5 Resolutions I did not make for 2012

Posted on January 2, 2012 by markkolier

I’ve never been someone to make New Year’s Resolutions. I recall trying it when I was younger, failing miserably, and then avowing (resolving?) to not repeat the process. I have been somewhat successful in that regard.

So in a world full of top ten lists and the like I could not even come up with ten things I did not resolve. I managed to squeeze out a few:

1) I did not resolve to watch fewer sporting events on television. Hey, I’m a guy. My wife was not all that surprised.

2) I did not resolve to take fewer showers in order to save water. I like to think of it as improving the overall air quality.

3) I did not resolve to spend more time with my family. While this remains unannounced, I doubt they would notice one way or the other so I take it that I am doing ok anyway.

4) I did not resolve to drink less wine. Duh.

5) I did not resolve to work longer hours. However I will continue to learn to work smarter.

Happy New Year to all and to all my very best wishes for health, happiness, and prosperity. In that order too.

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I will again spend my New Years Eve without Dick Clark

Posted on December 30, 2011 by markkolier

I don’t have anything against the American legend Dick Clark. In fact I briefly met him at an event about ten years ago and found him to be a nice and friendly man. I don’t know about you, but watching Dick Clark on television is painful and I just don’t understand why he wants to continue. Sure it’s his show, and NBC has this year again allowed Mr. Clark to have ultimate control of ‘Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve’. This year will be the 40th year of the show and more than 18 million people watched it last year. I was not one of them.

A six hour show with a multitude of entertainers and talent, this year’s program will pay tribute to itself. http://wapo.st/w1k7n5. Several years ago Ryan Seacrest began to co-host the show with Mr. Clark so we can expect to see Mr. Seacrest for many years to come in his personal quest to become the next Merv Griffin (Merv actually introduced Ryan Seacrest to the world).

I also have no problem with Ryan Seacrest but the pairing with Dick Clark does nothing but make things even more awkward. Do you think Dick Clark watches the recorded proceedings of the DCNYRE afterward and thinks – ‘I still have it going on’? News flash for you Dick – you don’t have it going on and having an annual opportunity to watch you decline is hardly something that will send me charging forward into a new year.
Larry Klein who has been producing the show since 1977 had this to offer, “Dick is still Dick Clark,” he said. “His communication is a little bit more difficult, but he’s still involved in contemporary music. He listens to a lot; he knows a lot, he’s still involved in the production. This is very important to him. This is one of his children.”

Parents need to allow their children to leave the nest. After forty years don’t you think it’s about time Dick Clark allowed that to happen? His legacy is more than secure and I think by continuing to be on air Mr. Clark is practicing nothing more than self-indulgence. This bothers me more than anything else since I feel Dick Clark is one of the great American success stories and an institution unto himself.

My hope is the coming Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve 2012 version will be his final one on air and he can watch next year on television like so many others.

What do you think – should Dick Clark still be on the air?

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Sears sags – is anyone really surprised?

Posted on December 28, 2011 by markkolier

As the holiday season scorecards begin to be revealed, Sears, showing its ‘softer side’ as sales were down 5.2% over the eight week holiday period, led by CEO Ed Lampert http://on.wsj.com/ttKCBi reported that it expected to close 100 to 120 underperforming stores. Already before Noon on Tuesday December 27th the stock price has sunk 20% (it finished 27% below the previous day’s close) and is down 45% over the past 12 months.

There was a Sears in the Long Island town in which I grew up. Even back then (1960’s and 1970’s) the impression I had of the store was that the stuff they had was a bit dated and that Sears was pretty good at appliances. In my opinion not much has changed and I have been in a Sears within the last year – although I cannot recall why.

With more than 2,200 stores (including Kmart and Sears full-line stores) Sears still has a substantial footprint in the United States. Yet I wonder if more often than not people end up at Sears instead of really wanting to go there. Aside from its aforementioned Kenmore home appliance offerings, what about Sears would attract a shopper? The clothes (do they still sell Haggar?)? The styles? The once proudly displayed Craftsman tools? Or maybe you will recall the union of the Sears brand with that of Lands End or Martha Stewart and KMart? It is an understatement to note that things did not turn out the way it was they were supposed to.

It’s a far cry from the now somewhat distant past where Sears was known for quality and service. While I suppose there are Sears stores that have better service than others that’s not what the brand says to me – nor does it scream quality either.

Sears was the largest retailer in the U.S. until the early 1980’s. Today the combined Sears has 2,201 full-line and 1,354 specialty retail stores in the United States operating through Kmart and Sears and 483 full-line and specialty retail stores in Canada operating through Sears Canada Inc. (Sears Canada), a 92%-owned subsidiary. So Sears ‘gets around’. During the fiscal year ended January 29, 2010 (fiscal 2010), it operated three segments: Kmart, Sears Domestic and Sears Canada. As of January 29, 2011, Holdings operated a total of 1,307 Kmart stores across 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.

As I browsed through comments http://on.wsj.com/ucpEXX from people who had shopped at Sears the conversation varied from blaming Ed Lampert to poor service and odd pricing but there were a few positive comments regarding selection, service and quality. The thing that stood out to me was the inconsistency of delivering the Sears brand promise – whatever that is. I could not figure it out – can you?

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Today’s 3D movies don’t add much value except to the cost of a ticket

Posted on December 26, 2011 by markkolier

When I went to see Avatar in 3D in 2009 I felt it was an interesting and worthwhile experience. What I did not realize is that the story and imagery were woven so well together that they transcended the fact that the movie was in 3D. I’ve since seen Avatar in un-3D (i.e. regular film) and enjoyed the movie very much. That movie experience was not downgraded for the lack of it being in 3D.

Over the Christmas holiday weekend my family and I went to see Tintin www.tintin.com . I’ve always been a fan of Tintin having read the comics when I was a kid and watching the cartoons when they came out 20 years ago in 1991. The Steven Spielberg treatment of the Tintin characters was true to the franchise. The characters and the story again put together so well. Yet the experience was not enhanced by the fact that we saw the movie in 3D. My daughter says this all the time and that she would rather NOT see a movie in 3D if it can be avoided.

Once again the $15/ticket price for the four of us was eyebrow-raising. It shows me that it will not be too long before a family of four could pay $100 to go to see a movie in the theater. I still feel the movie theater experience is a very worthwhile and unique one that cannot be recreated in 99.9% of home theaters.

But shelling out $60 for four 3D tickets due to the supposed enhancement of the movie-going experience is most times just a bad value. 3D techniques do not seem to have advanced all that much and the ‘cool’ factor having something float by you in a 3D movie is highly overrated. I look at the 3D technology having not advanced much – sort of like modern day toasters.

Apparently there’s hope on the way for a vastly improved 3D experience. An improved experience would I hope include the need of having to even wear 3D glasses. I don’t know anyone that actually likes having to wear 3D glasses to watch a movie.

So save your money folks – I think my daughter is right.

What do you think?

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Ten things about advertising that make me wonder

Posted on December 23, 2011 by markkolier

Stuart Elliot of The New York Times writes the advertising column and periodically has 20 questions about advertising. I decided to come up with a few of my own.

1) Why are there ads in the subway with QR codes displayed when there is no internet service on the subway itself?

2) Would you turn your house into a billboard? http://www.aol.it/rpy8Na

3) How long will it be before urinals in public restrooms carry advertising?

4) Do you watch the screen when riding in the back of taxi?

5) Would you be willing to receive a steady stream of ads on your smart phone if the monthly fees were paid for by the carrier?

6) Which company do you think will last longer – Groupon or Foursquare?

7) If you’ve used a Groupon or Living Social coupon to dine in a restaurant you’ve never before visited – have you ever gone back a second time?

8) I don’t watch ads when I DVR a television program preferring to fast forward through them as I believe is the case with most people. What percentage of DVR watchers do you think should be counted as having actually watched an ad during the program?

9) Will people continue to patronize online companies that don’t offer a free shipping option?

10) In 2012 will you use Ebay’s Redlaser.com bar scanner or Amazon.com’s bar code scanner to check pricing on in-store items?

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Joyous Kwanzaa. Oh and a healthy and Happy 2012 too!

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New models of distribution from Louis C.K. and Unbound.co.uk

Posted on December 21, 2011 by markkolier

Over the past week and a half I have become aware of two separate stories that I believe are closely related. Last week there were reports circulating on comedian Louis C.K. (who I have only seen in passing on cable at some point along the way) and his novel approach to marketing his latest made for television performance. David Carr in his regularly excellent column in the New York Times highlighted the effort in Monday’s paper – http://nyti.ms/vMq0O7 .

The story on Louis C.K. is that he decided to “go direct with his fans: no cable special, no middleman, just a simple download for $5 on his Web site to see his comedy show “Louis C. K.: Live at the Beacon Theater.” A true DIY (do-it-yourselfer) Louis C.K. writes, directs, produces and acts in his own series “Louie” and now he is a bona fide distributor. What impressed me more is that shortly after he went out with this novel offer – 200,000 people paid $ 5.00 each for two streams and three downloads of the special. It cost him $ 250,000 to create the show and he will bring in roughly $1 million. To say that’s not bad would be an understatement.

Unrelated I saw another story yesterday on a website unboundbooks.co.uk – a site live in the UK and soon to be in the U.S. as well. The idea of Unbound is best first read straight from their website –

“BRINGING AUTHORS AND READERS TOGETHER

We think authors and readers should decide which books get published. On the Unbound site, (unfortunately the U.S. site http://www.unbound.com or unboundbooks.com is not yet up but the British site www.unbound.co.uk is up and running), authors pitch their ideas directly to you. If you like what you read, you can pledge your support to help make the book happen. Everyone who supports an author before they reach 100% of the funding target gets their name printed in every edition of that book. All levels include a digital version and immediate access to the author’s shed while they write the book, and supporters of projects that don’t reach their target receive a full refund.”

You can read more from an article straight from The Guardian – http://bit.ly/rxELnz

In short the idea is that a big problem for the publishing industry is that many book advances to authors are non-returnable and do not earn out their advances. What Unbound proposes to do is to have potential readers pay in advance for the book that has yet to be written. It reads better than it first sounds –
“The site, launched last May, acts as a forum for authors to pitch books directly to readers, who, if they like the sound of a project, commit money right away, before the book has even been written. Each book has a target number of pledges it must receive to be viable (generally between 500 and 1,000). When you click on a book on the site, you are shown how many pledges it needs in total, and the percentage it has so far received. You can then pledge your support at a number of levels: from buying the eBook (generally £10), through purchasing the hardback (usually £20) or a signed copy (£50), all the way up to being invited to the launch party (typically £150) or, sometimes, going on an excursion with the author.
Justin Pollard, one of the founders, points out that although pledging involves handing over actual money, supporters aren’t taking a risk, because if the book doesn’t receive the required number of pledges, the project is scrapped and everyone gets their money back. Meanwhile, the publisher avoids exposing itself to upfront advances.

Crowdsourcing has become a bit of a buzzword but to see it in action in both the case of Louis C.K. and Unbound impresses me greatly.

How about your take on these new models?

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Will people listen to today’s pop stars in 2050?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by markkolier

Everyone knows Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones is still performing well into his sixties. One of my very favorite musicians, Darryl Hall is sixty-five years old. And the voice is still strong and amazingly distinctive. His more than thirty-five year collaboration with bassist John Oates is one of the most enduring in the music industry.

A friend and colleague told me he and his wife had seen them this fall and they sounded as good as ever. There is so much great material, Hall and Oates cannot play it all in one show. I saw them eight years ago and had the same experience. The same can be said for one of my favorite bands Steely Dan who did not tour when I was a young fan but who tour regularly now, and both Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (who really are Steely Dan) also are in their sixties.

There are many opportunities today to see the stars of the 1960’s and 1970’s perform. I wonder if that’s what artists like Hall and Oates and the Rolling Stones envisioned back in their heyday?

It got me to thinking how today’s musical artists will stand the test of time. Forty years ago the choices were much more controlled and limited. Radio airplay was carefully guarded by record promoters and disc jockeys and payoffs to get airtime were standard.

What has to be frustrating for musicians is that forty years after they have recorded their hits, fans really do not want to hear their new stuff, preferring to relive old times and memories through covers of the band’s or performer’s most popular hits. Still it is difficult for me to envision seeing Kanye West, Lady Gaga or Katy Perry reprising their hits of the 2010’s in 2052.

I’m not sure why I feel that way – what do you think?

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Do the Lexus ‘December to remember’ TV spots bother you?

Posted on December 16, 2011 by markkolier

I only ask because they really bother me. As a marketing guy I am well aware of the luxury market and its unique aspects and allure to marketers. Lexus has been running these spots for several years now. Somehow I was half-expecting that in this year of ‘Occupy Wall Street’ and the 1% vs. the 99% that Lexus might tone down a bit or even move in a different direction. Apparently that is far from the case seeing this year’s spots –

The spots must be working or else Lexus would not run the spots year after year. Or at least that’s what my rational right brain is telling me. Yet in an article published in Adverting Age today http://bit.ly/tjRSZi (December 15th) the very effectiveness of those Lexus (and other automobile ads) spots were called into question. Finally, I might add.

The snob-appeal aspect of the Lexus spots is what rankles me more than anything else. Were I to be in the market for a luxury vehicle – or more properly in the market to purchase a luxury vehicle for my wife, I cannot fathom going out and buying one without discussing it with her. Assuredly there are people that can afford to buy a luxury car for cash and without any concern for the cost. But that market as attractive as it might be cannot be large enough to sustain a luxury automobile brand by itself. So if I were to buy a car for my spouse what I’d have to explain would be the $ 800/month car payment and increased insurance. I firmly believe this would NOT put a smile on the face of my wonderful wife.

Clearly the Lexus spots are intended to generate aspirational feelings to join the well-heeled crowd and drive the car you’ve always dreamed of. By the way there is never a mention of price or affordability. Which is the point really since the apparent target audience would be unconcerned with the actual cost of a Lexus. I will aver that if I were wealthy enough to consider buying a luxury vehicle for my wife the last thing I would do, would be to buy it, put it in the driveway with a big red bow on top and then say -Surprise honey!

I will go out on a limb and say that most of the successful people I know are low-key and do not like to flaunt their success and certainly not in a blatantly ostentatious manner displayed in the Lexus spots.

How about you – what do you think of the Lexus TV spots?

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Amazon’s Kindle Fire – Version 1.0 is an ok start

Posted on December 14, 2011 by markkolier

On Monday December 12, New York Times’ writer David Streitfeld quasi-reviewed the hot-selling Amazon Kindle Fire http://nyti.ms/ruVyId. Skewered might be a better description. I have had my own Amazon Kindle Fire for two and a half weeks and have not been disappointed but not completely thrilled either.

The reviews I have read invariably start with what’s wrong with the Kindle Fire. So I will do my best to first focus on the positive attributes before casting any stones. Bob Sacks of Precision Media Group has more of an even-keel view of the Kindle Fire that I share in large part.

‘It is not an iPad, nor does it pretend to be one. Most of the reviewers are making a mistake to compare them . . . The first and obvious attraction to the Fire is the price. At $199.00 it is half the cost of an iPad, so no comparison is necessary there. And most of those who buy a Fire will not have held an iPad and will therefore not be able to make a comparison . . . Is it a perfect device? No. Is it a fair compromise of price and services? Absolutely yes.’

What first attracted me to the Kindle was that it served as an e-reader with true web connectivity. Yes it is a mini-tablet and for me eminently more portable than an iPad. The back lighting on the Kindle Fire is very good and the book and periodical reading experience is also excellent – better than the original Kindle by far. Oh and did I mention it was $199.00? Price is a huge driver here and I think it is also true that many people who will try the Kindle Fire have not used an iPad so they do not have that experience to compare one versus the other.

The Kindle color tablet screen is vivid and for me not too small as some have suggested. There are some issues with content not being optimized for the Kindle size but those will be worked out in subsequent versions. Book and publication downloads are fast and easy. The battery life is more than adequate particularly if you are careful about turning off the Wi-Fi when it is not being used. The touch screen and navigation are intuitive and work well.

When it comes to things I don’t like about the Kindle Fire there are a number of those as well. The thing that first bothered me is that there is no way to get web access other than Wi-Fi. At present Amazon is not offering consumers a way to purchase 3G or 4G connectivity under subscription. The lack of a front and back facing camera is something that will be added later I suspect but again keep in mind that an iPad costs more than double the price of a Kindle Fire.

Over the air updates are slated to come in spring 2012 for the Kindle Fire. So I expect some improvements in the user experience. And when Amazon releases the Kindle Fire 2.0 (sometime) I expect many of the issues to be resolved – perhaps not at the $199 price however. I can see Amazon creating a vertical market for the Kindle Fire with different levels of features and services.

Amazon needed to get version 1.0 of the Kindle Fire on the market or it might have been too far behind to ever catch up. If you are a book lover the Kindle Fire offers a great reading experience and a so-so web browsing experience in a convenient and portable size. You can wait for the next version but it might be a while.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is not an iPad – and that’s ok isn’t it?

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Do you still ask for directions?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by markkolier

My wife reminded me that not everyone has a GPS phone or a navigation system in their car. Despite that observation, it is a rare occasion that someone will ask me for directions when they are coming to visit me at my office or home. I know that I don’t ask for directions when arranging an appointment either professional or personal. Then I started wondering if not asking for directions, is a good thing. I came up with a few reasons it makes sense to ask the person you are visiting for directions.

Those of us that use Mapquest, Yahoo or Google Maps for example have found those platforms to be useful although frustrating at times. Since I have a smart phone complete with a Google Maps application I frequently rely on it to get me where I am going – anywhere in the world. It works most of the time but I have encountered situations where the application failed to locate me via GPS – particularly when I travel to China. That’s not exactly the place you’d want to be with no idea on how to get from point A to point B – so there’s one reason to ask for or at least print-out directions ahead of time.

Another reason it makes sense to ask for directions or at least confirm the directions you have is to avoid any unknown detours, road closures etc. It’s true that most of the GPS enabled applications and navigation systems will eventually get there but wouldn’t it be nice to know about road closures or detours ahead of time?

And don’t forget about the human engagement element that occurs while asking for directions. When you go to a place for the first time and rely on an application to get you there you miss out on connecting with someone regarding the place where they live or work. For example you could mention in conversation with the appointment about the route you are likely to take and if there are any better ways or things (i.e. landmarks) to look for. By doing that you make things just a little more personal by receiving information that is likely to be both timely and relevant and along the way you might learn a few things about the person and the area in which they live and work. People like talking about the area in which they spend their time – either for work, home or leisure.

While it’s true that GPS navigation systems are good and only getting better I am going to change my method of never asking for directions to connect a little more with the people I am going to visit. Obviously it is not always practical to ask for directions when visiting a public place like a stadium or movie theater, but those post directions on their websites that you can use as a guideline.

How about you? Are you like me in that you never ask for directions? Have I made you think about it even a little?

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