While I'm not a regular viewer of Conan O'Brien's show, I've always been a fan. It's sad to hear the news of his departure from NBC under the current circumstances. But you've got to love the press release he sent out announcing the reasons for his departure. If only all PR releases were written so well. He writes like a human being, not in corporate speak. All press releases should include the salutation "To the People of Earth." Love that!

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/conan-obrien-says-he-wont-do-tonight-show-following-leno/

I'm currently in Osaka, Japan working on a project for a new client. Last night, our local clients were kind enough to take us to a Hanshin Tigers baseball game.

I had a vague inking that baseball was big in Japan, but I had no idea how big. The game was hands down the most fun I've ever had at a baseball game.

When the Tigers were at bat, every single fan in the stadium knocked plastic bats together and chanted a specific song for each batter. At the seventh inning stretch, they passed out giant ballons to every person in the park, which you were instructed to blow up and let go at exactly the same time. Imagine over 100 thousand balloons of all colors shooting crazily into the air all at once and then raining down on the crowd - pretty amazing!

It was incredible to see how enthusiastic every Tigers fan was, despite the fact their team is next to last in the standings.

It reminded me of the power of enthusiasm, and how it has a way of building on itself and creating its own positive momentum (the Tigers ended up beating the Hiroshima Carp 6-0)

It also reminded me how cyncism has exactly the opposite effect, tearing everything down before anything can take root.

Next time things get tough and I am tempted to get a little negative, I am going to think of those Tigers Fans!

I highly recommend you check out Richard Florida's new piece in this month's The Atlantic.

You probably know of Florida from his now-classic book, "The Rise of the Creative Class."

His new article picks up a theme that I see more and more often in the past few weeks: that the current economic crisis is accelerating major changes that were already in place before the recession, but now are happning very quickly.

Our economy built on excessive consumption funded by the savings of other countries is coming to an end. And the potential effects on our living standards, the environment, energy, and education could be huge. Thomas Friedman in this week's New York Times argues we are about to experience an "inflection point" of historic proportions not seen since World War II.

More specifically, Florida argues that the economic crisis will forever change the geography of America's economic landscape. Cities like Detroit may be done for good, while new regions like the "Char-Lanta" Corridor and the Research Triangle will increasingly be magnets for talented people.

In all this doom and gloom, it's heartening to think that our current pain may lead to better long-term solutions for our world. As the economist Paul Romer says, "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste."

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/meltdown-geography

this new effort from Cadbury in the UK got me thinking.

it seems that more and more brands are producing content designed to get your attention whatever it takes. connection of the idea to the brand is often very loose.

is this a good thing? probably not in the long run for some of these companies. but this new piece of video from Cadbury is hilarious, and does make me want to reward them with a purchase.

Just announced:

Here in Durham on May 23rd - the DoughMan quadrathalon.

Competitive eating and exercise...what could be better?!

http://www.doughman.org

Great video of a talk by Randy Nelson, the Dean of Pixar University.

His points about how the ground rules of improv apply to work are facinating.

First, "accept every offer." Say "yes, and..."

Second, always make your partner look good (something that we already believe and practice pretty well here at McKinney).

I also love what he has to say about the importance of hiring people who have failed and been resilient. Stay away from people who seek to avoid failure at all costs.

Who knew Pixar had a University? And where do I sign up?!

Like most of us here at McKinney, I love me some NPR. NC Public Radio's office is just across the man-made river that runs through our campus, so it's hard to avoid listening. They recently did a great segment on the making of Miles Davis' classic album, "Kind of Blue." I think KOB was the first jazz album I ever bought (Davis' "Sketches of Spain" being the second), and the songs on there are so famous they need no explanation here. What I found interesting was what the band had to say about the making of the album. There are some really interesting comments on how Davis pushed his musicians to be more creative and break new musical ground. Two points stuck with me from the interviews. First, Miles pushed people out of their comfort zones because he wanted them to abandon anything familiar, easy, or formulaic. He wanted people to be right on the edge, where they were not sure what would come next when they improvised. Second, he spent a lot of time telling people what not to do, but gave very little specific direction on what to do. I'm not sure how much of this would work in an agency environment, but it's fun to think about.

Check out the interviews at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99805408

The collapse of our once unassailable economy has caused most of us to re-examine what's really important in our lives. In general, that is a very good thing, and is one of the real silver-linings of the trying times we are going through. It was with this spirit of re-evaluation in mind that I came across an incredible post by Tim O'Reilly. He has some inspiring things to say about the role work should play in our lives, and how important it is that we work on something bigger than ourselves.

His 3 guiding principles for individuals are equally applicable to companies and brands:

1. Work on something that matters more than money.
2. Create more value than you capture.
3. Take the long view.

Companies that embrace this approach are likely to succeed in any economic environment. And in a world where technology has given control back to consumers, I believe the only companies that will succeed are those that have a vision bigger than just making money. The thing is, it's easy to say these rules make sense for brands/companies to follow. But what do they mean for me personally? It's both inspiring and daunting to ask myself how my work can embrace Tim O'Reilly's 3 rules.

Check out his full post.

Given the huge volume of lists and predictions floating around right now, it's impossible for me to resist sharing a few thoughts on what we are likely to see happen in the coming year. So here, in no particular order, are 7 (7 is luckier than 10!) predictions for digital media & the web in 2009:

 1. Facebook Connect Makes a Big Splash

Facebook's new "Connect" application, which allows users to login to other sites and share information from their Facebook profile, will catch on in a big way. Mainly because of the convenience of not having to fill out all those forms, and also because the technology will make relevant recommendations based on user profiles. This will be a boon to advertisers and online retailers (not to mention Facebook itself which is desperately seeking a way to monetize its model) but will exact a price by the end of the year. Namely, many users will feel their privacy has been compromised beyond the benefits they receive from Facebook Connect.

 2. Emergence of Niche Social Networking Sites

The incredible popularity of MySpace, Facebook, and to a lesser extent LinkedIn will help spawn a new generation of micro-targeted social networks. This idea is not new - sites such as "A Small World" have been around for years. But the number of friends most users have has gotten out of hand. For many people, the majority of updates they are getting are from people they hardly know or care about. New sites will take advantage of this dissatisfaction by having more focused communities of like-minded people, often with membership by invitation-only.

 3. Economic Frugality Translates Into Media Dieting

As people dramatically re-evaluate their consumption habits in light of the recession, people will also re-think the amount of media they consume. For a small but influential segment of the US population, time spent online averaged XX in 2008. Being constantly connected to the Internet, checking email 10 times an hour, and checking the latest news incessantly has come to feel like an addiction to many people. I wouldn't be surprised if many consumer resolve to go on a "digital diet" in 2009.

 4. Hulu Grows and Serves as Model for Music Industry

Hulu, the joint venture between NBC and News Corporation, posted some strong viewership gains in 2008. Aided by the popularity of the SNL coverage of the Elections, the site is now seen as the digital model for the major TV networks. As broadband penetration continues to grow, and the viewers become more comfortable with watching content online, expect to see Hulu expand. As a result, advertising agencies will become more interested in developing highly creative "pre-roll" advertising units which are much less limiting than traditional :30 TV spots. It's also rumored that the music industry will launch a major site modeled on Hulu to compete with Apple's iTunes offering.

5. Marketing Book of 2009: "What Would Google Do?"

The buzz surrounding the upcoming publication of Jeff Jarvis' "What Would Google Do?" is deafening. This will be on a lot of ad agency and CMO shelves in the coming year.

6. Smart Phone Usage Replaces Broadband Connectivity Among Young

Young adults (18-24) are getting rid of both their landlines AND broadband connections in favor of smart phones like the iPhone and Blackberries.  For many of these consumers, connecting via a laptop is just not as convenient or cost-effective. Expect to see more of this, with a positive effect on the development of the mobile advertising marketplace (which lags behind the rest of the world here in the US).

7. Traditional Display Banner Advertising Declines

Expect to see traditional "brand" banner advertising decline by double-digits in 2009. To some degree, the trend away from basic banner advertising was already underway before the economic melt-down of 08. Dollars that used to flow into traditional banner advertising will now go towards rich media units, or more retail/offer focused banners.