Advertising & Music : The Happily Married Couple

It’s not much to say one is in a relationship anymore.  Used to be (at least I’ve been told, I really don’t know) when someone says ‘yeah, we’re married’ the appropriate response was ‘congratulations!’.  Now…it’s ‘ohh, for how much longer?’ The divorce rate is what, half?! Ridiculous.  It’s one thing to say you’re married, it’s another entirely now to say you’re happily married.  That’s the difference: that’s when you know it’s real, it’s pure and it’s going to last.  Happily married equates soul mates.  That’s advertising and music.

Advertising has been around as long as the pyramids if not longer, so has music.  Yet they didn’t really find each other until the origin of the jingle, which is unclear in itself.  Some say Wheaties, others say Lucky Strike. Whatever it was, this relationship got hot and heated…FAST.  The point of advertising is to persuade the audience to purchase the product advertised.  The jingle caught on so fast it quickly became such a saturated market that audience they were singing to couldn’t tell the difference between jingles.  It took a while, but jingles died out.

Yet this flame never extinguished between advertising and music.  The 80’s & 90’s saw some glorious passion, Pepsi teaming with Michael Jackson. Kool & the Gang performing in Wendy’s parking lot. The relationship was taken to the next level, advertising saw that it didn’t need to recreate the wheel to establish brand credibility, a loyal following could be attained through music and it’s mainstream artists.  Music saw benefit too, artist’s singles skyrocketed up the charts if they were featured in a commercial.  Talk about brand recognition…

There’s no doubt the relationship between advertising and music is a happy one, the question is this: who wears the pants? Does advertising reflect music, or does music reflect advertising?  I don’t think there is a wrong answer.  Present day is a great example.  Working in CHR Top 40, you get a very good view as to how the music industry moves (albeit slightly delayed, it takes time to get your favorite song to the top of the charts, person-who-hears-a-song-on-the-radio-then-says-‘I heard that 6 months ago’).  Noticeably there’s been a shift to a more indie feel in the world of mainstream music, hence the popularity of bands like Fun., Gotye, Grouplove & The Black Keys. This is due to several things, among them resistance to another poppy beat with auto tune, respect for a unique sound and maybe even a catchy hook.  Definitely among them however, is the fact that they recognize it.  Thanks to advertising.  This was stolen from the 80’s (or before): as an artist, a goal is to get your song into a commercial.  Great example: Fun.  They ware relatively off the mainstream map…until the Superbowl when Chevy used ‘We Are Young” in a commercial.  How effective was it? 110 spins a week on a mid-market station in the midwest is a small example.  A promoter here in town was looking to bring them to in.  She contacted their people in late November, they were looking at around the $13k price tag.  After the commercial: the price jumped to $35k.  Recognition is key to mainstream success.

Like any relationship, it’s all about give and take.  Advertising can help music, music helps advertising.  Once again, go back to the 80’s. Pepsi gained a fan base by appealing to a target demographic: the demo that listens to Michael Jackson.  Same thing with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks and Ford in 2005.  Pepsi again in the 90’s this time with Britney Spears. These are all just going off the top of the head references, and that’s the point. Music can give advertising instant credibility, like how Kia was instantly on top with brand recognition when it had it’s hamsters dance to LMFAO’s ‘Party Rock Anthem’.  Crazy, but memorable.

There have been bumps in the road, like any other relationship.  They still argue about the jingle; whether to reinvent it (State Farm) or to never let it go despite evidence that it should (freecreditreport.com).  They’ve also seen surges, both being able to gauge popularity through social media like YouTube.  From the beginning though, advertising and music have always been about one thing: love.  Take that, divorce rate.

How Bout That Email?

Here’s the thing: this isn’t a post about the demise of e-mail, at least that is not my intention.  I still think email serves a purpose in today’s digital culture (and it better, businesses still charge clients a fair but decent amount of money to be a part of theirs), but really…I don’t know why.  I can’t justify it without some completely reasonable retort, I don’t even claim to be a huge advocate for the medium. I guess I just, do. There’s so many signs that point to the contrary, but like television, radio, and even print (for now) it’s still around.  There are pros to this:

One – Email is still the main source of communication in the workplace.  If you’ve ever seen Office Space, you cringe when you hear the term ‘TPS reports’, or ‘didn’t you get the memo?’  Fact is, these phrases are all but gone thanks to email.  It’s now, ‘did you send that Google doc?’ or ‘did you get cc’d in that last email?’.  My office laughed at me when I didn’t know how to work the fax machine, but they don’t think twice about coming to me with a question on Google Calendars.  Especially now that they’ve found how it integrates into their email.  It’s taken some getting used to, but corporate America is all about email.

Two – Email is still the most trusted way of getting something directly to someone as quick as possible.  Sure some use Facebook messaging, others Tweet it. However, email is the .pdf of the conversation.  Pretty much everyone can open a .pdf, and pretty much everyone has an email.  Not everyone’s on Facebook, whether it be for privacy concerns or sticking it to The Man.  Not everyone is on Twitter, whether it’s lack of time in the day, or ‘not caring what someone is eating for breakfast’.  Everyone has email, and more importantly if someone wants to get something to another person fast, they send it via email.

But here’s the rub: for as many pros, there has to be cons.

One – The next generation will always be a step ahead.  The generation before mine had cellular telephones and fax machines, mine has been baptized in email and smart phones with a dose of social media.  The next generation will have their own thing.  There are a crazy few that try to keep up with the trends, but in the end you just don’t get it man.  I’m really not looking forward to that moment.  Fact is, there are colleges no longer passing out email accounts but rather iPads.  There will come a time when children will read about email on their video feed from their Google Glasses (or whatever those Tron looking things are) and think “man, how did people live back then?”

Two – Social Networks are a competitive bunch.  It’s like a real version of the Michael Jordan v. Mia Hamm Gatorade spot with the tune “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better”, except it’s not sports it’s our digital culture and literally billions of dollars.  It’s an app eat app world out there, and only the richest with the most accounts tend to survive.  Case in point: Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram.  Great app (something Facebook doesn’t know much about) so instead of sitting by letting Instagram build a photo sharing empire, they buy it for a sweet price and continue to let it do what it does.  They did it to an up and coming force in the social world, don’t think they can’t do it to email.  There’s constantly rumors of when users can integrate email into their Facebook and just receive everything right in one spot.  It’s just around the corner.

Pros meet cons.  Each of you is valid, but arguments weren’t made to be tied.  10 years ago it was unheard of to say “yeah I got your email, Skype me real quick so we can go over the main points” or “I was about finished with your memo but my battery died”.  It’s amazing how far we’ve come.  Technology is introduced to help better our lives, and with that previously existing tools must die.  I don’t know when, but email will at some point meet it’s fate.  However, I truly think now is not that time.  It’s like religion: I don’t have solid, indisputable facts that email is here and strong, I just believe it is.  I still believe it has a purpose to serve.  I do know this: Go without Facebook for a week and you miss out on a bunch of useless status’, and barrage of time-wasting photos and maybe an invitation to that thing your neighbors are having but they told you about it in person anyway so you knew.  Go without email for a week and you could miss out on a major business opportunity or life changing decision.  For now, that’s power that can’t be bought.

The Social Media Workout Regimen

This has become the 2nd point of every CNA discussion for any new client: how’s your social presence? Ohhh man, these answers are varying, and fun.  Things ranging from ‘Oh you know, I’m on Facebook,’ to ‘I talk with my neighbors if that’s what you mean.’  Not many small business owners truly understand the concept of social media, other than I should probably be doing that.  However, in today’s society, almost everyone understands in some capacity the importance of exercise and taking care of yourself.  That’s why I’ve recently taken a habit to laying out social media for business owners in the format of a workout regimen:

Monday: Content Day.  Much like upper body days this should focus on bulking up the social presence and set the mood for the week.  Review what was hot over the weekend (top stories, etc.), see if your business can relate to it, and post it *with your opinion (this is huge, don’t steal, share and contribute). 

Tuesday: Visual Day. Let your business know what’s going on.  Images are a must, Video if you can.  Let them see what they would be getting themselves into should they walk through your doors / log onto your site. (by now, the wheels are turning.

Wednesday: Event Day. Let your followers know what’s going on in the near future with you and your business.  This is generally the day when people start thinking about plans for the weekend.  Tell them with an event why they should be spending some time with you.

Thursday: Hashtag Day. Try to build buzz around your weekend business plans by creating a hashtag to one of those events you created the day before and make an effort to see if it will go viral, at least on a local scale.  

Friday: Content Day. Follow up all that hard research you did on Monday, see what’s changed in the days between, and post accordingly.

Saturday: Visual Day. By now, hopefully you’re seeing the foundation of some results for your week’s efforts.  People will come through the door, if they have a good experience, capture that with a video testimonial.  If you had an awesome event and a crowd showed up for it, photos are a must.  Let those on Facebook see what they’re missing out on.

Sunday: Rest Day. Take a break, but be wary of the fact that others may not be. You’ll be kidding yourself if you think everything on social media goes smoothly.  People have a voice and they use it on these sites that your business takes part it.  They post experiences, good and most definitely bad.  that’s why….

Every Day: Interaction Day. NEVER let this go by the wayside, and consider this your cardio portion of the workout.  Every day, follow up with those that have taken the time to interact with your and your business.  You never know what social power they possess.

Just like any workout, the results we so desperately want take time, patience and persistence.  Don’t give up, it’s always tough before it’s easy.  With the right content, interaction and overall cause you’ll be flexing those ripped arms and running marathons in no time.

Are We Finally Past The ‘Social Media Is A Fad’ Fad?

I heard it in a meeting again the other day. Another decision maker shrugging off the notion that Facebook could get him a pretty legitimate ROI for his young business. “It’s cool if you’re looking to kill time or stalk people, but I don’t see any point in investing in a fad.” Facebook, a fad. What about Twitter? “Nobody cares what I had for lunch any more than I care about what they had.” Ok, well…at the very least what about having a LinkedIn profile? You know, something you can connect with fellow colleagues and network within the industry, area, nation? “What’s that?”

Social media advocates are used to this; I honestly think we get tired of defending it just about as much as they get tired hearing about it. I say just about, because anything more than that would be a lie. Social media is everywhere we look: online, on-air, on billboards. It’s clearly a battle we’re winning and those out there who still don’t see the value are bombarded with it every day. It’s, as we put it, just blind ignorance or fear at this point that is keeping them from all but submerging themselves into the depths of the deep blue ocean that is the digital marketing plan these days. However, I am a firm believer in not passing judgment until both sides of the story are not only heard but understand. With that in mind, I embarked for a great time trying to figure out what stance the anti-social media crowd had. Here’s a few key points:

There’s no control: Facebook choosing a single layout is like a 6 year old at the ice cream store…it’s not happening. And why should it? Facebook has put everything it has into becoming the #1 social giant, something that wasn’t going to be achieved by staying the same in every way. This has been known to aggravate the usual clientele from time to time, but they always seem to come around. Before we know it the Timeline will be accepted and we’ll be complaining about a new thing that Facebook has pushed us out of our comfort zone for. Brand pages are very similar, except unlike the regular profiles these pages are designed to appeal to the target audience and increase likes, interaction and the overall urge to get off the computer and walk through their respective business doors. To do so can require quite the strategy for layout, convenience, etc. None of this can be achieved every time Facebook decides to switch things up. Unlike a regular website where you have the full power to switch things up to your heart’s content (and reasonable boundaries), Facebook can take all that away with a single update. It is because of this many are cautious to add Facebook to the strategy.

There’s Market Over-Saturation: Back when social media really caught on, the cream of the crop was MySpace, Facebook & Twitter. That’s it. Each brought a different tangible to the game: MySpace was all about personalization, Facebook was all about connecting and Twitter was all about informing. Now there’s so many different things that can be accomplished and multiple sites that can accomplish them. It’s almost as if every single major player in the digital world got it in their mindset that the only way to be successful is to launch a social network. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr. Google has tried, and tried again. Apple has Ping, oh and MySpace is still around with Justin Timberlake bringing it back. This makes it difficult to pick an option, each has a slightly different audience but huge overlap and it’s almost pointless to try and maintain all of them…you’d run out of content and be spending so much time trying to change that, you’d all but forget you still have a business to run.

Government Involvement: Social media has brought us many things: the ability to connect, inform, network and advertise. Most importantly, it’s given us the opportunity to speak out. We’ve seen what Facebook can do in Egypt, London and New York (just to name a few). Much like the internet itself, social media is VERY loosely regulated, and in many ways rightfully so. However, you’re kidding yourself if you think it’s going to continue this way. Much like WikiLeaks, and online piracy before it, social media will inevitably meet the firm hand of government intervention. We can only hope the hands holding the reigns are good and honest with the best intentions. To the business owner, this can be a very risky overview.

Overall, to say social media is still in the stage of being a fad is to deny the future of our culture. Beanie Babies, Pokémon and slap bracelets were a fad. Having the capability to reach out to people around the world with a thing as simple as a tweet is not. The question for any business should not be whether to utilize this opportunity, but how to go about doing so effectively. To those of us out there campaigning for social media to become an accepted form of marketing, it’s easy to understand the caution flags when everything is put into perspective. Yet, much like Facebook, the kid in the ice cream store taking 20 minutes to choose a flavor, then changing it, we don’t have any choice but to go with it. You’re better off playing the game then sitting on the sidelines wondering why nobody is coming to your ice cream shop to check out your flavors.

By All Counts, ‘The Voice’ Knows What’s Up

I should start this out by saying I can’t stand the singing competition shows. Hopeful after hopeful stepping up and performing in front of 3-5 people who should know what they’re doing. One always loves them, the other absolutely despises them, and the 3-5th quietly agree with whoever spoke last. This goes on for a few weeks, then we get a winner who’s song gets played over the airwaves repeatedly for a few months. If they’re really good, they last longer. If not…who cares? I should start this out by saying I hate this system, but I can’t say that anymore. I have found my singing competition: The Voice. The Voice is legit, I can’t say this enough, but I realize I owe at the very least an explanation. Let me give a few.

I love The Voice because it actually focuses on the vocal performance. Every radio dj in the country should be a fan of this because let’s face it, we put up with some stuff. Ke$ha wouldn’t come close to making this show, nor would Soulja Boy. That’s not to say Ke$ha or Soulja Boy are talented in their own right: Soulja Boy can mix and Ke$ha is a good performance with a mind for marketing. However, it would be nice to get a star out there who can really let it out and sing. This show focuses precisely on that. The coaches can’t see them, they can only hear them. What a concept.

They may have a great voice, but can they perform on a stage bigger than the local karaoke bar? That’s a weakness many sighted in the early stages of the show and is also a weakness I’m convinced is nonexistent in this conversation. Everyone in business knows the art of being successful is a multi-tangible package. That’s what the coaches are for. Unlike the other shows though, these coaches not only know the industry, they are still alive and successful in the industry. Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine are all experienced and extremely capable of transforming ‘the next big thing’ into ‘the big thing’. Each artist has respectfully performed in their own particular genre no person in their right mind would claim the show has a bias. I love this, it’s what makes the show demographic free and fun to watch.

The Voice does extremely well in a traditional media sense: it has the Nielsen ratings and has proven to be such a heavy hitter for NBC that they chose it to follow up the Super Bowl. But it’s what the show is doing in social media that I find truly remarkable. The Voice has taken interactive TV to a new level, with each coach on and active when it comes to Twitter, tweeting during the show and posting them on-screen with specific hashtags to follow. For the second season they even added an ‘official social media correspondent‘ amazing performer Christina Milian. Not much doing on the social media part…but hey, that’s why she’s got a team of people behind her controlling the social side of The Voice. Even the Facebook page is worth checking out, with a game called ‘The 5th Coach’. The Voice has set the social standard for television.

Perhaps my favorite reason The Voice is superior is that we don’t have to put up with two weeks of horrible performances for the sake of ‘ratings and viewership’. This concept was unheard of and I don’t know why. It was almost mainstream blasphemy to skip this step in the show and have every single person to step on that stage and into our television sets have a shred of talent. To all those responsible for doing what was somehow unheard of and creating a show of pure, uninterrupted talent: I cannot thank you enough.

There are some potential downsides to the show that I worry about. Just like any success in Hollywood, the next question is how to make it more successful. I hope the creative minds behind this amazing show don’t run it into the ground as a victim of it’s own success, the next step so far has been International Expansion, with The Voice UK set to kick off in March. I pray it doesn’t follow the same steps as The X Factor and Idol. However, if it produces the next Adele, I’m cool with it.

If you’ve not caught this amazing show I completely endorse it. It’s not about the person or performer, the wardrobe or the beat. It’s about something so simple and pure, the foundation that was lost in the industry long ago. It’s about the voice, that’s all there is to it.

#McDisaster

Social Media for so many has been an amazing tool to integrate into any marketing strategy: it’s quick, cheap and it gets proven results. However, since the social boom three types of business have emerged: the business that gets it, the business that doesn’t, and the business that thinks they get it. The business that gets it is so much fun to watch and interact with. Ones that have truly put some effort and thinking into each social campaign and maximize the benefit for both the follower and the company. Great examples would be Southwest Airlines, Coca-Cola and Angry Birds. The businesses that don’t get it are the ones that view social media as something that is there as an additional outlet. Most of the time interns are in charge of them and it shows. Then there are those that think they know what’s up in the social world, only to watch what social grasp they have slip through their fingers. Companies like McDonald’s.

McDonald’s recently launched a Twitter hashtag campaign to bring about awareness of their fresh grown produce. #MeetTheFarmers was meant to promote the effort in a series of paid tweets that invaded users Twitter feeds. Wasn’t so bad, until the campaign switched to the #McStories hashtag. Great idea, branding the promotion, makes it a bit more identifiable. It ALSO makes it easier for the user to tinker with and personalize. In this instance, McDonald’s saw a surge in the use of it’s revised hashtag, only it turned into a McNightmare. Users were tweeting their own horrific experiences with the fast food chain. A company long associated with ‘fatty’, ‘disgusting’ and ‘obese factory’ thought it would be safe to unleash it’s online campaign to the Twitterverse. What have we learned? Keep McD’s in mind, but insert your business and listen up.

Social means social: probably the fact most think they know, but never really get. It’s amazing to me how some post what they do on Facebook, then wonder why they can’t land a job. Treat social media like a website that everyone maintains. even if you take it down, it’s not gone. In McDonald’s case, with a following that large, it’s probably been shared enough to make an impact.

Censorship is bad: This is the generation of ‘Can’t shut me up”. Actually every generation has been like that, but those generations didn’t have Twitter & Co. You think things would be the same without every single person with a social account having a voice AND the ability to rally around a single concept? It’s easier than ever, ask Egypt, SOPA (round 1) and now McDonald’s.

Don’t make it easy: You see this all the time in advertising, a concept that can easily be spun the wrong way to reference everything the client doesn’t want it to. “Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm isn’t there”. “Burger King, Have It Your Way…so long as it’s the way we give it to you”. McDonald’s…Urban Dictionary and Super Size Me has made it easy for the McHaters. If you launch something so easy for the masses to take over, make sure it’s full proof and has a solid back up plan.

McDonald’s will be fine. It’s survived everything above until now, it can survive whatever 140 characters throws at it. For the time being…

Epic Meal Time: I’m Torn

Those who see me on a consistent basis know I am aware of the 15 month efforts that the anti-health food YouTube sensation Epic Meal Time have gone to great lengths to promote. I am familiar with the colossal mountain of calories they pile onto a plate each week. I know of the aggressive and nearly futile nature the host Harvey the ‘Sauce Boss’ spits at the camera each second of the film. It’s hilarious, it’s entertaining and it’s caught attention. I have recently been struggling with accepting and endorsing this radical product that goes against everything I’ve spent the last three years preaching.

At first, it was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen go viral: A group of college guys putting everything you can find in the discount frozen foods aisle onto one plate, smothering it with Jack Daniels (pardon me, Dagnels*) and eating it. After deep-frying it and dipping it in Velveeta cheese. Twice. It was enough to put your mother can your heart on the hospital bed. You could almost gain calories just by watching it. To me, this was awesome; I thought “So many are out there preaching all these different ways to eat better, and all of them claim to be the best. Here’s some guys that are taking all of that and ignoring it.”

I know my own personal health and nutrition, to me this was just another source of entertainment. However, the quicker this channel grew, the easier it was to see an impact these guys were having on society. Social media has such an influence, whatever has the most likes will certainly merit imitation. In this case, I didn’t think it to be a good form of flattery.

The question here is this: Do the guys of Epic Meal Time bring a quality product to the web that is both engaging and strictly entertaining, or are they exponentially increasing the harm of an epidemic currently plaguing society?

1) These guys by no means issue a challenge to society to change (or stay the same for this matter). Granted, we are competitive by nature, but the way these videos roll out, there’s no challenge, just a definitive statement: you can’t do what they do. Either because of budget constraints, religion or a heightened sense of nutrition and well-being, Epic Meal Time doesn’t condone a reenactment.

2) That’s not to say there’s hasn’t ever been a reenactment. In fact, there have been several. Healthy Meal Time, Vegan Meal Time, Awesome Meal Time (it’s coming, I’m sure). Not a one of these offer the fat gram inducing grotesque display of pork that the original has garnered such fame for. It’s almost like a plateau that can’t be reached, or if there is such a competition out there, the rest of these channels are competing for second. These imitators have actually spun the series in such a way that it provides a sort of counterbalance to the bacon mania. This provides a glimmer of hope for my self conscious when pondering the impact of Epic.

3) There is also another factor holding the masses from partaking from the Epic grail: the human body. These guys do these things consistently. Most who own a flip cam and made mom buy out the grocery store’s bacon don’t. Even with a high metabolism, to do something like this who create such a reaction in the digestive tract it would be enough to never want to do anything similar again.

These things considered, Epic Meal Time is a weekly channel that is worth checking out, if for no other reason than to marvel in all it’s deep fried glory. What they do raises concerns, but only for themselves. The Sauce Boss, Muscles Glasses and the crew can keep stuffing away as far as I’m concerned, based on the reaction and fan base they have attained, I don’t see that stopping any time soon.

Google+ Brand Pages, Missing Just A Few Things

It’s been a good month for social media.  In an industry that constantly changes, where this blog post will be outdated in two months, nothing changed.  Which is weird to say because so much change has taken place in the formats and applications on some of the major sites.  Facebook announced it was going to up its policy on user privacy, all the while with a secret agenda. Not to mention, the highly anticipated Facebook Timelines is set to unveil…soon.  All these changes have many in the social world wondering if Facebook will ever get dethroned, Google comes in and reminds us all that they’re still here.

Google + unveiled Brand Pages this last week. Something they had struggled to keep under wraps with an aggressive world of businesses out there trying to stay on the cutting edge of everything social.  I feel though that this launch may have been a bit premature, which is weird for Google, they normally wouldn’t do that (COUGH Google Buzz!). I do admit though there are several things I like about these pages, they are simple and equal; something Facebook Pages WERE until they found out how to make money off of them. That said, here’s a few things I’d like to see in Google Brands 2.0

1)    Multiple Admins: Right now only one person can commandeer the Brand Page. That’s either a huge commitment to put on one person for the long haul (although it’s some awesome job security) or a huge responsibility on an intern, seeing as how social media for some reason tends to be a task many businesses throw at interns.  In order to successfully run a Brand, you need multiple minds working on it. This should translate over the Brand Pages that Google offers.

2)    The Chance To Add Profiles On Brand’s Own Accord:  In an ideal world, Google has set this up perfectly: brands can follow other brands freely, but brands can only follow profiles after the profile follows them. Problem is we do NOT live in a perfect world and several businesses have already set up profiles for their respective shops and refuse to give up what they’ve built. I understand this is for the benefit of the public, but to limit that process of how brands connect is to limit the business in general.

3)    Analytics: Facebook Pages have a great analytics system, tracking everything from user base to the frequency of that user base.  The irony here comes from the fact that it’s Google inspired.  Google has one of the greatest analytics systems in the cyber-world, yet they can’t apply that to their social baby?

4)    Apps:  They’re everywhere. Steve Jobs made apps a necessity for every new device. So much so that companies can live and die by it. To avoid an applications option makes sense only in that it truly levels the playing field for all businesses in having to use what’s given to you.  This would be a great concept that could have huge success…were it not for Facebook and its thriving app business. No apps, no big business. That doesn’t sound like Google.

Google + has it’s flaws, from pages to profiles, but what social site doesn’t? That’s why it’s always changing, evolving and initially receives major criticism. That is until users become accustomed to them and another round of changes comes forth, then they complain about how why it wasn’t like the concepts before.  Google Brands are no different, this layout will not be he same a couple months from now, even weeks. Because the social competition is so high Google can’t afford to keep it the same. Or maybe it can. One thing we’ve seen Google become highly efficient at is getting back up after the 2-count and delivering a knockout. Like this last week, with Facebook unveiling and planning to unveil) all of it’s changes, Google comes in and throws a curve. It’s just Google being Google.

Sports Talk: The NBA Lockout Could Also Be It’s Grave

Talking sports for a moment here: Day 117 of the NBA lockout. As an overall sports fan that really only follows one sport and one team, it’s a weird feeling. Turning on the TV and NOT seeing a basketball game doesn’t leave a sense of anger that the player’s union and the owners can’t get a deal done. It’s not a feeling of depression that we may not get to see LeBron get cheered and jeered or Kobe do what Kobe does (in THIS country anyway) this year. It’s rather a feeling of nothing.

I remember the lockout of the lockout of the late 90’s. More importantly I remember the aftermath of the lengthy lockout. NOBODY watched the NBA, and those that acknowledged it did so with spite.  Jordan was gone, and the fan base was depleted. There wasn’t a face to the League, at least until an 18 year old straight out of high school came in and ignited interest.

Even though LeBron’s still around, and Kobe & Dwayne etc. there’s no chance of lightening striking twice this time. The NBA has a long road to recovery, with a shot of no recovery at all. Two reasons why:

1)    There’s no star power: arguably the league’s most talked about player (good or bad) is LeBron James, who is often times considered an arrogant sound byte and viewed many as what’s wrong with the NBA is now the face. Especially if Kobe leaves. That’s nowhere NEAR the kind of draw that would get the fans to care again. Worse, of all the times to hold a lockout, whatever action the NBA chooses to take it will always (even if in the most indirect way) be compared to…

2)    The NFL.  No lockout is a good lockout, but if you have to make your way through one, the 2011 NFL lockout should serve as a good model.  The nation’s biggest sport experienced it all: turmoil, tragedy, risk and redemption. America hung on the edge of every single statement made from either side, shouting crying and overall praying for the lockout to end. When Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft wife very tragically passed away, the Player’s Union and the owners alike dug within Kraft’s diligence and found reason to get a deal done. Lockout ended, season was announced, all was good. But the story doesn’t end there. The NFL chose to open it’s first Sunday on the biggest American Sunday of the year: 9/11 10^th Anniversary. What better way to commemorate the past and show how strong we are now as a nation than to hold the opening of America’s biggest sport on 9/11? The marketers knew that as well. From head to toe, it was executed perfectly.

The NBA doesn’t have that. They don’t have the ratings, the popularity, the star-power nor the situation to get a deal done. With the NFL it was what: a few missed pre-season scrimmages as a casualty? It was like nothing happened.  They do not have a Jeff Saturday, a Robert Kraft or a day in which the entire nation holds in reverence. Instead we have LaBron James, Mark Cuban and the time of year where so many other sports are in action the NBA can go completely unnoticed.

To clarify, I by no means wish to lead you into thinking I’m saying the NBA needs a Kraft situation. What happened was a tragic situation and should never have to happen to get something done. Mrs. Kraft was a hero to many and is very dearly missed. The situation I wish to relate to in this context is that moment where both sides come together. A moment that so far has no glimmer of hope.

The NBA is digging it’s own grave. The question now is not whether a deal will get done, but rather how far down that grave will go. As of right now it’s a lot deeper than one Blake Griffin can jump out of.

Foursquare Specials: Not So Special

There have been more popular apps, but it’d take some research to find any location-based social tools that have taken the world by storm like Foursquare. When I first started using the app mid-2010 it was coming up on 1 million users worldwide. Now I sit here and type in amazement at the apps user base surpassing the 10 million mark. Despite competition from Gowalla, Bright Kite and even Facebook the company has exceeded several critics’ (myself included) expectations.

This is in part due to several things: 1) Foursquare is fun. The check-in game is set up to ignite competition. They have a points system set up that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but keeps us compelled to climb of the leader board on a daily basis, all the attain the highest honor Foursquare offers, 2) The mayorships. Several things come with the mayorship of a location: bragging rights, the chance to leave your mark on an area and it’s surroundings, a way to make new friends, but most importantly…

3) The specials. In this age of daily deals and economic woes perhaps the most attractive utility for both users and businesses is the specials option. It’s convenient for instances in which someone who is new to the area can find great deals on highly recommended locations and the heavy-going local who earns the coveted mayor special that so many locations offer. Many businesses and locations have caught onto the specials phenomenon, but I can’t help but wonder if we’ve reached a point where too many have.

I recently went through a list of my Foursquare friends, much like Mr. Barkowitz did in his research (except I can’t yet bring myself to burning such a bridge as a complete stranger who friended me because I was the mayor of somewhere he or she had visited), I asked a few of my friends how they would feel about specials as of late.

• Person #1: “ I like that I can check into my favorite restaurant and receive benefits for doing so, but I don’t like that they keep those benefits the same. It’s like they set it up once and ignore it”
• Person #2: “Its overwhelming sometimes going somewhere and checking on all the area specials, and you never know which one’s the best.”
• Person #3:  “I’ve actually gone to a place that had no idea they had a special. We had to wait 15 more minutes for them to clear it with the upper management.”
• Person #4: “I really admire the creative ones, the ones that offer free product or service for doing something in addition to a check-in. They think outside the box, I like that.”
• Person #5: “I can’t help but wonder sometimes if it’s bad for business. I mean what if a group of 30 people come in with smartphones? Are they making any profit?”

In summation, is Foursquare specials reaching the point where it’s a necessity for a business in order to survive the social world, or is adding another special just adding another pawn in the pool of chaos.  I particularly like person #3’s response, there are creative ways at using Foursquare specials, but so many businesses out there don’t know how to create an effective special (like Great Clips; check-in and learn about special coupons and offers through their WEBSITE? Really?! That’s like adding a middleman…) and it’s causing clutter. The good ones are lost, and the bad ones turn people away.  I’m not sure where the future of Foursquare is heading, it’s surpassed every expectation I’ve had thus far. However, if the opinions of the previous testimonials and those of Mr. Barkowitz are the foundation of several more to come, you might wanna reconsider Gowalla.