ABC Needs More Money to Pay Their Fat Cats and Cablevision Is Robbing ABC
Here are two companies that just took a huge PR hit.
It’s very sad that businesses are learning smear tactics from our politicians. I’ve never seen as many non-politician smear ads as I have these past few months. First it was Scripps and Cablevision, and now ABC and Cablevision. And again, the viewers lose, as ABC is no longer available on Cablevision on the night of a major annual awards program.
Right now Cablevision is losing customers to it’s first real competitor, Verizon FIOS. Mind you, Cablevision first started competing with Verizon by moving into the telephone business, so fair is fair. But these publicly fought battles with networks are not helping their cause of preserving their customer base.
And ABC 7 is also in a rough spot. While television advertising is back up, it is still well down from previous highs, as marketers spend more and more money online and less in traditional media. This is actually the core of why they need more money from MSOs, or cable operators such as Cablevision. But they certainly can’t afford negative PR right now, which Cablevision is overloading the airwaves with.
They’ve both launched very negative campaigns against the other (a la Scripps/Cablevision battle), and it’s the consumers who are being abandoned. Nobody really cares about their battle and who’s stealing from who, and what fat cats need more money. All we want is our programming. And we’re being forced to listen to a playground name-calling war.
So here’s my advice to both of you. Stop the commercials. Put ABC 7 back on the air. Work out your problem or agree to use an arbitrator. And shut the hell up because we don’t want to hear about it. And oh yes, I ordered FIOS last week and am currently 40 minutes into holding for Cablevision’s disconnect department.
LinkedIn Just Shot Itself in the Foot
Okay, maybe not just, because it seems may have started a few months ago, but it’s the first time it happened to me.
“Partner Message” in my Inbox? Well, at least they didn’t send me an e-mail saying I had a new message. Is nothing sacred? Spam from LinkedIn on behalf of “partners” (which, by the way, is misleading. You have to pay something to become a partner. Which means you’re really just an advertiser). They didn’t even give it any kind of design treatment to make it look different than a standard message. Either LinkedIn is desperate to find a business model that works, or the sales organization has too much power. DON’T ALIENATE YOUR USERS by mixing advertising in with the functionality!
’nuff said.
Google's New Math
Do you see a problem here? How does Google get away with this? I’m pretty sure that if I made this mistake at work I would catch all bloody heck. But then again, I’m not Google.
[polldaddy poll=1362581]
Four Keys for Traditional Media Companies to Tackle Digital Ad Networks on the Web
I just read Did Standards Kill the Online Ad Business by Saul Hansell on nytimes.com. It is true that standard ad sizes lowered the cost of entry for digital ad networks, but these networks would have emerged and succeeded even if standards weren’t formalized. Informal standards would have been dictated by the largest publishers or ad networks. The success of ad networks has everything to do with their business models, and nothing to do with standards. Furthermore, the online ad business is far from killed; it’s maturing. Ad networks simply makes sense, on a medium where publishers are plentiful, and not limited by bandwidth over coaxial cable, printing, or distribution costs. With the large quantity of publishers, mostly with a relatively small share of Internet reach, ad networks become necessary. Most publishers can’t afford large sales teams, and don’t have the distribution to pull in scalable deals.
I would argue, though, that many large traditional media companies have brought this tough competition on for themselves. Many of them have turned to these same ad networks to back-fill the ad inventory they were unable to sell-out with their internal sales teams. Why would a large advertiser pay a premium to buy ads on a premium site when they can pay a tiny fraction of that amount to get their ads on the same site through the ad network? These publishers can typically block specific advertisers or industries on these ad networks, but unless every major publisher issues such a block, the savvy advertisers will continue to find cheap ways to get their message out using these standard units.
Here’s how traditional media companies can beat the effect of digital ad networks on the web:
- Deliver a product people truly want to your audience. Migrating newspaper content to the Internet is simply not compelling enough to accomplish this goal. You need to differentiate yourself from an overcrowded set of publishers. And stop with the one way broadcast, already! Engage your users! Lucky for you, many advertisers still want their message on premium brands only.
- Deliver innovating ad products that really pay off for your advertisers. This is difficult, because many advertisers are still not savvy enough to go after custom solutions. Additionally, these solutions can be very costly. That said, if you can show a few success stories, you can make it happen. The bottom line is that you need to help your advertisers accomplish their goals if you want to keep them.
- Don’t be so rigid, try something new and take a chance. Go out on a limb and try something that you’ve never tried before and can’t guarantee success with. Just be sure to measure success, and have a plan in place so that you can make adjustments from what you learn. Again, differentiate yourself!
- Be and early adopter for all new media platforms, including social media. Rich Sanchez? ’nuff said.
Why Good Ideas Fail
I certainly have my own theories on why good software ideas fail when rolled out to the real world. As a product manager, I believe I know why good ideas fail. Here are some questions to answer if you think your good idea is failing:
- Does the idea solve a problem that causes a real frustration for users?
You may have a good idea, and it may solve a real problem. But do your users care enough about the problem to use your product? Perhaps solving the problem just isn’t worth any effort or change in behavior for your prospective user-base. If this is the case, you’re toast. - Does the solution require a larger investment from the user than the existing alternatives?
It may be difficult to see this in your own product, but perhaps it’s just too darned hard to use. Or perhaps it takes too darned long to accomplish a task. I’m getting frustrated just thinking about this one! It’s common to start with a simple solution that balloons by the time you get to completion, making it harder for users than what they were doing before. Perhaps it’s time to go back to square one, and look for an easier solution. - Was a prototype of the idea tested on real users before and throughout development?
Launching an entirely new product without prototyping and user testing throughout the process is like playing darts for the first time. Good luck! Do you really want to find out your execution was awful…after you’re done, or after a huge investment of time and money? Better late than never, try it now. - Did somebody else do it significantly better before you got to market?
Notice that I didn’t ask if someone else did it first. I asked if they did it better and first. It’s time to start thinking of versions 2 and 3, because you need to play leapfrog. Fast. - Were enough resources put on the project to make it succeed?
I’ll admit I’m not a big tennis fan, but I have heard of no man’s land. It’s that area in the middle of the court when you can’t get to the net, but you can’t back to the baseline. If you don’t stand in the right place, you don’t stand a chance to succeed. If you can’t commit to the right resources and the right amount of resources, you’re going to fail. You can either scale back on your goals, or pony up. Commit. Or quit. - Has the idea been given a true chance to flourish?
Don’t give up so fast. Some ideas just need time to catch on. Which leads to the next point… - Was the idea aggressively marketed to the right segment?
Some people believe the right solution will market itself. I believe that may be true, over time. But marketing is more than just consumer marketing. You need to make sure you target the right potential audience for your application. Demographics (age, gender, income range…), verticals, etc., who’s going to use it? How are you going to make sure they know you have a solution to their problem? Now you know who they are, just make sure you tell them. - Do all of the stakeholders buy in? Completely?
If not, change stakeholders or cut and run. - Did you define success and failure before you launched?
How can you succeed if you never defined success? Do it now, and lay out your goals for today, tomorrow, next month, next year, and the next three. Hurry! - Is it priced right, or is there a real revenue model?
“If you build it, they will come,” but can you afford for them to come? Are you asking too much from people? Or did you think at all about how you will make money? Some companies, like Twitter and Facebook, use the technique of building audience first, and getting a business model later. This could work. But then again, it could not. Get yourself a business model, or fail.
Disagree with any of these? Have some ideas of your own? Please share, I’ll keep this list updated. Perhaps you may even have some suggestions to get a bad idea to succceed!
Update 2/27/2009 – Check out a good related post by Seth Godin, Three things you need if you want more customers.
On Twitter, Everyone Knows You're a Dog
I’m feeling inspired, after ready Marty Cagan’s “Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love.“ Marty describes some clear best practices for success when creating a new product, or updating an existing product. He references segmentation, and points out the importance of using personas when planning features and releases. I finished the book last night, and I immediately started to think about whether or not I truly know my user base. Truth be told, I don’t know as much as I need to about the users who come and quickly leave. But new tools such as Twitter and Facebook make it possible to understand your users better than ever before.
Peter Steiner created a famous cartoon, captioned “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Well, this is simply not true anymore.
Copyright Image from New Yorker cartoon by Peter Steiner.
Take Facebook, for instance. I know more about my real life friends than I ever did before. Just the other day, on Facebook, I got notified with what must be quickest spreading Facebook content ever; “xxxx tagged you in the note 25 Random Things About Me.” I read, in awe, that years after being the best man at his wedding, I still didn’t really know him. And here I was, learning more about a real life friend.
Twitter has a tremendous amount of following. People follow complete strangers to get them to follow back. People follow others they think might be interesting, and yet others that are accepted thought-leaders. If you analyze someone’s posts, you can quickly learn a great deal about them. And some tweeple’s fingers are like loose cannons, allowing you to even learn about their personalities. Take this rant from a well-followed Tweep, for instance. With some tools doing some basic analysis on a user’s tweets, you can learn an awful lot about this user.
This is where social media and social networking start to close the gap between a publisher and it’s users. With new features such as Facebook Connect, site publishers are gaining a lot more access to this valuable insight available based on users’ contributions to your site, and to others as well. This insight will really help to identify one or two of the personas you will undoubtedly need to create to ensure you’re building your product for the audience.
Truth be told, on the Internet, everyone knows exactly who I am.
Pulling Out the Monkey Wrench
You’ve heard it before. And probably many times, too. “They just threw a monkey wrench in my plans.”
Okay, so what now? Sorry for stating the obvious, but pull it out. I learned, long ago, the difference between those that succeed and those that fail. Those that succeed are the ones that can find a workaround, and don’t quit until they do. Here’s some advice for how to do it.
- Focus on the problem you’re trying to solve, not the problem caused by the wrench.
I find that most wrenches aren’t problems at all, if you focus on the real problem. Problem-solvers often get fixated in the details of their solution, and forget to consider other potential solutions. I’ve seen this just about every week of my career, be it a technical problem or a business problem. For example, let’s say you’re designing a car, and decide that it needs more battery power than any existing battery can provide. Instead of trying to solve the problem of creating the most powerful car battery, why not see if you can use a two-battery solution? - Don’t Go it Alone
You don’t need to be a hero, and you’re not the smartest person you know (usually). And even if you are the smartest person you know, others may be able to see things from another angle. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; even from those who may not be experts in the area of your problem. In fact, that can often be an advantage. - Don’t Get Discouraged
This is easier said than done. But depression and frustration inhibit creativity. If you find you’re getting down over a problem you’re trying to solve, it may be a good time for a small diversion. I’m not suggesting laziness or avoidance, but something to help you walk away and return with a clear mind. For example, if you’re editing your own writing, it’s best to walk away for a while and come back. Otherwise, your mind may recall what you were thinking while you’re reading, and inadvertently ignore mistakes seen with your eyes. Go watch a hockey game instead, and come back later. - Extend Your Circle
You asked your co-workers and friends, but they couldn’t help. Don’t stop there. Try your LinkedIn network (and build it up before you have a problem in the first place). Ask you friends and co-workers to ask friends, or to give you names of people who could help. Hire a consultant. Post your problem on bulletin boards. Hold a brainstorming session, and invite outsiders (offer beer and pizza).
The bottom line is don’t quit. Keep attacking the problem, and keep looking for help, but don’t let it consume you 24×7. Same of these things may seem obvious, but when the wrench is in the machine and the pressure is on, they could be forgotten, so it’s good to keep this handy.
Please post your suggestions too!
