A PAD WITHOUT A PENCIL

As Apple releases its latest "magical" device, a closer look reveals a host of shortcomings that may have Apple going back to the drawing pad.

The Huffington Post recently released "The Nine Worst Things About The iPad".

1-It's name. Sounds like a tampon product
2-No Multi-tasking
3-No Camera
4-No USB port
5-The AT&T deal. Major complaints concerning coverage.
6-No Flash. Forget about Online gaming, ESPN or Disney.
7-Its Screen. LED is harsh on the eyes and drains batteries faster than OLED.
8-The Price. For a limited use machine it's overpriced at $499 and up.
9-Closed App Store. Must pass Apple approval process that limits certain apps.
10-Every pad needs a pencil.

The video that follows puts it best. Hilarious. But oh so true!

LATINOS IN THE USA

Just one decade after the turn of the century, the US population is expected to reach 308.4 million in 2010.

It took 139 years for the US to reach its first 100 million after declaring independence from Britain in 1776. The second 100 million came 52 years later, and the third took only 39 years. Demographers project the US population could reach 400 million by 2043.

What will it look like?

The fastest growing demographic group, Latinos, will dominate our growth into the twenty first century, expected to hit the 50 million mark in 2010. Growth will be characterized by both organic growth from within the U.S. and immigration growth.

While there are some warnings that recent Latino immigrants face high social hurdles, 'As almost nothing else can, immigration-led growth signals the attractiveness of the American economy and policy,' said Kenneth Prewitt, former Census Bureau chief and now professor of public affairs at Columbia University.

Given the complexity of both country or origin and distinct generation profiles, marketers must be sensitive to the nuances that make up each group.

THEN AND NOW

As Avatar approaches $1.7 billion in worldwide box office sales, I cannot help but wonder how we keep reinventing our future.

Three dimensional movie imagery has been around since the late 1890s when a patent for a stereoscopic 3D movie process was filed by the British film pioneer, William Friese-Greene. It wasn't until 1922, however, until the first 3D film, the Power of Love, was shown to a paying audience.

Through the 20s and 30's the love affair with 3D died down, fueled in part by the Great Depression. It wasn't until 1952 when a short lived Golden Age of 3D released the first color stereoscopic feature, Bwana Devil. Owing to the complexity and economics of production,and the birth of Cinemascope, the decline of 3D began in 1953, just one year later.

Several revivals later, one in the 1970s and another post 1985 improved the technology but none brought it to life like Avatar. From the flimsy cardboard glasses to what was the focus of the Consumer Electronics Show this past month, 3D may be coming of age.

Or is it?

The new technology is impressive, but the experience is still a throwback to the 1950s when sitting in a movie house, wearing polarized, tinted cardboard glasses was a novelty. Step lightly into the 3D craze ... it may not last too long.

Fifty years ago, at a ticket price of just thirty-five cents for two features plus cartoons, how could you go wrong.

ONE PICTURE; ONE THOUSAND WORDS

WHAT IF NEWSPAPERS DIE ?

The current issue of BrandWeek touts the results of an AdWeek Media/Harris Poll that suggests that, while newspapers are read both online and in print by a majority of adults, paying for online content is not in the cards.

The newspaper industry has unfortunately created an appetite for free online news content in an effort to generate traffic for their websites. As more eyes landed on the their sites and as aggregation sites began to re-publish news content, the model began to backfire as newspaper circulation and online cpms dropped. It became a lose-lose combination.

A recent study released by the Pew's Center Project for Excellence in Journalism paints a picture that goes a long way to support Rupert Murdoch's efforts to raise a pay wall for online newspaper content. The study suggests that while the news landscape had expanded considerably through online channels, most of what the public reads and learns is overwhelmingly driven by traditional media -- primarily newspapers.

What happens if newspapers die?

To quote from the study ..."The questions are becoming increasingly urgent. As the economic model that has subsidized professional journalism collapses, the number of people gathering news in traditional television, print and radio organizations is shrinking markedly. What, if anything, is taking up that slack?"

Until such time that circulation and advertising can support the online models (unlikely), only a payment for content model will keep the information flow from drying up. If we do not wake up and pay for content origination, we are doomed to a Twitter-like world and information without substance.

HABLA ESPANOL?

The Pew Hispanic Center released a research paper (12/22/09) on the narrowing online access gap between the Latino and white/black populations.

Latinos in America that connected to the Internet jumped ten percent between 2006 and 2008, from 54% to 64%. The increase represents a rapid rate of acceleration when compared to a 4% increase for whites and a 3% increase for blacks.

The importance of this increase in a two year period and the spending impact of the Latino market through the Internet merits serious attention by marketers. It will be one of the bright lights on the economic landscape in 2010 and beyond.

Pair the increase in Internet use with what promises to be a jaw dropping 2010 census report on the number of Latinos in the USA and a strong pattern of phenomenal growth emerges.

Challenge for marketers: Understanding and managing the many cultural nuances that can make or break a marketing effort.

NEWSPAPERS -- A HARD HABIT TO BREAK

 











For the last few years, newspapers have borne the brunt of declining fortunes while their circulation erodes as quickly as the sands on a beach facing a tsunami. But the reality is far from the perception that newspapers will disappear.

A recent study by Scarborough Research points to a healthy print/internet readership that will remain a media force for some time to come.  Aggregation news sites that include the likes of Drudge and the Huffington Post, while performing well, are not hurting strong newspaper options.

Among results from the study ....

74% of the adult population read newspapers in print or online

79% of white collar adults read newspapers in print or online

82% with household incomes over $100k read newspapers in print or online

84% of college grads read newspapers in print or online each week

While circulation drops are real, audience readership has not registered the same declines and is holding up well in spite of increased media fragmentation.

The longer term solution for the survival of newspapers appears to be a business model that fully embraces the online potential with a web-first publishing format.

The multi-cultural publishing base is also benefiting from a strong reader loyalty -- especially among the Latino community, 49 million strong, representing over a trillion dollars in purchasing power and growing at a rapid pace.

Spanish language newspapers enjoy 50% more readers per copy than mainstream English-language papers according to the National Association of Hispanic Publications. Contrary to current consciousness, Hispanic youths are loyal to their Spanish-language papers preferring entertainment and political sections. 

Marketers take notice ....It is estimated that 82% of Latino's read and share their paper with a least one other person.

Not too shabby for what is perceived to be a declining market.

FELIZ NAVIDAD

As we close out 2009 and enter 2010, we begin to reflect on the past and look to the future for growth, prosperity, health and happiness.

The United states has been a cultural melting pot spawning generations of culturally rooted families from around the globe. From Europe and Africa, the Middle East and Asia, we are as culturally diverse as Walt Disney's "It's a Small World".

Standing out from all cultures in terms of growth and impact on our economy has been the Hispanic (or Latino) community. Today, over twenty countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Mexico contribute to the Latino population in the U.S. accounting for 15.5% of the U.S. population ..... not an insignificant statistic.

And the number is growing rapidly.

Results from the 2010 census is expected to raise eyebrows as many believe the number of Latinos will rise from an expected 47 million to between 50 and 52 million.

According to the census, the Hispanic-origin population contributed 39 percent of the Nation's population growth from 2000 to 2010, projected to 45 percent from 2010 to 2030, and a whooping 60 percent from 2030 to 2050 (accounting for at least 25% to 30% of the U.S. population).

The political and economic impact of the Latino community as it relates to marketing strategies cannot be overlooked. To do so would court disaster..... and delivers a holiday gift for those marketers that have already recognized the future bonanza.

Happy Holidays!

MAGAZINES -- DISPLACE OR REPLACE?

Berg and Bonier R&D out of London have been experimenting with concepts for digital magazine publishing. The project, Mag+, explores both consumer habits and business needs to make the digital magazine reader experience more insightful and rewarding.

The reading device is much like a Kindle or Sony Reader on steroids. The video below provides an excellent overview of the device and the "layout" for published content. The overall result is a handsome attempt to drive magazine readers away from the printed page and onto the digital band wagon.

As old habits die hard, there will likely be resistance and slow acceptance of a digitized magazine format. Some of the experience will be lost as other benefits come into play. For consumers that are growing up with, and those that are embracing, the digital age, the experience will be a good one. For others that enjoy the tactile experience, not so much.

Are we trying too hard to move the consumer away from one platform to another? One will not mirror the experience of the other as we attempt to make a migration painless for both publisher and reader. Taking a lesson from history, television did not replace radio, the cell phone has not replaced the telephone and FOR SOME TIME TO COME, MAGAZINES, BOTH DIGITAL AND PRINTED VERSIONS, WILL LIVE SIDE BY SIDE, each catering to a distinct audience.

Displacement in the pool of media options is an ongoing phenomenon. Replacement is a rare event.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

SORRELL'S PREDICTIONS

The number of high ranking executives at the holding company level, willing to step outside the comfort of their well furnished offices to "tell it like it is" are few and far between.

Except for Martin Sorrell.

At a recent UBS Media Week Conference, Sorrell covered topics that ranged from short-sighted media price guarantees (in a volatile market) to digital media and global emerging markets.

Espousing the danger of taking comfort in a 25 percent decline in revenues he suggested those companies would be out of business in three years. Citing a forecast of a 1 percent global expansion in spending and pointing to Interpublic's forecast of 6 percent growth as "rogue", he suggested the economic climate is "more, less worse".

Turning to the digital landscape as "the driver for growth", Sorrell does not believe firms like Google can sustain long term traction as an advertising company and that the phenomenon of Facebook and Twitter will be short-lived, replaced by the next new social trend.

Sorrell's crystal ball is not that far off.

Price guarantees in this (or any other) economy by ad agencies for media time/space is at best insane. CPMs in the broadcast market have gone up while digital auctions through the on-demand platforms are commanding premiums for hyper-targeted impressions. Betting on media futures is not a good thing.

Twitter recently experienced a drop of 3 million users and activity among current users is declining. Facebook is still bleeding and MySpace is slowly withering away. The social networks have yet to discover the value of audience data applied to the millions of eyeballs they generate. I would venture that applications developed for the Twitter platform are making more money than Twitter ever will.

Reading what is in the cards today, right or wrong, however, will quickly be forgotten in anticipation of the early signs of a modest recovery.