we are all in the media business

What will the world be like when the media industry is bigger than the oil industry?

I don't think we realize how big a role media is going to play in this millennium. We see images every day. We interact with screens (cell phones, computers, TVs, and iPods) more than we do with faces.

The problem we are going to have is the shift in thinking from media as something we add to our current businesses and lives to the fact that our businesses and lives will be centered around media.

Media is the business we are all in now. Just like customer service was the real business we were in during the past 30-40 years - media is the new business.

In case you are missing my point - you are in the media business or you are not in business. You are communicating or you are bankrupt. That is the core of what commerce is now. Period.

So how does this play out for the average business owner? You need to restructure your company to begin integrating media into the very fiber of what you do. When I talk about media I am talking about education - entertainment and news. These are the three core areas that need to be woven into what you do.

Actually strike that. I am still thinking like the old economy. Don't weave media into what you do. Start with your media business and weave what you do into that. Don't have a media business? Then you aren't in business - at least not much longer. We all better get busy.

are copyrights dangerous to our culture?

My nine month old son Gunnar was fussy the other night. I logged onto YouTube and began clicking on Sesame Street videos from 20 years ago. He loved them. I did too!

A flood of memories came back to me from my childhood and I began to wonder about who owns these original videos. I feel like they are part of my childhood. They are part of my cultural history. I wonder how Sesame Street will respond to this copying of their content and posting to YouTube.

This got me thinking.

For the past 100 years our culture has been played out through the media. We have recorded our modern history and culture through film, television, music, and the internet. Most of this media is currently in the hands of copyright holders that have control over the content. If they prevent the rest of us from making copies we increase the potential of losing this information, entertainment, and history.

mark cuban's thoughts

Mark Cuban always seems to be in the limelight for his opinionated views on the NBA , HDTV, and technology in general. I love reading his blog because he gives great business ideas.

Check out his new idea for reverse internet TV: http://www.blogmaverick.com

ToonTown's new golden age

When The Simpsons came out I was in the beginning stages of high school and my parents were appalled. This “cartoon” had adult themes and language but looked like it was a kids’ show.

My brother and I were not allowed to watch. My home was fairly conservative so we weren’t allowed to watch most things on television targeted for the mainstream. But a lot of my friends came from less conservative homes. They were allowed to watch many of the shows with adult themes and adult language – but not the Simpsons. The problem was not the content – but the context. It wasn’t the message – it was the medium.

Cartoons were seen as shows that children watch. Adding adult elements to a kids’ show was terrible. People didn’t understand that this wasn’t just a kids’ show.

Fast forward a couple decades and we see Hollywood embracing animation like never before. If you thought the 1930’s was ToonTown’s golden age – wait until you look back in ten years. Cartoons are being cranked out – with high quality images and story – fast and cheap. And they are more and more being targeted to adults.

What was once looked at as a child’s medium has now been seen as a viable art form for adults. I credit this breakthrough to The Simpsons. They changed the way we think about cartoons – forever.

Steve Job's brilliance

He may be loved by some hated by others – but he is brilliant.

With the announcement of the new iPhone and Apple TV - I’ve been thinking a lot about Mr. Jobs lately.

What makes Steve Jobs successful is his ability to bring to the masses what they want.

He gave us the desktop computer. Before this computers were for businesses – cost way too much – and were boring. He gave us the iPod. We can now carry our entire music and video libraries around with us wherever we go.

He has now brought us Apple TV. We are now able to watch internet video on our television – in high definition. But the big advance in this technology is what it does to the independent producers. Now as media creators we have the ability to broadcast our content to the world for the cost of server hosting.

A new era is dawning.

apple tv - this changes everything

This changes everything!

okay so go to this link: http://www.apple.com/appletv

This changes everything. Now it is possible to send media from your computer to your high definition TV set. It is just a matter of time for independent TV channels to pop up all over the world.

If you are a content producer – now is the time to ramp up your productions and prepare. This is the year the vodcast goes mainstream.

I am excited about the possibilities.

YOU

I know that the new issue has been out for several days now, but I was listening to Net at Nite on Twit and heard them talking about Time Magazine’s person of the year.

YOU.

The show hosts, Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur were talking about YOU as a cop-out for the person of the year. Amber agues that it should be the YouTube guys. Some others argue, “Time can’t make the person of the year a construct.”

But this is not a construct. Look at the cover of the magazine to get my point. A mirror reflects back the person of the year image.

Not YOU in the sense of everyone - but YOU in the sense of the one person that YOU look at in the mirror every morning. Not a collective YOU - but a personal YOU.

YOU are the reason that YouTube, MySpace, and Wikipedia are successful and have changed the world. Without YOU the social aspect of the internet would not exist.

So - If YOU haven’t picked up a copy of the new issue of Time – go out and buy it.

are you using media? (part 2)

I really can’t see any reason why every business isn’t employing media (video, podcasts, blogs, etc) to tell the world about what they do.

Okay. So you are a manufacturing plant that produces products to sell to wholesalers. You ask, “Why would I need to show anybody what we do here at the plant?”

My answer – “because you can.”

The cost of producing media is so inexpensive and easy that you should be doing it on a regular basis. You are now able to show the world what you could only show a few years ago to a handful of people touring your factory. Why not show them? People will get to see how your products are made and the quality that goes into them.

If you have a customer facing business – media will allow you to reach your customers in brand new ways. Think of video based quick tips that you could compile - or co-host a podcast with other leaders from your industry.

Media is only becoming more pervasive.

So start making media and watch your business grow.

products vs. media

What do people really want?

I was thinking about this over the Christmas holiday. I saw people flying around buying up as many items as they could afford.

We humans love to collect things. We love products. In fact we aren’t called citizens anymore – they call us consumers.

But is this what we really want? How many products end up in the garbage or in the back of our closets a few weeks after December 25?

What we really crave is acceptance and recognition. When we buy new clothes – we are really purchasing the feeling we get when someone notices them. We buy new cars for the same reason. Our iPods tell people something about us.

But we usually buy media for ourselves. Who notices that we purchased Walk The Line on DVD? Who cares that we just downloaded U2 from iTunes? We do. We consume media to please ourselves – not other people.

And how many times do you throw away a DVD or CD? I bet you have CDs from over 10 years ago in your collection. Do you still wear a pair of jeans from ten years ago? I hope not.

Media (music, books, films, even TV shows) has a shelf life that doesn’t expire. In fact the older the media is – the more likely it is considered a “classic.” Yes cars and some other items also get to this status. But not to the level that media does. (Just look at TBS showing “The Christmas Story” for 24 hours straight).

Media makes us feel more. It makes sense of the world. It resonates with us. The world would be a boring place without musicians, artists, storytellers, writers, and filmmakers. In fact using media and communicating clearly is becoming the currency of the new millennium.

We need media in our lives.

are you using media?

How is your business or organization using media?

If you answer “we are not using media” - then why not?

As a business owner you need to fuse together media and marketing for your products and services. No ifs … ands … or … you get the idea.

It’s not enough to have a website with a few photos and testimonials. Not anymore.

Customers want to interact with you through your blog. They want to be educated by your through your audio or video podcasts. And they need to discover you by using viral video and search based advertising.

What?! You don’t have a blog or podcast or do search marketing. Why not? Do you realize the untapped revenue you are missing from not doing these things?

Welcome to the new world of branding and communications. Think branded entertainment - where you and your brand are the marketing. You interact with the customer directly rather than tagging your ad in-between someone else’s message.

So here are five quick tips for creating that compelling marketing message in the new millennium:

1. Create a Story

Everyone loves a story and this creates an identity to what you do. Your story is your content.

2. Make it personal

If you start a blog – make sure it is a person writing the blog - not from “the company.”

3. Give value

Value is not money. It is more than money. Add value by giving the customer information. But not just any bit of information – but useful targeted – contextualized information. This is the most valuable.

4. Pinging & Threading

Keep pinging with little bits of info rather than trying to write an entire article or do a one hour podcast. Keep things short, useful, and to the point. A five minute podcast packed with educational content is better than a longer format. Think – “threads” that weave a “sweater” of branded content.

5. Interaction

Interact with your customers. Turn on the comments of your blog. Get listeners and viewers to comment on your podcast forum. Keep the lines of dialogue open.

Customers have unlimited options for products and services – but limited time, attention, and capacity for choice. To cut through the clutter – businesses need a compelling message beyond the 30 second ad.

But think of it this way. We now have the tools and capacity to communicate in a way we never had before. This is exciting.

Welcome to the new millennium.

Let’s enjoy the ride.

death of the disc

Most things in life are not rocket science. It doesn’t take a mystic to realize that the CD and DVD is doomed. Maybe not this year – maybe not next – but it will happen.

The studios stopped making VHS tapes last year and it is only a matter of time when their little disc brothers get the snub. The Internet will carry the future of entertainment distribution.

Some disagree with this. Mark Cuban (Owner of 2929 entertainment and the Dallas Mavericks) argues that bandwidth will be a problem. But look at how many people said that broadband penetration would be a long time coming and now we are over 50 percent.

So I think the Internet will continue to move forward at a faster rate than we can predict. The question is – as media creators – will we be ready to harness its power?

idiot box

My TV truly is an idiot box. After watching one of my favorite programs (24, Prison Break, or House) I find myself drawn in to just sit there and let the tube flicker for hours on end. Motivation drains from my body and I tell myself just one more hour of viewing and I’ll go do what I need to do.I hate the way it makes me feel. Stephen King calls the television “the glass teat.”

I have come to agree.

So - I’ve been attempting to increase other media in my life. Television has never been a big part of my existence - so it seems pretty easy to wean off it.

I picked up a cheap mp3 player at Wal-Mart and am now listening to several podcasts, audio books, and music. Plus I am trying to read even more. I have always been a huge book worm - but I am really trying to devour books more now. I used to treat books with reverence and keep them clean and mark free.

My view has changed and I now see them as tools. I mark them up - write in the margins – dog ear the pages and underline bodies of key text. I read them in the new millennium style of non-linear. I will turn to chapters I am most interest in. And I have at least 10-15 books in any given month that I am plowing through.

The more I read, listen to podcasts, and write - the more the idiot box doesn’t appeal to me. I find myself motivated to do things. It is wonderful.

While listening to the Twit.tv podcast I learned that several of the hosts and guests don’t even own TVs. They get all their media from the web. They are in control of what they watch. Most of the content is free from commercials. And most importantly it is accessible at any time that makes sense.

It gave me a desire to kill my TV.

I am seriously thinking about it.

All of my favorite shows can be watched on iTunes. When I want - and without commercials.

My only reservation is missing all the Steelers games. I like being an idiot with my box for those. But I will definitely turn off the tube when the season is over.

why john mayer will never change the world

John Mayer keeps ringing through my head lately. His song “Waiting on The World to Change” plays over and over. The tune is catchy and I find myself singing it often.

I love to try and draw parallels between various disciplines. Listening to Mayer, reading a new book called “The Long Tail” and watching the 2008 presidential race heat up has made a connection in my mind today. I, like many Americans my age, agree with Mayer when he represents my generation and says:

it’s not that we don’t care,
we just know that the fight ain’t fair
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

So what if the fight ain’t fair - I think waiting is bull crap!

I know I am jaded. I know I’m cynical about the government. But I think we are aiming at the wrong target. Don’t get me wrong. Voting for the president is important - voting for members of congress is important - but maybe we are looking to the wrong place for change. There is this really big shift in the world – the rise of the micro-niche. cable channels, magazines, satellite radio, books, websites, and even retail outlets have figured out how to capture a niche audience. (see how I brought even this discussion back to medi).

Plus - globalization is on the rise. As the world becomes more global I feel that it will also become more localized. People will crave a “new village” of people, ideas, and access. While some of this localization will be geographic – I see the majority of it becoming driven by people’s niche interests. Myspace, Facebook, Youtube, and Google have made it possible to connect with people on a “local” level organized around common interests rather than location.

So what does this mean for us who want to change the world?

In spite of localization centered around interests – I feel that geographic localization will still play an important role in civic life. We need to look to effect change in our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. This is turn will organically bubble up and effect change at the national level and ultimately the global level. Our personal values, desires, and actions at the local level effect organic change that bubbles up higher. Rather than trying to change things from the top down. Bottom up change is the best change there is.

I know I’m not saying anything profound or new. I know we all know this is the best way to effect change…

…then why don’t we?

…why don’t I?

…why don’t you?

As John waits around– let’s get moving where we can with what we can.

TV Execs & Pitching

I am reading this great book called “Desperate Networks” - talking about the shake up in the network television industry around the turn of the millennium.

The story about Mark Burnett selling Survivor to CBS is one of my favorites. His pitch is what made the difference. He clearly painted a picture and vision for what the show would look like. His pitch was visual and it got the message across enough to make CBS give it a try.

This is the same way Disney would pitch new ideas to sponsors, animators, and executives. His style was detailed and he immersed you in the story that he wanted to tell.

As we think about marketing, PR, storytelling, sales, or negotiation - we need to keep in mind the power of visual presentation. It will definitely change the outcome.

media mania

Media is on the lips of everyone these days.

YouTube has been bought by Google - user generated videos are hitting a critical mass - and people are actually starting to make money in podcasting.

If you are not making media - you will be left behind. Period.