MediaPace : Setting the pace for business-to-business dialogue

Millennials Take Recession in Stride ('Outside the Cube' blog)

It is no secret that the economic state in the United States and all over the globe is a gloomy one at best. And with mixed outlooks for the future state, it is a wonder anyone could be the least bit optimistic. 

Seasoned generations have weathered economic cycles in the past. They've dealt with bad times and understand the detrimental effects that an unstable market can have on business. 

Millennials, on the other hand, are not as phased by the economic state. And that fact, among others is proving to be extremely useful at a time like this. 

Pepsi recently commissioned a survey of 2000 young Americans between the age of 19 and 29 and questioned them on their outlook of the future. The results were, well, optimistic to saty the least. Despite recent job forecasts, 77% of Millennials reported a strong sense of optimism about their careers. 

Four out of five Millennials are hopeful about the future and more than 95% of all surveyed feel it is important to maintain a positive outlook on life.  

The results of this survey have been a factor in Pepsi’s rebranding of their image, as well as their current marketing campaign focused on a feeling of hope and optimism for the future. 

Older generations first saw Millennials in the workplace to be somewhat inexperienced, a bit naieve and carrying a sense of “invincibility.” But those characteristics, coupled with an inherent technological understanding is NOW enabling Millennials to navigate and troubleshoot problems innovatively and creatively without any inhibition regarding the current economic state ... and in the process, saving companies some much needed cash. 

Take as an example, consumer-electronics retailer, Best Buy. They were in need of a new employee portal. After contacting an external consultant, they were quoted a price over several million dollars. The word was put out, and a group of young Best Buy employees put together a small squad of developers from their own networks. They produced the needed portal for just under $250,000. Another Millennial employee threw together a mobile-phone version of Best Buy’s website just for fun in about a week during his spare time. 

Granted, this is just one company’s experience, but it easily exemplifies the true measure of impact and tangible value that Millenial optimism, backed up by an inherent skill set and abilities, can produce for their employers.

Posted by Wally Koval
w.koval@abmmail.com

Webscraping, Clipping, Encapsulation, Ripping, Surfacing ... Call It What You Want - The Value of Web Data is Undeniable

Having just returned from the TDWI event in New Orleans it’s undeniable that many of you want to consume unstructured web data and use the data for your business intelligence initiatives. 

According to the “Capturing Web Data and Content for BI” session presented by Mark Madsen of Third Nature, 45% of people report that web pages are being accessed for data now; and that number will increase to 80% in three years.  They’re looking for public census data, competitive pricing information, published industry data posted by industry associations and government sites, production data, industry benchmark data, sentiment data and more.   

The session was quite informative but presented the challenge of making sense out of unstructured web data for consumption by the BI team to be a difficult task that requires intimate knowledge of web integration tools, web application frameworks and application architectures.  While it’s important for the IT team to understand and appreciate these nuances, all the business user should be concerned with is:

• Can I get the data I want…   when I want it?
• Can I personalize delivery and presentation of the information to suit my needs?
• Can I store it for future analysis?
• Can I share it with others if I choose?
• Can it the data be mashed up with other internal data?
• Can I do this without any programming knowledge or IT assistance?

It was great to see and hear how more and more people are relying on web data for their business intelligence needs as it only reinforces the value web data provides.  But where were the vendors and success stories focusing on scalable solutions that could handle all that unstructured web data?   Where were the solutions that are enterprise class but don’t require a programmer’s thought process and skills to harness the value of the web?  Think I’ll reach out to some BI departments and present them with a scalable, enterprise class solution!

Posted by:
Gina Cerami
Director of Marketing, Connotate
gcerami@connotate.com

Outside the Cube Goes International

A couple of weeks ago, completely on a whim, I hopped a plane and joined a friend for 12 days exploring India. The majority of my time was spent in Mumbai, formerly Bombay, and the financial capital of India

With a metro population of over 20 million people, one of the most incredible things I experienced was the traffic. Watching cars, rickshaws and motorbikes move about the streets was like watching rivers collide at the opening of an ocean. It seemed chaotic, and almost impossible to manage, but somehow things all flowed together.

As the fourth-largest economy and one of the foremost emerging markets in the world, India operates at high speeds and on different terms, and like the traffic, it might be difficult for us to comprehend the overall business environment. But while the rules of the road may be a bit different, the same basic principles apply.

The media landscape of India is not quite like that in the U.S. They consume more print media products and aren’t “quite there yet” in terms of digital, but the rate at which its economy is growing is incredible, and that equates to potential for incredible growth opportunities for partnering companies if the correct groundwork for that partnership is laid.

The possibility for growth and the potential for ROI is huge if you put in some effort. If you want to ride the roads over there, you have to take the time to read the map and get acquainted with the lay of the land before hopping in the driver’s seat and kicking it into gear.

A partnership starts with presence. If you want to do business over there, you have to go there. You must take the time, make the trip, meet the people, and learn the lingo, so to speak; get a better understanding of how things truly work from ground zero and take it from there.

Posted by Wally Koval

Advertising Week: The Olympic Games of Networking (Outside the Cube blog)

Last week was the fifth annual Advertising Week in New York. From Monday, September 22, through Friday, September 26, the city was packed to the brim with advertising execs and creative types alike, attending content rich seminars by day and schmoozing to some great entertainment by night.

But you didn’t have to be an agency "big-wig" (or even involved in the industry) to attend and make the most of this past week. As long as you had a MetroCard and an interest in advertising, you could easily have been rubbing elbows with ad directors and executives from some of the biggest names and top publications in the industry.

Not only was it a great opportunity to meet and mingle, but there was also a lot to take away. No matter what sector of the business you’re in, advertising most likely plays a crucial role in your company’s everyday and, in certain cases, overall existence.

I had a general idea about advertising with regard to the some of the lingo and its importance to the media industry as a whole. But attending these events offered a huge opportunity to run into people I would never have had the chance to speak to without a standing appointment. And to hear from them first-hand about their experiences in a relaxed setting was interesting, but more importantly, it was incredibly informative.

In the midst of these sponsored events with food and drink galore, I was able to take something away – and not just something, but a good bit of useful information.
Advertising as a whole is a meld of creative and business; it is the meeting ground for visual ideas and the creative word to blend together, affecting business end-users in every industry across the globe.

While Ad Week may have ended last Friday, we here at ABM end with a bang on October 1, when we celebrate Creative Excellence in Business Advertising during our 13th Annual CEBA Awards ceremony.

This is truly where the best of the best in b-to-b advertising are showcased, and I’m anxious to see how the top players made out.

Posted by Wally Koval

Top Reasons to Attend the 2008 CEBA Awards on Wednesday, October 1

• Join in the accolades of the Grand CEBA winner and their receipt of the $25,000 prize.
• Celebrate and network with the industry’s best and brightest, our 2008 finalists and winners.
• Honor the 2008 CEBA Creative Hall of Fame inductees: DDB Worldwide, The Martin Agency, Gordon Bowen, founder/CCO of mcgarrybowen, and Tom Stein, president/CEO/founding partner of Stein Rogan + Partners.
• Find out who will take home the highly-recognized and coveted CEBA Awards.
• Listen to exciting presentations by our hosts: John Colasanti, CEO of Carmichael Lynch, and Nina DiSesa, chairman of McCann-Erickson New York.
• Mingle with representatives from the industry’s superstars: BBDO, Carmichael Lynch, GE, IBM, McCann-Erickson, Ogilvy and more.
• Say hello to David Bell, chairman emeritus of the Interpublic Group and 2006 CEBA Hall of Fame winner.
• Experience the view at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Posted by Kate Patton

What’s All the Twitter About?

Earthquake! The breaking news of the earthquake in L.A. this summer is yet another adage to online, social-networking, “kinda/sorta,” thing-a-ma-bob, micro-blogging Web site “Twitter’s” list of accomplishments and honorable mentions.

Boasting a Twitter subscriber as the initial “reporter,” word on the quake spread on the network just as quickly as the quake sprung. The ability to expediently break occurring news, events and emergencies quickly across a large and directly-connected network is Twitter’s claim to fame. The free software provides a network as large and specific as your liking, and you can instantly send (up to 140 character) messages through instant messaging, wireless phone and e-mail. The network can also be accessed via sites like Facebook, MySpace, and FriendFeed.

Subscribers of the 2006 San Francisco-based startup overwhelmingly agree that one thing’s for certain – just one encounter with Twitter and you’ll either hate it or love it. Both haters and lovers of Twitter agree that the constant 24/7 messaging can lead to extreme annoyance from abusers of the connectivity, who seem to value quantity over quality of messages. There’s significant difference in a message boasting, “I’m hungry” versus “wildfires are spreading.”

Obviously, Twitter cons can include the constant, and quickly massive, mindless chatter, or “Twitter” rather, that can ensue and easily annoy the most patient and cyber-social users.

In his blog posting on rexblog.com, Rex Hammock, founder/CEO of custom media firm Hammock Inc. and a Twitter user, says, “Twitter is something you’ll never understand, so stop trying” and “ the amazing thing about Twitter is this: everyone uses it differently.”

Whatever the source of tweets, Twitter has established its presence and doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon. In fact, recent headlines affirm the enormity of the network, reporting that Twitter is “outgrowing itself” with the volume of ever-increasing users and messaging outpacing its infrastructure. 

My only question: So, would users be called Twits?

Posted by Samantha Sims

Don’t Miss the ABM/FIPP B-to-B World Conference!

                     

For the first time ever, the world of B-to-B hits the Big Apple! Exchange ideas with your industry peers from around the globe and significantly increase your revenue and profits when the ABM/FIPP B-to-B World Conference comes to New York City this September 7-9. Join American Business Media, the International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP) and a melting pot of worldwide industry leaders to learn and discuss the hottest topics in b-to-b.   

Interactive sessions will address traditional magazine publishing, licensing and partnering, digital media, workforce transformation, integrated selling success, the face-to-face experience, custom publishing and much more.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to build your brand on a global scale, boost your events revenue and conduct business with industry professionals from around the globe – all without the travel expense!

Because New York City is so busy in September, ABM has shopped around to find you the best hotel rate in town! Discounted rates end Tuesday, August 26, so click here to reserve your room at The Roosevelt Hotel today.

For more information about the program or to register, click here. Need visa information? Click here.

New Media's New Journalist

It’s no secret that traditional media are weathering a hurricane of change. And recent headlines about magazine shutdowns, staff downsizes and advertising declines have left aspiring journalists less than eager to embark on their media careers. However, “necessity is the mother of invention” as they say, and the need to grasp the new media sea change has certainly inspired a phenomenon in the way journalists learn, train, think, act and produce. I know because I’m one of them.

I used to feel confident that my undergraduate English, journalism and communications courses would prepare me well for an editorial career. But it wasn’t until I gained real-world experience through internships at several media companies that I realized classroom knowledge just wasn’t gonna cut it. A wide variety of technical skills, including Web and video production, digital photography and graphic design, are now necessary to remain capable in the age of digital media.

In fact, according to The Village Voice, NBC recently approached the New York Film Academy to organize a program tackling the latest adjustments in newsrooms and graduate schools across New York City. Whether in film or journalism, students need to know how to capture clear images, how to record quality sound, how to use lighting and so on, says David Klein, the NYFA’s senior director. They also need to know the news and how to find it. That's where NBC comes in. Their journalists give talks and work with students on how to research, report and write stories.

The Summit Daily News says that advancements in digital technology allow just about anyone to play reporter – as long as they have the right tools and know how to use them. “Citizen journalism” is quickly redefining how information is conveyed to the masses, thanks to improvements in mobile technology for one. “Camera phones have already proven their worth within the news business,” the article says, and media conglomerates like CNN have since introduced opportunities online for user-submitted material. Establishing truth and accuracy is becoming more difficult as this trend surges, but that’s another story.

While it’s interesting to think that the next breaking news story may come from a recent passerby with an iPhone, one thing’s certain: If you haven’t already, start honing your technical skills before the digital transformation cuts your career short.

Posted by Kate Patton
k.patton@abmmail.com

Word of Mouth: The Underlying/Overlying Sell? A Customer's Personal Story ...

Recently I noticed a coworker receiving a package with the name Zappos.com written alongside the box. She immediately exclaimed, “Yes! They’re here,” and revealed a gorgeous pair of shoes from the cardboard box. We all “oohed” and “ahhed,” and several jumped online. For me, however, I saw several more Zappos boxes over time and heard several more choruses of “oohs” and “ahhs” and still hadn’t stolen a glimpse at the site. It wasn’t until I was “officially introduced” that I truly took notice.

In conversation with a coworker, she excitedly said to me: “You’ve got to check out this site!” What is it? “Tons of hot shoes and “free shipping.” I immediately, with her over my shoulder, jumped on the site. My colleague went on to explain that she gets her orders practically overnight and that the site doesn’t really advertise itself.

By now, a small crowd is at my desk, bright-eyed and anxiously scouring the endless pages of shoes. You can search by heel height, color, size, and they even feature a 360 degree, freely-navigable view of the shoe! I was so excited about this site, guess what I did? I told whoever would listen.

And there it is … the honest truth about our relationships with products. I have found time and time again, word of mouth about a great product or service is the best marketing tool out there. It wasn’t until after I was introduced to the site by another customer that I actually gave it notice.

Ironically, through the magic of marketing, I saw an ad for Zappos the very next day on the train. Was the ad in that same location before? Perhaps, but it didn’t really become visible to me until after I had been formally introduced. Seeing the logo upon deliveries and eventually in an ad solidified the product by branding. And isn’t that how successful brands (should) work; by solidifying the deal through connectivity and relativity?

However, what we often find are companies/marketers focusing on their brand, rather than their product or service, simply trying to sell their “wrapping” so to speak. Any marketer who’s ever been a customer, however, should know better.

By the way, those Zappos boxes come more often now, and so do the “oohs” and “ahhs.” Can anyone recommend a great place for lunch?

Posted by Samantha Sims
s.sims@abmmail.com

Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants

Today, Gen. Y is the fastest-growing segment of the workforce, expanding from 14% of the workforce in 2004 to 21% today, or nearly 32 million workers.

Applicant pools are larger today than ever before as more people pursue higher levels of education and are therefore better qualified for professional careers. However, due to technological advances (particularly in medicine), baby boomers are living (healthily) much longer. That means the workforce is packed with individuals from different walks of life, all striving for gradual advancement and stability.

Digital technology is changing not only the way we receive information, but also how we create. With Millennials having the “home-team advantage,” having grown up with technology, generational discord may become a problem. However, a team that successfully and respectfully meshes can reap great rewards.

Statistics show that, today:

• More than 60% of employers say they are experiencing tension between employees from different generations.
• More than 70% of older employees are dismissive of younger workers’ abilities.
• Nearly half of employers say that younger employees are dismissive of the abilities of their older co-workers.

Research study “Intelligent Dialogue: Millennials” says that “These digital natives grew up using digital technology, and they’re often acting as guides for digital immigrants – people who entered the digital world as adults. Digital immigrants like their information delivered in a linear, logical sequence, but digital natives prefer random access to hyperlinked information.”

This information says a lot about where professionals from each generation are coming from and what you can expect them to bring to the work table. Don’t forget that Millennials grew up in the decade when Time magazine named the computer its Person of the Year. This era has been marked with digital technology breakthroughs that have became mainstream as Blackberries, iPhones, iPods and digital cameras have all become an important part of everyday life.

Ultimately, the goal for any staff is to achieve balance in roles and responsibilities. What I have personally experienced is that teams are most successful when a synergy happens between priceless wisdom, experience, fresh creative energy, ideas and invincibility. Everyone is also much happier in the process. When this fails to happen, generational clashes – direct and indirect – can and do often occur. To not capitalize on the strengths of a multi-generational (or even multi-ethnic/gender for that matter) staff is to cheat your organization out of the best production possible.

Some advice to consider:

“Older managers should not be afraid to show a more affable side to their employees. This will allow their young talent to be comfortable in contributing to the team from the very beginning. A younger employee who can feel a certain sense of comfort around his or her older managers is happier and ultimately more productive, while still respecting the manager’s position and authority.”
- Keya Rahnemoon, Intern, State University of New York – Binghamton, “Intelligent Dialogue: Millennials.”

“They [Millennials] combine the teamwork ethic of the Boomers with the can-do attitude of the Veterans and the technological savvy of the X-ers. At first glance, and even at second glance, [Millennials] may be the ideal workforce – and ideal citizens.”

- Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak from “Generations at Work.”

Posted by Samantha Sims