This is quite interesting and pretty funny in places.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Learning to Let Go—Examining True Value
For most of my adult life I have considered myself to be receptive to change, mentally agile, not rigid and a lover of learning.
The reality is, I want to possess these characteristics and comparatively speaking I do in a lot of ways. But, at times (more and more frequently as of late) I catch myself and realize that I am far from immune to resistance to change.
Recently, my husband and I stumbled into a conversation about the movie theatre industry. A variety of internet distribution channels are revolutionizing the movie, television and cable industries. Movie rental stores are closing at a rapid pace across the country and I cannot imagine that closure of the big multi-screen movie theaters will be far behind. As my husband and I progressed in our conversation, I started becoming sentimental.
Over the years I have watched so many great movies (and plenty of bad ones too) sitting beside friends, family members, boyfriends, my husband and my stepson. I experienced new freedom as an early teen during Friday night movie outings with friends. I experienced first kisses at the movies. My experiences are far from unique.
Just as I started to convince myself, with a sigh of relief, that as a society we would never give up on the collective experience of going to the movies, my husband asked the following. “Are all of these great memories really worth spending $50 (by the time you buy popcorn and sodas), sitting in a big room with strangers (some of which are always talking insistently right in front of you) and prying your feet off of the sticky floor when you go to leave?” He continued, “Even though we watch a lot of movies, we rarely go to the movie theater anymore.”
Deflated, I conceded that he was right. Sooner rather than later, going to the movies as we know the experience, will take its place along side the memory of drive-in movies. Going to the movies, as we have as a culture for 80+ years, will soon enter our collective memory banks and fond memories will be shared with our children, grandchildren and/or great grandchildren.
Many other media experiences (both informational and entertainment) are being assessed as well. Media and entertainment companies (and individual people) trying to hang on to the old hear the death rattle in the approaching distance.
This is NOT to say that traditional media will die. It just means that value is constantly being re-evaluated. If the “old” provides value in the “new” and changing world, it will continue. If the old does not provide value or enough value—for instance, what value is there really in today’s movie theatre experience—it will either change or die.
Given human and organizational resistance to change, I believe that there will be a lot of bodies in the wake. Personally, I just hope not to be one of the bodies.
The reality is, I want to possess these characteristics and comparatively speaking I do in a lot of ways. But, at times (more and more frequently as of late) I catch myself and realize that I am far from immune to resistance to change.
Recently, my husband and I stumbled into a conversation about the movie theatre industry. A variety of internet distribution channels are revolutionizing the movie, television and cable industries. Movie rental stores are closing at a rapid pace across the country and I cannot imagine that closure of the big multi-screen movie theaters will be far behind. As my husband and I progressed in our conversation, I started becoming sentimental.
Over the years I have watched so many great movies (and plenty of bad ones too) sitting beside friends, family members, boyfriends, my husband and my stepson. I experienced new freedom as an early teen during Friday night movie outings with friends. I experienced first kisses at the movies. My experiences are far from unique.
Just as I started to convince myself, with a sigh of relief, that as a society we would never give up on the collective experience of going to the movies, my husband asked the following. “Are all of these great memories really worth spending $50 (by the time you buy popcorn and sodas), sitting in a big room with strangers (some of which are always talking insistently right in front of you) and prying your feet off of the sticky floor when you go to leave?” He continued, “Even though we watch a lot of movies, we rarely go to the movie theater anymore.”
Deflated, I conceded that he was right. Sooner rather than later, going to the movies as we know the experience, will take its place along side the memory of drive-in movies. Going to the movies, as we have as a culture for 80+ years, will soon enter our collective memory banks and fond memories will be shared with our children, grandchildren and/or great grandchildren.
Many other media experiences (both informational and entertainment) are being assessed as well. Media and entertainment companies (and individual people) trying to hang on to the old hear the death rattle in the approaching distance.
This is NOT to say that traditional media will die. It just means that value is constantly being re-evaluated. If the “old” provides value in the “new” and changing world, it will continue. If the old does not provide value or enough value—for instance, what value is there really in today’s movie theatre experience—it will either change or die.
Given human and organizational resistance to change, I believe that there will be a lot of bodies in the wake. Personally, I just hope not to be one of the bodies.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Google--"the U.S. Steel of Our Age"
I am currently reading "What Would Google Do?" by Jeff Jarvis. This book, so far, is an extremely well articulated view of many of the changes we are currently living and working through—both exciting and challenging times. The following is just a brief excerpt from the book.
“Do what you do best and link to the rest….
….In retail, media, education, government and health—everything—the link drives specialization, quality, and collaboration, and it changes old roles and creates new ones. The link changes the fundamental architecture of societies and industries the way steel girders and rails changed how cities and nations were built and how they operated. Google makes links work. Google is the U.S. Steel of our age.”
“Do what you do best and link to the rest….
….In retail, media, education, government and health—everything—the link drives specialization, quality, and collaboration, and it changes old roles and creates new ones. The link changes the fundamental architecture of societies and industries the way steel girders and rails changed how cities and nations were built and how they operated. Google makes links work. Google is the U.S. Steel of our age.”
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Really Funny, Really Great Sales Lesson Reminder
We all know the importance of keeping our customers at the forefront in all that we do--sales, marketing, product development, etc. But, let's face it. Sometimes we all get a little sloppy. This is a great reminder.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Ribbons for Research Continues to Grow
Last year I blogged about Ribbons for Research, a foundation founded by HCG Healthcare.
Read 2008 Ribbons for Research post
I caught up withHCG Healthcare again at DIA's 2009 Annual Meeting and was thrilled to learn that Ribbons for Research donated more than $25,000 to 16 different medical research organizations in 2008.
You can learn more about Ribbons for Research at www.ribbonsforresearch.com. HCG Healthcare is always looking for other companies to participate in this very worthwhile effort. As I described in last year's post, participation in this program is a highly effective trade show promotion, channels money to great causes and is much more environmentally friendly than squishy balls or other traditional logoed tradeshow handouts.
Read 2008 Ribbons for Research post
I caught up withHCG Healthcare again at DIA's 2009 Annual Meeting and was thrilled to learn that Ribbons for Research donated more than $25,000 to 16 different medical research organizations in 2008.
You can learn more about Ribbons for Research at www.ribbonsforresearch.com. HCG Healthcare is always looking for other companies to participate in this very worthwhile effort. As I described in last year's post, participation in this program is a highly effective trade show promotion, channels money to great causes and is much more environmentally friendly than squishy balls or other traditional logoed tradeshow handouts.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Print Is Dead! No It's Not! Yes It Is!
I am a self-professed centrist on many issues. Those who know me would not classify me as a wishy washy person and I have some kind of opinion on most everything. So, being a centrist does not mean having a lack of conviction, it simply means that on so many issues in life and in business, the answer lies somewhere between the extremes.
Americans are often big fans of extremes--we like there to be a clear winner and a clear loser, good and evil, black and white... Yes, some issues are clear, but many are more complex.
Is print dead? No. Is digital media the sole future of b2b marketing? No. Is digital media unimportant? No.
Print has been battered by this recession because effective print advertising often requires a bit more thinking and you have to be very strategic to "prove ROI" (some of my thoughts on "proving ROI" are contained in posts in August and September of 2008). A print ad does not deliver directly measurable instantaneous clicks. This does not mean print advertising does not have an important place in today's marketing mix.
By the same token, you can do things online that are simply impossible in print.
Like so many things, the answer to the question, "What does an effective marketing mix look like today?" is....it depends. In many cases mixing the old with the new in new ways is the path to greatest success. One of the many entertaining debates on this topic can be found within a recent Folio blog post.
Americans are often big fans of extremes--we like there to be a clear winner and a clear loser, good and evil, black and white... Yes, some issues are clear, but many are more complex.
Is print dead? No. Is digital media the sole future of b2b marketing? No. Is digital media unimportant? No.
Print has been battered by this recession because effective print advertising often requires a bit more thinking and you have to be very strategic to "prove ROI" (some of my thoughts on "proving ROI" are contained in posts in August and September of 2008). A print ad does not deliver directly measurable instantaneous clicks. This does not mean print advertising does not have an important place in today's marketing mix.
By the same token, you can do things online that are simply impossible in print.
Like so many things, the answer to the question, "What does an effective marketing mix look like today?" is....it depends. In many cases mixing the old with the new in new ways is the path to greatest success. One of the many entertaining debates on this topic can be found within a recent Folio blog post.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Stance on B2B Digital Ethics
I have been growing increasingly concerned about digital media privacy policy practices surfacing in the B2B media industry. I am not sure if reasonable digital ethics are being violated due to a lack of thought about strategic audience care or due to economic pressures caused by the recession. Or a combination of these two factors.
It is my stance, and the position of Putman Media, that a typical visitor to our websites, a typical e-newsletter subscriber or a typical member of our digital communities do not think a great deal about the software and other mechanisms most all publishers now have to track audience behavior and activities.
We do know that our web site visitors want access to meaningful and quality information and to explore our sites at their leisure.
Of course, as marketers we all study to learn tricks and tips to increase response rates and other desired behaviors. However, I strongly believe in transparency on the internet.
When a website visitor fills out a registration form to access a piece of content, or to attend a web event I believe that it is well understood that contact information will be shared with the sponsor. It is a buy/sell relationship. I will "sell" you my contact information in order to "buy" the content you are offering.
An individual, in my view, does not expect their full contact information to be shared as a result of clicking on an ad or an article link. In short, a click is not a lead and no publisher has the right to reveal the full identity and contact information of an audience member as a result of just a casual click. A click is just a click--an indication of some level of interest.
Publishers who release click activity as sales leads concern me greatly for a couple of reasons. First, audience members will catch onto this practice, not understand or care which publishers are doing this and which publishers are not. Industry members will simply lessen their participation on industry web sites--this is bad for all of us.
The second source of concern is that plenty of advertisers do not understand where these "leads" are coming from. All they know is that they have new leads and who would not be happy with that? Advertisers do not understand that they are putting information into their sales pipeline that was acquired in a shady fashion. When advertisers understand this dynamic further they will either retract from their marketing activities with industry sites, or encourage publishers to further escalate these unethical practices. Either option is destructive from my standpoint.
PharmaManufacturing.com and PharmaQbD.com have become more vocal about our stance on digital privacy practices. If you would like to review our formal privacy policies contructed with the aid of Putman Media's lawyers, you can find those statements on our websites. Or, our newly released Digital Pledge outlines our position in plain English.
It is my stance, and the position of Putman Media, that a typical visitor to our websites, a typical e-newsletter subscriber or a typical member of our digital communities do not think a great deal about the software and other mechanisms most all publishers now have to track audience behavior and activities.
We do know that our web site visitors want access to meaningful and quality information and to explore our sites at their leisure.
Of course, as marketers we all study to learn tricks and tips to increase response rates and other desired behaviors. However, I strongly believe in transparency on the internet.
When a website visitor fills out a registration form to access a piece of content, or to attend a web event I believe that it is well understood that contact information will be shared with the sponsor. It is a buy/sell relationship. I will "sell" you my contact information in order to "buy" the content you are offering.
An individual, in my view, does not expect their full contact information to be shared as a result of clicking on an ad or an article link. In short, a click is not a lead and no publisher has the right to reveal the full identity and contact information of an audience member as a result of just a casual click. A click is just a click--an indication of some level of interest.
Publishers who release click activity as sales leads concern me greatly for a couple of reasons. First, audience members will catch onto this practice, not understand or care which publishers are doing this and which publishers are not. Industry members will simply lessen their participation on industry web sites--this is bad for all of us.
The second source of concern is that plenty of advertisers do not understand where these "leads" are coming from. All they know is that they have new leads and who would not be happy with that? Advertisers do not understand that they are putting information into their sales pipeline that was acquired in a shady fashion. When advertisers understand this dynamic further they will either retract from their marketing activities with industry sites, or encourage publishers to further escalate these unethical practices. Either option is destructive from my standpoint.
PharmaManufacturing.com and PharmaQbD.com have become more vocal about our stance on digital privacy practices. If you would like to review our formal privacy policies contructed with the aid of Putman Media's lawyers, you can find those statements on our websites. Or, our newly released Digital Pledge outlines our position in plain English.
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