Not to be hypocritical, I have used this outlet several times with mixed results. I'm not saying it doesn't work, or that there isn't a place for it either. I am still shaking my head that the newspaper lost that segment of business to such an ugly site, filled with scams, escorts and murderers.
Recently, I purchased tickets for Spring Training baseball games in Florida. We had extra tickets, so we decided to sell them at face value online. We used eBay and craigslist to get the word out in the markets that would have interest in those tickets (New York, Detroit and Philadelphia). It took a few days, but we received an offer for one of the sets of tickets via craigslist.
They were sending a money order for the amount requested. All seemed OK until they emailed back, saying they send the wrong amount. They were requesting that I cash the money order and they send them back the difference in another money order. Red flags were flying for me that this was a scam, so I tried to get them to use PayPal. They refused, yet another red flag. This continued on and became apparent to me that this was fraud. The money order arrived, and I took it to the bank asking them to confirm that it was not real. They did, to no ones surprise.
We have since sold the tickets via eBay, and we have a happy ending. But for so many people, craigslist fraud ends with them losing hundreds and thousands of dollars. The internet is filled with stories of people losing money through scammers. The bank I took the check to told me they see people on a regular basis trying to cash bad checks through craigslist deals.
I was dealing with tickets for a baseball game hundreds of miles away. If you're selling locally, you have a much greater chance of not getting taken. Local police agencies, like Boone County Indiana are setting up craigslist Safety Zones to help avoid scams.
Newspapers out priced themselves out of the private party market, showed arrogance thinking that a site like craigslist could come in a take hundreds of millions of revenue away. There are things a local newspaper can do to stay relevant in this part of the business, but it is very very tough.
How in the world did the newspaper industry ever lose to craigslist?
There are things you can do to protect yourself from fraud on craigslist. Check out http://www.infoworld.com/article/2875832/security/how-to-stick-it-to-craigslist-scammers.html for information on how to fight back.
And for the record, avoid transactions with someone calling themselves Matthew Peterson, stigaloom23@gmail.com, phone numbers (609) 447-1278 and (480) 448-8421.
craigslist.com is the absolute leader when it comes to private party classified advertising, items for sale by an individual. Look at any newspaper today at the classifieds section, if they have a section and you'll see a mere fraction of what it use to be. Those tiny classified ads were great revenue for the newspaper industry, but maybe more importantly great readership for the publications.
The free option of craigslist came along, offered immediate publication and often times immediate sales for those items. Not to be hypocritical, I have used this outlet several times with mixed results. I'm not saying it doesn't work, or that there isn't a place for it either. I am still shaking my head that the newspaper lost that segment of business to such an ugly site, filled with scams, escorts and murderers.
Recently, I purchased tickets for Spring Training baseball games in Florida. We had extra tickets, so we decided to sell them at face value online. We used eBay and craigslist to get the word out in the markets that would have interest in those tickets (New York, Detroit and Philadelphia). It took a few days, but we received an offer for one of the sets of tickets via craigslist.
They were sending a money order for the amount requested. All seemed OK until they emailed back, saying they send the wrong amount. They were requesting that I cash the money order and they send them back the difference in another money order. Red flags were flying for me that this was a scam, so I tried to get them to use PayPal. They refused, yet another red flag. This continued on and became apparent to me that this was fraud. The money order arrived, and I took it to the bank asking them to confirm that it was not real. They did, to no ones surprise.
We have since sold the tickets via eBay, and we have a happy ending. But for so many people, craigslist fraud ends with them losing hundreds and thousands of dollars. The internet is filled with stories of people losing money through scammers. The bank I took the check to told me they see people on a regular basis trying to cash bad checks through craigslist deals.
I was dealing with tickets for a baseball game hundreds of miles away. If you're selling locally, you have a much greater chance of not getting taken. Local police agencies, like Boone County Indiana are setting up craigslist Safety Zones to help avoid scams.
Newspapers out priced themselves out of the private party market, showed arrogance thinking that a site like craigslist could come in a take hundreds of millions of revenue away. There are things a local newspaper can do to stay relevant in this part of the business, but it is very very tough.
How in the world did the newspaper industry ever lose to craigslist?
There are things you can do to protect yourself from fraud on craigslist. Check out http://www.infoworld.com/article/2875832/security/how-to-stick-it-to-craigslist-scammers.html for information on how to fight back.
And for the record, avoid transactions with someone calling themselves Matthew Peterson, stigaloom23@gmail.com, phone numbers (609) 447-1278 and (480) 448-8421.
Monday, February 23, 2015
The history of native advertising as told by HBO's "Last Week Tonight"
As I head to the Mega-Conference in Atlanta this week (big conference for newspaper and online publishers), my goal is to learn more and understand what I already think I know a little better. That might be tougher than it sounds, given the ever changing landscape for publishing and marketing these days.
Native Advertising is a great example. It has been around for us to get taste of what it can be. In some businesses, including mine we have a baseline for revenue that we can now build on for the coming year, hoping to replicate the huge growth we all read about in various publications and websites.
In preparation for Mega-Conference, I have received dozens of notes, calls and emails from current and potential vendors. All of them asking for a few minutes of my time to discuss possible business partnerships. The best one of all of them came from a friend of mine, Paul Camp from Content That Works in Chicago. Content That Works has been trying to get out in front of the native advertising game, and has done a good job so far.
But even Paul and Content That Works won't pretend to know all that there is or where this potential beast is going. And they don't take themselves too seriously either. Check out this roughly 10 minute history and commentary on native advertising, from HBO's show "Last Week Tonight"
Happy Monday!
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Speeding up TV programming to delivery the necessary impressions for advertisers
Many years ago during my radio days, I would substitute host for a popular oldies show "Sunday Night At The Oldies." This was late 1980's and we were still spinning actual records for our music, as compared with digital music libraries that stations have in place today.
When we set up the turntable, the rpm's were actually slightly excellerated. It may have been explained as to why, but I honestly don't remember the reason. As I read today's issue of The Wall Street Journal I am reminded of this practice and may have found out why this was done.
Forward (pun intended) to today, and cable channels are speeding up their programming to fit more commercials. As the cable world continues to fragment, ratings have dropped meaning to delivery the needed impressions, cable networks are having to deliver more ads.
It has been common practice to eliminate or at least limit intro and ending credits. Law and Order normally has a 1 minute 45 second intro, but it is only 24 seconds on cable today. But now programmers are playing with the speed of the actual show.
Does Jerry Seinfeld sound a little high pitched on TBS? Probably so, as they are using this technology to speed up the episode. My favorite example of this is with the Wizard of Oz. The munchkins are already with squeeky high voices. They are using the technology for this movie, making the voices even higher.
As the audience / programming revolution continues, the business side of programming will have to continue getting creative to squeeze out the audience and the revenue necessary.
A couple stories on this topic:
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/speeded.asp
http://www.wsj.com/articles/cable-tv-shows-are-sped-up-to-squeeze-in-more-ads-1424301320 story is behind the WSJ paywall.
When we set up the turntable, the rpm's were actually slightly excellerated. It may have been explained as to why, but I honestly don't remember the reason. As I read today's issue of The Wall Street Journal I am reminded of this practice and may have found out why this was done.
Forward (pun intended) to today, and cable channels are speeding up their programming to fit more commercials. As the cable world continues to fragment, ratings have dropped meaning to delivery the needed impressions, cable networks are having to deliver more ads.
It has been common practice to eliminate or at least limit intro and ending credits. Law and Order normally has a 1 minute 45 second intro, but it is only 24 seconds on cable today. But now programmers are playing with the speed of the actual show.
Does Jerry Seinfeld sound a little high pitched on TBS? Probably so, as they are using this technology to speed up the episode. My favorite example of this is with the Wizard of Oz. The munchkins are already with squeeky high voices. They are using the technology for this movie, making the voices even higher.
As the audience / programming revolution continues, the business side of programming will have to continue getting creative to squeeze out the audience and the revenue necessary.
A couple stories on this topic:
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/speeded.asp
http://www.wsj.com/articles/cable-tv-shows-are-sped-up-to-squeeze-in-more-ads-1424301320 story is behind the WSJ paywall.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
What the Super Bowl taught me about being a better person, stronger businessman
It has been a week since Super Bowl 49. The game was excellent; but for me the halftime entertainment and the commercials were average. But that is not my observation from the big game. I think a lot of people could learn lessons to help better themselves in their lives through some key events that happened.
This is not about Pete Carroll's play calling decision, though I would have run it. I grew up in a family that spouted the Woody Hayes philosophy to passing the football (Hayes was the long time head coach at Ohio State University). Hayes is quoted as saying that when you pass the football, "only three things can happen, and two of them are bad."
This is about Malcolm Butler, the New England Patroit defender who intercepted the Seahawk's pass in the end zone to secure the win for the Patroits. On my drive into work the day after the game, ESPN's Mike & Mike secured what I think may have been one of the first interviews with the newly minted football hero.
What struck me most about the conversation was the path that Butler had taken to get to the iconic game. He didn't get recruited by the big programs out of high school, didn't get drafted once he was done with college and didn't get the mega-signing bonuses that you see and hear about all of the time. Malcom Butler comes from very humble roots, and not that long ago.
The next time you visit a local Popeye's for some chicken, look around. Probably not the place you'd expect to find a Super Bowl champion, but that is where Butler found himself just a few years ago. After two years of high school football in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Butler attend the football powerhouse of Hinds Community College. And he was kicked out, and ended up at Popeye's working part time. Eventually he made his way to West Alabama, a division two football program.
When asked about his path to the Super Bowl, the ESPN announcers asked him if he ever thought that this could happen. His response was something everyone should pay attention to and try themselves. Butler talked about never giving up, and always striving to improve and get to the next level. That obviously applies to football players, but what about for you? For me? Too many times the obstacles in front of us can make it appear that the goal is just too far away, too unobtainable. Working at Popeye's after getting kicked out of school in 2009, it would have been easy for Butler to give up. But he didn't, and climbed the mountain to reach the ultimate in football.
But his amazing story isn't done with that!
In the interview on ESPN, they asked him about the iconic play which is considered by many as the greatest single play in Super Bowl history. Butler told the story of how they have practiced that very play during the week in preparation for the game. In fact, he failed in the practice and the scrimmage team beat him and completed the pass.
It is very important to practice. In sales, very few salespeople role play enough to practice their pitch and learn from their mistakes. But Butler did. The practice taught him what to look for, and he adjusted in the real game and made the catch that brought the championship to New England.
Never giving up and always strive to get to the next level in your personal development. Keep practicing and learning how to do your job or whatever the task right. Make your mistakes in practice so that when the spotlight shines you are ready to sieze the moment.
This is not about Pete Carroll's play calling decision, though I would have run it. I grew up in a family that spouted the Woody Hayes philosophy to passing the football (Hayes was the long time head coach at Ohio State University). Hayes is quoted as saying that when you pass the football, "only three things can happen, and two of them are bad."
This is about Malcolm Butler, the New England Patroit defender who intercepted the Seahawk's pass in the end zone to secure the win for the Patroits. On my drive into work the day after the game, ESPN's Mike & Mike secured what I think may have been one of the first interviews with the newly minted football hero.
What struck me most about the conversation was the path that Butler had taken to get to the iconic game. He didn't get recruited by the big programs out of high school, didn't get drafted once he was done with college and didn't get the mega-signing bonuses that you see and hear about all of the time. Malcom Butler comes from very humble roots, and not that long ago.
The next time you visit a local Popeye's for some chicken, look around. Probably not the place you'd expect to find a Super Bowl champion, but that is where Butler found himself just a few years ago. After two years of high school football in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Butler attend the football powerhouse of Hinds Community College. And he was kicked out, and ended up at Popeye's working part time. Eventually he made his way to West Alabama, a division two football program.
When asked about his path to the Super Bowl, the ESPN announcers asked him if he ever thought that this could happen. His response was something everyone should pay attention to and try themselves. Butler talked about never giving up, and always striving to improve and get to the next level. That obviously applies to football players, but what about for you? For me? Too many times the obstacles in front of us can make it appear that the goal is just too far away, too unobtainable. Working at Popeye's after getting kicked out of school in 2009, it would have been easy for Butler to give up. But he didn't, and climbed the mountain to reach the ultimate in football.
But his amazing story isn't done with that!
In the interview on ESPN, they asked him about the iconic play which is considered by many as the greatest single play in Super Bowl history. Butler told the story of how they have practiced that very play during the week in preparation for the game. In fact, he failed in the practice and the scrimmage team beat him and completed the pass.
It is very important to practice. In sales, very few salespeople role play enough to practice their pitch and learn from their mistakes. But Butler did. The practice taught him what to look for, and he adjusted in the real game and made the catch that brought the championship to New England.
Never giving up and always strive to get to the next level in your personal development. Keep practicing and learning how to do your job or whatever the task right. Make your mistakes in practice so that when the spotlight shines you are ready to sieze the moment.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Super Bowl advertising price tag is about $4.5 million for a :30 spot for the game this Sunday
"If you build it, they will come" is a phrase most closely associated with the sport of baseball, and specifically the movie Field of Dreams. But that phrase is also appropriate when discussing the ever-growing success of football's Super Bowl coming up this weekend.
In good economies and bad, the total amount of advertising spending has had a steady increase year after year. This year will prove to be no different. The NFL has stumbled on an event, #49 this Sunday when New England plays Seattle, that is amazing thing to watch unfold.
The biggest audience, the best creative and the tension of an event combines into a marketers dream. The beauty of the Super Bowl is that the event means different things to different people. For me, the event is the game even if I am an advertising and marketing professional. But for many people, probably the majority that tune in each year, the event is the advertising and creativity on display.
The Wall Street Journal has compiled some great insight on the marketing associated with the Super Bowl. This year, a :30 spot in the game went for $4.5 million dollars. The mix of advertisers has changed over the years, including less automotive this year. There is no shortage of takers for the limited inventory to reach 100 million Americans. Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article written by Steven Perlbert and Willa Plank.
In good economies and bad, the total amount of advertising spending has had a steady increase year after year. This year will prove to be no different. The NFL has stumbled on an event, #49 this Sunday when New England plays Seattle, that is amazing thing to watch unfold.
The biggest audience, the best creative and the tension of an event combines into a marketers dream. The beauty of the Super Bowl is that the event means different things to different people. For me, the event is the game even if I am an advertising and marketing professional. But for many people, probably the majority that tune in each year, the event is the advertising and creativity on display.
The Wall Street Journal has compiled some great insight on the marketing associated with the Super Bowl. This year, a :30 spot in the game went for $4.5 million dollars. The mix of advertisers has changed over the years, including less automotive this year. There is no shortage of takers for the limited inventory to reach 100 million Americans. Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article written by Steven Perlbert and Willa Plank.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Can American consumers not handle an emotional advertising message?
If you go looking for trouble, eventually you are going to find it. This week, people on that quest has focused on McDonald's and a TV ad that they ran last weekend during the NFL games and on the Golden Globes. I was watching the football games last week and saw the ad as it ran. I had a reaction as well, but much different than those seeking controversy.
Click here to view and decide for yourself!
The TV spot in question showed a montage of McDonald's restaurant message signs, and the messages that they have conveyed over the years with a children's choir singing "Carry On" in the background. Most were very personal and touching, but a few placed focus on national tragedies. "We Remember 9-11" and "Boston Strong" were two that people found offensive.
Not only did I not find it offensive, I found it to be a moving tribute. I recall thinking at the time that this was McDonald's 2015 version of the classic Coke commercial "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing". Very positive, and a great branding commercial.
American's are funny about TV commercials. Perhaps we want to be moved to buy something but do not want to be moved emotionally. Is that possible? Sexual content is commonplace in commercials in Europe and Australia, but largely taboo in the U.S. And now a simple image within a McDonald's commercial is too much for some.
The AP's Candice Choi did an article about the reaction. You can get more details at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-walks-fine-line-signs-170028992.html
Click here to view and decide for yourself!
The TV spot in question showed a montage of McDonald's restaurant message signs, and the messages that they have conveyed over the years with a children's choir singing "Carry On" in the background. Most were very personal and touching, but a few placed focus on national tragedies. "We Remember 9-11" and "Boston Strong" were two that people found offensive.
Not only did I not find it offensive, I found it to be a moving tribute. I recall thinking at the time that this was McDonald's 2015 version of the classic Coke commercial "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing". Very positive, and a great branding commercial.
American's are funny about TV commercials. Perhaps we want to be moved to buy something but do not want to be moved emotionally. Is that possible? Sexual content is commonplace in commercials in Europe and Australia, but largely taboo in the U.S. And now a simple image within a McDonald's commercial is too much for some.
The AP's Candice Choi did an article about the reaction. You can get more details at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-walks-fine-line-signs-170028992.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)