New Persuasion

Firsts

Here at McGinn MS&L we find it important to keep track of the first time important things occur in our society.  These changes tell us a lot about things that may be surprising or even overdue, and are a great indication of where we stand.

Some recent firsts that are significantly important are:

Ø      On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world's first successful "test-tube" baby was born in Great Britain.

Ø      For the first time at least since World War II, there were more failed marriages than lasting ones at the 25-year mark: Slightly more than half of the men and women who got married in the late 1970s were separated or divorced -- or widowed -- before they reached their 25th anniversary.

Ø      The 2008 edition of “America’s Best Black Colleges” marks the first time U.S. News & World Report has released a stand-alone ranking of historically black colleges and universities.

Ø      John Edwards appeared in the first MySpace/ MTV candidate forum. The Democratic presidential hopeful was the first in a string of candidate dialogs planned by those two stalwarts of modern culture.

Ø      The number of violent crimes increased by a larger amount than expected last year, extending the first significant rise in murders and robberies in a dozen years.  Robberies surged by 7.2% and murders rose 1.8%.

Ø      The number of people living past 100 in England and Wales reached almost 9,000 last year for the first time ever.  The number of Centenarians had increased ninety-fold since 1911 when there were only 100 total in the country.

What does this all mean?  Well, advances in technology have made things like the "test-tube baby" and the record number of Centenarians possible.  It also is the main factor behind the MySpace/ MTV political influence which signals a huge shift in society and the things that we emphasize as a nation.  Technology is changing everything about our world and we are taking notice.  It's great to see that we are taking advantage of our ability to communicate to mass audiences and political leaders are taking the time to speak to these audiences-- young and old.

The rise in the number of murders and robberies could be because of a larger issue, such as Hurricane Katrina or the terrorist attacks on September 11th.  We are starting to realize that we should stop and enjoy life, and how important is really is to remember that everyone is an individual with their appreciation for the world around them.  This could be the reason for the record number of failed marriages as people begin to explore what they find most important in life.  We are encouraging individuality and uniqueness, as well as embracing positive changes such as the first edition of U.S. News and World Report releasing a ranking specifically for the nations Black Colleges and Universities.

As new firsts emerge and these changes continue to become an integral part of the way we live, it's important to just stop and take in these shifts before years go by and we never even realize they occurred.

Is She a Barbie Girl?

There are some things that we as Americans love, and there are some things we just seem uninterested in.  It's normal for product popularity to fluctuate over time.  We change our minds often and love when products are created just for us.  It's interesting to compare the way people in other countries spend their money with the trends in America and the types of things we like to buy.

One thing we know for sure is that parents are spending a lot of money on their children these days.  According to an estimate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost of raising a child from infancy to college entrance ranges from $143,790 to $289,380-- depending, of course, on outside factors like family income and lifestyle.  Along with educational spending and the cost of things like food and clothing, every child enjoys getting a new toy-- families are buying them up often all around the world.

An article from The Wall Street Journal that focuses on the rise and fall of toy maker Mattel Inc.'s products was pointed out to me today-- and I think there is a larger meaning behind the changing numbers.  According to the article, Mattel's second quarter profit rose 15% because of the huge international interest in Fisher-Price and Hot Wheels toys.  According to the article, "International sales jumped 18%, helped by foreign-currency translations and gains in Brazil and other Latin American market."  Toy sales in the United States actually were down 3% this year.

Sales of Barbie rose 6% internationally, but fell by 5% in America.  Apparently the Bratz dolls by MGA Entertainment Inc. have been in competition with Barbie's fans.  Mattel is trying to fight back with things like www.thebarbiegirls.com, an interactive online site which allows girls to create a virtual character, play games, chat, and shop online. 

With the rise in technology and the new types of activities young girls are interested in today, it's not surprising to me that Barbie isn't as popular today as it was when I was a little girl.  Now there are so many options of how a young girl can occupy her free time, so sitting and playing with a doll may not seem as appealing as watching a DVD or playing a game online.  Interactive entertainment has become a trend of today and it's very interesting to note that Mattel Inc. is doing all it can to break into the online market and target these groups of new technology-savvy kids.

Sign Spinners - Advertising as Spectacle

From New Persuasion Intern Megan Cifrino:

ABC World News ran a piece this week on a new kind of advertising that is catching on in cities across the nation.  People as young as high school age have combined street sign promotions with freestyle spinning and twirling.

They say that traditional advertising gets boring and eventually people become disinterested in the average billboard. However “sign spinners” as they call themselves are always pulling out new tricks and keeps their audience and customers engaged.

Aarrow Advertising runs boot camps which train employees’ new tricks and keep them in shape. They also patent new moves.  The more tricks that you learn and the more experience you have can raise your income. The starting salary is $10 an hours and they can make up to about ($30,000 to) $40, 000 a year.  Sign instructors can make about $40,000 to $70,000.   Tell me again where can I sign up!? 

Sign Spinning  is an odd mix of dance, cheerleading, juggling, martial arts and advertising.  It's actually a professional sport.  Another example that traditional advertising isn't getting through.  How long before there are spinning competitions? 

Look out for the sign spinners in a city near you. Arrow Advertising hits cities including San Diego; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas; Sacramento, Calif.; Phoenix; Raleigh and Durham, N.C.; and South Florida.  Just remember to keep your eyes on the road as well. Some cites feel they are so eye catching they’re hazardous to drivers and are banning these new age human promotions.

This YouTube video, Spinergy, will give you an idea of what the sign spinning world is all about:

What Talledega Nights Reveals About our Society

From our New Persuasion Intern:  Megan Cifrino

Recently I was assigned to choose a movie I felt embodied our current 2000 decade. I chose Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.  The movie was released in August 2006 and starred the famously funny Will Ferrell.   For those of you who have not seen the movie, it is about dim-witted #1 NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) who wins race after race due to his pact with his best friend and teammate Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly).  When French Formula One driver (Sasha Baron Cohen) steps into the picture, Ricky's life crumbles.  The “dumb” humor that comes through in this film is what keeps us laughing so hard.  The raw, racist, sexist, ethnocentric and utterly ignorant humor is something we can all relate to.  Perhaps it has a little of us in every joke? Certainly not! But that’s your neighbor, your sister, your friend, your boss…

The movie exaggerates and pokes fun at several themes that are present in today’s American society.  We live in a material world where being successful is determined by money.  Ricky’s father in the movie is quoted, “It’s the fastest who gets paid…” 

Throughout the movie Ricky lives by his father’s memorable quote “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”  We live in a society where it is important to be the “winner.”  People are always looking for the fastest, easiest way to become rich and famous (American Idol, Top Chef, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Got Talent).  During his career Ricky remains focused on winning, though sometimes that means neglecting his family, friends and his own safety.  This film wonders what is truly lasting when material gains fade away.

We live in a world where brand names mean everything and product placements and advertising infiltrates every aspect of our lives.  The movie exaggerates this and contains hundreds of today’s products throughout each scene.  One example in the movie is that one endorsement deal stipulates that Ricky mention POWERade at each race.  Another example is when Ricky runs out of room to place sponsor’s ads, he sells his windshield to Fig Newtons.  Essentially the film ridicules the extent to which society could potentially allow advertising to go.

The film also pokes fun at American “Macho” Culture and ignorance.  During the family dinner scene in the movie Ricky two unruly boys, Walker and Texas Ranger, yell and talk back to their grandfather.  Ricky’s wife says, “If we wanted us some wussies we would’ve named them Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman, okay?” There are several other instances in the movie where the audience laughs due to the character’s extreme ignorance, such as when one of the young boys states the capitol of North Carolina is Washington D.C.   However, one 2006 survey found that more people could name the three American Idol judges than identify three first amendment rights. Guess not everyone’s as smart as they think they are.

Other jokes of the film brush on the topic of today’s growing technology.  We are in a decade of advancement and everyone is looking for the hot new item that they believe will improve their lives.  However the average American can’t keep up and is constantly baffled by several appliances.   A “confusion index” created by Forrester that puts the average consumer confusion at .277 on a 0-1 scale with 1 representing “extremely confused.”   Activities including adding memory to a digital camera and sending text messages from a mobile phone are among such daily activities.  Again the film pokes fun when Ricky says he believes with his income he can afford to live to be “245 or 300 years old with advances in technology.”   Also his buddy Cal is confused by how to use the hot tub and asks Ricky which buttons he should press and where. 

Our lives are becoming increasingly complicated. Maybe we need to all slow down a bit and focus on the more important aspects of our lives.  The film not only shows the transformation of Ricky’s life as he begins losing everyone and everything in his life but also the improvement in behavior and attitude in his children.  The movie centers on themes of self improvement, religion and character development.  Each year Americans purchase millions of books to make them slimmer, calmer, smarter, richer, and more attractive.  In recent years, personal growth as well as health and fitness have topped New Year's resolutions.  Slowly American’s are integrating the superficial aspects of life with what is truly lasting and important, their self worth, health and character.
A New York Times review by A.O. Scott summed the movie up with this quote:

“As a cultural artifact, ‘Talladega Nights’ is both completely phony and, therefore, utterly authentic. Or, to put it differently: this movie is the real thing. It’s finger lickin’ good, it’s eatin’ good in the neighborhood. It’s the king of beers. It’s Wonder Bread.”

Look Who's Going to Dinner...

I was reading the May 2007 Fitness magazine the other day and noticed an article about  restaurant eating.  The main point of the article was to convey how many extra calories the average woman consumes when she dines out versus dining at home, and ways to order healthy meals.  Instead of blogging about healthy meals at calorie-cutting, I thought it would be interesting to blog about the way Americans view going out to dinner and the way our eating habits have changed over the years.

The Facts:

• According to the Fitness article, Almost 75% of us eat at a restaurant at least once a week, and 25% dine out every 2 or 3 days.
• The National Restaurant Association reports that a whopping 47.9% of meals are eaten away from home.
• Daily Southtown online even states that there are 500,000 food service businesses-- 200,000 of which are full service restuarants.
• An article in Prevention magazine last year revealed that on any given night, 3 out of 4 American households sit down to dinner at home-- but 2/3 of them consist of restaurant take-out or supermarket ready-to-eat meals.

What does this mean?  We love cooking-- but on our own schedule.  We are so interested in cooking shows and cookbooks that there is an entire channel dedicated to the art of cooking and enjoying food.

Also-- not surprisingly-- we love to eat.  Not only do we love food, but we want to get the specific meal we are in the mood for right away-- and ready to eat.  If we feel like Chinese food we can get it nearby in minutes, and either bring it home or enjoy it in the restaurant.  We love convenience and we love a lot of choices.  We love to spend our hard-earned money on things that make us happy immediately.  I think that the trend of eating at restaurants (eat-in or takeaway) is going to continue to rise.  We will never get sick of eating and we will never get tired of luxury (like not having to cook for the family after a long day at work or relaxing with a glass of wine in a nice setting).  It will be interesting to see what else catches on...

The Price is...Different

Although I have been criticized at times for my odd taste in TV shows, I know there are certain shows that a lot of people love.  Sometimes I end up watching a show because of the host-- and then pretty soon, the show grows on me and I can't imagine it going off the air.  Recently announced is that Bob Barker will be retiring from "The Price is Right" after 50 years on TV and 35 years at CBS.

The legendary daytime game-show host won’t tape his last “Price Is Right” episode until June 6, but CBS will honor Barker next week with a pair of prime-time specials celebrating his five decades on television.

“After 50 years in show business and 35 years on CBS, we want to give Bob a prime-time send-off befitting of an entertainment icon,” Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement.

The 83-year-old Barker told The Associated Press he picked “just the right time” to say goodbye to the cameras.

“I do not have any regrets about retiring,” he said. “Isn’t that strange? I expected to have second thoughts.”

Barker started his national television career in 1956 as host of “Truth or Consequences.” The CBS special features footage of a black-haired Barker cajoling contestants through tricycle races and flapjack-flipping contests.

I think that we naturally become attached to television hosts and TV personalities-- which really shows that we enjoy entertainment as well as routine.  We like to be challenged but we love to see the same people each day and night.  My friend Kate's grandma has watched the same news anchor for years and her family went as far as getting Grandma a personalized autographed picture of him for Christmas.  She was so excited about her gift that now the  picture sits on her mantle nestled between pictures of her family members on graduation and holidays.

Goodbye Bob Barker.  We'll miss you.

Tweens Love Club Penguin

I had never heard of Club Penguin until a few months ago when I was listening to NPR's All Things Considered. It introduced me to a whole new world.  Literally days later, my 10-year old daughter Amanda asked if she could join.  Now she is hooked and schedules appointments with friends at school to meet online at a certain time of day.  I have to limit her time or she’d be on Club Penguin instead of doing her math homework, cleaning her guinea pig’s cage, or tracking down her soccer cleats for the 6:00 pm practice.

I may be old-fashioned, but I have mixed feelings about websites that target kids aged six to 12.  Personally I would rather have my kids outside playing tag or riding bikes or drawing with chalk on the sidewalk than inside, staring at a computer screen.  In cold or rainy weather, painting a picture or playing Scrabble appear more beneficial than meeting other children in a virtual world.  But Club Penguin, and other sites like Webkinz, is not going anywhere and as a parent I have to be realistic.  Kids use computers at school, at home, and at the library;  every day they are absorbing the skills they will utilize in high school, college, and eventually the working world.

Created by a couple of Canadian dads, clubpenguin.com is now the most popular website for kids and is aimed at both boys and girls.  Safety appears to be a top priority of the creators.  When registering, the website collects minimal information about children –  primarily age and sex.  The site tells children that they cannot share any personal information online, such as their address or the name of their school.  If they do, another “penguin” or online monitor will report them and ask them to leave the igloo.  For its safety standards, it is one of the few children’s websites approved by the Better Business Bureau.

Interacting with other kids – or penguins – is the primary goal of the site.  Club Penguin runs no ads and runs on subscription fees only.  For $5.95 a month, kids can create a penguin name and password and jump in.  Once online, Club Penguin is a virtual world of waddling birds with names such as Booger1427, MrYellow30, CutiePie, FuzziePuzzie, and TwoKool4u (I have changed a few to protect the identity of the “owners” but you get the idea). 

But what’s so great about it?  According to my Club Penguin expert, the site is fun for a couple of reasons:

Number one:  You can act like a penguin, not a kid!
Number two:  You can make new friends.
Number three:  Sometimes you meet those friends in real life at school and that is really cool.
Number four:  You can buy funny looking pets called Puffles, and also cool stuff with which to decorate your igloo.

Amanda likes to monitor other penguin’s behavior and recently reported a girl for being too bossy.  That penguin was immediately removed from the igloo, so I guess the system works!  She has 15 names on her buddy list and likes to play games with her Puffles, which are pink and blue pretend pets.  Kids can also play games like Jet Pack Adventure, which involves flying penguins with rockets on their backs who fly through the sky collecting coins.  Bean Counters is another game that depicts a tired looking penguin unloading sacks of something (penguin food?) from a truck to a platform.  With the winnings, kids can buy clothes, including warm weather gear like ear muffs and boots, or igloo decorations.  Igloos can get quite elaborate, with drum sets, dance floors, home stereo systems, and ice sculptures.

Webkinz is another popular site for kids.  This one requires the purchase of a real stuffed animal first, which includes a collar with a website password.  On a recent Girl Scout outing, three of Amanda’s friends had their Webkinz animals with them.  So if computer gaming increases the likelihood that children will engage in real play – whether that is with stuffed animals or by simply creating the social networks that emerge offline – perhaps these sites are just modern day versions of hide-and-seek or tag. 

I still limit the Club Penguin time to Fridays after school and weekends.  I think good old fashioned running around is still better than screen time.  Kids will have plenty of that when they grow up.  Or maybe I’m just envious – on a beautiful spring day, like today, I would most certainly give up my screen time in order to be outside, chasing a butterfly or playing tag.

Second Life gets Playboy

From Susan Getgood over at Marketing Roadmaps comes the news that Playboy is taking up residence in Second Life:

Playboy will figure out how to make real dollars from Second Life. Folks who are interested in the potential value of virtual worlds as marketing spaces should pay attention to what they do. We may lag by a number of years in terms of our audiences being in Second Life and other worlds, but by the time my [7-year-old] son is a potential (legal) visitor to Playboy's virtual mansion, I'm pretty certain just about everybody will be. Start paying attention now.

In an earlier post, Susan pointed out that the porn industry has led the way in so many technologies - first to video, first to the Web, and now the first major porn player in a virtual world.  She's right - pay attention to this.

Hairstyles of the Rich and Famous and Everyone Else

I watch the Bravo TV reality series Shear Genius.  When I first saw promos for this show , I laughed and said what are the challenges going to be?  Week 1 - cut hair, week 2, cut hair?  I vowed never to watch it. 

And yet.  My 12 year old daughter and I sit and watch it week after week.  Who knew that hairstylists actually had their own idols? 

It's more the personalities on this show than the actual hair that I love.  But I've recently discovered that people like hair - and they like to see hairstyles.

At Target last week, I was looking at the magazine rack, and lo and behold, there were 11 magazine about hair.  Eleven.  I was stunned.  Here they are:

   

I realize that not all these are regular publications, but I do think that Target used up a lot of their limited magazine display case on these titles.  What is going on here.  I'd say it was another sign of preoccupation with self and the desire to look like celebrities.  I know there's more going on here, but I'm not sure what it is.

Not a Happy Camper

I can't remember the last time I spent a weekend exploring the outdoors or visiting a national park.  Apparently, I'm not alone.

In fact, over the last ten years attendance at Yosemite has dropped 17%, Death Valley at 28%, and camping and back-country trips are down 24% overall. The Economist says " The importance of this decline can hardly be over-estimated for big environmental organisations such as the Sierra Club: they have depended on what one expert calls 'a transcendent experience in nature', usually in childhood, to gain new members and thus remain powerful lobbyists for environmental causes."

“The political implications are enormous,” says Richard Louv, a writer whose most recent book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”, describes the social, psychological and even spiritual ramifications of a dearth of outdoors experience for a generation raised on electronic, rather than natural, stimulation and entertainment."

National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has had its "Ranger Rick" magazine and education programme for children in place for 40 years, but Kevin Coyle, the group's vice-president for education, thinks that the declining interest in the outdoors has spurred a feeling of urgency among environmentalists. “There won't be a conservation movement 30 years from now if there's no love for nature,” he says.

This is an interesting trend that really says a lot about our priorities as a society.  Some of us are so busy throughout the week that we'd rather relax at home than take a trip filled with fresh air and nature.  Younger generations are spending less time outdoors and more time at home on the phone, in front of the television, or playing games on the computer.  We aren't as impressed by nature anymore.  We are gradually changing and I'm not sure that, in this case, it is a good thing...

“The political implications are enormous,” says Richard Louv, a writer whose most recent book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”, describes the social, psychological and even spiritual ramifications of a dearth of outdoors experience for a generation raised on electronic, rather than natural, stimulation and entertainment."

National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has had its "Ranger Rick" magazine and education programme for children in place for 40 years, but Kevin Coyle, the group's vice-president for education, thinks that the declining interest in the outdoors has spurred a feeling of urgency among environmentalists. “There won't be a conservation movement 30 years from now if there's no love for nature,” he says.

This is an interesting trend that really says a lot about our priorities as a society.  Some of us are so busy throughout the week that we'd rather relax at home than take a trip filled with fresh air and nature.  Younger generations are spending less time outdoors and more time at home on the phone, in front of the television, or playing games on the computer.  We aren't as impressed by nature anymore.  We are gradually changing and I'm not sure that, in this case, it is a good thing...

Where is my Wii?

I'm not a video game player.  I haven't picked up a joystick since 1985 when Pac-Man and Pong were all the rage.  I don't get all the hype over the new and improved game systems that cause grown adults to stand in line for hours in hopes of acquiring one of these things.

I had heard the stats that the video game audience was rapidly diversifying.  According to womengamers.com:

38 percent of all gamers are women.

Well, our office recently got a Wii.  I was skeptical at first.  It was set up in the office next door and I played one day to see what the hype was all about.  I got hooked right away.  As of now, I have only played tennis and bowling.  We have some intense games during lunch.  And boy is it fun...I love the fact it is so interactive.  I love that you get to move around while you play.   I do not love that they are not readily available in stores even now, months after the initial release.   There are lots of different strategies about how best to find a wii:

Personalize – On the topic of employees, remember, they are people too.  They aren’t just game dispensers for your enjoyment.  If you want to improve your chances of getting a Wii, get to know the person who is going to give it to you.  If you disrespect a game store or department store employee, they aren’t going to help you.  Instead, get to know them by name.  Make small talk, and be pleasant.  Then every time you call or check in the same store, speak to the same person.  If you are doing your job, they will remember you, and be more eager to help.  In addition, knowing an employee on a more personal level increases your chances for “working outside of the box.”  Many of my colleagues managed to get their hands on a Wii by befriending an employee and then simply asking “Hey could you put one aside for me when your next shipment comes in?”

Of course, the amazing thing about this is that Nintendo still doesn't have the production capabilities to keep up with the demand.  Either they didn't anticipate the demand or they just don't have the skills to keep up.  Surely they aren't trying to create demand by not producing more. 

But, good news came in today:

Nintendo's president acknowledged Friday that the shortage of the hit Wii game machine was "abnormal," and promised production was being boosted to increase deliveries by next month.

Yay!  Finally, Nintendo has realized it is time to keep up with customer demand and make the gamers happy.   As customers, our expectations are that companies do what they can to make us happy.  If they don't give us what we want, we shop around and are not afraid to give a competitor our business.  However, it seems that in this case we are loyal to the Wii.  Another gaming system just won't do.  Hopefully, Nintendo realizes this and will continue to work on keeping the customers happy.

Learn a new language?

Air France has recently introduced a program giving passengers a chance to participate in in-flight language instruction "classes."  Twenty-three languages are part of this pilot program which are available in 30 minute or hour long sessions. 

Lessons are at the beginner level and offered in partnership with Berlitz World Travellers.  JAL and Singapore Airlines also offer Berlitz Word Traveller as part of their in-flight entertainment options.

Springwise had a good analysis of why there is a demand for these programs:

As many consumers are demonstrating a value shift in status from passive consumption to mastering skills, smart companies are offering their customers the opportunity to add to their skill set. Similar initiatives include BMW's Performance Driving Schools, the Sony Digital University or the Viking Cooking School. Watch and learn!

As we live in an increasingly smaller world, becoming familiar with other countries and cultures is becoming more of a necessity as well.  Personally, if I were on the way to a foreign country where I didn't speak the language, I would gladly welcome the opportunity to learn a few new words.

Future of Newspapers?

Juan Antonio Giner over at What's Next: Innovation in Newspapers, shows another way to present the news - as comic strip:

 

El Periodico ran this the same day a comic expo started in Barcelona. 

Hamster Powered

Making sure you keep your personal information safe and away from the hands of someone that can do harm is something on the minds of many these days.  One way to combat this problem: use a shredder. 

  There's a new shredder in town. 

The shredder is powered by the hamster who runs inside the wheel. After doing it’s exercise, the hamster is rewarded by the paper shred coming from the shredder, using it to play in, eat and poop on.

This is just the perfect disposal of confidential documents. If someone wants to try to read what was written in my documents, they are now going to have read my hamster’s poop! Good luck with that one.

I guess we are always looking for ways to combine different aspects of things we like.  Why not hire a furry friend to help keep your identity safe, be a friend, and be a source of entertainment?  I like it!

100 Million and Counting...

In a world that thrives on personalization, it is interesting to note that Apple Inc. has announced it has sold 100 million iPods as of April 9th, this year.  America is largely impacted by media-- like music and television-- and we spend so much of our days watching and listening.  The iPod has changed the ability of Americans to sit back, relax, and enjoy the music of their choice... on demand.

According to an MSNBC.com article, Apple Inc.’s announcement Monday that it has sold 100 million of its iPod music players marks more than just a business milestone for the once-struggling computer company.

The remarkable sales figure also is evidence that Apple has, in just a few short years, played a major role in transforming a fringe technology into a mainstream phenomenon — spawning massive ripple effects in both the music and technology industries.

What’s more, analysts say, Apple’s more recent forays into selling movies and TV shows — and, soon, its own cell phone — could be poised to transform those industries as well.

What does this mean?  Well, we love the ability to be unique in our choices and we embrace the opportunity to carry this uniqueness around with us-- and companies are starting to notice.  I think this milestone may have an impact on the way organizations decide what is important to us as consumers and as Americans.

Penguins vs. Al Gore

One question - which movie do you think influenced more people about global warming - Happy Feet or An Inconvenient Truth?

Let's see, tap-dancing penguins or Al Gore?  Hmmmm.

We underestimate the power of entertainment to influence our beliefs - we think we're rational, smart people when really we're suckers for a cute animals who suffer.   Since Happy Feet has earned $379 million worldwide - I think the global warming debate is over.  It doesn't even matter if global warming is true or not, too many people (and their children) now believe it is. 

American Idol's Lessons for Communicators

Note:  This column by Dan McGinn first appeared in the March 2007 issue of the DC Communicator:

American Idol is an entertainment juggernaut. In the first season the Fox show had a weekly audience of 12.7 million and a total of 111 million votes were cast.  By season five, the audience had grown to 30.6 million a week and 578 million total votes.  Taylor Hicks, last season’s winner, got more votes (63.4 million) than George Bush did in the 2004 presidential election (just over 62 million).  American Idol has generated more than six million radio plays in the U.S. and Canada.  And last week, 12 former American Idol contestants are on the charts or close to making it on.  So why should we, as communicators, care?  Because the phenomenal success of this show can teach us important lessons of effective communication:

1.  Inclusion
On American Idol, inclusion is the heart of the show.  Anyone can audition and possibly become the new idol. Once contestants are selected, anyone with a phone can vote and play a part in determining the outcome.   From start to finish, the audience is included and needed.  I am an essential ingredient in the success of this show. 

For communicators and their clients, it is important to think of their audience, their target market, their consumers – not as a separate entity, but as part of the team.  What can you do to make them feel more included in your efforts?  You can always start by asking them just that.  But often, that’s where our efforts end.  We get feedback, ponder it, and carry on as before.  What American Idol does is let its audience know your feedback is what determines what this show becomes. 

2.  Personal Stories
American Idol is only partially about talent.  It’s also about the personal stories of the contestants.  Each singer’s individual story gives me something to think about and possibly identify with.  These contestants are on a tough journey, with tough judges, and I can relate to the ups and downs they are going through.  The personal connections I make as I watch the show also lead me to follow my favorites even after they’ve been cut.  Viewed this way, it’s easy to see why so many were thrilled when American Idol loser Jennifer Hudson became an Oscar winner this year.  American Idol is really about the heartbreaks of those cut along the way. 

As much as possible, communicators need to tell the personal stories of their clients or even their customers.  It’s not about ‘messaging’ – it’s about storytelling.  We need to make personal, emotional connections with people if we’re to succeed in communicating effectively.

3.  That's Entertainment:  Let's be honest - it's fun to watch.  It's fun to love or hate the contestants and the judges.  It's fun to fight with your friends and family members over your favorites.  It's never boring. 

We communicators have to remember to eliminate the boring and remember the fun.  And if we can't do fun, maybe we should at least try for interesting.

2007 Trends - Part 7

JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and the fourth-largest in the world, wrote their 70 "products, services and trends" to watch in 2007:

1. Skype/VoIP
2. Wii and the next-generation gaming systems
3. The business of social networking
4. Pop-up stores, restaurants and bars ... installation style
5. Shrinky Dink technology (TVs are flat and hidden, iPods are down to half an ounce, speakers are smaller and less visible, and so on)
6. The rise of nanotechnology
7. Sustainable construction/green buildings
8. Hydrogen fuel cell technology
9. Veggie-bus: school buses running on biodiesel fuel
10. Trans-fat fallout
11. Reality show talent searches
12. Ohio State's freshman basketball phenom, Greg Oden
13. Fear of agri-terrorism
14. Halal foods
15. Participatory advertising (user-generated advertising and music video competitions)     16. Premium-drink bars
17. Organic fabrics
18. Stem cell research
19. Iceland
20. Hybrid dogs
21. Locally sourced produce
22. Churchonomics: religion as big business
23. Reunions of donor insemination siblings
24. Hitting the off button: demanding downtime
25. Indian cross-over actress Aishwarya Rai
26. Home-schooling
27. Natural building materials such as stone and wood
28. Binge chilling
29. Personalized diets
30. Brand sluts
31. Modernized tradition
32. Chindia
33. Alpha moms
34. Internet TV
35. Citizen journalism
36. RSS feeds
37. Fresh Direct
38. Google domination (Google as acquirer, and Microsoft as Google follower)
39. Mobile video
40. Rachael Ray
41. Inconspicuous consumption
42. X-Factor's Leona Lewis
43. Dreamgirls' Jennifer Hudson
44. Environmental causes
45. Companies going green
46. Barack Obama
47. Soft, natural hair
48. Microgeneration (generating one's own energy)
49. Party planning for teens
50. Paying for user-generated content
51. Higher-waisted pants
52. iPhone
53. Co-branding (think Nike plus Apple)
54. Britain's Amy Winehouse
55. The rebirth of raves
56. Energy-saving lightbulbs
57. Sacha Baron Cohen
58. Mash-ups (music, Web sites, everything)
59. Japanese apparel chain Uniqlo
60. Promoting "Brand Me"
61. Ensemble TV casts (Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Criminal Minds)
62. Multilingual cinema
63. "Kidults"
64. Transformers (the movie)
65. Web-based microfinancing
66. Generosity
67. Al Gore, the environmentalist
68. Unstrategic alliances (Paris and Britney, Tom and Brooke, Bush Sr. and Clinton)
69. Europeans getting fatter
70. Age shuffling (40 is the new 20, for example)

Higher waisted pants - bring it on.  Al Gore, enviromentalist - played out.  And now I'm going to have to find out what Halal food is. 

Mourning the Movies

I did not watch the Oscars last night. I didn't much care.  It bothered me that I didn't care.  I was the kid who sat in Sister Adele's fifth grade class silently reciting my acceptance speech for my Academy Award.  And I used to think that I should have been born in 1911 so I would be the right age to marry Jimmy Stewart.  In the summer of 1977, I traveled a long way- eight different times - to see Star Wars at the Uptown theater in Washington, DC.

Movies have always been a big deal to me.  I love movies.  But I find myself going less and less to the movies.  And once again,  I am a statistic, because everyone else is going less too. What is going on here?

Chris Anderson has been writing about this forever on his Long Tail blog, but I guess I never felt its "trueness" until last night.  Movies aren't the center of my life the way they used to be.

And then Len at work sends me this op-ed from yesterday's Los Angeles Times.  Neal Gabler first cites statistics:

• In 2006, Box Office attendance reached its lowest point in 10 years.  Foreign receipts are down and even DVD sales are plateauing.
• 45% of American moviegoers had decreased their attendance over the last five years, with the highest percentage of that decrease in the coveted 18- to 24-year-old bracket. (Zogby Survey)
• 21% of respondents said they never went to the movies. (Zogby Survey).
• In another survey, 83 percent of its respondents said they were satisfied with the content of the films they saw, but 60% nevertheless expected to spend less of their income on moviegoing in the future, citing dissatisfaction with the moviegoing experience and the emergence of better alternatives for their time and money. (PA Consulting Survey for the Motion Picture Assn. of America)

Okay - so things look bad - but what's behind it?  Gabler describes:

...an ever-growing culture of knowingness, especially among young people, in which being regarded as part of an informational elite — an elite that knew which celebrities were dating each other, which had had plastic surgery, who was in rehab, etc. — was more gratifying than the conventional pleasures of moviegoing.

In this culture, the intrinsic value of a movie, or of most conventional entertainments, has diminished. Their job now is essentially to provide stars for People, Us, "Entertainment Tonight" and the supermarket tabloids, which exhibit the new "movies" — the stars' life sagas.

This explains the rise of the celebrity culture.  But according to Gabler

...To the extent that the Internet is a niche machine, dividing its users into tiny, self-defined categories, it is providing a challenge to the movies that not even television did, because the Internet addresses a change in consciousness while television simply addressed a change in delivery of content...

The Internet...not only creates niche communities — of young people, beer aficionados, news junkies, Britney Spears fanatics — that seem to obviate the need for the larger community, it plays to another powerful force in modern America and one that also undermines the movies: narcissism.

[Social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and YouTube] are replacing one of the movies' functions: If stars' lives are superseding movie narratives, audiences are superseding the stars. Who needs Brad Pitt if you can be your own hero on a video game, make your own video on YouTube or feature yourself on Facebook?

I believe what Gabler says.  Why does that make me so sad?

The Lyrics They Are A'Changin'

Listening to the radio over the weekend, I heard two songs - both #1 hits in their times - that struck me as a perfect example of how women have come a long way. 

The first song was Gloria Gaynor's 1978-79 hit "I Will Survive"  about a woman who barely made it through the first breakup with this man.  Now he's back and she's telling him to get out. She proudly declares:

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive
I will survive

Now, I don't know about you, but simply surviving doesn't seem like the best goal for a woman to have.   

Move forward 28 years to 2007 - to Beyonce's "Irreplaceable." Here's another woman telling her man to get out.  But the tone has changed:

So go ahead and get gone
And  call up on that chick and see if she is home
Oops, I bet ya thought that I didn't know
What did you think I was putting you out for?
Cause you was untrue
Rolling her around in the car that I bought you
Baby you dropped them keys hurry up before your taxi leaves
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I am such a fool - Talking about
How I'll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be here in a minute - baby

Okay, so now the woman is in complete charge.  She owns the house, the car - she's not  only going to survive, she's going to live well and be able to replace him in a minute.  Now that's a woman who thinks highly of herself. 

So what's my point?  We've gone from women struggling to even say "I Will Survive" to a woman making sure her ex knows just who's calling the shots.  Gloria's song showed the beginnings of women speaking up for themselves.  And Beyonce's demonstrates a power shift - the woman in control.  You've come a long way, baby.

I sort of feel that Beyonce's song is about as far as you can go without becoming a callous, self-centered person who only uses the other sex - in other words, a man - so it makes me wonder what's next. 

Shape-Shifting Television

   "People have become used to time-shifting TV and changing the time they watch programmes. They can also place-shift TV and choose to watch it on a different device from their TV set, such as a PlayStation Portable (PSP) or on a mobile phone. ShapeShifting TV means they can change the shape of the narrative presented to them. "  --  Doug Williams, NM2 project director at British Telecom

This is already happening in Finland.  Viewers watching a series called Accidental Lovers will see:

...text messages and will hear the characters respond to their messages. A glowing heart will show whether their messages are warming or cooling the hearts of the romantic couple, and viewers will see the relationship develop according to their wishes.

If the romance doesn't progress as viewers wish, they can try again later as four runs of the programme will be broadcast showing 12 different evolutions of the love affair. Each one will be different, with each reacting to the viewers' wishes.

This series is on regular television, but the Shapeshifting technology's creators think broadband is its real future.  From Media Life magazine:

“With broadband TV, what we have now is the ability to create something that is as different from TV as TV is from cinema. We have the opportunity to create a new storytelling genre,” says Doug Williams, BT’s project director on the ShapeShifted TV project.

On regular TV, viewers would direct the story line by popular vote. On broadband, each viewer would be able to piece together the various elements of the drama as he or she saw fit, creating a far more personal story.

This IS interactive - and when I look at the attention span of the younger generations today - I'd also say, this IS the future...

Is Second Life a Fad?

Dan asked me recently if Second Life (SL), the Massively Multiplayer Online Game created by Linden Lab, is a fad. 

First, what is Second Life?  A cnet news.com article describes it as:  a virtual world that allows anyone to join and participate for free and create and own any kind of clothing, vehicle, building or other object. Linden Lab makes most of its money by charging players use fees for virtual land they buy and build on.

So, is Second Life a fad?

NO. 

A fad lives and dies quickly, and I think Second Life hasn't even begun to reach its full potential.   To call it a game is too easy - it's a community, a lifestyle, a different planet really. 

So what makes me say this?  Lots of things:

1.  Smart people think Second Life is the future: 

• Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's Vice President of Technical Strategy and Innovation had this to say:
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