Insider Dublin on 4FM
March 2, 2010 at 10:58 am
I was on the Gareth O’Callaghan show this morning on 4FM talking about the Insider Dublin group on Facebook, user generated content, and ratings sites in general.
Tags: 4fm, facebook group secret dublin, whoseview. ratemyarea
Flashmob Friday – Cirque du Soleil
January 22, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Tags: flashmob friday
Seth Godin on Tribes
January 2, 2010 at 5:26 pm
We are living in a moment which is changing how ideas are created, spread and implemented.
When I was in college, I learned that there were several different types of market power. It started out with the market power of capability – where money or power was where it was at. But that requires ever cheaper labour and faster machines. Then it moved to the market power of persuasion – which is all about the push mentality. Take an average idea and plenty of advertising. Back in the early 1990’s we were taught that the type of market power that would succeed was specific market power – power of trademarks and copyrights. But now I know that is wrong. Power today is all about ideas and leadership.
For we are living in the age of Tribes. Want to know how to succeed in the age of tribes?
- Find something worth changing
- Connect others who think the same
- Lead them and spread the idea.
Simple.
Hear more direct from Seth Godin himself on TedTalks:
Tags: Seth Godin Tribes
Flashmob Friday – Christmas Special
December 18, 2009 at 9:49 am
Happy Christmas! This week’s Flashmob was a couple of weeks ago in Orgeon, started off by a lone girl and I do like the non-cheesiness of the music!
Tags: flashmob christmas
This Is Not A Recession, But A Reset
December 13, 2009 at 2:36 pm
ChangeThis is like a pdf version of TedTalks. It’s on a mission to spread important ideas and change minds. They describe themselves as a ‘bunch of optimists’ who don’t believe humans evolved to be so bad at making decisions, so poor at changing our minds, so violent in arguing our point of view. People with ideas can submit their manifesto – it’s got to be short and to the point. Every so often a round-up of the best ones lands in my inbox. Last week I was moved to read the following manifesto by John Hope Bryant. I’ve copied the main bits and pasted them verbatim in here. If you would like to read the full thing – and I strongly advise you do – you can get it here. But I think this pretty much sums up my preferred way of thinking about the current crisis we are living in.
‘I keep saying that this is not a recession, but a reset.’
Society has a vested interest in “keeping the party going,” even if for only a little while, and even if that means fooling ourselves. With this seemingly insatiable need to “keep the party going,” the pundits start up again with how growth is returning, (some) consumers are spending again, and how financing (for those with an 800, near-perfect credit score) is available again.
Oddly enough, all of this propagating, by extremely intelligent people as well as the average willing consumer alike, is driven by one thing: fear. Fear that the party as we knew it, really is over, and fear that we might actually have to build something that has real and sustainable value. Fear that we may have to do the real work, and offer the real sacrifice, that love requires. Fear that we may have to once again define winners and winning as something other than the guy who makes the most money, accumulates the most power, or dies with the most toys, or worse, the guy who succeeds in fulfilling his own dreams only by trampling on the countless dreams of others. Wining in this vein is by necessity about creating losers, and over the long-term is not winning at all. Fear has the world in its grips these days, and fear is the ultimate prosperity killer.
I believe in a capitalism that goes beyond the question of “what do I get,” and focuses instead on creating real value for self, society and others—through the power of the idea, and a focus on what we have to give.
The world needed a dose of pain in order for it to change.
We will soon have to deal with the reality of a world not in a cyclical recession, but that has been fundamentally reset. If we handle it right, the next 30 years could easily become the most amazing in modern history. As with most things, the tide of history could swing either way. Depending on the decisions we make, and the reality we embrace, the next 30 years could be our best, or it could be the catalyst for 100 years of pure pain, and two generations of suffering—for our children and our grandchildren. It is up to us.
A compelling article in Asia recently confirmed that there are presently 500 container ships sitting idle off-shore of Malaysia today, waiting for orders and shipments that probably will not come. This represents an idling of 10% of the global force of container ships in the world today, and here is what is really amazing: South Korean ship building yards are operating at full-force today, cranking out orders for countless new $100 million container vessels ordered in 2007 and expected to come online in 2010 and 2011.
And to what, where? The Iranian government agency which handles maritime affairs has already indicated that it will not have the money to pay the remainder of what is owed on several new vessels it ordered 2 years ago when the world was different. South Korea put the Iranian vessels up for sale like you and I would do for furniture or clothes we no longer had a place for; a high-end, football-field length yard sale. And so, South Korea’s dream of controlling 40% of the ship building industry in the global economy means that you literally have “fully employed” cities and regions of the country that risk going completely off line in 2010 and 2011 unless we and they come up with a fairly good Plan B.
But instead, we all just keep plowing forward; building ships we have no use for on the right hand, and idling perfectly good ships with no conceivable destination on the left.
Don’t look to China to get us out of this mess. Yes, China is working to grow its own domestic economy and consumer base, but this is not akin to making a morning pop tart, and there are real risks to China in making this transition. If internal Chinese economic growth slows below 6% per annum, and it will, then they will be faced with an entirely new set of serious internal social problems to contend with, and the $3 trillion in cash reserves (the current estimate in China) won’t last long when faced with 1.6 billion not-so-happy people focused on the fact that they are not so happy.
According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), there are more than $1,400 trillion in derivatives sitting off balance sheets in the world today. To put this into context, there is less than $20 trillion in legal cash sitting around in sovereign reserves the world over today. This is not a problem you throw money at.
We will soon have to deal with the reality of a world not in a cyclical recession, but that has been fundamentally reset.
At its core this is not a recession, and it is not a classic economic crisis, but a crisis of virtues and values, underscored and made even more relevant by its global, one-world nature.
I am an optimist, a businessman and a social entrepreneur, and I believe there is such a thing as good capitalism. A version of good capitalism has helped to lift literally hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in China and India already.
Good capitalism helped individuals with a more just vision, individuals such as Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus, give the poor (and particularly women) a hand up and not just a hand-out— in places such as his native Bangladesh—through micro-finance and micro-credit.
Good capitalism and responsible subprime lending (yes, there is such a thing as good and responsible subprime lending), leading to first time homeownership, has done more in the US to lift poor people out of poverty than anything else over the last 50 years. The problem has not been responsible subprime lending, but predatory lending, fraud based lending, preying upon financially illiterate borrowers and, of course, fear’s first cousin greed.
What got us into this position is something other than good capitalism. In the mortgage lending and banking industry of the last 10 years or so, we have been treating clients and customers more like transactions, and not like valued relationships. If we had made every mortgage loan like it was to our grandmother, we would not have a mortgage crisis with exploding foreclosures and landmark losses today. We would have made sure the loan made sense for her, and with a reasonable return and profit to the provider of capital—that it was something that would sustain and serve over time. We would have made sure that the product was rooted in dignity and not just a fee. But sustainability, service leadership and building real relationships were the last thing on the minds of many over the last decade or two. We have, simply put, been focused on the me, not the we.
Music icon Quincy Jones said it takes 20 years to change a culture. Well, over the last 20 years we have made dumb sexy. We have dumbed down and celebrated it. Over the next 20 years we need to “make smart sexy again”.
The power of an idea should be the focus of our creation, and ultimately the product, and not mere money.
Good capitalism builds value for society and serves individuals beyond those that provide of capital, while simultaneously speaking to one’s own personal and selfish sense of prosperity in the same breath. Good capitalism acknowledges that we are selfish, and advocates a “good selfishness,” one where we benefit ourselves by benefitting others. It is doing well and doing good, and doing well by doing good. Good capitalism is a sea where all boats rise, not just yachts.
Where there is no vision, the people perish
We talk about social networking as if it has been with us for all time, but a mere 10 or so years ago Google, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and the like literally did not exist. Today they are sweeping the world, sparking industry, creating wealth, banishing fear and dictatorial oppression based on a lack of information, and creating jobs and industry too. Former President Bill Clinton once said that every 10 years we must create an entirely new set of jobs. You cannot do that without the power of a new and inspiring idea that serves others.
Some people with good ideas:
Ted Turner and his idea, CNN. Steve Jobs and his Apple (and our cool iPhone). Or Bill Gates, along with Paul Allen, and the idea of Microsoft—and now his and his wife’s idea called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Or, there’s the example of arguably the greatest investor of our day, Warren Buffett, who’s worth tens of billions, yet still lives in the same home he lived in 30 years ago and has vowed to give most of his fortune away before he dies.
For those who have pioneered new ideas – most of these individuals who pioneered eventually become rich (financially or socially rich) and powerful, but becoming rich and powerful was never their primary goal or objective. What drove them at the start, and in most cases what drives them to this day, is the power of their ideas. Money should be the by-product of pursuing an idea of immense value. But, instead, for far too many today, it has become the principle focus and, worse, “the product” itself.
Fear fails
Over the past 10-20 years, we have had an entire generation of so-called “leaders” and business titans who have been entirely focused on one thing and one question: “what do I get, and how do I make money?” That’s the wrong question, which leads inevitably to the wrong outcome. This is a reset.
Let’s stop re-arranging the deck chairs on this Titanic, talking about a recession when we know this looks and feels like anything but one. By focusing on the 5 Laws of Love Leadership in our lives, in our businesses, in our communities and in our hearts, minds and our decisions, we can build sustainable wealth that will last over time and we can confidently embrace change and reset a future vision that speaks to the we, not just to the me.
About John Hope Bryant
John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, which empowers the poor and the under-served with financial literacy, teaching” the language of money”, inspiring hope, and providing access to capital, opportunity and ownership. Operation HOPE is the only national urban delivery system for financial literacy empowerment in the US, operating in 68 urban communities and 6 provinces in South Africa.
I am convinced that in this environment of global economics, if you don’t understand the language of money and you don’t have a bank account, you are an economic slave of the 21st century.
Download this brilliant manifesto and have your own colour copy. Visit The Hope Foundation and see what this guy does every day.
Tags: john hope bryant, recession ireland
Crystal Ball Gazing (2009-2014)
December 13, 2009 at 1:48 pm
What better time to cast our minds into the future than coming to the end of the year? Forrester’s US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2009 – 2014 makes an interesting read. The US has always been a couple of years ahead of Ireland in online terms. That gap had been narrowing and anecdotal reports from Google Ireland were that the gap had narrowed to about 2 years. Recent economic conditions and the resulting freeze on investing in new and emerging technologies here has seen the gap widen again to about 3 years. However, with the focus on the “Smart Economy” who knows what changes that will bring?
204 US marketers were surveyed in March 2009 by market research company, Forrester, about their marketing plans from now until 2014. I’ve taken the time out to read and absorb the report. Here is my summary with own opinions included (of course!):
Wholesale shift in budget away from traditional to interactive
60% of marketing budgets are moving away from traditional advertising. Kimberly Clark Worldwide Huggies campaign bypassed TV completely to invest in digital media where new moms hang out. Expect to see more of this kind of thing.
What’s been hit?
What To Look Out For
Interactive marketing spend will reach $53 billion by 2014. Where’s this money going to be invested?
Search Dominates Spend
Accounts for 59% of online budgets. It’s expected to grow at 15% per annum to $32billion by 2014. It makes sense – 85% of online consumers search from their desktops at least once a week. If you’re marketing online, search is the first port of call for being found by a wide audience. Mobile search expected to increase – 11% have searched from their mobiles in the first three months of 2009 alone. The search market is growing through expanded keyword search strings. E-Consultancy noted in its Best Practice Guide for Search that as we become more used to search, we are searching using more and more keywords. So the supply of search is also growing.
Email Marketing Continues Healthy Growth
97% use or plan to use email marketing this year and this will continue to grow. Email is enjoying something of a renaissance as marketers grow lists with the promise of ‘green marketing’, as money is shifted away from direct marketing to email marketing, and as effectiveness is improved with linkages to other channels such as user generated ratings and reviews. Sovereign Bank in the US increased its email marketing spend from 10-15% in 2009, and completely skipped the DM piece in its student campaign.
Social Media Fixed Firmly in the Mix
Poster child social media shows the steepest growth of any channel (but remember it’s coming from a lower base) to 34%. Forecast spend on integrated campaigns and agency fees will top $3 billion by 2014. Social media is growing into an established part of the marketing mix – 64% of marketers already build social media apps and another 22% will by the end of 2009. When 42% of online adults and 55% of online youth want to engage with their favourite brands through social media applications, the demand is clearly there. It’s still early days yet for social media in terms of types, tools, metrics and benchmarks. Expect to see more engagement in the coming years and not just reach. Forrester foresees that portable identities will enable users to move their social profiles from site to site. So anyone engaged in that space is on to a winner.
Display Ads – Rich and PPC
Recession minded marketers prefer pay-per-click buy over impression-based ones (58% of budgets). Expect this trend to continue even after recession. But we’re still loving our rich media formats which are currently accounting for one-third of budgets; expect this to grow to 45% by 2014. (That means more of those annoying eircom ads where the ‘actors’ wave at us and annoyingly distract us as we browse).
Online Video
Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll are sold in exactly the same way, so you’d expect the old television-centric agencies to shift their focus into online video anytime soon. With awareness and recall of nearly 300% being achieved by P&G for Charmin pre-roll ads, it would be strange not to see trad agencies dive into this space. The 2007 Forrester forecast predicted widespread adoption of online video and mobile marketing by the end of 2009. This hasn’t yet happened – largely due to the recession and resource-constrained marketers not wishing to trial untested media. But Forrester (2009) predict that online video will kick off big style in mid 2010 following by mobile marketing in early 2011 as marketers emerge from recession. Does that mean that the gap will widen ever more between US and Ireland if they come out of recession first and we lag even further due to the endemic nature our woes?
Mobile Marketing
Reminds me of Smithfield in Dublin – we’re still waiting for it to happen! Mobile marketing is one of the most anticipated, least adopted channels. Why? Complexity around metrics, marketers and carrier relationships, plus limited use of data by consumers have all put the skids on mobile to date and stifled adoption. When the recession is over and marketers are spending on newer channels again, Forrester expect mobile to take off.
Why? There will be increased use of data as devices improve, apps proliferate, and mobile operator competition brings data prices down. We’ll see more strategic apps and less of the gimicks that tend to crowd out the app store currently.
Forrester say that mobile maturity will see some efforts being made at introducing standards – but I don’t think so. We’ve had email for close to 15 years and are nowhere near standards amongst email clients (which is why I support the Email Standards Project and you should too!) – I don’t see the disparate mobile providers and handset manufacturers working together on standards as easily as Forrester expect. But I’d be happy to be wrong!
So What Does It All Mean For Us?
The main lessons I’m taking from this is to continue as we are. First step to promoting your business online is to invest in search and make sure that your business can be found by thge 85% who use search to look for your product. The report refers to US marketers investing more heavily in SEO as PPC gets expensive. I’ve been banging on this mantra for quite some time now. While PPC is great in the short-term, the click costs can be quite high – when you add up what you’re paying Google over a year or two, it makes more economic sense to invest in a listing on the left hand side.
Email marketing continues to bring great results. Whether it’s driving traffic to your site for a sale or promotion, or simply brand-building, keeping your business in front of their minds – it works! It’s been the most regular producing, low risk retention strategy for years. It makes sense as majority of people have emails. Emails are not dying out as had been predicted. In fact, we should soon be seeing the growth of the Social Inbox - fusing the best parts of our inbox as we now know it with control and immediacy of social media apps. Long live email marketing!
Early days for social media – my perception of it in Ireland is that 2009 was indeed a year in which many jumped on the bandwagon – or at least familiarised themselves enough to be ready to jump in 2010. But the message I’m sending time and time again is that social media is for life, not just for Christmas. We’ve all been to the seminars on the amazing results that can be achieved, some of us may understand that the creative costs aren’t that high compared to other media. But it’s the ongoing resourcing and dedicating of time to engage with the people we’ve tried so hard to reach – that’s the bit that costs money and that, sadly, is missing in many cases. Don’t just take my word for it. Seth Godin puts it like this:
Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand.
On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are going public and having surgery.
Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.
Tags: email marketing trends 2010, internet marketing trends 2010, social media trends 2010
Flashmob Friday – Black Eyed Peas Chicago
December 11, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I love this one, even the way the colours of the T-shirts are so evenly spread out. I want to be the girl in the very front!
Tags: flashmob friday blackeyed peas chicago
Flashmob Friday – Grand Central
December 4, 2009 at 9:04 am
Because flashmobs aren’t always about dance – this one took place in Grand Central Station in January 2008. 200 people froze for a couple of minutes.
Tags: flashmob friday grand central station
Flashmob Friday
November 27, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Ireland’s largest flashmob to date took place in Cork earlier this month. Well organised and oh so Irish. Grey sky, warm winter coats. Lots of girls looking sort of embarrassed and flicking their hair, but still doing it! I love Flashmobs. They make me feel all emotional and in love with humanity again. I think I might make flashmobs a regular feature here on Fridays – what do you think?
Thanks to Piaras Kelly whose blog I found this on.
Tags: flashmob cork
How Do You Spell “Home Page?”
October 28, 2009 at 8:06 am
In 1898 someone came up with the idea of putting tea into porous sacks and the “tea bag” was invented. By 1936, the word was being spelled “tea-bag”. In 1977, it was called the “teabag”. I came across this fact in the captivating book by Naomi Baron called “Always On: Language In An Online World” (2008).
We see similar practice with the evolving language of the web – or Computer Mediated Communication. I have always rebelled against e-mail, preferring to use the more (advanced) email. Likewise with online and offline. But strangely, never homepage or insidepage. My proposals are peppered with the original use of the words “home page” and “inside pages” indicating that in this regard I’m back at the very beginning of spelling.
What do you use? Are you consistent? Are you aware?
