FRANKthoughts

Ok so this is it….the thing about the digital gold rush is that you don’t have to be ensconced in the West Coast of the USA to prospect for golden nuggets. As aficionados of Deadwood will understand we’re all fucking, fighting and swearing in the mud at the moment.

We are in a formative era where the barrier to succeeding is nothing about economies of scale rather all about smart thinking coupled with the ‘appetite’ for digital-exploration. 

Admittedly there is more collective digital-energy in places, like San Francisco, in the guise of talent, $$$$$’s and companies who are willing to get stuck in on a large scale compared to Australia, but there is also this larger ‘appetite for risk.’

How often do we bemoan the chance to think beyond 6-12 months? This is an irrelevant digital time frame, in the scheme of things, as the rate of change and return accelerates. Here’s a segment…”An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense “intuitive linear” view. So we won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century — it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today’s rate).”

Tamir Levin captures the potential so beautifully on his site digital seed …an important read.

Let’s deal with the mud whilst we have to, but i say seize the day.

Gary Vaynerchuk has a long history with webtv. His winelibrary.tv got him into shows like Conan O’brien and Nightline. He was mentioned in USA today but still thinks there is a massive gap between what can be done online and the mainstream take up. Watch his reaction here. If you’re a brand manager please take notice. Brands will have their own channels online. Some will have their own content team.  Some will find other solutions. But every single brand will have to go there sooner or later. Here’s how TubeMogul is thinking about the future linking brands and content creators: TubeMogul marketplace.

According to Joan Warner, CEO of Commercial Radio Australia the answer is yes, and it will be here sooner than you might think.

Digital Radio  (DR) is due to roll out in all 5 metro markets in Jan/Feb 2009. Yesterday morning I was amongst 30 industry professionals who got to hear it first hand. In just over the course of an hour, we were taken through how it will work and what it means for both the consumer and the advertiser.  As a consumer, I am very excited! No longer will I be subjected to the static interference that corrupts my ears every morning, as I try and listen to my favourite FM breakfast show while on the train into work.  One of the main advantages to DR will be the strong interference-free signal, especially within built up areas. AM listeners in particular, will be jumping for joy with news of this.  Not only will the sound quality surpass current standards, but it will open up more choices for listeners with extra channels and new digital features. New technology means we will have screens to display dynamic text, images, data & multimedia channels.

For Advertisers, radio will no longer be just an audio touch point. DR introduces a visual element to complement the offering. From product shots to animated logos, contact details and even down-loadable electronic coupons for redeemable promotions. Phones will have the fastest capability to embrace digital radio and for many features will be the most practical hardware (electronic coupons for example) Despite these features you will not be able to display moving pictures; don’t get digital radio confused with Mobile TV.

Although a free service to consumers, an initial investment in a digital receiver will be required. Despite the onslaught of negative press out there I believe that DR will win the consumer over in the end, even if it takes 10 years. Remember Digital TV didn’t happen over night.

Tesla is one of the coolest companies I’ve seen lately. Their cars look like a wannabe Batman sport vehicle and they are 100% electric! They also sell their batteries to other car manufacturers like Mercedes. With the rise of petrol prices and the entry of cheap Chinese made cars to the Australian market, car manufacturers will need to spend more money on advertising to get the same volume. The other option is to innovate and evolve. In the next 2-3 years almost every industry is going to change. Which industry are you in? What are the changes you can see in the horizon?

For more examples of future forward design visit Inhabitat.

The fact the music industry is changing is old news. Some choose to grab the opportunity and innovate. Others choose to scream, cry for legislation and sue their customers. Last week I’ve found The Music Industry Piracy Investigations website (or: MIPI) and thought I’ll bring you a few gems. First, this is the only site I’ve ever seen where a “print this page” link appears on every page both on top and on the bottom. I guess these guys didn’t hear about the environment. Or maybe their cause is too important.

Next: “In Australia, over 2.8 million people download music illegally and 1 in 3 of these are young people” - I’m struggling to see how suing all these people or punishing them is a good idea. Dear music industry, customers today need a different solution. We no longer pay for a record or a cd. We want to buy music, sometime by the track! (Yes, noticed your links to some websites with legal downloads. Can you make it any more complicated?) .

And finally: You can use the MIPI piracy report form to dob a pirate (yes, like your friends & family members) but watch out for incriminating questions like: “Have you purchased any of the pirate product?”, “Do you have the receipt?” and “Do you have a copy of the pirate product to send to us or to describe to us?”. Maybe it’s time to think about changing business models instead of trying to stop the inevitable?

Often, I see charts or marketing collateral that says things like “Benefits to User”.

Bah!  Stop cramming down the same stuff to me.  A flip solution would be:

“Customer Solutions” and “Making Life Easy”

It is a thin line and subtle difference in words but a flip in approach.

A far better way to approach things is by making it Customer Centric, not trying to shove me rewards and benefits that I would never use!  Fitness First gives international access to their gyms.. whether I like it or not.  Great story but useless to me.  And my guess to a large percentage of their membership.

A customer centric approach really starts from building the right culture within the business.  Finding out what your customers are having problems with within the category and provide a solution to create a better service.

Higher Price becomes justifiable when a greater Value is perceived (time, money, stress, etc).

See what this guy has to say:

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is talking about the future of advertising with the Washington post.

(You’ll need to wait until the ad is over and click on the third video named: future of advertising).

What do you think will happen?

Via MediaFuturist

After attending PubCamp Melbourne I was thinking about business models and how they will change. Yes, we always had advertising and subscription based models (These were covered at Pubcamp in length) but what else is out there? Well there is the “Pay what you like model” and the “invest in something model” or the “Micro payment model“.

Now here is a bit of a mystery. Carrotmob - something that started as a non-profit now has a business model. Watch the video to see what Carrotmob is about and see if you can guess how this can be monetised:

We first posted this back in March on the Future of Advertising.

Uwe Gutschow and Don Longfellow have picked up the “What’s Next In Marketing & Advertising” presentation and evolved it to Moving from Advertising to Marketing. Again, it’s a fantastic presentation on the need to shift focus on marketing than advertising as a solution.

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THE eternal challenge for “us” on behalf of our clients is to break through the surface of consumer indifference by being where they choose to be and manifesting the brand with the most appropriate and relevant face, creating moments of receptivity.

The concept of Nomadic media puts a brand’s message out there, traveling many different pathways, and dressed in many different costumes, all specifically tailored to certain groups of interested consumers. Crossing paths with the consumer now actually starts a relationship in which the consumer plays an active part. The consumer is not coming to the brand at the brand’s beckoning. The brand is not forcing its company on the consumer. The brand’s identity in the eyes of the consumer depends on a consumer’s interaction with it.

An excellent article “Unglued from the Tube” by Liz Tascio in this month’s US ‘Media Magazine’ introduces Nomadic media and breaks down the artificial distinction between online and offline reflecting the step-change from passive to active interaction and consumption. Enjoy.