08.29.06
Under the Bonnet = Un-Fun
An Australian partner recently introduced me to the term “under the bonnet”, the Australian/British version of “under the hood.” I prefer the Australian version because it more accurately represents the dichotomy of the fun working on the exterior/looks and the drudgery of working on the interior/logistics of a system.
Building infrastructure isn’t fun; it’s a necessary evil. If you don’t build infrastructure properly, people can actually die — as seen in Boston’s Big Dig Tunnel earlier this summer. Corruption and incompetence in large scale public or even private (hello, British Petroleum) works projects is not a surprise. Public school systems across the US have also suffered from poor maintenance and renovation.
As I read about the Thomas Jefferson High School in Virginia, a noted public school, I was shocked at the abysmal state of its building: mold, falling ceiling tiles, falling ducts. What shocked me even more was that the parents’ group raised over $15,000 and spent that money on a spectrophotometer. Cray donated a supercomputer when the previous supercomputer was destroyed by a leaky roof. While, legally, money raised by a parents’ group may not be able to be spent on building infrastructure, the parents’ group could refuse to spend the money until the building is repaired properly. Shouldn’t the physical safety of the students trump the desire for the latest & greatest equipment?
Mucking around under the bonnet is not a lot of fun or as noticeable as decorating the bonnet itself. Pretty ribbons or a supercomputer won’t help when the bonnet collapses on itself.
Posted by Samantha
08.26.06
LibraryThing: You Make My Heart Sing
In a past life, I was a librarian. Best part of the job: shushing people. What a power rush! So when a tool crosses my path that combines my love of organization with my love of books, it re-awakens those old librarian urges. LibraryThing (www.librarything.com) is just that tool.
LibraryThing allows you to catalog your books using records from Amazon (www.amazon.com) and the Library of Congress (www.loc.gov). You merely search by author, title, or ISBN; a results list pops up, and you click on the individual title to add it to your personal catalog. For those of us who are fans of particular authors, a checkbox feature where we could check off multiple titles when searching by author would be very useful. Overall, the tool is easy to understand and easy to use.
Designed and recommended for individuals, a version is available for non-profits or small organizations. You are also able to export your lists, access them via your cell phone, and join the various reader communities at the site. You can also make your lists private (so no one else can see them) or leave them as public.
Either way, the old cataloger in me is thrilled to finally have an easy way to track which books I own.
Posted by Samantha.
08.23.06
Buzz on a Plane
Now that the Snakes on a Plane phenomenon has played itself out, it can be analyzed as both a brilliant success and a cautionary tale of marketing. On the brilliant success side, this cheesy little movie generated enough ink to write a multi-volume encyclopedia of snakes. The other burn-off horror flicks of the summer, i.e. Pulse, have disappeared faster than a cobra’s strike. Snakes may not make $100 million, but it got about $100 million in free publicity, which should ensure that it turns a profit.
On the cautionary tale side, Snakes also shows the tyranny of the minority. This movie was made for teenage boys. And “boys” who think they are still teenagers. The premise is hilarious. Samuel L. Jackson is so charismatic and knows how to act in creature movies (he appeared in the shark movie whose title I can’t remember). His personality alone is what drove the more mainstream press to cover the movie. The rabid fandom generated by a few Internet sites and bloggers attracted press coverage, which grew like the Energizer bunny.
When the movie opened at $15 million, it was viewed as disappointing. Realistically, that $15 million opening was pretty good, considering that ultimately the audience for the movie was quite niche. The publicity for the movie distracted from the reality of the potential customer base. The producers, fortunately, understood the disconnect between that publicity and the probable revenue from the film.
Snakes lived up to its hype and connected with its target market — a feat marketers hope to achieve but don’t always do.
Posted by Samantha.
08.15.06
Radio Killed the Radio Star
Satellite radio fascinates me. Perhaps because I have moved so often in the past few years and been generally disgruntled trying to find a radio station that 1) actually plays more than the same 10 songs currently on the payola hit list and 2) doesn’t bombard you with the same 10 cheesy commercials. Satellite radio would seem to be the answer. As today’s WSJ discusses, it hasn’t taken off.
The Journal covers all the economic and technological issues with great clarity. I would argue that the biggest problem with satellite radio is that it tries to be too many things to too many people. You can drown in the myriad of content options. Realistically, in this age of multimedia, radio has carved out a niche for itself with two areas of content: politics and sports.
For public companies like XM (www.xmradio.com) and Sirius (www.sirius.com), politics might be too problematic. Someone will be offended; boycotts may occur. Yes, you receive publicity, but you also have to spend a lot of time managing that publicity.
The key to success for both companies is sports content. Sports fans are devoted to the cause. I was raised a Chicago Bears fan (www.chicagobears.com) and will die a Chicago Bears fan. Currently, I live in Massachusetts: trapped in Patriots Nation and the AFC. When the Bears are doing well, their games are televised nationally more often. Otherwise, it’s a long, cold autumn. I would consider a Sirius subscription if I could get an all Bears channel. Cubs fans might consider an XM subscription if they could get an all Cubs channel. Your tastes in music, politics, or other subjects are more likely to change than your team devotion.
Interactivity is key, too. Sports fans like to talk to other sports fans and vent their frustrations at lineups, missed opportunities, and coaching miscues. If the satellites form partnerships with the local “official team” radio stations, they will obtain solid programming with brand recognition at a reasonable cost. Out of town fans can stay connected with the meatier coverage provided by local media outlets. Yet, neither XM or Sirius really promotes their sports programming, focusing instead on the music or lifestyle “names”.
Yes, Bob Dylan, Martha Stewart, and Howard Stern are legends in their own time. Sports teams have created and will continue to create legends throughout time.
Posted by Samantha.
08.14.06
Two are Better Than One
Recently, Cynthia & I had lunch with a former colleague, who was listing all the ways she was marketing her company. Blogs, articles, conferences, professional organizations, etc. I was tired just listening to the list. How did she find the time & energy to pursue all those marketing efforts, much less run her business?
Partnering really is the way to go. You need someone else to help with all the tasks involved in running a business and to bounce ideas off of. On the most basic level, someone to fill in for you when you are sick.
Partnerships can also mean other people to sell or distribute your product. Your business grows more quickly when you join with other organizations. Even John Galt had Dominique.
Posted by Samantha
