Archive for the 'Media tidbits' Category

Movie Review: In Good Company

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on August 11, 2005
in Connection Economy, Generations and Media tidbits
. 1 Comment

In Good Company posterThis evening, I took the evening our from work and our three daughters (youngest is 10 weeks old), and went out movies with my wife. We saw an amazing movie that I can highly recommend to anyone wanting to make sense of the business world today. It is not an attempt deconstructing the business world, nor an accurate portrayal thereof, but it certainly leaves one thinking. The movie in question is In Good Company (click here for the IMDB entry).

IMDB gives the following plot summary: “Dan Foreman is headed for a shakeup. He is demoted from head of ad sales for a major magazine when the company he works for is acquired in a corporate takeover. His new boss, Carter Duryea, is half his age - a business school prodigy who preaches corporate synergy. While Dan develops clients through handshake deals and relationships, Carter cross-promotes the magazine with the cell phone division and Krispity Krunch, an indeterminate snack food under the same corporate umbrella. Both men are going through turmoil at home. Dan has two daughters, Alex, age 18, and Jana, age 16, and is shocked when his wife tells him she’s pregnant with a new child. Carter, in the meanwhile, is dumped by his wife of seven months just as he gets his promotion. Dan and Carter’s uneasy friendship is thrown into jeopardy when Carter falls for, and begins an affair with, Dan’s daughter Alex.”

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Generations in South Africa

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on July 26, 2005
in Boomers RetYrement, Generation Y, Generations and Media tidbits
. 0 Comments

African generationsIn the Star Workplace, 13 July 2005, “Generation Y” was featured, with nice insights for managers and the corporate world. Click here to read the full article.

The article ties in nicely with our own research (see here), although in the way it is presented in the Star, it really is applicable mainly to middle class society. This now includes a broad representation of all cultural groups in South Africa, and is therefore a helpful category for thinking about corporate applications.

Science Fiction and the nature of humanity

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on July 1, 2005
in Media tidbits
. 0 Comments

For many years, I have been interacting with an Episcopal Priest in the USA, Richard Kew. He was for a while in charge of a futurist think tank, known as Towards2015, but that didn’t seem to get very far (not his fault). I really just like his writing, and his reflections on life. Here is an extract from some of his latest stuff - looking at two good movies out at the moment (see original here):

War of the Worlds“One of the great pleasures of a vacation is time to do some of the things that usually get squeezed out of the schedule when working — and going to the movies is one of those delights. Just before leaving for England I saw the latest Star Wars blockbuster, and today we took in a matinee performance of “War of the Worlds,” Spielberg’s remake of the classic sci-fi story by H. G. Wells — hoping that it might hurry our granddaughter into the light of day.

This last of the “Star Wars” pieces was better than its two predecessors, although my complaint was that they went on a little too long showing off just how clever they were with special effects. As is usually the case with a Spielberg production, the visual effects of “War of the Worlds” were brilliant, but alas the subtleties of Wells’s story were missing. I enjoyed it, and there were times when it got my adrenalin pumping nicely, but as is so often the case with a an over-hyped production, it promised far more than it was ever able to deliver.

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Another reason to question advertising awards

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on June 23, 2005
in Marketing and sales, Media tidbits, Ripping and burning - Digital entertainment and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 2 Comments

My good friends who work at Ad agencies will disagree, I am sure, but there are always question marks about the nature of Advertising Award Ceremonies. Right now, the ad world’s attention is focussed on Cannes 2005, where global entries are competing for attention. I spent the whole of the last night tracking down and downloading the top rated entrants, and most of them are excellent ads.

The concern has to do with the correlation (or lack thereof) between the winning of advertising awards and the effectiveness of the advertising for the customer. Let’s be clear: advertising is a product/service that has a specific purpose - to sell more of the client’s products and services. That is the ultimate decider of whether an adevrt is “good” or not. Does it motivate people to spend money on the product? Of course, some adverts are subtle, and about awareness raising. Others are more PR than sales-focused. But, although simply stated, my point is valid.

TBWA logoThe big news at Cannes 2005 right now is the forced withdrawal of two spectacular Sony Playstation 2 adverts: “Duel” and “War”. Barrie blogged about them earlier this week (here). But there is controversy. They were produced by TBWA South Africa for the North American office, and their client, Sony Playstation. But TBWA South Africa reports to TBWA London within TBWA’s global network, and apparently didn’t get permission to do work for America. So, TBWA Global has withdrawn the adverts from Cannes and all other international competitions. Who knows what politics is going on behind the scenes at TBWA, but it certainly doesn’t feel like they have their client’s best interests at heart in the process.

I copy the full press release from SA’s Marketing Web below. But one line stands out for me: “its in the network’s best interests to first consider what is in the client’s best interests”. At this early stage, it looks as if TBWA has dropped this ball… (TBWA has no comment yet on their website - which, amusingly, trumpets their status as “global network agency of the year”).

Continue reading ‘Another reason to question advertising awards’

Diversity tints new kind of generation gap

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on June 9, 2005
in Generations and Media tidbits
. 1 Comment

USAToday reported today on the results of the US Census Bureau population estimates released today (OK, all those “today’s” is a bit about showing off the power of blogging…). But, the interesting headline was about generational differences being significant. Again, showing off, I suppose, if I say, “DUH”.

They said: “Generational differences highlighted in Census Bureau population estimates released today add complexity to everything from politics to marketing. Even segments of society that once seemed homogeneous are far more difficult to define today…. a generation gap is unfolding in the USA — young Americans are far more ethnically and racially diverse than their elders. That diversity is reflected in everything from elections to advertising.” Check out their report here.

Check out our information on the generation gap.

Spoof adverts are adverts too

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on June 8, 2005
in Marketing and sales, Media tidbits and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 4 Comments

The point of an advert is to call attention to your brand/product, and inspire potential customers to part with some of their cash - in your favour. Many advertising campaigns around the world are spoofed - meaning that third parties take the brand campaign concept and use it to poke fun at the brand itself. Some of these spoofs develop a life of their own. Budweiser’s legendary “wazzup” campaign produced more spoofs than actual adverts. A little known fact, though, is that Budweiser actually funded some of the spoofsters, helping them to create a legend.

Ikea have done something similar with their “Elite Designers Against IKEA“.

ABSA spoofBut, now, in South Africa, we have some real fun. ABSA, the biggest retail banker in the country, has a new (fairly pretentious) campaign, in which breathy individuals exclaim that ABSA is “my rock”, “my hope”, “my future”, “my open road”. Well, a new series of spoof ads doing the rounds takes pot shots at ABSA, with pay off lines like: ABSA is “my elbow”, “my erectile dysfunction”, “my gay brother”, “my ringworm”, and the pay off line is: “My bank is… stoopid”.

Should ABSA respond? Methinks not. When Laugh It Off (a t-shirt manufacturer with spoof lines) took a potshot at FNB (another retail banker), the bank smiled and ordered a whole pile for their staff casual days. Other companies targetted by Laugh It Off didn’t (laugh it off, I mean) and took them to court. Laugh It Off hung tough, and in the Constitutional Court were recently awarded their right to freedom of expression.

For more on this story from Marketing Web guru, Kim Penstone, click here.

11 Steps to a Better Brain

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on June 8, 2005
in Education and Media tidbits
. 1 Comment

Bionic BrainThe New Scientist of 28 May 2005, lists 11 ways in which you can boost brain performance and/or slow the effects of ageing on your grey matter. See the full story here. In short, they are:

  • Smart drugs - drugs that increase awareness, decrease need for sleep, etc
  • Food for thought - certain food types stimulate alertness, especially by releasing certain vitamins and compounds
  • The Mozart Effect - maybe the most controversial, but certain music enahcnes brain activity in vital cortexes of the brain
  • Bionic Brains - implants ahead
  • Gainful employment - use it, or lose it - we’re beginning to understand that the brain has RAM, too
  • Memory marvels - using memory techniques - not just for super IQ’s
  • Sleep on it - allowing your brain a chance to organise, file and process can lead to great results
  • Body and mind - get your body in shape, it is your brain’s home
  • Nuns on a run - researching the unnatural longevity and alertness of the School Sisters of Notre Dame on Good Counsel Hill
  • Attention seeking - focus is critical
  • Positive feedback - just tell your brain its great, and it will be

1,000 years of history

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on May 2, 2005
in Media tidbits and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

CNN did an excellent summary of the millennium during 1999. They gave each century a single entry summary, and then drilled down in huge detail. Check it out here.

Their summary is as follows:

  • 11 th century: sword
  • 12th: axe
  • 13th: stirrup
  • 14th: scythe
  • 15th: sail
  • 16th: compass
  • 17th: telescope
  • 18th: furnace
  • 19th: machine
  • 20th: globe

They followed with this with some visions for the future, categorised under a number of headings, including: disease, education, faith, food, sports, money, artificial intelligence, national parks, space, fashion and music. Check it out here.

South Africa - who’s version is the truth?

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 25, 2005
in Media tidbits
. 2 Comments

I was amazed to read two articles on South Africa in the two most recent editions of TIME (read it here) and The Economist (read it here). You would think they were talking about two different countries.

Continue reading ‘South Africa - who’s version is the truth?’

The Sovereign Individual

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 21, 2005
in Connection Economy, Global View and Media tidbits
. 1 Comment

An article in last week’s “The Spectator” (I won’t tell people that you read this blog, if you don’t tell them I read Spectator :-)), is possibly the best single article description of the new emerging connection economy you are ever likely to read (in fact, that’s why I read the mag - it’s the best use of the English language I have ever encountered in mag print). Find the article here. [[The Spectator needs a subscription to read online content. If you don’t have one, then I have put up a JPG copy of the two pages. I don’t want to have intellectual capital issues, so I have just scanned it in - you can read them but otherwise not use them. Please buy the Spectator. Read them: Page 1 (490Kb) and Page 2 (531Kb).

It comments on the closing of the Rover factory in England a few weeks ago, and expresses astonishment. Not at its closure, but at how long it managed to stay open. It goes from there to comment on how conservative Britons express dismay that “Britain doesn’t make anything” anymore, and asks them to wake up and smell the services revolution. It goes on to comment on the braining up of China, the fact that more Chinese people are leaving Canada to go back to China than the reverse, and suggests what the world might look like in a few decades time.

It will take you 10 minutes to read, is witty and insightful, and plain brilliant.

Overlooked . . . for being too young

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 18, 2005
in Media tidbits and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 0 Comments

The Times of London, 13 April 2005, reported on a survey by the Hay Group (remuneration specialists) on age discrimination against younger workers (specifically those age 18-24). You can read it here.

The main reasons for young people (Generation Xers) being held back were:

Continue reading ‘Overlooked . . . for being too young’

Generation X (a Bright Young Thing) stirs things up in Japan

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 11, 2005
in Generations and Media tidbits
. 1 Comment

Mark this name: Takafumi Horie. See a pic of him here. In a Newsweek article entitled, “The Kid v. The Man” (read it here), I discovered what an Xer can do to even the most traditional of “Silent generation” environments, i.e. Japan.

This 32 year old made billions of dollars with his Internet portal, Livedoor. Now, with his money, and his attitude, he is taking on the establishment, threatening the old boys’ club and generally causing corporate mayhem. Its great to see the reaction of the old men of Japan’s corporate world, snootily smirking at him, as if he is just a kid who won’t make it. How wrong they are going to be! I don’t know Takafumi, but I know his type. They’re called Gen Xers. We call them, “Bright Young Things”. Around the world, these young people, now in their 20s and 30s are changing the rules of the game.

Anyone who thinks that this is just a fad, is wrong. Anyone who thinks that you can just grit your teeth and wait for these “kids” to grow up, is wrong. Gen Xers (read more about them here) are no longer kids - they’re coming up into positions of influence and they’re bringing a new way of working with them. Yes, even in Japan!

Amateurs Join Experts to Save Wildlife

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 4, 2005
in Media tidbits
. 0 Comments

In an entry in “World Trends & Forecasts” of The FUTURIST, July-August 2004, we see further evidence of the emerging connection economy. “Amateur naturalists are being called upon to help professional scientists monitor wildlife and save threatened species in the United Kingdom.” Specialists from the the Natural History Museum are holding workshops across the country to teach birdwatchers, anglers, hikers, plant-spotters, and other observers of nature, identification techniques and encourage them to contribute data.

Continue reading ‘Amateurs Join Experts to Save Wildlife’

The Power of Networks

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 29, 2005
in Media tidbits
. 0 Comments

by Graeme

The New Scientist magazine of 29 Jan 2005, Feedback section, carried the following story:

NASA publishes an Astronomy Picture of the Day, and Mark Fletcher noticed that the one it released for 7 December 2004 featured a view out to sea from the Australian coast. Why is that astronomical, he wondered.

But as those who visit http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041207.html can see, a dark diagonal line crosses the photo, apparently starting in the clouds at the top left and ending in a flash near a lamp post at the bottom right - and no one knew what had made it.

An impressive exercise in collaborative deduction ensued, in which only a few of the 2072 messages posted over the following month suggested UFOs, or made sarcastic counter-claims of “mass hysteria”. The near-straightness of the line led many to the astute thought that whatever it was moved very, very fast.

More delving ensued. Someone performed a Fourier analysis to extract the frequencies of barely perceptible wiggles in the line. In a moment of inspiration, someone else tore themselves from their computer to perform an actual experiment. By gluing a dead bee to the rim of a bicycle wheel and photographing it as it spun, the experimenter succeeded in replicating the slight wigglicity of the line.

Thus a consensus was reached: the line was formed by a bug flying just in front of the lens - possibly the most discussed bug in history.

Isn’t science wonderful?

THIS IS A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE of the power of networking, and how technology and the information networks we have created so successfully over the past few decades are now being leveraged in the form of connections and interactions. Imagine harnessing this type of interactive power, all for free, in the network that is your customers? or your staff?

What are you doing to create, nurture, and harness your latent connections and networks?

The Apprentice: Leadership Lessons We Shouldn’t be Learning

Published
by
Keith Coats
on January 20, 2005
in Articles, Leadership, Media tidbits and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 1 Comment

Written by Keith Coats and Graeme Codrington.

The ongoing search for better and stranger reality TV shows has produced many brilliant ideas. When one of the world’s most flamboyant businessmen and NBC got together to create the 2004 hit, The Apprentice, it must have sounded like a great idea (in fact, it WAS a great idea, ‚The Apprentice 2‛ is already being aired in the US). ‚The Donald‛ got to increase his media profile (he insisted on being billed as ‚the star‛ of the show) and show off his excessive lifestyle (did you notice how most of the rewards in the show involved showing off Donald’s assets, from his jets and boats to his restaurants and penthouses)? NBC got to expand its reality TV offering, and pull towards a better target audience with a business-based show � they also got some of Donald’s money � he was the Executive Producer. Donald could write off all the expenses to his marketing budget, and still feel he got a good deal. Oh, and he also got to hand pick an apprentice to run one of his companies for a year. In an age of talent wars, finding that level of talent is critical - getting other company advertisers to pay part of the costs is genius.

Continue reading ‘The Apprentice: Leadership Lessons We Shouldn’t be Learning’