Now would be a great time to experiment with this new service for a couple of reasons.  First, the cost will be low as there will not be many competitors for adjacent placement at first.  Second,  most marketers will not be aware of this, nor will embrace this technology until it becomes mainstream.  Third there should be no clutter of “advertisements” which could increase effectiveness.  All of this assumes an appropriate message is developed and designed for the medium.

On Saturday, November 22nd at 7pm Central Time, YouTube will launch a new service called YouTube LIVE.   The service will provide live streaming programming.   The first event will be part concert, part variety show and part party.  It will bring together some of the videos and individuals that have contributed towards making the site what it is today.

Why is this important?   This year YouTube/Google made big strides in building infrastructure to sustain higher data throughput to support higher quality video streams.  Will this event be the culmination of their technical efforts to provide a high quality stream that would be accepted as an alternative to the television?  I think we will find out on Saturday as there has been a lot of buzz on the net, but no facts that I have found about the expected image quality.

Live, high quality image programming is another major step in the direction of making the Internet the delivery platform of choice for viewers, content producers and marketers.  If YouTube applies the model it has used since its inception, then content producers could, theoretically, more easily create an event online for a very specific niche at a lower cost for distribution.  Marketers could, theoretically, get instantaneous market analytics to become more effective and responsive to the consumer/viewer.

Still not convinced, check out the sponsors already on board, Lionsgate, Virgin, Guitar Hero, Flip, etc.

ABC, CBS, and NBC, are you ready for this?

Unfortunately greed is never a victimless sin (note I didn’t say ‘crime’ as there is a much higher price to pay).  Someone always pays the price, and this time it is significant enough that an entire nation has felt the blunt of the blow.

Regardless of  doom and gloom everywhere you look, the economy is still alive and breathing.  Someone, somewhere, right now, is buying from someone else.  That’s a fact.  Those who maintain during difficult times are the ones who are well positioned in the marketplace.  Now is the time to spend dollars on market exposure.  BUT, don’t waste your time and money if you are not well positioned, so the market will pay attention.  This means proving you are…

1. UNIQUE  from the alternatives!   What makes your products and services special?  How are you differentiated?  What can only you accomplish that few others, without your collective of resources and expertise provide?
2. COMMUNICATING your accomplishments!   Customers want to see demonstrated results that they can measure their expectations by.  Are you telling your story in the marketplace?  The age-old human tradition of storytelling is more relative than ever before.  And the best are repeated over and over again.
3. ESTABLISHED for the long term!   Consumers are attracted to winners.  Is your sustainability evident to others?  How may financial institutions are now being questioned solely on the basis of sustainability?  What are you doing to offset any concerns in your market?  Often overlooked, sustainability will evermore prove to be the greatest ’symbol of significance’ that most brands struggle to overcome.  (e.g. Apple, circa 1992)

When you are uncertain about your market, it’s time to examine your market-ing.   Unsophisticated companies tend to place blame on what they believe to be the  obvious, sophisticated companies realize they are the obvious.  Be proactive and prevent borrowing against your future to simply survive today.  Instead, invest today for your future.

Connecting with a group of like-minded believers is a basic human need we all share and seek.  Affinity is easily identified when it connects people by brand or activity, but what about individual talents or even challenges people face.   These attributes pull people into community as much as any favored brand or activity.  Misspelling wouldn’t really be considered an activity.  Neither would dwarfism, but annually little people from around the world gather for a week of fellowship, fun, and dialog.  I think this is affinity at it’s best, especially when it has nothing to do with choice.

Does affinity run deeper when it evolves from lack of choice?  Would this be an alternative view for the basis of our laws on discrimination?  (At minimum, a deeper appreciation for people that are different.)

Don’t take this wrong, I’m not suggesting misspelling is on par with little people or race or religion for that matter.  Whatever be our individual challenges, interests, or strengths, affinity can usually be found in even the most basic of human trait.

Have you ever seen one of those stories on TV where two children with a really rare disease meet for the first time?  That is affinity.  The look on their faces. The feeling of, “connecting with someone just like me”.  Where they can “belong” and “connect”.

Brand Affinity is strongest when it begins with community.  And it is the ultimate position for any brand: to be the catalyst or connector between like-minded people who share interest.  Does your brand provide a place of community: where people untie?

It seems a real hunger for authentic leadership avails in today’s uncertain economic environment. When it seems there are no real answers, it is time to look for real (authentic) leadership.

Authentic leadership looks toward tomorrow and considers the condition of the world to come rather than the world present.  When most people are seeking answers for their present condition, authentic leadership considers the long-term interest and moves as quickly as possible.

I am privileged to live near Kansas City where President Truman remains a hero and is honored for his contributions to society.

BUY AMERICA. I AM.

By WARREN E. BUFFETT
Published: October 16, 2008

THE financial world is a mess, both in the United States and abroad. Its problems, moreover, have been leaking into the general economy, and the leaks are now turning into a gusher. In the near term, unemployment will rise, business activity will falter and headlines will continue to be scary.

So … I’ve been buying American stocks. This is my personal account I’m talking about, in which I previously owned nothing but United States government bonds. (This description leaves aside my Berkshire Hathaway holdings, which are all committed to philanthropy.) If prices keep looking attractive, my non-Berkshire net worth will soon be 100 percent in United States equities.

Why?

A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. And most certainly, fear is now widespread, gripping even seasoned investors. To be sure, investors are right to be wary of highly leveraged entities or businesses in weak competitive positions. But fears regarding the long-term prosperity of the nation’s many sound companies make no sense. These businesses will indeed suffer earnings hiccups, as they always have. But most major companies will be setting new profit records 5, 10 and 20 years from now.

Let me be clear on one point: I can’t predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven’t the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month — or a year — from now. What is likely, however, is that the market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So if you wait for the robins, spring will be over.

A little history here: During the Depression, the Dow hit its low, 41, on July 8, 1932. Economic conditions, though, kept deteriorating until Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in March 1933. By that time, the market had already advanced 30 percent. Or think back to the early days of World War II, when things were going badly for the United States in Europe and the Pacific. The market hit bottom in April 1942, well before Allied fortunes turned. Again, in the early 1980s, the time to buy stocks was when inflation raged and the economy was in the tank. In short, bad news is an investor’s best friend. It lets you buy a slice of America’s future at a marked-down price.

Over the long term, the stock market news will be good. In the 20th century, the United States endured two world wars and other traumatic and expensive military conflicts; the Depression; a dozen or so recessions and financial panics; oil shocks; a flu epidemic; and the resignation of a disgraced president. Yet the Dow rose from 66 to 11,497.

You might think it would have been impossible for an investor to lose money during a century marked by such an extraordinary gain. But some investors did. The hapless ones bought stocks only when they felt comfort in doing so and then proceeded to sell when the headlines made them queasy.

Today people who hold cash equivalents feel comfortable. They shouldn’t. They have opted for a terrible long-term asset, one that pays virtually nothing and is certain to depreciate in value. Indeed, the policies that government will follow in its efforts to alleviate the current crisis will probably prove inflationary and therefore accelerate declines in the real value of cash accounts.

Equities will almost certainly outperform cash over the next decade, probably by a substantial degree. Those investors who cling now to cash are betting they can efficiently time their move away from it later. In waiting for the comfort of good news, they are ignoring Wayne Gretzky’s advice: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”

I don’t like to opine on the stock market, and again I emphasize that I have no idea what the market will do in the short term. Nevertheless, I’ll follow the lead of a restaurant that opened in an empty bank building and then advertised: “Put your mouth where your money was.” Today my money and my mouth both say equities.

Warren E. Buffett is the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, a diversified holding company.

What gives them away is the use of the words “I promised my boss…” or “I know exactly what I need”.  (Interestingly, this also tells us they are not the real decision-maker - nor the real client.)  For some, it is obvious, their job depends on it.  It’s time they deliver, or else.  The error of self-diagnosis is usually a dead giveaway.  And anyway, if it were accurate why would they need us?

Clients needing effective solutions that deliever, seek out experts, and value their opinions.  Effective digital marketing solutions cannot be accomplished by any one person.  It’s too complex and requires to many areas of expertise to rely on one mind.  Effective web is only accomplished by a meeting-of-the-minds (and expertise).

The digital space has taken away the excuses, but has also pressured results.  Unfortunately, it’s also why there is so much crap on the web.  Every time you cannot find what you are looking for on the web, you are probably wading through someone else’s idea of “no more excuses”.  They had to get something out there quick.

On the Road to a New Effectiveness Model: 

By: Anca Cristina Micu of Sacred Heart University &  Joseph T. Plummer of The Advertising Research Foundation

Consumers bring there own stories, experiences, and associations in their memories to ads, and may substitute their own elements into the unfurling drama to help it become more relevant or meaningful.  Testing with images and with verbal material has shown that consumers often remember elements in an ad that were not in it, and miss elements that were present.

The story the ad tells engages the consumer’s emotions and triggers stored associations, personal stories, brand experiences and images and generates that first emotional imprint in the brain.   Emotion involves the consumer and the ad’s story gets integrated in the mesh of memories and  schema in the consumer’s long-term memory.

Memories have a deep association with storytelling. To tell a story is to remember an important idea – we remember by telling stories – it is something we virtually have to do.   As agents of the larger society, stories help consumers create memories and hence define their self-identities and interpret cultural trends and rituals.

Companies use storytelling to shape the memories which consumers record and recall. Hence, the memory and meaning assigned by the consumer to a
brand is one co-created by the advertiser and the consumer themselves.

Few consumers probably noticed this weeks announcement regarding the next generation standards for Broadcast Television.  The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced the new technology as  “a complete suite of ‘Next Generation’ services for the conventional fixed DTV receiver viewing environment.”  They call it A/72.

Just when you thought it was safe to buy a new television, another technology is announced.  But wait this is cool stuff.  Based on the MPEG-4 standard, this new technology allows larger files to pass through smaller spaces, and it’s scalable.

HIGHER THAN HIGH DEF?

Of course!  You didn’t think that Blu-Ray DVD and 1080p HD was the final destination did you?  What happened over the last 50 years in broadcasting will happen again.  A broadcast format relies on standards that are fixed, whereby television sets and set-top boxes expect to see a certain type of signal required to create an image.  And that is what all the fuss has been about since the late 90’s when the FCC announced the end of analog television.  But technology advancements never stop.

ENTERTAINMENT ANYONE?

As analog technology has slowly retired over the past few years it has taken a few debatable formats with it. Think film!  However, the movie you see tonight at the theater will still most likely be projected by an analog film system.  Why, because it is higher than High Def.  And in reality, Hollywood wishes it wasn’t so.  Maintaining analog technology in a digital age becomes evermore expensive.  Obviously the ultimate goal is to push all digital content via an internet protocol.  And that is why this announcement is so important.  A scalable format using smaller file sizes?  And capable of breaking through the resolution ceiling?  Count me in.

For several years now our industry has used cameras capable of shooting at higher resolutions than HDTV.  Why, because we can, and it looks better.  Now sit back and watch manufacturers race to bring this new technology into the home.

Here we go again!

YouTube’s earnings for 2009 are expected to top 500 million.  How’s that for a Blue Ocean startup based around Affinity groups wanting to connect and share content based on interest.

Earlier this summer CBS paid 1.8 Billion for CNET Networks.  Not much was said about that deal.

The rise of the new consumer continues to be an amazing transformation.  And none of this would be possible without the affinity minded consumer.

This past Sunday something interesting happened. Our 5-year old had gotten hurt and so my wife was carrying him, and she struggled to get the door open. I was following, wrangling the other 5 kids, and looking ahead I noticed the manager standing a few feet from the door watching her.  With no else around, he just stood there.  He didn’t lift a finger to assist…not even a twitch, comment, or “welcome to McDonalds”.

One of the primary reasons our kids enjoy this particular McDonalds is they offer mini ice cream cones for free. Fifteen minutes before we leave, I call out “ice cream time” and the kids get all excited and head up to the counter to get their weekly treat; noses barely poking over the countertop like small dogs trying to get morsels from the table.

Suddenly, the unbelievable happened. The manager informs us that free ice cream is only for ‘Happy Meal’ customers.  I instantly realized I was on the loosing end of poor customer service

For me, this event brings to light how important it is for companies hoping for Affinity Brand status to focus on customer service; not just ordinary “have a great day and congratulations, we got your order right“ customer service but “WOW, they really care about me” customer service.  Clearly, the manager doesn’t see a residual revenue stream where satisfied customers brag to other parents about how great they treat you at this particular McDonalds.  He only sees a family that buys hamburgers. My guess is that he has never taken the time to look at the name on the debit card so he can spontaneously say “Thanks for coming in today Mr. LaTessa.”

Let me make something perfectly clear. We love McDonalds and we generally deal with great, friendly, hard working staff. We also don’t have any unrealistic expectations about what McDonalds is going to provide us.  McDonalds will never (and can never) be an Affinity Brand. They are a brand built on convenience and nothing more. They succeed, not because their brand is timeless or of particularly high quality or because they have a committed group of followers; they succeed because their product provides a quick easy meal. There is nothing wrong with that, but if I had a product to brand, that is not the way that I would want it perceived.

Oh…by the way, the kids got their ice cream. My wife is an amazing persuader.

You might have guessed QUALITY. And that would be a great guess as they share that as well. But today, we are talking about CUSTOMER SERVICE.

There is a significant difference between ‘the customer is always right’ and ‘the customer is always impressed’.

The best affinity brands put much more effort into impressing customers than they do trying to ensure customers are always pleased or happy. You cannot control the customer, but you can control your customer service efforts. Many times impressing the customer does as much to distract the customer from any issues you might have as it results in pleasing the customer.

Today, I walked into the Ritz Carlton hotel in San Francisco. From the time I gave the valet my car keys to walking inside to the registration desk could not have been more than 90 seconds. In those few seconds we were greeted by name, no less than four times. “Welcome Mr. & Mrs. Smith”. Sure they were all wearing ear monitors taking cues of our presence as we entered the hotel lobby, but most impressive to say the least. They could have said my room was not ready, or that I had to sleep on the floor. It wouldn’t have mattered. I was so impressed and cared for at that point, I could only focus on the details of how well we were being serviced.

Interestingly, a half hour later we received a call from the Intercontinental Hotel in Monterey (where we had just left), asking if our stay had been pleasant and suggesting that we were always welcome back. Later in the afternoon, my wifes cell phone rang and it was Land’s End clothiers asking if she had received her recent online order, and if she found everything to her ’satisfaction’.  Wow!  Now that’s customer service.

So, what did these efforts cost? Really very little, because these customer service tasks are part of the on-going processes already in place at each of these great companies. First and foremost, they each were using their human resources to make the connection. Next, they were timely in their execution.

ARE YOU LISTENING? Customer Service costs very little - and pays significant dividends! And it is a primary characteristic of Affinity Brands.

And they have so many resources to work with. It remains an in-demand event. Filling seats with superstars is not a problem - yet.

Someone, who will remain nameless, walked into the room while I was suffering through the program and politely said,”too bad they have no Talent to work with!” I responded ratherly frankly, “there’s a big difference between Talent and Bravery. Bravery trumps Talent every time.”

I am continually amazed at the genuine talent in todays society. When I was in high school there may have been 3 of us that played guitar in the entire school. Today, two out of every three kids play guitar. And they really are better than we were.

With so much talent to go around, it’s simple - bravery wins out. Those who find opportunity do so because of their bravery toward exposing their talent to the masses. Real talent doesn’t dismiss stage fright.

So where does this leave MTV. To blame, I guess. It’s obvious to all of us, they had plenty of brave people in the room. This thing died long before it aired.

I spent a few hours on the road today and saw plenty of political bumper stickers. It appears that everyone driving a Toyota Prius is voting for Barrack Obama? What does this mean?  Is this reality? Scientific? Is Toyota passing out bumper stickers with every new purchase?

I realize not everyone driving a Prius will vote for Obama, but what I saw today would pass the test of market sampling, including margin-of-error.  Sure, I am intrigued by data and too often ask the question, “why?”

Of course Lifestyle ‘perception’ is a large part of affinity brands, but what is the basis for this connection with Obama? Is Obama the affinity brand, or Toyota Prius, or both?  I’ve heard both candidates suggest they will attract all audiences. Is this really possible?  Not for affinity brands!

And apparently not for Prius owners.

This really isn’t something that can be fabricated by marketing promotion. We regularly talk with companies seeking to transform their brand into an Affinity Brand, but the truth cannot be altered. Either your products are user-verified, or they’re not. So which is it?

Sure, we enjoy engaging those brands that are yet to be verified, and we really enjoy the discovery of those that eventually prove to be so. No doubt, there are many advantages for Affinity Brands in today’s marketplace. Consumers are looking for those brands.

Quality.

Community.

Timeless.

Again, we see the model changing by making access to the data free of charge. For Jigsaw, it is a points based system where you earn points for making contributions to the database. The more data you contribute, the more points, or credits, you earn. This model encourages members to submit information from their own CRM. Now: the information you have provided, such as a valid email address, is now up for grabs to anyone using this free Internet tool. So, once again we face a privacy issue. Read on.

The most important thing we should all learn from this is that your information will be out there quicker than ever before. It is logical that this model will eventually include consumer personal information. Does that scare you? It shouldn’t. The more information a marketing organization has on a contact, the more relevant their communication will be with the consumer. (usually including a value exchange) ROI and technically-savvy business development teams will gravitate towards these tools and eventually, we all agree the broadcast method of marketing will go away.

The benefit? Your direct mail and email solicitations include only the content you’re interested in. So go ahead and express your business and personal interests in these tools voluntarily. Don’t you think Facebook and Linked-In are already determining your preferences, trends, etc.?