Saul Colt - The Smartest Man in the World!: Observations

Showing posts with label Observations. Show all posts

Friday, October 03, 2008

Social Media is killing my social life

I don't have a lot of friends.

Sure I have lots of Facebook friends and almost 10 thousand LinkedIn connections but with all due respect to the 5 Mohamed's in India I really only know a few hundred of my friends/connections and I am cool with that because the smaller number of folks I do consider good friends are awesome.

So awesome that I love, respect, admire and follow everything they are up to via various social media sites. I love knowing what is going on with them because our lives sometime get too busy to actually chat etc.

Everything I just typed is probably something you have heard 100 different places before and I agree with you but something interesting happened to me the other day (twice) that got me thinking....So I am on the phone with one of my closest friends, I am jazzed and want to share some cool news with him and his response was "I know. I saw your tweet".

He then went on to tell me about what he has been up to and while I knew all these details I am way more polite then he and acted surprised and interested.

Because of Twitter and Facebook I now know way more about my friends then I ever imagined and this actually makes it harder for me to be social with some of them. Having a heart to heart conversation with a friend about something you already know isn't as fun as you would think.

I am pretty open on the Internets and probably only have a few secrets I haven't shared...but life changing stuff I keep to myself or at least share with friends/family first. In the last week I have watched someone I know leave her husband and document it in her Facebook status, I have seen a friend lose a job and even someone admit to an illegal act.

These used to be things people would share with only good friends over a coffee and in confidence but now they are all public things and while I don't mind because I enjoy the entertainment value of reading these developments I do fear that I soon will have nothing to talk about with the people I care for the most.

Am I alone here?

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Something that poped into my head while attending the ICE08 Conference

In my opinion there are four reasons people go to conferences.

1-To learn things
2-To catch up with old friends
3-To meet new ones and network like crazy
4-To possibly make out with people from the same or opposite sex and then never see them again.

I fall in the 1-3 category but could probably be convinced on #4 :)

Anyway while attending ICE08 this past week I was struck with an idea on how to make people like me who are interested in networking like crazy have an easier time with it.....and before I get into my idea I should say that this is in no way a complaint about ICE08. I thought this conference was incredible and Michelle Perras (and others) did a fantastic job organizing and running this event. My idea is more a general one in response to all conferences etc.

So as someone who tries to speak to everyone attending the conference (and I am sure I am not the only one) I have always been surprised by Conference/Trade Show badges. Traditionally they have the persons name large and the company name small. Now I like to know who I am talking to so I can offer up a relevant story whenever possible but to read the company name on these badges you need to stare at the persons chest for far too long.....and if it a lady you are speaking to....well you can imagine the impression you leave when you are staring too long.

I would love to see badges have the first name of the person you are talking to in a HUGE font with the last name small and then the company name HUGE and the title small. Heck I would even go further and say badges should be 3x the size they currently are.

Yes this idea is really just to make my job easier and possibly allow me to achieve the designation of MASTER NETWORKER but I can see it being helpful to others as well!

Let me know what you think.

-saul

Sunday, March 02, 2008

What I learned - March 2nd Edition - Knowing your Customer is Loving your Customer

*Thoughts from the RV*

When we decided to venture out on this trip I had a feeling there would be some incredible experiences that I would stay with me for a long time. I knew they would come but I didn’t imagine they would come so early.

One thing you may or may not know about me is that I am fascinated by conversations. I love listening to them and I love participating in them. Meeting with FreshBooks users and local bloggers in a casual dinner setting has been an incredible resource and insight to my job and people that will effect how my future marketing efforts are executed. Talking with folks and realizing that you are touching these folks (figurativly and litterally) is as interesting and humbling.

On a similar note but sorta not really. Attending the Future of Web Apps conference was facinating. Listening to smart folks talk about where the web is going always invites new ideas in my big brain! One thing I didn't hear from anyone was how the the real future of the web (and this is me speaking now) is to create real world relationships in a digitally connected world. Sending so much time with our customers on this trip has confirmed my belief that hearing about their fishing stories or about how they lived overseas in the Military etc is as important as knowing why they love your product or service....and I say this not because it is easier to close a sale with someone you are firends with but rather because if you know the person as a person and not just an account number you are more likly to work harder for them.

It is easy to forget the human element in business when people get bogged down with numbers and charts. People are never numbers and when you make a real effort to get to know then on a human level it may just make you better at your job!

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Huge companies who think small...are companies who think smart!

There is a good chance this post will go completely un noticed.

Between SuperBowl chatter and Sarah Silverman getting it on with Matt Damon I know people are distracted but this has been on my mind for a few days and figured I would get it down on paper.....er computer screen.

With all the news going on about Microsoft and Yahoo....and Google and Yahoo....and well Yahoo just not preforming as well as they should/could I found it interesting to read an article a few days ago about a HUGE company that has been successful by thinking small.

The Company....much to my surprise was Nike.

Yes I know I shill for them all the time and I don't do it because I want them to acknowledge me with free stuff (but truth be told I would love some free stuff ) but I do connect with the company and is one of the few brands I am absolutely (blindly) loyal too.

Anyway the article spoke about how when Nike CEO Mark G. Parker took over Nike in 2005, the first thing he did was shuffle departments by the sport and not the product. So basically there would no longer be a huge "catch all" department for shoes and instead there would be a bunch of shoe departments focusing on each sport ie:Basketball shoes, Baseball shoes, Jogging shoes etc etc.

Each department became small business and were expected to laser focused on their specialty.

This strategy is fascinating since it will and has allowed Nike to put faces to the departments. I tell anyone who will listen that companies need personality and personalities. With smaller, approachable departments you can hire/steal away people who are authentic in their fields...something Nike did with their Skateboard division. Skateboarders (for the most part) are not going to hop on the bandwagon of some faceless corporation...but they did because Nike filled up their boardroom with people from the Skateboard industry and raked in over $200mm in sales from the Nike Skate division.

I love small companies that choose to be great instead of getting big and faceless but if you have to get big (and sometimes it just happens) I think it is great to see people keeping the "stay small" approach...because it works!

-Saul

p.s. If you are looking for an example of Nike injecting some personality into their work you need to look no further then these shoes. In case you can't tell these are Evil Knievel tribute shoes...That my friends is cool!

Thursday, January 31, 2008

How Warner Brothers should "market" the New Batman film after Heath Ledger's passing...

There is a lot of chatter on the ole' interweb about Heath Ledger's death and how it will play into how Warner Brothers can and will market the upcoming Batman film THE DARK NIGHT.

No two opinions are the same and everywhere you look people are taking steps to remove Joker references from promotional materials.

I have thought a bunch about this because I have made it my mission to solve this little quandary.......and I have.

The solution is simple......do nothing.

Yep. Treat the character of the Joker exactly as he is, a fictional character. Now before you get all in a tizzy let me explain. Yes I think it is sad that Heath Ledger is dead but at the same time I would hate to see the vision of this film changed because they are afraid to use his image in a movie poster. At this point there is nothing WB can do to bring Heath back from the dead so whatever was planned should continue. Treat the Joker as the Joker and not the person who played him.

The type of people who are going to see this ONLY because it is his last film will still see it so there is no need to play into them or their wishes. So instead of pandering why not create some movie marketing magic and just keep on keeping on.

Before Ledger's passing this film was on track with some really innovative marketing campaigns. I say keep them coming and if it fits to use the Joker then use the Joker. Movies are about magic and for this movie not to become a carnival sideshow WB needs to keep with the Magic so that people want to see this film so they can be taken to another place and time......and not a memorial service.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I know you are busy so I am reading the internet for you!

Greetings and Salutations,

Usually I post about things that caught my eye or something I dreamed up but tonight/today I wanted to remind you all that I like to read.

I read everything.

In fact I scour the entire internets daily to find any morsel of interesting information so you don't have to commit the time or energy.

You see any time I find something interesting I share it on my Google Reader I know this probably sounds like a commercial for them but I assure you I am doing this for you and not them.

So any time you need to know what is going on in the world (or at least the parts of the world I find interesting) head over to my Google Share Reader.

Why as we speak there are articles about:
Apple MacBook Air
Penn Jillette
Using Social Media to Meet People
Nike Air Force One New Release Pictures
Marketing Advice and Stories
Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise
Stuff about Saul Colt
and comic book and writers strike info

Go Check em out!

-saul

p.s. and while you are at it...why not bookmark this RSS feed...and this one too!

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Pimping Aint Easy....but they know a little something about Marketing

I admire Pimps.....or well I guess I admire the lifestyle. I am not for hitting girls or forced confinement or really anything that pimping stands for but I do like the fact that they can proudly wear "Gators" and drink from Blinged out cups......oh ya and I think they invented the "first taste free" style of marketing.

First Taste Free in a nutshell is the same as try "before you buy" but since we are talking about drugs and Pimping I will respect their terminology and use First Taste Free.

Not sure why but I started thinking about other places to apply this besides street corners but I did and I came up what I think is a good one.

It may have been because I was in the Hospital over the holidays or just the fact I am a little obsessive about the concept of "marketing to people who can't go anywhere" (Prisoners, Shut Ins and the like) but started to wonder why a Television manufacturer (like Sony, LG, Phillips, Sharp etc etc) doesn't offer, as a donation, to replace all those ridiculous 12" televisions in a patients room with flat screens in exchange for a big sign saying "These TV's were donated by Sony"or whoever. The Goal is to expose people to these TV's, with a First Taste Free, and hope that they will run out and buy one after they leave the Hospital since they probably got used to the set and since prices are dropping on them.....and lets not forget that even if sales from Hospital attendees doesn't soar the TV MFG will get a tonne of great PR and can probably count on that exposure helping move some sets and creating good will with the Hospital going community.

And since we are on the topic there is no reason why there shouldn't/couldn't also be PS2's or 3's with these sets to make the stay a faster one. If you're admitted to the Hospital it is rarely for less then two or more days and once you are there you are looking for anything to do to pass the time. If I was the guy/gal in the hospital bed with all these cool distractions I would definitely be appreciative if not brand loyal for a long time afterwards.....even if the guy who hooks up the TV isn't wearing "Green and Gold...The Green is for the Money and the Gold is for the Honey"

-saul

p.s. I fully understand this would be an expensive proposition but the risk would probably pay for itself quickly and the amount of people you would touch in the 10-15 years your product would be showcased would be unimaginable.......also it would be a great place to send all your refurbished sets!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

2007 - What I've Learned

At the end of the year (or the beginning of a new one) people like to look back at the year that was and make lists. Lists about their favorite moment of the previous year, or best films etc.

Being the Smartest Man in the World, I pride myself on learning/mastering something every year. In 2005 I mastered lovemaking and in 2006 it was interpretive dance. 2007 was no different and since I am a fan of Esquire Magazine I decided to fill you in on my year by doing my very own installment of "What I've Learned". For those not familiar with "What I've Learned" it is a super cool feature where a Celebrity states in point form any wisdom they have picked up in their lifetime.

My list is going to be far from complete but will feature a few tidbits from my life in the last 12 months.

-Never lobby to get a job for an old friend's husband because it can bite you in the ass
-It isn't always good to be the smartest person in the room
-After seeing films like Jesus Camp and The Kingdom I realized that there is no FUN in fundamentalism.
-There is a bunch of money to be made by adding the FUN to fundamentalism
-Moving sucks
-Reality shows featuring Hulk Hogan and Scott Baio can't be interesting no matter how badly you are starved for something to watch.
-Dick Clark is still alive
-People will make a bunch of money in 2008 by saying they are a Web 2.0 expert
-Some pretty fancy people read this blog
-Most of the Nike's for sale on eBay are fakes and you end up wearing them as winter boots
-Having two kids is 10 times the work as having one
-I miss TV. Please settle the strike because I can't take any more bad reality shows
-Being happy at work is pretty important and can effect your overall heath and well being
-I am happy with my new job and predict big things for 2008
-The immediate future of television is looking like more poker and tattoo shows
-Water parks are great places to see bad boob tattoos and lots of inappropriate bathing suit choices
-Seeing a woman with two black eyes is no indication of how well she listens

-saul

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Web 2.0 chocolate!

I subscribe to a ton of content on the old interweb. So much infact that I was in NYC for a few days without my computer and came home to 1957 articles to read in my Google Reader....one of the articles that caught my eye was about TCHO Chocolate.

TCHO is a different kind of chocolate company since you order it online but have to pick it up in person!

The Reveries "Cool News of the Day" article explains :

Louis Rosetto, a co-founder of Wired, says his latest venture, Tcho, “is where Silicon Valley start-up meets San Francisco food culture,” reports Katie Hafner in The New York Times (12/10/07). Tcho puts Louis in the chocolate business, although his first item, a 50-gram bar, selling for $4, is only in “beta,” and is known as Version .10. You can order it online (here), but in a low-tech twist, you have to pick up your order at the factory, which is located on Pier 17 in San Francisco. Louis notes that it is the only chocolate factory in San Francisco.

That’s because other chocolate makers don’t actually make their chocolate. “A lot of people think companies like See’s and Godiva are chocolate makers, but they’re not,” says Louis. “They’re confectioners who take someone else’s chocolate and do something with it.” Louis and his business partner, Timothy Childs, have instead invested in building a real chocolate factory, using equipment acquired from a factory that had been located “in an old castle in Wernigerode, in the former East Germany.”

I love to see people putting new ideas into conventional business plans. If I find myself in the bay area (and I think I will be in the springtime) I will definitely check this out!

-saul

An open letter to Potato Chip companies.....

Dear Potato Chip Makers,

Why are you budding your big nose in my marriage?

Just today I opened a big bag of your delicious starch treats and took out two satisfying salty crisps and put the bag back for another day. Several hours later I received a stern talking to from the rest of my family for “eating half of the bag by myself” and my excuse of “I only ate two chips” just didn’t cut it with them.

So since I took the heat for you I am pointing a slightly oily and salty finger at you and wondering the following:

Why do you sell bags of your product that are only half filled? In a time of all this environmental awareness why don’t you follow the lead of environmental leader Wal-Mart and cut down on your packaging?

I am writing as someone who loves you and the product you make but feel I need answers!

You can still hold your head high with a smaller bag....heck some companies use a tennis ball can. People understand that good things come in small packages (it is something I have been telling my wife for years) so step up to the plate Potato people and take some ownership of your practices.....and if you could give me a letter I could show my family I would appreciate it as well

Yours in snacks

Saul

Monday, December 10, 2007

The movie going "experience" is coming to a theatre near you!

I am a few days late on this announcement but surprisingly I didn't see much pickup on it so I am going to blog about this now as if it was two days ago.......so here goes.

Any regular reader of this bloggie blog know that I love movies. I used to think I would only be happy working for a fancy pants movie studio (even though I am very happy doing what I am doing now)and because of my passion for this stuff I follow the industry news reasonably closely.

Well today (remember I said we are pretending) I came across an announcement that Cineplex Entertainment (the largest movie theater chain in Canada) is moving forward to revolutionize the movie going experience .

According to their press release "Cineplex will unveil some impressive out-of-home entertainment extras. The new amenities and services at the 12-screen, 45,000-square-foot movie complex include bowling, billiards, babysitting and VIP auditoriums.

The chain's aim is nothing short of "revolutionizing the entertainment landscape in Canada," says Cineplex president/CEO Ellis Jacob. "This is a true entertainment complex like no other, with something for guests of all ages to enjoy. It is the next generation in theater entertainment, with many new amenities and services all under one roof."

Taking this on face value I think this is a cool idea and it is something I suggested a while back but I wonder if this will work the way they are counting on it to.

I say this because as someone who loves movies I actually have absolutely no complaints about the movie going experience. If I had my way I would only see films in the theater and only watch films at home that are not available any where else.......so why am I skeptical about this announcement?

Because going to the movies is about spending a lot of money. This is not just a perception but a reality. Concessions are out of hand and a single ticket is actually less then getting a hot dog and a large drink. In my humble opinion I think movie chains would benefit a great deal from making films and concessions more reasonable instead of offering us more ridiculously overpriced forms of food and entertainment.

So you are probably asking yourself how I know that these new options will be over priced and the answer is..............I don't! But my perception (and this is their brand because all good marketers know that your company brand isn't what you think it is but rather what others think it is) is that all stuff by this chain is over priced and expensive.

Anyway here is the full list of all the new stuff going into the theater

• The Backlot family entertainment centre has six lanes of bowling, a licensed lounge with appetizer menu offerings, two party rooms and a games room with the latest interactive video games and billiards;

• VIP Experience (for ages 19 and up only) with three auditoriums featuring reserved seating, in-seat service and a licensed lounge with appetizer menu offerings, private box office, concession stand and premium seats;

• Cineplex Kids Club child-minding services staffed by the YMCA of Oakville for parents and caregivers while they watch movies;

• Canada's largest digital cinema system with nine cutting-edge projectors delivering razor-sharp images;

• FastLane Service allowing guests to order food and beverages at an automated kiosk and then proceed to the FastLane counter to pick them up;

• XTRAS - a retail store offering DVDs, CDs, books, magazines and movie collectibles including posters, action figures and T-shirts. (again I need to pat myself on the back because I thought of this along time ago)

.....and even with all my ranting I will probably go check it out at least once......cause deep down in side I am a bit of a sucker who loves movies.

-saul

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Victoria's Secret pay to have you walk all over them!

If you are a regular reader of this blog you probably know that I like to write a whole bunch about adding experience and personalities to marketing campaigns. I crank out ideas and well some are absolute gold.....and well some (like my last post) are not.

This idea is neither because I didn't come up with it....and while I think it is silly I also think it is genuis because of the permanency of this form of advertising.

The Superficial is reporting that The Victoria's Secret "Angels" received their very own "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yes a revolving cast of models used in a catalog and TV commercials have met the very stringent criteria of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Now here is where I could take this post in a few different directions.

Sure I could comment on how the mystique of a "Star" has vanished.

Or I could comment on how the main function of the Walk of Fame has become just another photo opportunity to accompany a film premiere and the $25000 fee for a star is just a promotional expense....yes people "buy" stars......I am looking at you John Tesh!

But instead I think I am just going to tip my hat to the marketing department of Victoria's Secret because they figured out a way to buy a permanent billboard for a consumer product on one of the most visited tourist streets in Los Angeles........and they somehow convinced Johnny Grant that the "angels" were cultural figures.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

More later

saul

Monday, November 12, 2007

I work out my mind so you can work out your arms!

My mind never stops working. I actually like it this way but sometimes it prevents me from sleeping.....so a long time ago I came up with a nighttime activity that I can do at bedtime to get me to relax so I can go night night.

My ritual starts by me slipping into something comfortable.....clearing my mind......letting my mind drift into a place where I can fantasize on how to innovate the current marketing for industries who I don't think are doing a very good job.

Yes I know that was a long way to travel for a simple masturbation joke.

Anyway I spent some time thinking up ways to re-invent the Sports Club/Fitness Club industry marketing because in my opinion this is an industry that could use some new ideas.

The goal of this post is not to "out" any one company and I am in no way pointing fingers or saying all fitness clubs employ these lazy practices but a bunch do and the perception of this industry is (in my opinion) is largely negative and that is why this was a fun little project for my brain.

To truly make a difference you need to change the way people think of a health club by making it a place people want to join, tell their friends, and hang out long after their work out is finished.

I would do this by changing all the direct mail pieces with the stock photography of frogs and generic people (a common practice with the local clubs in this area) and re work all the collateral to reflect the personalities of each unique club....the direct mail pieces should be targeted to the neighborhoods in and around the clubs and the collateral should reflect this. Make people feel they are hand selected and not a singular piece for the entire chain with multiple locations listed on the materials and drop all the questionable offers of $XX per month for the first 10 people who join only to have people show up and find out it is really three times that amount.

I see the key to making this great is by building a community.

If you create an environment where people look forward to coming and staying at your clubs you will empower the membership to boast about the clubs to the point where they are an extension of the sales team.

This is easy to type and not so easy to pull off but I see doing fun regular events like movie nights , Nintendo Wii Tennis Tournaments, Speed Dating, Surprise Birthday Parties for members on their B-Day and other member oriented events you create a feeling of club and community that will get members talking....and hopefully to non members.

Every marketing plan I dream up has a healthy dose of Guerrilla activity. I love Guerrilla stuff and done well is so over the top effective in getting people talking about your service and company....an example of a guerrilla campaign for a health club would be to have people doing barbell curls on the subway in rush hour...not saying anything or selling anything...just lifting/curling while wearing a club t-shirt.

I have an even better "WOM" idea but I am keeping it for myself since it can be used in a bunch of different ways.

.....and this is where I fell asleep........but to quickly finish the concept idea I think there are opportunities online like a Facebook Exercise Tracker App. and a whole whack of other lead generation tactics so they can dump the "win a free membership" ballot boxes that populate convenience stores all over the city.

Anyway if you are in a position to execute on these ideas I would be happy to share the rest of my ideas.......heck you could even hire me to be a consultant!

I await your call

Saul

Friday, November 09, 2007

Forget Must See TV. Now it is Must Green TV!

Two things I don't post a whole lot about about are:

- TV Show Plots
and
-The Environment

The reasons are simple. Even though I watch more then TV then most folks I rarely watch them on the broadcast day (thanks to Tivo/PVR) so I would just feel silly talking about shows that are a few weeks old..........and I choose not to talk too much about the environment (even though I have in the past) because....well....everyone else is and I don't think I have anything interesting to add to the conversation.

That is until today....and I am combining/complaining about both!

This week NBC launched a GREEN IS UNIVERSAL campaign where for a whole week NBC shows worked a "green" message into every one of their prime time shows and interstitials.

This may have seemed like a great idea in a board room but in execution it left me feeling as if I was being pandered to. Shows like 30 Rock, My Name is Earl, ER, The Office, Life, Chuck, Bionic Woman all have smart writing staffs and I watch and enjoy every one of these shows (yes...even Bionic Woman...and geez I watch a lot of NBC shows) but the Green Messaging in these episodes seemed forced (by the studio and the dialog) because......and I am making a HUGE assumption here.....I imagine this green decision came after the shows where plotted out or even written.

I feel this way since in Bionic Woman (and I am going by memory here) the good guys looked for the bad guys at an environmental fund raiser but instead of just saying in passing that "this is a environmental fund raiser" they instead worked in a full soliloquy about how this fund raiser was helping save this and that they are happy to be looking for the bad guy here. ER was almost as bad because they had a character complain that his carbon footprint increased due to a prank they pulled on him. 30 Rock was funny because they pretty much admitted they were doing this because they had to.

Anyway my point here is this "Don't mess with my TV" or better stated....this seemed crass and commercial. Two things that saving the environment are not supposed to be about. These episodes will seem strange out of context and if you are going to do a promotional tie in like this you don't want it to harm your product in the process.

NBC dropped the ball here and could've achieved the same results they set for their Green is Universal week by not playing with their shows and just had the stars/characters do the PSA's and interstitial in between the episodes. This could have saved them from getting characters to comment on how they are giving up Styrofoam cups only to have them go back to their old ways in future episodes.

Oh Ya....and don't mess with my TV

saul

Thursday, November 08, 2007

There is a business lesson to be learned from Dog the Bounty Hunter

There are whole bunch of lessons to be learned from the Dog The Bounty Hunter scandal going on right now.

The obvious one is:

If you ever find yourself on Larry King and you are looking for acceptance for your tearful apology you should take a few minutes and do up your shirt!

The not so obvious lesson is actually an important business lesson:

If you are trying to build a community of people who will love your brand or products and you decide to have a leader of the community....that leader has to be authentic and credible to that specific community. This means if you are after movie lovers, he/she better be a movie lover....food/food etc et.

What I am getting at is not that "The Dog" (and yes I feel silly for typing that) made racist comments and showed that his private persona may not match his public one but rather the words he chose for his explanation of his rant and apology.

As stated in the Herald Tribune (and this is the DOG speaking now) "I thought that I was cool enough in the black world to be able to use that word as a brother to a brother," he said. "I'm not. I didn't know really know until three or four days ago what that meant to black people."

When you are rallying the troops around a product or service you better get someone who is "cool enough" in that community or people will see through it and not get swept up in the experience as they would if the person chosen to direct the community is a real match with the demo.....or you or someone may just end up on CNN with your shirt open crying about how your company/empire has fallen apart.

saul

Monday, November 05, 2007

I want my Late Night TV

If any of you read my google reader share list you will see that I share a bunch of Entertainment industry news and have shared a number of interesting articles about the WGA writers strike.

I am not going to weigh in on my opinion of the strike since....well....I have no inside info or even a different spin then you are getting from folks more connected then me.

One thing I did read this morning that I did find newsworthy and shareworthy was the report that Jon Stewart is paying his writers for two weeks out of his own pocket. Just so we are clear...he is not paying them to write his show but rather paying them to strike and do what they need to do while they are out of work.

This is a classy move and one that owners and managers of other companies can learn from. Paying your staff to strike against you is obviously not a smart idea but this is a different sort of situation so treating your staff with respect and consideration while they work out things will certainly make the return to work much easier and with less hard feelings.

More stuff later

saul

Friday, November 02, 2007

Empty Storefronts = Big Opportunity!

Driving around today I noticed a bunch of empty storefronts.......more then usual and I don't know what to make of it.

I feel bad for the people who used to occupy the stores and am in no way belittling their efforts but I did have an idea on how landlords can minimized the expense of their retail spot sitting empty.

If I was in this position (and if anyone wants to give me a building I can be reached by email) I would install a giant video screen in the widow with a portion of the screen showing the information of how to contact people to rent the spot and the majority of the screen showing ads or movie trailers etc.

Even if you are not getting paid for the ads (and you should) you will be getting a whole lot more attention for your location then you would with newsprint in the window!

-saul

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

a reason why Hulu wont be a youtube killer

The "internets" are whizzing around with news of HULU and how it has a legitimate chance at being a real threat to YouTube.

I may be alone in this opinion but I think it it is going to have an impact but not the one everyone is expecting....and here is why.

Besides the obvious reason that people like YouTube and are used to going there for fun videos like "How Krispy Kremes Work"

or documentaries on Tom Selleck that some guy held a camcorder to his TV to record

But because YouTube is open to all people and doesn't discriminate.

You are probably asking yourself what I am talking about.

Well are you?

Ok so I found online a blog called Hurty Elbow that had links to a whole slew of Hulu videos....and being the curious investigator that I am I decided to check it out only to find out that much like NBC.com I was prevented from viewing anything because I was not using a USA based ISP.

Limiting this service to just America and not North America is short sighted and will eventually prove to be a classic example of "leaving money on the table". I admit I have not really researched into how HULU is going to work but I have read how the combination of YouTube and iTunes grew viewership for shows like The Office and 30 Rock. If one of the goals is to increase viewership then why limit the number of eyes that can view your content? On iTunes the shows where an item that people paid for and I am assuming it will be the same on HULU so again I say Why limit your audience?

I know this may come across as whiny but I take my TV viewing very seriously!
-saul

Oh and if you want to check out the HULU links (if you can) click away below!

http://www.hulu.com/embed/1
http://www.hulu.com/embed/2

http://www.hulu.com/embed/3
http://www.hulu.com/embed/4
http://www.hulu.com/embed/5
http://www.hulu.com/embed/6

http://www.hulu.com/embed/7
http://www.hulu.com/embed/8
http://www.hulu.com/embed/9

http://www.hulu.com/embed/10
http://www.hulu.com/embed/11
http://www.hulu.com/embed/12

http://www.hulu.com/embed/13
http://www.hulu.com/embed/14
http://www.hulu.com/embed/15

http://www.hulu.com/embed/16
http://www.hulu.com/embed/17
http://www.hulu.com/embed/18

http://www.hulu.com/embed/19
http://www.hulu.com/embed/20

21-1800 After The Jump