A few thoughts, musings, ramblings and other things from MediaCom people...

Better Together

 
Alex (left) and Stefan (right)

Stefan and Alex are living the MediaCom behaviours today with their matching shirt/jean combination.

Nice work guys.  Tomorrow it's "Pink Shirt Friday."

DT

The Tyrrany of Apple

I am impressed with the way that Apple manage to portray their brand as a corporate outsider with a plucky under-dog image.

They manage to do this in the face of all the evidence that their products provide. Through the iPod, iPhone and iPad they are creating some of the most closed and controlled devices on the market.

When the master of controlled media Rupert Mudoch says

 “I got a glimpse of the future last weekend with the Apple iPad.  It is a wonderful thing,” he said. 

“If you have less newspapers and more of these … it may well be the saving of the newspaper industry.”

this isn't because he believes it's enhanced the user experience. It's because it gives control of the content and the access back to the media owners where the internet gave it to the people.

The App Store is totally controlled by Apple so anyone wishing to produce software for their products requires their blessing.

HTML, Linux and even Android are platform neutral languages and operating systems. Allowing people to innovate with software and devices and produce low cost solutions for people.

Apple is big, controlling, old business disguised in a hip, cool wrapping.

What’s your position?

No this is not another Stefan Burford poll about whether you prefer Salute to the Sun or Reverse Cowboy it’s a call to action on having a position on things.

Last week I was at a pretty somber gathering of the industry and I bumped into an acquaintance that had run one of the biggest and most respected media outfits of its time. Now he just floats around consulting and being rich. He then proceeded to bail me up about the fact that I’d stopped writing articles in the press, which I used to do quite a lot of. I pointed out that I had been pretty busy with things in the last six months. He blew smoke in face and then lectured me on the responsibility that comes with being able to write and make compelling arguments. Then he sealed the deal by telling me that we couldn’t let the media industry be represented by just one voice, especially when that voice was a few fat old men with a vested interest in nothing changing. He was right, very right. I agreed that I’d get back on the wagon, and then promptly had more beer and forgot about the whole conversation. Until! Until Baxter kindly reminded me again for the umpteenth time to write something for Scribble and to get some Melbourne voices represented amongst the Sydney pretty boys.

So, that’s a long winded way of getting around to the point. If you are young, and you have an educated position on an issue you have a responsibility to communicate it, and a duty to do it compellingly. If you care about media and popular culture you need to advocate for the change you seek. Our industry is about communication and conversation, and that conversation is easily influenced. Don’t you want our industry to be represented by something more compelling than ‘market to rise by 3%’ or ‘year of augmented reality’? Think of something critical, or something overlooked. Study it, develop a position, make a compelling argument, and find the angle to make it interesting. Publish and be dammed.

Later this month I’ll be on a panel at Adtech talking about how the industry will face the challenges of the future, what you will you be doing?

Helen Brain Says - AUGMENTED REALITY IS AWSOME!!

Everyone loves a Homepage takeover, they’re nice & big, and have proven their clout in generating reach.  But is that the only thing we want to achieve as marketers?

Whilst 1.8m people may see a nineMSN HP takeover, less than 2% will interact with it. If awareness is your objective, than reach based plans work, if you want to create a real relationship between your brand and your consumer; you need to look at engagement.

The Rookie Says... AUGMENTED REALITY SUCKS!!!

Augmented reality is going to be the next big thing! Yes, just like mobile I guess. Five years of hearing the same message and we are still asking ourselves when the year of the mobile will be? It seems inevitable that we are destined to travel down the same road with augmented reality.

Why is it that we are so obsessed with executing a ‘media first’? And what is with the obvious attraction with augmented reality? I admit, taking over the Homepage of a major portal has been done before, but let’s look at the boxes it ticks - reach; big tick. Awareness; big tick. Interaction; big tick. Augmented reality...hmm. Big question mark.