Another R.I.P...

D***... this is becoming a regular Obit Column.

Despite carrying the digital torch for over ten years now - this is one particular demise that I will definitely mourn.

There are certain print titles that you will always miss. And these are print titles - whose Digital avatars sometimes don't come close to the paper and ink versions.

The wake is for the Far Eastern Economic Review - a long-time favorite.

Dow Jones & Co. said it plans to close the Far Eastern Economic Review, bringing down the curtain on the 63-year-old magazine as the company redirects resources to its other news outlets in Asia.

The website also will vanish. The archives however will be available through asia.wsj.com. Amen!

Another R.I.P...

From the New Yorker. R.I.P, MJ.

Digital: The future of marketing

There isnt enough paint in the world - that can gloss over the essential truth that is glaring out from every conceivable wall.

If you can't read it, then you are not just blind, but terminally so.

Here's the CMO of one of America's retail successes both in the online and brick and mortar worlds talking about it.

Agency Credentials

About 415, 500 people have already seen this. Which means it is no longer News. But as old news goes, this is great stuff - so I think still worth talking about.

The video is how Boone Oakley present their agency credentials.

Wonder how many pitches, this actually set in motion.

Social Media for Publishers

Ok - so you are a publishing house yourself and spend millions of bucks trying to put content together in the hope that it is going to appeal

to enough people who will take thetrouble to come to your website or buy your magazine or your book so that you can you can make enough

money to pay those huge salaries to all those people you have employed who are sitting there producing that content that you hope will bring

in those audiences from whom you can can make enough money to ..... all right you get the picture.

Now here's a O'REilly webcast / webinar on exactly how to harness the power of Social Media and how it is affecting Publishers of all ilk.

Tweeting for the Corporation

A nice, small piece in NYT on managing time and resources when you use platforms like Twitter to keep customer relationships on an even keel.

The article profiles Bonnie Smalley, a "human customer service rep" for comcast - who uses Twitter mainly to reach out to customers seeking to talk to the company. She does it so well that she was blocked by Twitter for handtyping too many tweets in one hour.

She explains how she stays on top of the game - and gives some useful tips - among them" Don't let the web rule you'.

Read on for some really useful tips.

The Hindu gets it - this time!

For a media giant - the Hindu, in my observation, has always been slow to get technology and new media.

But for the Budget 2009 - they did. And surprise, surprise - no one else did.Not Indiatimes, not Rediff, not Sify.com.

The Hindu had an embedded live feed application called CoveritLive (from Coveritlive).

A nifty piece of software, the live text feed was instantaneous and continuous - no interruptions, no breaks. Well done!

And on Coveritlive itself, this is what the page titled Pricing says: "CoveritLive costs nothing to use. So, if you are a niche blogger: you get enterprise class software at no cost to you. If you work at a massive news organization that usually pays tens of thousands of dollars for quality software: "free" does not mean "flimsy". Try the software today and imagine the opportunities it can create for you."

Hmmm... one to watch, I am sure.

Top Spend = Top of Mind

Coke and adidas got top scores at the Beijing Olympics according to a study by Mediaedge:cia - done thro the Global Market Insight.

The study however was not done at a global level - but restricted to the Chinese Market - "online interviews of some 1,000 residents of Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou during one week in April and one week in August".

To quote from the report:

"Coca-Cola, which spent between $75 million and $90 million on its Chinese Olympic sponsorship, boosted awareness of its brand among respondents from 28% in April to 50% during the Games.

How?: Coke tripled its monthly spend in the six weeks leading up to the opening ceremony.

Mediaedge:cia says Adidas spent $250 million on its complete Olympics sponsorship and advertising but that Adidas and competitor Nike, not an official sponsor, got the same level of brand awareness--16% and 11%, respectively. But by August, Adidas grew Chinese consumer awareness to 38%, while Nike only raised its awareness to 18%. Why?: Adidas's success was a result of on-screen presence through branded clothing and consistent Olympics-related advertising in the six months prior to the Games.

The article also quotes Jon Wright, director of MEC MediaLab APAC: "If brands want to maximize the return of their sponsorship, they need consistent, integrated advertising strategies. There are six months from the torch relay to the end of the Games, and our research has shown that the brands that succeed are the ones that continually keep their advertising and sponsorship fresh and engaging for consumers."

Is anyone tracking the global impact of spends of about $75 - $100 million by these brands? Obviously, China being the fastest growing and one of the largest markets notwithstanding, those $$$s weren't spent just for a Chinese audience.

Quick: what's your phone number?

Can't remember it?

Well, apparently neither could 1/3rd of under 30s surveyed by neuroscientist Ian Robertson for a research on human memory loss.

And blame it on those tiny squares of wired silicon that we all carry around in our pockets and laptop bags. We have as the author of the article in Wired, points out - outsourced information storage to the seemingly-more-capable machines, what author Cory Doctorow refers to as our 'outboard brains'.

An interesting piece. Made me want to sit and recite all the nursery rhymes I learnt as a kid, but somehow cant seem to remember any more. Read the full article here

Image credit: Illustration: Luke Hayman/Pentagram, with Darrow

UK Newspapers: Showing the way

Coincidentally, the story i picked to write my way back into the blogosphere, is a continuum of my previous post on Newpapers.

This story on adage talks about how UK newspapers are experiencing growth worldwide - on the internet. The article quotes some relevant statistics - percentage growths in pageviews, unique visitors and of course - the all important ad dollars.

The Times has spent $20 million relaunching its website, the Telegraph reinvented itself as a "multiplatform content provider," and the Financial Times launched an integrated print and online newsroom.

But the overriding pointer for Newspaper brands and magazine brands is still this: if you are a brand who is trusted, don't be afraid to shift mediums. Audience-loyalty is not to the paper the news is printed on, but to what the brand stands for and the role it plays in their lives.

Another side-light is this line" British media content is respected around the world". At least as far as news content goes - it still has no equal.

The death of paper - and the birth of ... what?

Everyone agrees. News as we know it - and news as most of the world still gets it today - is dying.

Warren Buffett has this to say: "The present model - meaning print - isn't going to work."

And here is what Barry Svrluga, a 36-year-old baseball writer for The Washington Post, has to say: " "If circulation is dropping," and we're trying to figure out how people are going to get their news, who am I to say no to trying out new avenues?" . So, like many journalists today, he has turned platform-agnostic.

Rupert Murdoch has talked about hiring "all the best business journalists in the world" and making The Wall Street Journal free and online only.

And finally Warren Buffet offers another solution: "The ideal combination would be if The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Post had a joint Web site, and you couldn't get any one individually. That, you could sell for a fair amount of money, and it would have one hell of a readership."

So, what will the Newspaper of the future look like? No one seems to know. But everyone agrees - it wont be on paper.

Here's the link to the article - Can the Washington Post survive? on http://money.cnn.com/

Movie marketing goes convenience shopping

Interesting story on a promo for Simpsons, The movie.

Everything from the name of the store to the stuff inside for sale was pure Simpsons.

Twentieth Century Fox, after an arrangement with the chain, chose 7-eleven stores across the US 9 ( a handful) and converted them to the Kwik-E-Mart, the fictional convenience outlet in the animated series The Simpsons.

As the story reports, 'Customers are traveling from miles away to buy KrustyO's brand cereal and Radioactive Man comics. But you don't have to hunt for a Woo-Hoo-flavored Squishee -- 7-Elevens across the nation are stocking all things "Simpsons" related. The Los Angeles Kwik-E-Mart sold out of its "Simpsons" stuff early Monday, and some customers were hauling Buzz Cola out of the Mountain View store by the case. "

And as one customer reportedly said "I like it. I think it's cool" . "I'll probably take the kids and see the movie." Read full story here.

Trump says' I quit' before NBC says ' You're fired!'

It had to happen sooner or later. It happened later. But Donald Trump didn't wait to be called into the board room and be told ' you're fired!'. He quit.
After NBC dropped his show ' The Apprentice', (co-produced by him along with Mark Burnett) off its Prime time line-up, the billionaire-entertainer-real-estate tycoon - decided to pull the show out of NBC.

But the show itself has suffered a series of setbacks - both in terms of advertisers and sponsors complaining of botched-up product placements (check this earlier post) as well as plummeting ratings - losing more than two thirds of its debut season audience. (But I confess - I love those pink ties he wears!)

According to this Reuter's report - Trump will continue to work with NBC on his two flagship pageant shows - 'Miss USA' and 'Miss Universe' .

Got telecom billions? Buy a Football Club

First you sell your stake in the country's biggest Telecom corp. Then you get ousted by the military from your post as Prime Minister. And then you go back to your erstwhile obsession of owning a Premier league team.

Thakshin Shinawatra - he from the land of smiles - is out to get his hands on an English Football Club. This time he is targetting Manchester City. Remember the earlier attempt to buy Liverpool, 3 years back?
Well, this time the exiled premier's band of laywers and accountants are busy doing the due diligence - once it is completed - you just might see a new owner at the helm of Manchester City.
Here In Reuter's Own words

How do you say 'Do no evil' in Chinese?

These days Google execs must come dressed in camouflage fatigues to the office. On one side, the web-mammoth is cutting a wide swathe in traditional media businesses - stealing shark-sized bites off established players. The glint of steely determination unmistakable, behind the facade of ' digital do-gooder'.
On the other hand, like a huge, blundering amateur it is displaying signs of naivete that would put a debutante to shame. The latest fiasco is of course its run-in with the Chinese internet giant Sohu.com and allegations of Grand Theft - of database of results from Sogou - Sohu's chinese-language character transcription engine.

The misdemeanor was discovered when results on Google's Pinyin were fraught with the same errors that appeared on the older Sogou utility. Pinyin is a Latin alphabetic transcription system for Chinese characters. Google Pinyin allows users to type in pinyin to generate Chinese characters.

After the case of the suspicious co-incidence was exposed, Google has apologised - admitting guilt. But with no explanation as to how it got the database or if it intends to remove it from the site.

J&J: With Serious Intent

P&G did it in 2005. Shift spend significantly to online formats. Now J&J follows suit. And overtakes. With 20% of its ad spend going to online and other digital formats - J&J and other big FMCGs are sending a clear signal to the TV networks and their partners in collusion: WE WANT ACCOUNTABILITY.

Adage has a more detailed break-up and background on the J&J move.

But disheartening to see, of course, is the recalcitrance that big Agencies sometimes still show towards embracing the online reality. Efforts to carry over strategy from traditional media campaigns to online and even mobile have been anything but seamless. Disjointed efforts or at best size adaptations of print creatives is the only nod that most big agencies give interactive.

And oh yes, some of them havent heard about Dinosaurs either.

INX Media - an NDTV in the making?

I was jangling the change in my pocket - wondering how much I should bet on the new INX Media taking off into the stratosphere.

Sure, it is run by some of the most successful and respected guys in the media business. Peter Mukerjea. Vir Sanghvi. And some more big names that I am sure will come to light - as the days pass.

The shake-out at Star didn't exactly blow the media business off its foundations - as many thought it would. The market's too big. The memories are too small.

What will decide the ultimate success of any media brand in India - will be getting under the skin of the Indian middle-class intelligentsia.

In India vindication comes in 21" cabinets with a cathode-ray tube at the back. Vindication of what they believe in. Vindication of why they do what they do, everyday. And Vindication, of why their life is the way it is today. They see their hopes, their aspirations, their insecurities, their fears and their little hypocrisies being played out on the box that they all turn to for their entertainment and their information.

In India, a media brand today has to take up their causes. Rattle cages. Yank chains. Fight the establishment. On their behalf. And make outing the truth the philosophy of life at the network.

I look at the style of the gang that runs NDTV (Burkha et al) - militant, activistic, loud, sometimes tasteless - and a huge success at turning the 9 'O clock news into primetime soap. Wearing the mantle of the ultimate crusaders for truth. Willingly lending shoulders that the public can fire over.

And then I think about the contrasting style of TV that I am sure we can expect from INX - with the more suave, laid-back intellectual style of Sanghvi - somehow I see the appeal for INX's News Channel being limited.

But if anyone can finally give NDTV a run for its big money, it is probably going to be these guys. I wait. And I will watch. With a finger on the remote button.

Viacom & Youtube: Tight at the shoulders

The Viacom and Youtube jousting is taking on all the signs of a badly written sitcom with a plot like Saint-Gobain sheet glass. Transparent.

It is - and it is obvious that it is - nothing but a negotiation game with melodramatic moves on Viacom's part - and very phlegmatic and wooden acting on Youtube's.

No matter how hard-nosed, Viacom isn't stupid. They know the favourable fall-out that freely viewed clips on Youtube will have on their program ratings. And Google isn't dumb either - when that ever-elusive-here-now-not-yet online video advertising model finally firms up and rolls out - they know just how many eyeballs content like Viacom's can bring their way.

So, hey, just look away and wait for the dust to settle. You will see the two arm in arm and happily married, yet. Check these links out Business 2.0 Blog & Internet Outsider

P.S: Wanted to post the Viacom logo as well - but was nervous I might get sued. ;-)

Racing Green: Honda F1's true color

No sponsorship logos. No promotinal messages. Instead Honda's 2007 season F1 car is wrapped in a gorgeous piece of artwork of the planet Earth. And Honda may well have rewritten the way corporate sponsorships of sports is handled. Though cynics cant help but comment that the green message is posted on a car that goes 3 miles per gallon.

The big idea? "Climate change is probably the single biggest issue facing the global community, and F1 is not immune from it," says Nick Fry, chief executive of Honda Racing F1. "We believe that F1, with its huge global profile and cutting-edge technology, can play an important role in not only highlighting the issue but also playing our part in developing solutions."

Some details on the initiative are here on the BBC's Top Gear website. And here's the official version from Honda itself: http://www.myearthdream.com. The video is worth a watch.

More happy - Can, Can la!

Every time a Number 2 tries harder Bernbach must be smiling somewhere up there in Advertising heaven. A simple fact of life has become the greatest advertising truism of all time.

Look at what Pepsi is up to now: ( From Adcritic.com) A new tagline. 35 unique can designs. And now, Pepsi's grand rebranding (courtesy of BBDO) is going digital with the launch of a series of interconnected websites from Tribal DDB/Dallas, each tied to individual designs from the "More Happy" campaign's eclectic array of new vessels. "Pepsi's new strategy puts the power in the hands of the users," says associate creative director Matt Smith. "What we did with the sites is create custom experiences that users discover on their own [via URLs on individual cans]. And each experience gives a nod to the cultures that Pepsi is all about, whether it be fashion, technology, sports, entertainment, cars or music."

'This is the beginning' is an interactive site that lets you design Pepsi's billboard at New York's Times Square. Connected to the location by a 'live' camera - it lets you pick stencils and help create the billboard.

SuperBowl Ad fest- hey what's all the fuss for?

Ok. You can watch all the Superbowl ads here. And finally figure out what the heck all the noise is about. I came away disappointed.
And after watching the ads, if you still want to hear what others are saying about them you can click here too.

The Audience Game: Buying Vs Growing

Google bought Youtube. NewsCorp bought MySpace. Now Time buys Fannation.com plus a minority stake in the holding company Sports Technologies Inc.

The trouble with deep-pockets is the short-cut it affords you to making your business bigger. But what this frenzy of M@As in the content space seems to be ignoring is that you are not buying additional manufacturing capacities or getting your foot in the door of new markets. We are talking audiences here - people who live, breathe and most importantly THINK. You may be getting numbers, but you are not getting minds.

So exactly how would Sports Illustrated use this 'bought over' audience? By virtue of the very nature of how they form, communities are closed entities - that share common interests and objectives. And suspicious of all intrusions and their intent.
If SI's intent was to get the attention of these communities, a well-thought through marketing initiative - would have worked just as well. And would have cost a fraction of whatever price it is paying for the website.

For surely, the money that a site like Fannation.com makes - is not exactly going to make the bottomline of SI or Time Inc awash in black ink. And oh yes, besides acquisitions, SI.com could do with some UI clean-up as well.