This the question I get asked the most when it comes to my extensive (and often frenetic) business travel pace. Once I break it down, most people realize that life (and business travel) can be a lot less complicated and stressful if you plan, and seek out the advice from others who have paved the way (and paid the price). After one million miles of business travel, and being a huge nerd/fan of everything associated with it (from best travel apps and gear to the perfect luggage and airport comfort), I'm passionate about business travel (and making it a better experience).
So, how do I do it? How should you do it?
I sat down with my old friend, Bryan Eisenberg, who recently started a show called, Business Travel Hacks, to discuss everything... in gory detail... that I have learned about business travel, and how to make it better. Whether you're on the road for client meetings, to pitch new business, attend trade shows or speak at conferences, these lessons (learned over close to two decades) will (I promise!) make your business travel much better and - in turn - will make your life less stressful at home.
Take a listen... and please feel free to add your best tips, tricks and hacks below in the comments... I'm always hoping to learn more!
Here's the show: How Metallica inspired Keynote Speaker Mitch Joel Travels for Success.
]]> Tags: advertising brand bryan eisenberg business business blog business strategy business travel business travel hacks conference creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption innovation leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog media metallica mitch joel mitchjoel six pixels group six pixels of separation social media technology trade show travel travel app travel hack ]]>This week we discussed:
Prior to founding Day One, Drew Dudley spent eight years as the Director of one of leadership development programs at the University of Toronto. He also served as National Chair of Canada's largest post-secondary charity, which mobilized 35,000 volunteers annually to support the work of Cystic Fibrosis Canada. He is a keynote speakers and often appears in the media. His TED talk has been voted "one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time." Drew is passionate about leadership and cultivating the behaviors that will help you to succeed and empower those around you. His new book, This Is Day One is about how to discover, define, and start to consistently deliver on your foundational leadership values. Living that day over and over is what creates leaders, according to Drew. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #633.
]]> Tags: advertising advertising podcast brand business business blog business book business conversation business podcast business strategy creativity ctrl alt delete culture cystic fibrosis canada day one digital marketing digital marketing blog digital marketing podcast disruption drew dudley innovation leadership leadership book leadership podcast management management podcast management thinking marketing marketing blog marketing podcast media mitch joel mitchjoel non fiction book podcast six pixels group six pixels of separation technology ted ted talk this is day one university of toronto ]]>My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, Pandemonio, and ResolveTO, Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
]]> Tags: advertising alices adventure in wonderland alistair croll athlete badminton bbc book book publishing brand business business blog business strategy camera content content marketing creativity ctrl alt delete daniel denvir data digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption facebook fast company forbes hugh mcguire iambik images imatag innovation instagram james bridle leadership lewis carroll librivox link link exchange longreads management management thinking marketing marketing blog media metadata mitch joel mitchjoel new dark age new york public library politics pressbooks pusaria venkata sindhu pv sindhu queensryche read reading six pixels group six pixels of separation solve for interesting sports technology the dig tilt the windmill truthiness twitter versobooks video wikipedia ]]>Are leaders still believed? Are leaders still trusted? The obvious answer is, "of course!" Just look at the health of the market, the economy and how one business, in particular, crossed the financial threshold into the trillion dollar market valuation (well done, Apple). On the other hand, stop and think about the divisive state of politics, the news, the global economy and the changes shifting us away from a more connected and open world, to one of nationalism and "let's take care of our own first." With all of these strange shifts (it does seem like we're talking out of both sides of our mouth), the leaders of today not only have to deal with the economics and politics at work, but must dig deeper, and find more reason and meaning for their team to pull it together, show up, stand out and make a difference.
Leadership is about more than nurturing a team and contributing true economic value to the corporation.
Our world of disruption, innovation and transformation is less about the technology that we're deploying (and the people who make it happen), and much more about getting back to what Simon Sinek has defined as "the why?" As more and more leaders begin to think about the true corporate "why?," and how the culture of the team will (and must) adapt as our business world changes, there is - perhaps - something bigger to think about: How can we, as a brand, truly open up more. Not just to our consumers, but to our team as well.
Take a principled approach. Read Ray Dalio's Principles.
It's a big book, it's a deep book and it's a counter-intuitive book to how most businesses operate today. These principles worked for Ray Dalio (founder of Bridgewater Associates, which, over the last forty years, has become the largest and best performing hedge fund in the world). What's most striking about the book, Principles - Life & Work (and how Bridgewater grew) is their unprecedented transparency (you can also learn about how radical it truly was in his TED Talk: How to build a company where the best ideas win). While Dalio encourages every organization (and individual) to pursue this route, there was a bigger theme (for me, personally) that emerged from the book that every organization (and individual) can focus on...
Make visible that which is hidden.
Data, business process, human resources, technology implementations, sales, marketing, professional development, internal meetings, team performance, and the list goes on. There are countless areas where leaders can make significant changes and advances, simply by making visible (to all) that which is hidden (to most). A great (and public) example would be MLS (aka Multiple Listing Service) for the residential real estate market. Think back before this platform existed. If an individual wanted to buy a home, they would speak to a realtor (usually referred by a family member or friend). This realtor held all of the available MLS information in a black box. More often than not, consumers would only hear of homes that the real estate agent was personally listing (which may be expanded to other agents in their office, or agents that the consumer's agent was friends with). It was hard (almost impossible) to get a pulse for how many homes were on the market, their prices and more. The agents guarded this information. While the real estate industry may still have agents that don't like the disruptive force of MLS, the industry continues to roll along. Consumers don't just feel more empowered in their own home ownership journey, they are having more open and honest conversations with their agents, because there is less being hidden from them.
It's not just an open market.
A former Google employee once told me that everyone who worked at company can see very specific information about every teammate on their internal platform. There was even an area that had each Googler's presentation skills rated. Rated not just on how this individual does in the room, but ranked in relation to every other Googler. By making that (usually) hidden information visible, teams for pitches and presentations could get sorted in a much more efficient way. A strategic by-product of this ranking, was that Googler's with a higher rating would often get called for external presentations (to clients or industry events) and this would heighten their visibility within Google, and to their industry. A helpful bump to one's professional development.
A chance to make visible that which is hidden is available to one and all.
It's a great question for every leader to ask: What is hidden that we can make visible? It can be asked today. Even if it is answered and resolved, it can be asked again next month, next quarter, and every year. There is always more. Companies always have these incredible pockets of information, talent and value that sits hidden and/or dormant (to a certain degree). As the French would say: "ouvre la fenetre!" Open the window. Let the sun shine in. Let the people walking by see what's inside. Take a look around. Which companies have made visible that which is hidden, and how did that work out for them? Leaders lead. That is the job. Leaders clearing the path, not just for the rest of the team (and the bottom line) to succeed, but to set the business on a course that allows it to thrive (not just survive) in these hyper-competitive (and different) times.
Let this be the leadership battlecry from this day forward: Make visible that which is hidden!
]]> Tags: advertising apple brand bridgewater associates business business blog business process business strategy corporate culture creativity ctrl alt delete culture data digital marketing digital marketing blog digital transformation disruption economics economy global economy google googler human resources innovation leader leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog media mitch joel mitchjoel mls multiple listing service performance politics presentation presentation skills principles professional development public markets radical transparency ray dalio real estate sales simon sinek six pixels group six pixels of separation social media start with why talent technology ted ted talk transformation transparency trust ]]>He is, without a doubt, the smartest thinker (and doer) in advertising. Over the years, I have been fortunate to call Rishad Tobaccowala a friend. Some know him best for calling advertising agencies "cockroaches," while others appreciate his mentorship (he prides himself on helping advertising professionals in their professional development). For over 35 years he has held a myriad of roles at Publicis Groupe. Currently, he holds the title of Chief Growth Officer and member of the management board at Publicis. With that, he is an active investor and advisor in a range of startups and venture capital firms. If that were not enough, he also actively runs The Tobaccowala Foundation. I could not wait for the opportunity to talk with Rishad about the current (and volatile) state of advertising, the agency model, the holding companies and the many disruptions this industry now faces. Rishad was also a key figure in the recently published book, Frenemies by Ken Auletta, which all about the ad business (and an incredible read). Editorial note: we had some Skype challenges with this recording. I did my best to edit the audio and clean it up. Please stick with this. It is worth it. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #632.
]]> Tags: ad business advertising advertising agency advertising podcast brand business business blog business book business conversation business podcast business strategy creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing blog digital marketing podcast disruption frenemies holding company innovation investor ken auletta leadership leadership book leadership podcast management management podcast management thinking marketing marketing blog marketing podcast media mitch joel mitchjoel non fiction book podcast professional development publicis publicis groupe rishad tobaccowala six pixels group six pixels of separation skype startup technology the tobaccowala foundation venture capital ]]>My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, Pandemonio, and ResolveTO, Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
]]> Tags: advertising ai alistair croll art artificial intelligence artist bloomberg bobby mcferrin book brand business business blog business strategy content content marketing cookpad creativity ctrl alt delete digital culture digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption education facebook hugh mcguire iambik innovation internet culture jo white john hughes leadership leonard bernstein librivox link link exchange longreads management management thinking marketing marketing blog maryanne wolf media medium mitch joel mitchjoel molly ringwald music music education open culture pressbooks publishing reader come home reading science scientist sheryl crow silicon valley six pixels group six pixels of separation slate solve for interesting startup technology the breakfast club the new yorker tilt the windmill twitter vogue ]]>That is true. Up to a point. Some brands (and individuals) have done quite well leveraging content and social media channels in a direct response fashion. True, some feel more snake oil salesy than others, but that's not the point. If a brand (or individual) decides that social selling is for them, and - in turn - they are able to find a customer base (which may not be the same thing as an audience), it's not for us to judge (so long as the product or services does what it claims to do and that the customers are happy with their purchase). From big brands "advertising" with content marketing and social media to the gajillion of online courses, seminars and events that we're all exposed to, many brands have one (and only one) strategy with their social media and content marketing: to sell!
It's not just about selling.
When Six Pixels of Separation started publishing (back in 2003), it was a soft (very soft) sell. The focus was on you: The individual. The content was geared to helping the reader (and, then, the listeners of the podcast) build a better business, see their brand from a different perspective and, ultimately, embrace the change that technology was using to disrupt their respective industries. The soft sell (at the time) was that if the reader thought that they might require the services of a digital marketing agency that (because of the content and perceived value) they might consider working with our agency. There was also an ethos in the early days of social media and content marketing that came from the visionary book, The Cluetrain Manifesto, which stated: "markets are conversations." Content and social media was a way to have a conversation (not just push an advertising message) out to an audience. It was also hyper-personal (content was usually created and attributed to an individual, unlike an ad or press release that was issued via a corporation). I fell in love with the idea that marketing was now about real interactions between real human beings.
Real interactions between real human beings is still a noble cause. It's just not the only cause.
In a more mature social media and content marketing space, we can track back to see how the introduction and growth of personal brands has led to a certain level of celebrity. We can see how the selfie revolution has made us all a tad (or a lot!) more narcissistic. We all know about the self-esteem and depression related issues people have related to their own Facebook feed (it's a world where people are posting things about themselves - mostly - to create a persona that they want to world see them as). With all of this complexity, there still seems to be a stigma attached to how much a brand pitches, sells and shills on social media. At the same time, another (perhaps more nefarious) trend has emerged. It's a place where individuals may not promote or shill their wears, but are pushing beyond the humble-brag into claims, self-promotional statements and other not-so-subtle manipulations to create the aura of success (or results) without ever substantiating their claims.
The not-so-humble brag.
It's subtle, but if you look for it, you will see it (often). Statements or sentences that start like this:
It's not terrible. We all (brands and humans) need to promote our own work (if we don't, who will?), but it's a form of manipulation and persuasion that goes (mostly) unchecked.
Why should this irk you (why does it irk me?). Self-promotion is a funny thing. It can be subtle (like this post probably is) or overt. It's distasteful only to the person who feels like it is on the receiving end. Some people find these tactics smart. The issue is in finding your truth. Is that book really a best-seller? Is that consultant really somebody who has helped a business to grow or adapt? Has this individual really had people ask/beg/plea with them to share this information or is that a manipulation to make it look as though they are just the messenger instead of wanting to shill? Words matters. The context behind those words matter. Actions matter much more than those words. So, don't fall for claims that are not substantiated. Dig a little bit deeper on the brands and individuals that you are following. Find out if they truly deliver the work that they claim. Find out if the accolades that they are simply "sharing" have merit and truth (that the claims are true, and that the source of the claims are reputable as well). This is not a slight against any brand or individual. Things have become complex and clouded in the content marketing space. It's easy to create, shill, lie and hit the publish button. Who watches the publishers?
Social media and content marketing are as powerful as ever. Let's get back to those real interactions between real human beings. Value trumps all.
]]> Tags: advertising brand business business blog business strategy content content marketing creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing agency digital marketing blog disruption facebook facebook feed humble brag humblebrag innovation leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog media mitch joel mitchjoel personal brand persuasion podcast self promotion selfie six pixels group six pixels of separation social media social selling technology the Cluetrain manifesto ]]>When I try to do two things at the same time, I often find that it's a fail. I either focus too much on one task, and it's not accomplished to the best of my ability (because some of my head space is semi-focused on the other task). I can think about new ideas while scrolling through (and deleting) emails... there's something about that practice that brings out new thinking (weird, right?). With that, there have been countless studies that demonstrate just how impossible multitasking is (go ahead, Google it... I'll wait).
With that, we all get only twenty-four hours in a day, and our world keeps getting more and more complex.
Spouse, kids, work, family, friends, life... you name it. Everything keeps getting in the way. Show me a person who can do it all, and I'll show you a person who spends a lot of time on a couch with a therapist or someone who is heavily medicated (or both). We fall behind. We claim that we will get to it. We want to be able to "catch up on vacation"... or do whatever we're not doing when we have a moment to breathe. Things slip. Always. I've let two things slip (and I'm embarrassed by it) over the years. Up until May of this year, it had been a long time since I had any formal exercise regiment in place. I can give you the standard excuses, and amp those up with two legitimate (albeit it minor) injuries, but they're just excuses. Reading books had become a problem area as well. I just couldn't find the time, energy or ability to keep my eyes open long enough to get through a book (yup, that's just excuses!). Both the lack of exercise and book reading was eating me up inside.
The first shift: Kill your goals.
The idea of killing my goals came to me after reading Tim Grahl's excellent new book, Running Down A Dream (which I read post-May... as you will soon discover). I realized that when I accomplish whatever goal it is that I set out to accomplish, the result never satiates as much as I had thought it might. Plus, more often than not, the goal would not be met, and I would fall into a self-loathing pit of despair. My solution was to kill my goals, and focus on my personal values. Those values being: I don't want to die. I want to have some kind of regular exercise in my life. I want to be a healthy person. I want to read more, because reading also makes me feel healthy (and smarter). With that, I decided to walk every morning. First thing. Every morning. Without exception. So far... so good. I've been at it since early-May. As I began this morning walk ritual, I would listen to music and podcasts to pass the time. Then it struck me, why not listen to audio books? Once that kicked in, I found myself wanting to read more as well (and not just listen to audiobooks). I dusted off my trusted Kindle, and started reading bits of pages and chapters here and there (and, different books from the ones that I was listening to on my walks). By 8:00 am every morning, I had walked almost 5 miles and would "read" (or listen) to a handful of chapters of a book. Killing my goals and embracing my true life values seems to be working (so far... so good).
The second shift: Task stacking.
Daily exercise and listening/reading a book at the same time. Multitasking! It works! Not so fast. I was, simply, stacking two tasks that can be done at the same time without one stealing energy (physical or psychological requirements) from the other. That got me thinking. What other tasks can we stack together? Reading a book while going to the bathroom? Deleting emails and grazing newsletters while coming up with ideas? Reading/listening to a book on your commute to work? OK, these all seem like ways to simply add reading into otherwise dormant moments. What about work solutions that are task stacking?
Uch... nothing else is coming to mind.
I think there is something to this idea of Task Stacking over multitasking. I'm wondering about what else might work for you at work? What are the combos?
Let's open this up: Have you figured out a Task Stacking solution that works for you? Do tell...
]]> Tags: advertising amazon amazon kindle audiobook book brand business business blog business book business strategy creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption email email management exercise goal goal setting google innovation kindle leadership life hack lifehack management management thinking marketing marketing blog media mitch joel mitchjoel multitasking newsletter productivity reading running down a dream six pixels group six pixels of separation social media task stacking technology tim grahl value ]]>This week we discussed:
It's very exciting to welcome Tiffani Bova back to the show (her last appearance can be checked out here: SPOS #578 - Defining Innovation With Tiffani Bova). Tiffani is the global customer growth and innovation evangelist at Salesforce and author of the brand new business book, Growth IQ - Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make or Break Your Business. Tiffani is a specialist and thought-leader in customer experience, digital transformation, the future of work, and sales mastery. She has her own (excellent) podcast, What's Next! with Tiffani Bova, that is also ranked as one of the top business and marketing podcasts on Apple Music. She has delivered over three hundred keynote presentations to over 300,000 people around the globe. Prior to working with Salesforce she was a VP, Distinguished Analyst and Research Fellow at Gartner. It's a pleasure to welcome her back to discuss Growth IQ. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #631.
]]> Tags: advertising advertising podcast apple apple music brand business business blog business book business conversation business podcast business strategy creativity ctrl alt delete customer experience customer growth digital marketing digital marketing blog digital marketing podcast digital transformation disruption gartner growth iq innovation leadership leadership book leadership podcast management management podcast management thinking marketing marketing blog marketing podcast media mitch joel mitchjoel non fiction book podcast research sales salesforce six pixels group six pixels of separation technology tiffani bova whats next with tiffani bova ]]>My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, Pandemonio, and ResolveTO, Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
]]> Tags: adam savage advertising ai alistair croll artificial intelligence automata boing boing boingboing brand business business blog business strategy content content marketing copyright creativity ctrl alt delete dave pell digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption distribution facebook greater gotham history hugh mcguire iambik innovation leadership librivox link link exchange longreads management management thinking marketing marketing blog media medium mike wallace mitch joel mitchjoel music music industry nature nerf nerf blaster new york new york city newsletter next draft pressbooks publishing silicon valley six pixels group six pixels of separation solve for interesting technology the nation tilt the windmill topic twitter umar haque ]]>I'm speaking at a conference soon, and wanted to know what the official hotel is for the event. I Googled the event. Now all I see are ads for this event. Every. Where. I. Go. I signed up for a software service, because a friend had recommended it. Now all I see are ads for this software service. Every. Where. I. Go. I grabbed a link for a book that I had read on Amazon to share with a friend. Now all I see are ads for this book on Amazon. Every. Where. I. Go. I was at a kid's birthday party at one of those trampoline places. Now all I see are ads for this sporting venue. Every. Where. I. Go. In fact, in looking through my Facebook feed, there is nothing in there that is relevant to me anymore - at all... and the brands that are advertising to me are, without a doubt, paying a premium because of what some algorithm has defined as valuable intent. There is no intent.
This is where digital advertising falls down. Hard.
Feel free to retarget a consumer who has abandoned a shopping cart. There are a myriad of other ways to define true intent. A search? Search may well be one of the worst ways to align your retargeting or personalization marketing strategies. It's expensive and it's wasteful, if you really don't dig in and define some significant metrics that must happen AFTER the search that should trigger an ad. Regardless of how the brand behaves in their media spend, the biggest criminals in this ordeal are the platforms. Think about the depth, data and understanding that these platforms have on their users. Think about the power of their click tracking, user behavior, the underlying machine learning and artificial intelligence technology that they have developed and this is the output? Couple all of that together, and it's somewhat criminal that the vast majority of digital ads that consumers are being exposed to are things that they have already closed the purchase (or research) cycle on. And, with that, why bother wasting a brand impression if that consumer has already (and obviously) been exposed to the brand and, in many cases, is already a consumer? It's the old-school mindset of impression repetition coupled on to this new technology that can personalize and retarget. It makes no sense to mix those two ideologies together.
It's true... is it not?
The worst of the worst (and the most common digital marketing advertising infraction) comes in the continuous flow of ads for a brand that the consumer has just purchased from. And, to make it worse, it never ends. There are countless brands that I have purchased - months later - that are still retargeting me with offers on the exact product or service that I have already purchased. It's a bad brand experience. It doesn't say "thank you for being my customer." It does say: "we have no idea that you're now a customer, so here are some ads for something that you have already purchased from us." It's not a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Isn't that Customer Experience 101?
Digital marketing and advertising is not easy. Digital marketing and advertising is hard, complex and fast moving. Because of that, I struggle to understand why brands make it even harder on themselves (they are paying a premium for this kind of advertising) and for their consumers (it's hard to feel like a valued consumer, when every brand interaction tells them that you're not a customer). Perhaps it's time for brands to take their foot off of the digital marketing customer journey gas pedal, and re-evaluate where their spend is going, and what the logic tree is that displays an ad in front of consumer. It will cut down on waste. It will build a better brand experience. It will put their media agency on notice that they need to be sharper. It will reduce ad spend. It will increase viewability. It will increase positive recall. It will increase brand value.
How is that not one of the biggest wins a brand could have in 2018?
]]> Tags: advertising ai algorithm amazon artificial intelligence brand brand experience brand impression brand value business business blog business strategy click tracking creativity ctrl alt delete customer experience customer journey digital advertising digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption facebook facebook feed google innovation leadership machine learning management management thinking marketing marketing blog marketing strategy media media agency media company media platform media spend mitch joel mitchjoel ml personalization platform programmatic purchase intent retargeting search search engine six pixels group six pixels of separation social media software targeting technology user behavior viewability ]]>Recently, I was recommended to a local retailer for some home furnishings. After visiting the store (and ordering some stuff), I was quite taken with the personal service, and it always feels good to support a local merchant. I bought a few more pieces that I had not anticipated on this trip. Soon after, I found myself looking online at the prices of the products I had just purchased. No, I didn't do this beforehand (or while in the store), because I was taken by the conversation with the small business owner, and felt that there was a good rapport. Imagine my shock, when I discovered that the same products were available for 50% less online than what I had paid (some of the products I purchased were even cheaper).
Pricing matters.
I have no issue paying a premium for local merchants and services. I like helping to bolster and support the local small business economy. A local business' success works for everybody. BUT... don't insult me... or my intelligence. When I called the shop owner on this pricing gap, I was able to extract (after a lot of bumbling and stammering on their part) that what I saw online must be a different manufacturer with a far less superior quality. Fine. I asked for the manufacturer's name... they would not provide it. A few days later, I was walking by the store and noticed boxes outside with the proper manufacturer on it. I went back online and - sure enough - it was the same manufacturer.
Another phone call... and the lies started to flow.
Trust is lost when lies enter the conversation and relationship. The back peddling continued until the offer of a ten percent discount was offered. Not even close to the available price online (from multiple sources). I decided that the order would be cancelled. "That will take us about ten business days to process," the merchant declared. At that same moment in time, I had bought and returned something online from a large home furnishing brand in the States, without question. In fact, once the parcel was placed at UPS for return, I noticed that my credit card was refunded the money. The brand didn't even wait to get the goods (or check them upon return). Flawless. Painless. Customer-centric (great work, Restoration Hardware!).
The bar has been set.
Local retailers don't have to like the effect that big box stores or online merchants have had on their general business, but price transparency and ease of return are, simply, table stakes in business today. The sad reality, is that the bar is not set considerably higher or too complex for these businesses to operate within. Before pricing a product, local merchants simply have to ensure that they're within a reasonable pricing structure to the online world. While establishing retail policies of the store, make it as easy as possible for the customer to do business with you as they operate online. Ten days to process/think about whether or not the retailer is going to accept a return is no longer acceptable. And, yes, we all recognize that the price to operate and run a physical store is a different dynamic to the online channels, but this is the net new reality.
We have been exposed.
Perhaps the biggest lesson for local retailers (and brands, in general) is that consumers have been exposed to these new experiences and expectations. Pricing, ratings, return policies and more are a couple of swipes away. It's easy. Giving consumers the feeling that they may have been taken on the price they paid, or making it laborious to return something are both old school retail tactics that die hard in this digital environment. That genie is not going back into the bottle with online shopping. Adapt or die? Accept or die? Embrace or die? Sure. On the other hand, why not make the offer better than buying it online? And, if you can't do that, maybe it's time to consider another line of business? Harsh? That's not the intent. The true intent is this: do you know the baseline expectations of your consumers in a world where much of what happens in the purchase cycle is available for all to see and experience?
This isn't just the story of a small local retailer who is challenged by our new world. Many brand leaders are currently suffering along by living in the past as well. This should feel like opportunity... and not defeat.
]]> Tags: advertising brand business business blog business strategy consumer trust creativity ctrl alt delete customer centricity digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption ecommerce economics economy innovation leadership local business local merchant local retail major retailer management management thinking marketing marketing blog media mitch joel mitchjoel online channel online shopping pricing restoration hardware retail retailer six pixels group six pixels of separation small business small business owner social media store technology transparency trust ups ]]>You can listen the new episode right here: Groove - The No Treble Podcast - Episode #44 - Bridget Kearney.
Who is Bridget Kearney?
Bridget Kearney doesn't talk much about the electric bass (mostly because that's not her instrument of choice). The musician and composer is a double bass player that graduated with a dual degree from Tufts University and New England Conservatory of Music. She started playing the bass when she was nine years old and fell madly, deeply in love with the instrument. But, let's get to today. Today, Bridget is an established solo artist and neck deep in live dates and recording with Lake Street Dive. Kearney's debut solo album, Won't Let You Down came out in 2017. Lake Street Dive released their eighth album, Free Yourself Up, this year. We caught up with Bridget while she was on tour with Lake Street Dive.
Enjoy the conversation...
Listen in: Groove - The No Treble Podcast - Episode #44 - Bridget Kearney
What is Groove - The No Treble Podcast?
This is an ambitious effort. This will be a fascinating conversation. Our goal at Groove is to build the largest oral history of bass players. Why Groove? Most of the content about the bass revolves around gear, playing techniques, and more technical chatter. For us, bassists are creative artists with stories to tell. They are a force to be reckon with. These are the stories and conversation that we will capture. To create this oral history of why these artists chose the bass, what their creative lives are like, and where inspiration can be found.
]]> Tags: acoustic bass advertising bass bass player bass player podcast bass podcast bass solo bassist brand bridget kearney business business blog business strategy creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption double bass electric bass electric bass podcast free yourself up fretless bass groove groove no treble groove no treble podcast groove podcast innovation lake street dive leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog media mitch joel mitchjoel music podcast musician new england conservatory of music no treble no treble podcast six pixels group six pixels of separation social media solo artist solo bass standup bass technology tufts university won't let you down ]]>This week we discussed:
Some of the most insightful and smart books on branding and marketing strategy have been written by Marty Neumeier. Zag, The Brand Flip, The Brand Gap, The 46 Rules of Genius and countless others. They're small is size, beautiful in design and mindful in content. They are always a pleasure to read and marinate on. For his latest book, Marty wanted to do something different. He wanted to write a book about how brands who can develop and deploy an agile strategy would be the ones that become epic brands. He wrote it as a thriller (not joking), and it's a great read. The book is called Scramble. Marty started as a graphic designer and copywriter in the 1970s. In 1984, when the Macintosh launched, he moved to Silicon Valley to help companies like Apple, Netscape, HP, Adobe, and Google build their brands. In 1996 he started Critique, the first magazine about design thinking. He then launched Neutron, a design think tank focused on brand-building processes that drive organizational change. Marty later merged Neutron with Liquid Agency, where he currently still works. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #630.
]]> Tags: adobe advertising advertising podcast agile strategy apple brand business business blog business book business conversation business podcast business strategy content copywriter creativity critique magazine ctrl alt delete design design think tank design thinking digital marketing digital marketing blog digital marketing podcast disruption google graphic design graphic designer hp innovation leadership leadership book leadership podcast liquid agency macintosh management management podcast management thinking marketing marketing blog marketing podcast marty neumeier media mitch joel mitchjoel netscape neutron agency non fiction book podcast scramble silicon valley six pixels group six pixels of separation strategy technology the 46 rules of genius the brand flip the brand gap thriller zag ]]>My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, Pandemonio, and ResolveTO, Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
]]> Tags: advertising algorithm alistair croll audio bbc bbc news book brand business business blog business strategy content content marketing creativity ctrl alt delete digital audio digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption facebook harvard business review hugh mcguire iambik iek tub innovation language leadership librivox link link exchange longreads management management thinking marketing marketing blog media medium mitch joel mitchjoel open source pirate radio podcast podcaster podcasting politico pressbooks radio silicon valley six pixels group six pixels of separation solve for interesting technology the guardian tilt the windmill tom webster twitter youtube ]]>A couple of weeks back, I had back-to-back meetings in Philadelphia with a day off in-between (which rarely/never happens). For years, I have been friends and following my friends, Michael and Amy Port and their work at Heroic Public Speaking. Basically, if you want to become a professional public speaker, if you want to get better at presenting, or if you just want some more confidence in the boardroom, they are the gold standard in public speaking and professional speaker training. Their facilities are a short car ride outside of Philly. In 2017, they opened this Heroic Public Speaking Headquarters in Lambertville, New Jersey. It is over 6,500 square foot of speaker training and growing. I spent the afternoon with them in this amazingly beautiful space, and Michael invited me to be a guest on his podcast, Steal The Show.
Take a listen right here...
Here's how Michael described our hour-plus conversation:
"If you look at the past decade, I'd be challenged to see another industry as disrupted by technology as speaking." - Mitch Joel.
Today, most brands and businesses are also trying to be a media company. Selling a product or service is no longer enough. Whether it's an engaging social media presence or valuable email marketing campaign--this new expectation of content creation provides an unprecedented marketing opportunity for companies all over the world. However, if we're not careful, we can fall into the abyss of marketing noise; following templates and sticking to the norms will mask your authentic voice and have you hidden in the crowd. That's why on today's episode of Steal the Show, we are joined by Mitch Joel live at Heroic Public Speaking HQ to discuss content creation... Listen to this episode to learn the intellectual significance that Mitch brings to the table, and how you can apply Mitch's wisdom to your brand.
"You have to find the thing that makes you want to create content." - Mitch Joel.
Steal The Points:
More about Michael Port and Heroic Public Public Speaking:
Michael Port has written six books, including Book Yourself Solid and Steal the Show. He was once a professional actor, having received his MFA from NYU's Graduate Acting Program, guest starring on shows like Sex And The City and Law & Order, and in films like The Pelican Brief and Down to Earth. Michael has be seen on MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS as an on air expert in communication and business development and as the host of the most popular podcast on public speaking and performance, Steal the Show with Michael Port. Now he is focused on making you a great speaker.
Take a listen. If you have any questions... fire away...
]]> Tags: advertising amy port author book yourself solid brand business business blog business strategy cnbc content content creation content marketing creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption down to earth email email marketing heroic public speaking heroic public speaking headquarters innovation law and order leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog media media company michael port mitch joel mitchjoel msnbc pbs podcast podcasting presentation presentation skills professional speaker professional speaker training professional speaking public speaking sex and the city six pixels group six pixels of separation social media speaker speaking steal the show steal the show podcast technology the pelican brief writing ]]>This was the narrative for many years. Going back close to twenty years, settlers (like me) would spend countless hours trying to convince brands about the pending gold rush. And, yes, it worked out. There's gold in them thar Hills! Yes. Yes there was (and still is). In those very early days as search engines, websites and the earliest days of eCommerce came online, there was opportunity everywhere. Tons of industries had yet to be populated and dominated online.
It was exciting times... and dangerous times.
For every Bezos, Brin and Thiel, there were countless others who were working in the shadows trying to game the system. And, without rules, laws, ethics and transparency in place, they benefited to the tune of millions (billions?) of dollars. Back then, I was busy building the sales and advertising channel for a meta-search engine in the BG era (Before Google). From that perch, you could see the gaming of the system and fraud and terrible side of human beings who would do anything to do something as petty as getting a notch or two ahead of their competitors in a basic search result.
The cat meets the mouse.
As this new digital land grab was happening, it became a constant battle. Whatever gaming of the system and fraud was being done, required the programmers and strategists to develop countermeasures. Every action and reaction would affect the entire ecosystem. There were always unintended consequences, so while the bad actors were being punished (or not even caught), often the good actors were being punished as well. It was rough going. Not much has changed. You can run down the line of digital inovations since those first websites and early platforms were developed, and the bad actors are always front and center. From Facebook manipulation to programmatic problems and beyond. With that, the lessons of the past and the failures of others act as a buffer for the new players to learn from and get it right (from the onset). Right?
Welcome to the jungle... Amazon's jungle.
The headline says it all for this Wall Street Journal report: How Sellers Trick Amazon To Boost Sales. It's a simple scam: somewhere in Bangladesh empoverished individuals just trying to survive, shuffle into a non-descript building and spend countless hours clicking on pre-defined and specific links on Amazon. The business model is simple: Someone is paying them to create a false sense of popularity. Amazon's algorithm then kicks in and ranks these products higher.
That scam is about as old as the first website.
Smart algorithm? The most brilliant minds in technology and retail? The first company to trigger the trillion dollar business valuation (maybe)? And, yet, they haven't figured out how to build an algorithm based on anything but what links someone is clicking on, and then automating the process of rank based on that? Even the infamous search algorithm for Google (PageRank) was (partially) created, developed and iterated on because of this very basic predatory tactic. Nearly twenty years later, and this trick still works?
It's not just click farm tactics.
Services to game Amazon rankings go well beyond the clicking of links. Just graze through the WSJ report to see how pervasive the problem is. Amazon's defense is, as expected... it's just a small handful of bad actors that are not really having a significant impact on the users experiece or on overall business plans.
Is this tough to fix?
What if the amount of times a link is clicked has no bearing on the popularity of a product? What is ranking is defined by purchases, multiple purchase, positive reviews, positive reviews that can only be posted by verified accounts (legitimate credit cards? multiple purchases?). Again, not stating anything new here, but shifting how something gets ranked to more pragmatic models instead of simply clicks and searches seems like the obvious fix? Ensuring that people are really who they say that they are seems obvious too? I'm not naive, if a brand locks anything down, there are enough bad actors who will find the loophole. Still, there are some obvious ways to not fall prey to tactics that others have already solved for.
We often say "what's old is new again." It's somewhat tragic that we have to include the scammers in this as well.
]]> Tags: advertising algorithm amazon brand business business blog business model business strategy consumer review creativity ctrl alt delete digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption ecommerce facebook google innovation jeff bezos leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog media meta search engine mitch joel mitchjoel pagerank peter thiel programmatic retail search engine sergey brin six pixels group six pixels of separation technology user experience wall street journal wsj ]]>This week we discussed:
Everybody is curious about creativity and the creative process. Are some people just more creative than others? Is there a true difference between those who use the left and right parts of their brain? Can creativity be learned and turned into a business process? Allen Gannett is the founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a marketing insights platform whose clients have included Microsoft, Marriott, Saks Fifth Avenue, GE and more. He has been on the "30 Under 30" lists for both Inc. and Forbes. He is a contributor for Fast Company where he writes on the intersection of technology and human nature. Previously, he was a co-founder and General Partner of Acceleprise Ventures, the leading SaaS startup accelerator. He was also once a very pitiful runner-up on Wheel of Fortune. Now, he's an author. His first book, The Creative Curve, overturns the mythology around creative genius, and reveals the science and secrets behind achieving breakout commercial success in any field. Enjoy the conversation...
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation #629.
]]> Tags: advertising advertising podcast allen gannett brand business blog business book business conversation business podcast creative process creativity digital marketing digital marketing blog digital marketing podcast disruption fast company forbes ge human nature inc magazine innovation leadership book leadership podcast management podcast marketing marketing blog marketing insights marketing podcast marriott microsoft mitch joel mitchjoel non fiction book podcast saks fifth avenue science six pixels six pixels group six pixels of separation technology the creative curve trackmaven ]]>My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, Pandemonio, and ResolveTO, Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".
Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
]]> Tags: advertising alistair croll amazon amazon kindle audible book brand business blog content content marketing design digital content digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption facebook free speech history indie bookstore innovation kindle link link exchange livestream longreads lyft magazine marketing marketing blog mitch joel mitchjoel monocle newspaper privacy public books ridesharing signature six pixels of separation social media solve for interesting st louis post dispatch streetsblog nyc subscription technology the drum tilt the windmill twitter uber uber driver urban william shakespeare ]]>Because it's all fake news anyways, right? It's such a blanket statement. We hear this rhetoric all of the time. Blanket statements like, "young people don't care about the news" and that sort of stuff. Young people don't watch ads. You people don't want ads. Young people don't drive cars anymore. Young people don't want to buy homes. It goes on and on. There's a reason to be taken by the article, Teens Are Debating the News on Instagram, in The Atlantic yesterday. Who would have thought? Plus, if you've never heard of flop accounts, it's time to wise up (I had not).
If you're a brand, and you want to target the younger news audience demographic, what's the Instagram play?
That statement above... I don't think it is a marketing and content strategy that I would have ever offered up to a client. It seems silly for a brand to play in a channel that they're not serious about, speaking to a group that they may not really understand, on a platform that is different from how they're used to advertising, but consider this... for a moment...
"Teenagers who are looking to talk about big issues... they've turned to Instagram. Specifically, they've turned to 'flop' accounts--pages that are collectively managed by several teens, many of them devoted to discussions of hot-button topics: gun control, abortion, immigration, President Donald Trump, LGBTQ issues, YouTubers, breaking news, viral memes... as flop accounts grow by the thousands as teens seek refuge from the wider web, many of the internet's worst dynamics have begun to duplicate themselves on Instagram. Some flop accounts are rife with polarization, drama, and misinformation. All the while, an increasing number of teens are turning to these types of accounts for news, seeing them as more reliable and trustworthy than traditional media."
And, like that, a new form of news becomes a trend and (potentially) the norm for our future adults?
Brands can easily make the wrong play here. Brands can put their noses in this and get burned (it has happened before). The idea of how to advertise to this audience is less interesting, then how this demographic has chosen, engaged and pushed a media format (that many considered dead and gone) back to life. It's unique. It's different. It probably looks nothing like how previous generations got their news and debated it, but here we are.
Instagram is the new newsstand?
It's not really the news, though. It's a meme, an interpretation, an attack, a moment of making mainstream ideas more woke (as the kids call it). With that, brands should go ahead and dig deep. Find these flop accounts, follow them, and see what the triggers are. There are countless lessons about marketing, communications, advertising and the social commentary that goes along with this news format. In a word: fascinating. Watching young people pick apart the news with raw discourse (and, make no mistake about it, it is very, very raw) is terrifying at first blush, then evolves into a moment that we can all hope for: awareness. Young people are paying attention to the news... they're discussing it... and, yes, they're tearing it apart (seems like good news, doesn't it?). With that, the bigger brand lesson is that advertising can stay where it is (like it has always done). The other option is to (at least) embrace the ethos of what is being discussed in this The Atlantic article. If your brand isn't going where the real audience is, then you can't complain about campaign efficacy. As painful as that may be. Things continue to be messy for brands looking for an audience. This proves it.
Do you want your brand attached to this? That's the bigger question.
]]> Tags: advertising audience brand breaking news business business blog business strategy content content marketing creativity ctrl alt delete demographic digital marketing digital marketing blog disruption fake news flop accounts innovation instagram leadership management management thinking marketing marketing blog marketing strategy media memes mitch joel mitchjoel news news audience newsstand six pixels group six pixels of separation technology teens the atlantic traditional media viral marketing viral memes youtube youtubers ]]>It used to be that brands would work with their agencies to speak to media properties and engage in other marketing and sales opportunities. Digiday had (another) fascinating piece this week, Amazon advertising is working directly with brands now, cutting out ad agencies. From the article:
"Amazon has always had a robust direct line to brands via an application programming interface for Amazon Marketing Services, the part of its ad business that includes self-serve Amazon ads. But working directly with big brands for bigger media buys, without agencies in the process, is a new phenomenon for Amazon. The company is increasingly sending its burgeoning sales team to directly meet with marketers and chief marketing officers, according to people familiar with the matter. It's especially well-received by marketers because Amazon Advertising has long been touting itself as simply one part of an overall 'Amazon strategy' for advertisers. That means that brands should, or so the pitch goes, be thinking about everything from online Amazon stores, shipping, logistics, review management -- as well as advertising."
It's not just Amazon.
It could be eye glasses, shoes, mattresses, search engines, online social networks, etc... It's happening everywhere. It's obvious, but (still) brands are thinking that their real competition is their traditional competitors (or some kind of technological disruption). When margins shrink and innovative new products are no longer right around the corner, businesses backs get pushed against the wall. They look for ways to maximize profits while cutting expenses. Technology is a driver, but it really just created a stage where middlemen, agencies and the in-betweens are getting squeezed out, commoditized and pushed to the side.
It's not just services, either.
Oreo (yes, those yummy cookies) partnered with Amazon to create a three-tiered subscription box offering earlier this year. It's a smart play on many fronts:
But MOST importantly...
Oreo is now selling directly to their consumers, and has permission to communicate and engage with them (regularly). That cuts out the food stores and pharmacies and everyone else who used to be the retail gatekeeper between Mondelez (the company that owns Oreos) and their consumers. Sure, subscription boxes are not the be-all and end-all for brands (many businesses screw up their subscription box in a royal kind of way), but the concept of selling directly to consumers (which is nothing new) is becoming easier and easier for brands today. That's a major disruption.
Do you really know where the disruption is coming from?
In the marketing industry, the current narrative is deceiving. Most editorials on the future of the agency business focus on the big consulting agencies and specialized/smaller boutiques, as being the main disrupters of the agency space. It seems to me, like it's more internal brand teams (brands building their own, internal, teams) that are swiping away at a lot of the business that was traditionally given to agencies. And, yes, if a brand builds an internal team, that feels like a pretty "direct" business... not to mention when the media partners (see Amazon above), Google, Facebook, etc... are also working directly with the brands. Take a serious step back from your work today. Think about the real disruptors in your industry. Is it the big tech thing-a-ma-jig? Is it the startup in the garage? Really?
It seems like the answer is clear: direct is the new disruption.
]]> Tags: advertising amazon amazon advertising amazon marketing services brand business business blog business strategy chief marketing officer com communication consultant creativity ctrl alt delete digiday digital marketing digital marketing blog direct brand disruption ecommerce facebook google innovation internal team leadership logistics management management thinking marketing marketing blog media media buy mitch joel mitchjoel mondelez online social network oreo retail retailers search engine shipping six pixels group six pixels of separation subscription box technology tv advertising tv commercial ]]>