Pure magic

Our clients are either first comers to online advertising or help-hungry Internet business entrepreneurs.

First comers are inducted slowly with much patience.

On the other hand, old Internet business are in our hand so shortly, that we have to make quick wins in order to mastery.

How does it look like, you will see on the following picture.

Wining client

Described 2.2.2009 is the key date when things change. Price per click is lowered to reasonable and effective level. Budget is not high anymore, but the money is used elsewhere.

advertizing in 2009

Things jus t got a bit complex…

By Michael Lebowitz (http://lebowitz.net/advertising-in-2009-via-plnnrz) – Big Spaceship

What to say to young people who wants to become journalists?

Importance of being relevant & competent with balls

In order to resolve situations with clients, suppliers and generally people you manage, basic thing is to be relevant & competent with balls.

There is always an option to be anal and stack full printed book of emails, invoices, project proposals, etc … before client/supplier/etc .. but you can also use different approach with loaded guns and lady Luck on your side.

Sometimes it is enough to finish the job or intention with few words and friendly melodrama.

Listen, it is just un-naturally cold with all those air-conditioners on, and we can’t stay long. Let’s cut the chase. Be a “man” and pay your dues and lets make profit.

When all the cards are at your disposal and you do honest job and especially have the keys to client server you can behave like this. Otherwise, keep your papers and attorney ready.

Size vs. Quality – and Yes, it does matter

Some random big car in front of office

In the last days in the neighborhood where our office is situated, we notice some really big, really expensive cars.

For these guys, you can really say, size does matter.

We remembered one potential client, from the hood, with really, really BIG idea.

BIG idea

The idea was so huge, that involved serious transcoding – lasting months, storage space – that can be handled only by CDN, and bandwidth comparable to Amazon or Google pipeline.

Anyway, the idea was BIG (notice was), and can produce significant money if implemented properly with carefully calculated steps with serious Project Manager and hard core coders.

Calculation

The value of operational cost for first 6 months, just running the business was approximately as the value of the car he was driving.

This drove potential client away from us.

Wake up call

Now, I can just perceive the moment when wake up call came and potential client realized that start-up costs are expensive as his own car. Quality is expensive, which is true. Size is expensive too.

So, with the balance of size and quality you can start slowly and carefully build up your business, offline or online, using really smart people.

A Small World (of Ours)

What do you see when you access Hulu outside of USA

Where do you want to live today?

Less and less it is important Where do you live, but still it matters. We will try to explain why old business models, however hard they try to change, can not stand the light of new economy and elimination of old borders in media distribution.

Availability of content

When there is the content, exist the need.

Due to all kind of restrictions, copyright aggrements, country regulations, target markets and profit margins, we have irregular distribution of content. On world scale, some countries are more equal than others.

In this interconnected world where distribution of information is instant, and news, reports and video is available to worldwide audience, premium content like music, movies, television series is very restrained from distribution.

Need for speed

We come back to the need of people. We, the people, have the need to follow our favorite actors, music performers, nice shows, but unfortunatelly live in, as it seems, wrong parts of the world.

This is not limited to “soft” content like movies, TV shows, music, but expands to hardware dimension (think iPhone).

What is your target market? I would go after whole world as fast as possible. Why propose limits?

Present

If you are in USA, television content is ready for delivery over Internet after premiere, but only in USA. (Hulu)

It is illegal to access this content in case you are coming from some other place.

The future (not far from now)

In order to use computer or computerised device you do not need knowledge gained at University. People are not any more forced to learn for years. Interfaces for using devices are more simple and more automatic.

What is more important, they do not care about the cost if it is small enough. (Wired)

If the cost is the issue, person will “liberate” the content in certain way. Clearly there is a bad feeling about this. Even with certain percent of non paid informations, majority of world is ready to pay.

Piracy will not disappear, just try to diminish it with widely available content with affordable price.

What is quality?

People look after quality, but watchable or listenable content, not ridiculously quality material. OK, there are people who require something special, but look after majority. People just want to watch and listen, and be satisfied.

When you are really after special things you tend to pay more.

Delivery networks

Think BitTorrent, iTunes Music Store, Amazon.

Data is shareable and reusable. Everything is digitalised.

Latest CD of local singer came to newstands with the price of 150. The 50m away you could buy the same thing for 200, with shity cover, no lyrics, burned on generic CD of questionable quality.

People bought the CD on the street corner. Why? The street corner guys are just more reliable and have bigger offer.

Punch line

Free the availability of content and offer payment worldwide. You will be the winner.

Playing with big dogs

Dogs Playin Cards, A Friend In Need - Cassius Marcellus Coolidge

Would they let you play with old dogs in their own game? I bet not.

Through numerous personal encounters or meetings with people significantly older than myself, it seems that discussion about (real) money is just out of question.

Old dogs speak about costs of living, but ignore youngsters possibility to talk/discuss serious money.

The game

Game is about high stakes, where your resources are on max and utilization is at its top. The dogs hold the cards and multiple aces. Coming to table means that you have something dogs really need.

The rules

In their world, dogs just have enough and everything is seen through money, which they hold. The rules revolve around dogs “elderly” right to manipulate and consume resources you desperately need. Calmly, you stand by the table and present the idea.

The bid

They really need your offer. Or they simply need amusement and are intrigued by idea. So, dogs are in need.

The risk

You play on the game of greed. You simply know what is necessary in means of financing, to support the idea. But, before placing the risk think of overheads and risk of some misfortune (sick days, change of team players). You have to include those. Then think about your greed vs. need of dogs. Greed wins over need, but with very elegant placement before dogs.

The moment of taboo

You just CAN NOT talk about money. Let me explain. It is God given right of elder dogs to discuss money. You can not. And that is pure fact.

If their need is strong they will swallow and you will win.

The outcome

Want to be top dog? Ignore yada-yada talk. Push your direction and show personality. If you do not stand up to yourself, dogs certainly wont.

Evolution & extinction

History of media distribution and relevance

A good tour of the last 210 years of information with view of the next 10 years. Complete content is here.

What it means?

We notice in reality extinction of newspapers, even in regions which adopt trends slower (Eastern Europe). No one will be saved by miracle. The only way is evolve. Or really extinct.

Prophecy of marketing agencies, of quality measurement of delivered ads (performance of offline campaigns) will not come in next 5 years, is nonsense. We are able to measure, quantify and qualify best performing ad campaigns event according to ad slot reserved on TV. The Net just became one big mash-up and we can utilize it do offer previously unknown methods of marketing following and performance monitoring.

We do not speak of checking ratings, reach, price of reserved ad space, and everything else which stands for monitoring which is indirect measurement.

We are becoming involved and part of business, not just indirect observer.

We speak money baby. Perception of marketing is like this: being place where fancy looking guys and gals sit in trendy coffee shop trying to look busy and intelligent. This time is almost over (they will be there still, trying to sell imagination) but further more there will be more and more people doing exactly the same thing business in mind.

Previous marketing was based on just speak without results, making distance from operations and client partnership. Now, companies need to involve new form of marketing in order to survive digital economy and landscape.

How to live with age-spanning population?

Have you ever saw why and how 50 year old people are using computers and Internet devices?

They just HAVE to use it (sometimes need). Either, cause their job is pushing them to use, or kids going overseas that require communication, or plain interest (what can I find there?).

70 year old granny want to use Skype in order to find content otherwise unreachable to her. 60 year father needs computer to communicate with daughter going overseas.

It can be compared to fax machines: no one used them but companies purchased them in order to stay “modern”. When number of fax machines became significant and unavoidable, companies could not ignore those devices any more. It is just a piece of stationery.

Kids are using Internet and forms of informations generated in a way, that Internet savvy adults (i.e. us), can not comprehend.

We can notice that Social news and targeted content is coming our and theirs way, and other forms (i.e. TV, websites…) are loosing its drive.

Population segmentation is normal, but received content is reaching all ages. The way how people communicate with content is changing from day to day.

This realistic future is showing that we can not have monolithic organization or content delivery. Data offered must be mash-able.

How to live with relevance?

Are you relevant? I sure do try, with some fails to cover all aspects but really trying hard to.

In digital landscape, your identity or corporate image can be compromised with one angry person. This means that your or company relevance must be rock solid. Marketing and PR must live together and sometimes empty stories about “social responsibility” must became reality and constant part of organization culture.

There is no excuse, not to work on your public image. Digital landscape is offering just this. Rich content, open channel, audience really interested in you/company and loyal fan base.

Just be honest and deliver content and service.

Do I have to be celebrity?

This is the story of leaders and followers. Some people do not have the drive to be leaders and became followers, ’cause it is easier.

Responsibility of being leader is same as being celebrity. People do take attention on you and follow you just because they BELIEVE in You. Not being naive, people want to believe in something and you must offer something.

In order to be believable you must be honest or have something they attach to.

In landscape where, whistleblowers are wannabe celebrities, only way is to fight with honesty or great product/service.

This is why I do compare you with celebrity.

Where to sell? (Marketplace)

This is the time of niches. But niche is population of world with selected individuals that follows you. Even then this niche is measured by many thousands. You have the world. It’s just question what part of it.