Facial recognition software demonstrates 1984 is finally here – thirty years late

Posted on August 22, 2013 by markkolier

1984When I read the article yesterday I could feel my eyes get a little wider and my jaw drop just a bit.  An article that started out as such:

‘The federal government is making progress on developing a surveillance system that would pair computers with video cameras to scan crowds and automatically identify people by their faces, according to newly disclosed documents and interviews with researchers working on the project.’

Did a cold chill just run up your spine too?    The implications are many.  While couched as a way to make the U.S. a safer place it’s not a stretch to suggest that the uses for such technology can and will go far beyond keeping Americans safer.

The article added:  ‘Ginger McCall, a privacy advocate who obtained the documents under the Freedom of Information Act and provided them to The New York Times, said the time was now — while such technology is still maturing and not yet deployed — to build in rules for how it may be used. (Ms. McCall was at the Electronic Privacy Information Center at the time of her information act request.)

“This technology is always billed as antiterrorism, but then it drifts into other applications,” Ms. McCall said. “We need a real conversation about whether and how we want this technology to be used, and now is the time for that debate.”

In particular, she said, there should be limits on whose faces are loaded into them when they are ready for deployment. Ms. McCall said it would be acceptable to use it for terrorism watch lists, but she feared any effort to systematically track everyone’s public movements by using a comprehensive database of driver’s license photographs.

Drifting into other applications in particular piqued my interest.   From a marketing perspective, the opportunity to observe and catalog the actual recorded behavior of people, the possibilities are both intriguing and endless.   Those possibilities would also be creepy and yet somehow relevant.

Being able to process and action the incredible amounts of data is still a monumental task – at present -but it would be short-sighted to think that it will never be possible to access individual behavior data in real time.

How might the information be used?  Well just an example, and I am taking it to the Nth degree,  … Let’s say FRS (facial recognition software) identifies that you walk past a certain coffee shop every day but never actually step into the store.   A subscriber to the service could choose to send you an offer to come in and try their coffee (instead of the place you usually go which of course they would have knowledge of as well).    The offer is highly relevant since the behavior has already been established.  This is unlike a geo-fenced application where if you are inside a defined perimeter you could be served offers for area establishments as that is not based on behavior but geography – not nearly as relevant.

The U.S. government will categorically deny that individual behavior data would ever be shared or sold.  That’s what they will stick to for now.  But drastic times can call for drastic measures and – well you can figure the rest out for yourself.

Maybe it’s time to re-read “1984” but I am guessing that will make me feel less comfortable not more comfortable.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Communication, Customer Experiences, Living in the World Today, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charles Schwab email to customers is not bad but could be so much better

Posted on August 19, 2013 by markkolier
money down the drainI have upon multiple occasions blogged about best practices as they relate to email marketing.  http://wp.me/pn6jX-rw.   In general email communications have improved as the channel has matured.   Considering how customers and marketers interact with email, having an effective email communication strategy (and execution) is critical.  That’s why I was surprised that Charles Schwab (I’ve been a client for more than fifteen years) did only an middling job in a recent email communication to me:
Dear Client,When you’re buying a home, timing is everything. With Schwab Bank’s home lending program provided by Quicken® Loans®, you’ll get a loan with great rates and the support you need to get into your new home quickly and easily. Save $1,000 on closing costs for jumbo loans or $500 on conforming or high-balance loans when you apply for a purchase home loan by 10/31/13.1 To take advantage of this limited-time offer, call me at 203-352-4807 today.
 
Learn more >
 
Let’s discuss how to get:
 
• Rates as low as 4.50% (4.62% APR) on a 30-year fixed-rate loan
 
• An easy mortgage process and fast closing, often within 40 days on average
 
• A wide range of loan options and terms
 
I look forward to helping you buy the home you want, with a great choice of loan options. Sincerely,

Planner’s name Your Schwab Financial Consultant Charles Schwab & Co., Inc./Charles Schwab Bank* *Separate but affiliated companies Layout and functionality – 8.   Concise and clear message, easy to follow directions including a phone number to call and a click to ‘learn more’ button. Relevancy – 2.   We bought a house almost 2 years ago.    While we might be interested in knowing if there any advantages to re-financing given our current rate there’s no mention of that.   And addressing me as Dear Client?   Did I mention that I’ve been with Schwab for more than fifteen years?    This sure did not make me feel valued as a customer. Given the long tenure of my relationship with Schwab they should know a few things about me since the account data would provide some important information about my financial life – like having a child in college or where I am in my career based on age and my historical investing behavior.   Yet Schwab chose to send me what looks like a boiler plate email hoping that I might be the right target for a home loan.    I would expect that if I were not a customer. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Schwab to send fewer but more relevant emails?  Quantity over quality in the interest of increasing touch points has never been a good tactic.

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The future of Chinese brand success in the U.S. will be tied to better – not cheaper

Posted on August 12, 2013 by markkolier

made-in-chinaSamsung (from Japan) is one of the most recent examples of a foreign brand that has successfully changed its brand perception in the eyes of many Americans.   The success of the Samsung smart phone has enabled Samsung to sell more televisions, cameras and other digital appliances.     Kia and Hyundai from South Korea have also gained a reputation for quality and value in the U.S…

As far as Chinese brands go at the consumer level only Lenovo has been able to capture a significant market share and is associated with quality if not quality and value.    Remember that Lenovo acquired IBM’s personal computer business way back in 2005 so its U.S. roots are in fact – American!

I have every belief that there will be a number of Chinese brands will ultimately be successful in the United States.    What has to happen in China is that the focus will have to be made on quality and not quantity.   For a nation of more than 1.3 billion people that’s a major change from what has been going on for the past twenty-plus years.

Old China-hands are all too aware of the short-cuts and taking every opportunity to cut every corner that is the history and the lifeblood of the growth of Chinese businesses.  The ‘new’ Chinese government, led by Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, is well aware of the need for changes in its economic approach.   What has yet to become widespread is the introduction of an array of innovative Chinese-made products.    The change from a mindset of ‘make things cheaper and faster’ to ‘make things better and cooler’ will take time and by time I mean more than a year or two.

Changing the model from cheaper to better is easier said than done.   How Mr. Xi and Mr. Li manage this change will be the critical factor.   Does quality over quantity require fewer workers?    It’s hard for me to believe that there would be a Chinese economic policy that would result in fewer Chinese jobs.

The Chinese continue to move from the countryside to the city – looking for better paying jobs than are available in their hometowns.    At the same time those that have already moved to the cities are tiring of the assembly–line monotony.  They want better and more interesting jobs.   The answers will likely be found in innovation and a dedication to quality products – something that up until now has not been a hallmark of Chinese manufactured goods.

Will China be able to move toward companies and products that make innovative and quality goods?   If so – how long do you think that might take?

 

Posted in Best business practices, Brand Advertising, Business in Asia, Business in China, China, International business | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ad agencies getting bigger does not mean things will be better for clients

Posted on August 8, 2013 by markkolier

payattentionannarbor0312hd.182_320_200_sThe news of the Publicis/Omnicom merger last week was perhaps the opening act in what might be a series of advertising agency consolidations.   The number one reason Mr. Levy of Publicis and Mr. Wren of Omnicom gave for the merger was the efficiency gains that will be realized by the combined buying power – savings that would be passed on to clients.  Operationally it was also noted that the combined savings would amount to nearly a half billion dollars.   Yes some employees will lose their jobs and the combined company will have fewer employees than exist currently on an aggregate basis.

While there are obvious financial efficiencies, my partner David Adelman posed last week http://diaryofamediaman.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/my-agency-can-beat-up-your-agency/ that this merger will not be beneficial to clients and I could not agree more.  From my perspective what clients will NOT receive in this merger is better strategic thinking.   For a small marketing services agency like ours the news of the Publicis/Omnicom merger was music to our ears.   Media buying efficiency is important and the market is changing rapidly with the increasing popularity of media agency trading desks.   But this merger would suggest that it’s all about lowering media costs and as we all know the most expensive media that exists is the media that does not work – even if it is purchased at lower than normal market prices.

We recommend digital media plans every day.  Sometimes those plans are stand-alone, other times those plans can be part of a broader media plan that might include broadcast, cable television, and OOH units (just to list a few).   What has emerged as a critical aspect of digital media buying is its relationship to the associated creative and links to a deeper customer or prospect experience.

Digital media impressions are worthwhile and clicks even more so, but it’s most important to have a fully integrated plan including creative for the ads, a microsite or landing page and any associated assets (survey, contest etc.).    This may seem obvious but more often than not we find that advertisers are not acting in this fashion.   It’s fine to have the in-house team build things but their involvement in helping build an integrated prospect/customer experience should be integrated from the outset.   Plugging in or bolting-on the digital media buy after the microsite has been developed inhibits the reading of real-time results and just makes things more complicated and less integrated.

Bigger and bigger ad agencies will not be as concerned with fully integrated media plans as they are with driving revenue numbers in order to meet Wall Street expectations.   Do you think that will really make it better for clients?

Posted in Advertising, Best business practices, Brand Advertising, Customer Experiences, Digital media, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Major League Baseball is not acting in its own best interests

Posted on August 5, 2013 by markkolier

Bowie KuhnFor those of you who do not know, and per Wikipedia, the Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball (MLB) and its associated minor leagues – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as organized baseball.  Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport’s umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts. The commissioner is chosen by a vote of the owners of the teams.

The current commissioner is Bud Selig, who has been in office since 1998. Selig acted as a de facto commissioner under the title of “Chairman of the Executive Council” from 1992 to 1998, when the office of commissioner was vacant.

One of the responsibilities of the Commissioner of Baseball is to determine what might be “not in the best interests of baseball.”  Back in 1951 the Commissioner’s collective bosses – MLB owners – ceded their right to having any recourse in the courts to challenge a Commissioner’s decision.   This was a significant concession for the owners which became historically important in 1976 when then commissioner Bowie Kuhn rejected the selling of three players from Charlie Finley’s Oakland A’s to the Yankees as being “not in the best interests of baseball”. 

As of Monday August 5, 2013 MLB will likely rule that as many as 12 players have admitted to using banned substances and will accept suspensions.   MLB has taken far too long to make official what has been the worst kept secret in sports – MLB is going to suspend some players.  In fact this went on before and after the MLB player trading deadline of July 31.   By delaying making any announcement MLB teams like the AL Central Division leading Detroit Tigers (Jhonny Peralta’s possible suspension forced the Tigers to make a trade for Jose Iglesias with the Boston Red Sox that ended up bringing pitcher Jake Peavy to the Red Sox.).  The Texas Rangers expect outfielder Nelson Cruz to be suspended and yet did not make a trade possibly indicating they will appeal the suspension.   The AL Western Division leading Oakland A’s are hoping previously suspended Melky Cabrera, as well as Yasmani Grandal and Bartolo Colon will avoid a suspension and they too did not make a trade.  

I am of the opinion that by delaying the announcement of suspended players MLB has forced teams to try to anticipate what might happen, and in so doing, the Commissioner is and MLB are decidedly not acting in the best interests of baseball.    Fans should be talking about pennant races and the games themselves instead of when and who will be suspended.  Whether you agree with the way MLB is trying to ‘clean up baseball’ or not, giving yourself a black eye in the process is both stupid and bad business.   I have two questions:

1)      Why do this in mid-season?   Impacting teams fighting for the post-season punishes more than the player – it punishes his teammates and more importantly fans who spend their hard earned money buying tickets. 

2)      Does MLB really believe that in-season suspensions will more strongly convince players to desist from finding ways to get an edge? 

It’s time for MLB to come up with a policy that is enforceable and in the best interests of baseball.   I have no idea as to what is the policy right now do you?

 

Posted in Living in the World Today, Marketing stuff, Sports Marketing, Team performance | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rating The New York Times and Wall Street Journal tablet apps

Posted on August 1, 2013 by markkolier

Wall Street Journal Launches NY Section, Aiming To Compete With NY TimesI gave up the daily printed Wall Street Journal about a month ago in favor of the Wall Street Journal subscriber Amazon Kindle Fire tablet application.   After using it every day I can say with all honesty that it’s pretty if not very good.   The daily download of Today’s Paper happens every morning usually about 5 AM.    It’s intuitive, easy to navigate and the search functions work well.   The same cannot be said for the recently launched New York Times newspaper app for the Amazon Kindle Fire.

The NY Times app for the Kindle Fire was offered free through the end of the month of July so starting Thursday August 1st readers will have to pony up to access it.    As a New York Times every day print subscriber I am at least expecting the application to be offered free, which at the moment is not saying much.

The NY Times iPad application has been available for quite some time and works in much the same fashion as the Kindle Fire app which is to say – far from great.   It amazes me that two of the three national U.S. newspapers (USA today being the third) could treat their reader experiences so differently.   The Times does not offer an option to read today’s paper as is the case with the Journal.    The drop down menu offers many choices but articles are lumped in places where you sometimes would not expect to find them.    Articles from prior issues are mixed under headings like U.S., World, Business etc. 

It took ages for the NY Times to get a tablet application out that even functioned.   Since I travel a great deal having a great NY Times tablet app would be terrific for people like me.   But at the moment I’d suggest sticking with the mobile site which seems more intuitive and is easier to navigate.

One last thing that I cannot understand is why in the sports pages area of the NY Times application and site, there is no listing of the standings of the various professional sports teams.  There are no box scores either for any sport.   The Journal has never offered standings and box scores on any regular basis so it’s not expected.   There also is no way easy to view the weather forecast for New York or any other city for that matter.    The printed New York Times has extensive listings of box scores, schedules, standings and a big weather page graphic every day.    Why not include this in the app?  Could it be that the Times is nervous that if their tablet app is really good people will cancel the printed paper and they will lose  advertising revenue since advertisers are not willing to pay as much for tablet subscribers than print edition subscribers?

I can’t come up with another reason can you?    Help me out here.  Why is the Times providing such an inferior experience?

 

Posted in Advertising, Best business practices, Publishing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Google Chromecast – a wicked right cross to the cable TV industry or a patsy?

Posted on July 29, 2013 by markkolier

Google_Chromecast_35823617_05_1_610x436When I saw the news last week announcing Google Chromecast’s new plug in wi-fi device the first thing I thought was ‘Could a $35 device really hurt the cable TV industry?’.   Reading @jeffjarvis excellent post http://buzzmachine.com/2013/07/24/googles-tv/  from last week apparently he feels (as do I) that Chromecast could be a telling blow for cable TV.

Jeff did such a good job beating me to the punch on my rumination on the subject that I will offer some of his thoughts below as to what Google has in mind for Chromecast and how it might impact cable and network television:

“*Google gets more opportunities to sell higher-priced video advertising on its content, which it will surely promote.

* Google gets more opportunities to sell you shows and movies from its Play Store, competing with both Apple and Amazon.

* YouTube gets a big boost in creating channels and building a new revenue stream: subscriptions. This is a paywall that will work simply because entertainment is a unique product, unlike news, which is — sorry to break the news to you — a commodity. I also wonder whether Google is getting a reward for all the Netflix subscriptions it will sell.

* TV is no longer device-dependant but viewer-dependant. I can start watching a show in one room then watch it another and then take it with me and watch on my tablet from where I left off.

* I can throw out the device with the worst user interface on earth: the cable remote. Now I can control video via my phone and probably do much more with it (again, I’m imagining new game interfaces).

* I can take a Chromecast with me on the road and use it in hotel rooms or in conference rooms to give presentations.

Those are implications for me as a user or viewer or whatever the hell I am now. That’s why I quickly bought three Chromecasts: one for the family room, one for my office, one for the briefcase and the road. What the hell, they’re cheap.

Harder to fully catalog are the implications for the industry — make that industries — affected. Too often, TV and the oligopolies that control it have been declared dead yet they keep going. One of these days, one of the bullets shot at them will hit the heart. Is this it?

* Cable is hearing a loud, growing snipping sound on the horizon. This makes it yet easier for us all to cut the cord. This unravels their bundling of channels. I’ll never count these sharks out. But it looks like it could be Sharknado for them. I also anticipate them trying to screw up our internet bandwidth every way they can: limiting speeds and downloading or charging us through the nose for decent service if we use Chromecast — from their greedy perspective — “too much.”

* Networks should also start feeling sweaty, for there is even less need for their bundling when we can find the shows and stars we want without them. The broadcast networks will descend even deeper into the slough of crappy reality TV. Cable networks will find their subsidies via cable operators’ bundles threatened. TV — like music and news — may finally come unbundled. But then again, TV networks are the first to run for the lifeboats and steal the oars. I remember well the day when ABC decided to stream Desperate Housewives on the net the morning after it aired on broadcast, screwing its broadcast affiliates. They’d love to do the same to cable MSOs. Will this give them their excuse?”

But my favorite part was the tweet from Jeff’s friend @tomhillenbrand – ‘This should have been Apple’s product.’    But if it had been there’s no way it would have been $35.

What do you think?   Will Chromecast be a stiff right cross to cable and network TV or is it merely a patsy?

Posted in Film and television, Internet television, Mobile Communication, Television advertising | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A great example of branding the right way

Posted on July 25, 2013 by markkolier

Dunkin Donuts what brand am I 2Just by the colors and font of the type face my guess is you will know the brand about which I am writing.   It’s impressive that without a word mentioning the brand the simple font and color treatment of the letters resonate at such a high level.   Still not sure?   It’s Dunkin’ Donuts.   The logo and treatment of the colors and type have been relatively consistent for a company that is more than just ‘not Starbucks‘ and has been in business for nearly 63 years.

Information from the Dunkin’ Donuts website –

‘In 1950, Bill Rosenberg opened the first Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Quincy, Massachusetts. Dunkin’ Donuts licensed the first of many franchises in 1955.   Dunkin’ Donuts is the world’s leading baked goods and coffee chain, serving more than 5 million customers per day. Dunkin’ Donuts sells more than 70 varieties of donuts and more than a dozen coffee beverages as well as an array of bagels, breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods.’

What the website fails to mention is that the colors – orange on top and magenta (pink) below have been consistent for more than twenty years.   An interesting study from Kim Freitas of Ithaca college in the fall of 2011 http://eportfolios.ithaca.edu/kfreita1/docs/introtostratcomm/brandingpaperdd.pdf outlined the assets of the logo and also noted that the colors themselves are brand definitive.  

I had difficulty remembering other brands that have ‘owned’ two colors.   American Airlines has been blue and red for years (even the newest logo maintains that scheme).    Yet I would not consider American Airlines to ‘own’ blue and red any more than McDonalds owns red and yellow.   ‘Owning’ colors is a great brand accomplishment and Dunkin’ Donuts does this as well or better than any other brand I can think of.  

Do you have examples of brands that own two or more colors?    

Posted in Advertising, Brand Advertising, Marketing stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chipping away at the mountain is the only way sculpt a professional masterpiece

Posted on July 22, 2013 by markkolier

Mt Rushmore unfinishedMt. Rushmore finishedEvery day I come to work and I have countless important things to do.  The goals of business success are clear as I have noted in a prior post.   Working day by day the small bits of progress can be ignored when the big success has yet to come.  While most people know inherently that the daily toil and anticipation are worthwhile, the waiting can at times wear down one’s confidence.

To combat this I’ve employed a somewhat metaphorical solution.   I think about the sculpting of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and how it must have looked at its various stages of development.   I imagine that for the longest time it just looked like some craggy rock formation.  When it was finished it ends up being one of the great wonders of the world.  Or at least something close to that (I’ve never visited but it’s on my list).   So indeed I am comparing one’s day to day work to sculpting a professional masterpiece.

All the little things you do during the day that you know to be the right things add up to helping make big things happen.   It has to be a given that you are thinking before you act and that you lay out a plan that is concrete, and (in time) achievable.   That’s a big ‘given’ to be sure but my point is about doing all those things that help keep your professional relationships and endeavors on track for potential success.

Professional relationships with colleagues, co-workers and vendors are critically important to business and professional success.   Keeping in touch with people in your network (this goes for both personal and professional networks) takes effort, being aware of trends in your network’s business segments shows that you are interested and that you care.  All relationships both business and professional take ongoing effort – sometimes in business people tend to forget that.

Professional endeavors such as big projects you might be working on for long periods also require the ability to accept that progress is often made incrementally and the key is to keep on chipping away, even when the end does not seem to be in sight.   It can be difficult to measure exactly where you are at any given time but it is critical to assess your overall position on the path.  As long as the goal remains clear you should be able to figure out if you are moving backward, standing still or moving forward on that path to success.

Since there may be others like me that have exactly zero talent as a sculptor of marble, clay, limestone or any other rock, it’s a good thing that artistic talent has nothing to do with sculpting one’s own professional masterpiece.

Posted in Best business practices, Career Development, Professional Development, Team performance | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Why movie theater chains don’t bother with branding

Posted on July 18, 2013 by markkolier

Movie theater brandingIt’s been a little over a year (almost 14 months) since Chinese owned Wanda Group purchased AMC Cinemas in one of the biggest deals of 2012.  While I have posited on why people still go to the movies in a prior post http://wp.me/pn6jX-jX,  In that post I neglected to mention that people don’t go to a Regal theater, or an AMC theater (not to mention Cinemark, Carmike, or Cineplex Entertainment which round out the top 5 in the U.S. in terms of total screens).

Rank

Circuit

Headquarters

Screens

Sites
1 Regal Entertainment Group Knoxville,TN 7,367 580
2 AMC Entertainment Inc Kansas City, MO 5,894 483
3 Cinemark Theatres Plano, TX 3,895 298
4 Carmike Cinemas, Inc. Columbus, GA 2,242 232
5 Cineplex Entertainment Toronto, ON 1,438 133

If you are a movie-goer you are all too familiar with sitting down in the theater, seeing prior to previews, ads for local and national brands, and stupid and inane trivia quizzes.   Before the previews begin (pre-preview?) the theater group gives its spiel on turning off your cell phone, not talking, and of course visiting the concession stand.   Also included are thank you’s for visiting XYZ theaters.    This always strikes me as odd since I cannot ever recall making a movie-going decision on the basis of the name of the theater or the brand of theater showing the film.

My guess is most people are like me in this instance.   People pick out the movie they want to see first, look for the time(s) that the movie is being shown at the various area theaters and then decide on which show to attend based on what is most convenient and works best for their schedule.   The thought that I’d rather go to an AMC Entertainment theater than a Regal Entertainment theater likely never enters one’s mindset – individually or collectively.   It’s understandable that people might prefer a particular theater over another due to location, cleanliness, concessions, parking and comfort of the seats.   But the theater brand would not guarantee that an experience at one theater would be consistent at another theater even within the same theater brand.

So why do movie theaters bother branding even a little bit?   One word – advertising.  An advertiser buying a network of movie theaters needs to know the scope and scale of what the movie theater ‘network’ has to offer.   In this way comparatives can be more easily facilitated between movie theater networks.   It has little or nothing to do with the ticket buying public and the patron’s movie theater experience.

If there’s another reason I’m missing please feel free to let me know.

Posted in ads in movies, Living in the World Today, Marketing stuff, Media, Movie theater advertising, Screenvision | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments