In January 2006, Howard Stern left ‘terrestrial’ radio to go to satellite radio with a five-year, $500 million contract. Fast forward to 2010, and we are in the final year of that contract. And the man we rarely saw or heard from in the past four years is suddenly red-hot; entertaining new jobs at both American Idol and back to ‘terrestrial’ radio (of which he persistently bashed on his way out.)
First, he said he would not re-sign with Sirius XM. Given their $0.86 stock price and $1 billion in debt, Stern just may get his wish. If he doesn’t re-sign with Sirius, then what?
BusinessWeek reported Clear Channel thinks Stern is a ‘logical’ choice for them, even though his new contract would be a huge sum to take on as terrestrial radio revenue continues to decline year over year. And leaving the freedom of satellite back to the muddled arms of the FCC does not seem like a path he would be likely to follow.
On Monday, Stern confirmed he was in talks with American Idol, which will be looking for a new abrasive judge after Simon Cowell exits at the end of this season. His qualifications to judge a singing contest are about as deep as current judge, Ellen DeGeneres, so why not? American Idol is one of the few outlets that could actually afford Stern’s current paycheck.
You have to create demand to be in demand. Stern has always proclaimed himself the “King of all Media” and the way the press is jumping at the chance to cover his every move (or possibility of a move), maybe he still is.
One of the best things about living in the 21st century is that, even at my advanced age, there are still an infinite number of new experiences available. Things I want to do that I haven’t yet done. Over the last weekend in January, I was able to cross another one off the list when I spent three days at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
What I’m not going to do here is review the films I saw. I did reviews in my last entry. No need for more of that. Instead, I’m going to share some observations from my first trip to what has become America’s largest and most influential film festival.
A Trip to Sundance Doesn’t Need to Cost an Arm and a Leg
I suppose you can spend a ton at Sundance, but you don’t have to. Tickets to the screenings are $15 each. And if you stay in Salt Lake City, which is only a 35-minute drive on I-80 from Park City, there are a bunch of affordable hotels and restaurants. Leave the high-end resorts and pricey Park City restaurants to the folks from Paramount and Universal with the big expense accounts.
Given Its Size and Scope, Sundance is Really Well Organized
The festival lasts 11 days. It screens more than 500 different films in 15 different theaters in four different cities. Screenings begin at 8:30 each morning and go past midnight every day. And it all runs like clockwork. The shuttle buses are there to take you where you need to go when you need to get there. The screenings start on time. The quality of the sound and picture in every venue – many of which are not movie theaters – is impeccable. There are volunteers everywhere to get you in and out of screenings, answer questions, fix problems and deal with complaints. I’m guessing they probably started working on the logistics for the 2011 festival the day after the 2010 version ended. The preparation shows. Sundance has become a well-oiled machine.
The Audience Is Surprisingly Diverse
Full disclosure. I went to Sundance fully expecting to be immersed in a world of insufferable hipsters, pretentious film snobs and obnoxious Hollywood types. Granted, I ran into all three, but the bulk of the crowds were, for the most part, normal people. Young people, seniors, parents and kids, gay, straight, Muslims, Mormons, Asians, African-Americans and Caucasians. And because they receive a discount on tickets, the screenings attract lots of locals. The one thing everyone shared was a love of film and a desire to see things that probably aren’t going to show up at the local multiplex.
Finally, there was one more thing about the Sundance audiences that I found surprisingly refreshing, leading to my next observation:
Sundance Audiences Are Unfailingly Polite
They queue up and wait patiently until it’s time for their screening to be seated. They show up on time. They don’t cut in line. They carry on intelligent conversations about film with others while waiting in line. They turn off their cell phones during the films. Let me repeat that: They turn off their cell phones during the films. They don’t carry on personal conversations while others are trying to hear the movie. They applaud for every film. They stay engaged and ask intelligent questions at screenings that feature Q & A (and most do). In other words, while the audiences may look a lot like those you’re likely to see on a regular Saturday at your favorite 16-screener, they certainly don’t act like them. Did I mention they turn off their cell phones during the films?
The Festival Is a Corporate Marketing Extravaganza
Honda, Hewlett-Packard and Entertainment Weekly were the primary corporate sponsors. Their logos, cars, magazines and materials were everywhere. Everyone was walking around with water bottles compliments of Brita. Every volunteer wore a jacket or vest emblazoned with a huge Kenneth Cole logo that stretched from shoulder to shoulder. Even the areas containing the serpentine lines we all had to stand in while waiting to get in to screenings were sponsored – appropriately – by Southwest Airlines. I suppose one could be up in arms that an event that began as a small, iconoclastic festival celebrating the rebellious spirit of independent filmmakers has become a “marketing platform” for companies like Honda and hp. But I’m not. What isn’t sponsored these days? Concert tours, college bowl games and fireworks displays all have corporate sponsorship attached. Why not the country’s biggest film festival? If the marketing support helps them make the event bigger, better and available to more people, where’s the harm? In America, that’s how we roll.
A Word About the Films
I saw seven features and five shorts in two and a half days. I would have seen eight, but the airline sponsor of the festival – Southwest – was 90 minutes late out of Las Vegas, denying me the opportunity to stand in their “sponsored” line to get into my first screening. But I digress.
Here’s the thing. Just because a film has been chosen to screen at Sundance does not mean it’s a masterpiece. Of the features I saw, three were very good, three were pretty good and one was ponderous, pretentious, political and – for all I know – still running. I bailed out after two hours when it was showing no signs of ending.
I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing that ratio pretty much held true for the whole festival. Some great, most pretty good and a few just difficult to get through. That’s OK. That’s the joy of film, especially independent and off-the-beaten-track film. Things get tried, experiments are conducted, and first-time directors gain the experience of making their first films. Not everything works for everyone. But everything probably works for someone. The joy of a festival like Sundance is that of discovery. I walked into each screening without any clue or preconception of what to expect. The point is, you never know. Chances are good you’ll see a film that will never show up at any theater or on any cable channel. Then again, you just might get a year’s head start on something great. Case in point: One of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Film – Precious – premiered at the 2009 Sundance Festival. More than 20 years ago, a young unknown director named Quentin Tarantino brought a film called Reservoir Dogs to Park City. Stories like that abound. Think how cool it would have been to be at one of those screenings.
Overall, Sundance exceeded almost every one of my expectations. I had a great time. I wouldn’t want to do it every weekend, but it is great to immerse myself in film with thousands of others who share the same passion. I would suggest to anyone who enjoys the medium to get to a festival of some sort. It doesn’t have to be Sundance or Cannes. There are hundreds of smaller festivals throughout the year. Find one and enjoy it. We used to have one here in Las Vegas call CineVegas. It was great fun. Unfortunately, it was also a victim of the economic downturn. It is now “on hiatus.” No one knows if it will ever return. Which is a shame, because Las Vegas, with its theaters, its resorts, its nightlife and its energy, is the perfect place for a world-class fest. Anyone can dare to dream. In the meantime, I’m already making plans for my next visit to Park City.
There’s a reason Visa chose Morgan Freeman to voice over its TV commercials: He’s one of the most trusted celebrities in America.
A new survey out from e-poll research lists the top-10 most trusted celebrities. And there’s more detail about it on Forbes.com
The list includes James Earl Jones, Tom Hanks, Bill Cosby and even Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs (which is why he’s probably seen hawking Ford products)
America’s largest companies pay those celebs handsomely, hoping the trust they’ve earned in America will rub off and validate their brand too. Most of the actors on the list have spent decades in the public eye, often advocating for causes as well as their movies, while also avoiding public transgressions. Meaning, they earned it from a skeptical America.
So much of what we do in advertising, public relations and more importantly – in life – is about earning a reputation built on trust and credibility.
For these spokespeople and the companies it’s a business deal, but in your personal business, where do you stand on trust and credibility?
It’s certainluy an issue Toyota is wrestling with today and so many are watching them closely.
It’s my firm belief that organizations and their leaders earn reputations every day through their actions, by how they respond to critics, take care of their customers, and how they respond to both opportunity and failure.
For those companies who can’t afford a celebrity on the A-list (which is most companies) start by making sure your corporate behavior and leaders are worthy of being on your customer’s a-list of trust and admiration.
3DTV – Well, they could have just called this year’s Consumer Electronic Show, 3DTV World. That is essentially what it was. There were 3D televisions of all shapes and sizes and pretty much all the manufacturers had one. It was hard to tell them apart. Even the 3DTV girls were similar.
I seem to remember it talking longer for HDTV to spread to every manufacturer. There is definitely not a 3DTV gap. And they look fantastic as long as you’re looking directly at the set and paying really close attention. Once you turn away, everything gets foggy and the effect is gone. Plus, you’ll have to wear glasses. Without glasses, 3DTV is 3-image TV. Not good.
CES was crowded so I was unable to recreate my home viewing experience. Also, I didn’t have my chair/command center with me. I sit around 10 feet or so from my 50” Sony. My command center is the chair’s footrest.
It’s where I look at my computer, work, look at the television, look at the computer, etc. I really couldn’t figure out whether it was going to be difficult or easy to add refocusing back to my 3D experience in the sequence.
Samsung Tick Tock – This was one of the really simple and colorful things at the show. It’s an MP3 player with a motion sensor that has only one button. What that one button does depends on how you are holding the device. It’s very innovative and cute. Why it’s called Tick Tock, I have no idea. But who cares?
This Crosley display was just cool.
Crosley – Sometimes when I like something, I just really like the booth or I enjoy the display. I love this retro TV display that sits in the middle of the Crosley booth.
Crosley used to make radios. Now they make these retro-looking devices with a modern purpose – like USB turntables that look like museum relics. I don’t think that LPs are ever going to make a comeback, but there is something wonderfully charming about the mix of old and new in their products.
Panasonic’s 152-inch Plasma HDTV – Wow, bigger really is better, except when it comes to stomachs. This thing is clear and beautiful. I wish they would’ve put something fun to watch on it. It was mostly a film showing all the different aspect ratios it could show of a drag race and then one spectacular shot of a mountain. You’ll have to rip out a wall for this thing but it’ll be well worth it. I’ve included a head for you to use as a size reference.
Copia – Copia is basically a reader that encourages sharing and community. I don’t think it’s going to work because the Apple tablet will be a reader and more. However, I did like the display and the idea behind it. Conceptually it was fun. All that talking about literature with your friends is intellectual. Plus, I really liked the big stack of books.
I’m hoping that isn’t all the titles they have available digitally. Also, if you watch the video on their page you can hear their song. It’s peppy.
Thin TV – They have become remarkably thin. So thin, in fact, that there’s no reason to take a picture of them. If you try to take a picture from the side, you won’t be able to see anything. That’s how thin. Not cut-your-finger thin, but easily decapitating thin. I hope that makes any sense. I also hope you are never decapitated by a TV.
The one pictured here also has almost no border. It’s mostly edge-to-edge screen. I’m like you. I hate it when they’re calling it 50 inches and using valuable screen space for speakers and buttons and stuff. Unacceptable.
Robuddi – All you have to do is attach him to your kid and you’ll always be able to find said kid with the GPS in Robuddi’s belly. That’s right. Robuddi is a cute, rubbery spy. Now you can track your little dude’s or dudette’s movements. You’ll have to hope your little one doesn’t manage to lose Robuddi for it to work. Nothing would be worse than looking for your kid and only finding Robuddi. Someday we’ll all have Intel chip implants and Robuddi will be obsolete. Oh well.
Intel Core Chip – Speaking of Intel, check out their unbelievable display. It’s really something.
Intel is making a crazy new chip that holds three times what will fit in your brain. They didn’t say that, but they should. Could anyone really prove them wrong?
Panasonic Power Maker – That isn’t what they call this thing, but that’s what I am calling it. Panasonic is not good at naming things. What does Lumix mean? Anyway, Panasonic wants folks like you and me to make our own power using methane gas, solar energy, residential battery cells and the MAKER you see here.
It looks really complicated doesn’t it? You have no idea. In the end, I just wanted to know if I would make enough electricity to power my home. She said, “The Japanese are more conservative with their electricity than Americans. It depends on the size of your home and your usage.” In other words, NO. So, I’m figuring three hours of 3DTV at most. I like the concept though. Maybe someday.
Samsung's wall display was awesome.
Samsung’s Giant TV Leaves and Laptop Wall – Yes that’s right. They had a really spectacular display at Samsung that included a leafy looking wall of screens and a wall of laptops. Samsung spent some serious money to prove they were ahead of the curve.
Casio’s Digital Art Frame – This is a simple digital photo frame that makes your photos look like seven different kinds of paintings. Seems pretty cheesy but it will give people something to talk about when they’re bored at your party. In other words, it’s worth its weight in gold.
Giant Steps for Mankind – Maybe there were some, but I didn’t see them. It’s hard to know where to start or where to finish at CES. I was there for about 3.5 hours. It seems like a lot, but I missed plenty. Were there some fun things? Yes. Was there anything that completely blew my mind? No. And, where are all the villains with the mind-control devices and tiny killer toys? I never saw them either. And I was looking for them.
I didn’t see this at CES but I heard about it. I looked up a few times to see if it was hovering over me. It never did. It was probably hovering over Lady Gaga. And who can blame it?
The Bad and The Ugly are next. Watch for them later this week.
For many of us, 2009 will forever be remembered as the year that sucked. Bad! I don’t need to go into why 2009 sucked, do I? You probably have 2,009 reasons why ’09 was garbage. So … I was feeling a little unlike myself the other day and asked some of the folks here at R&R to send me some of the most noteworthy things to happen in 2009 not related to war, the economy or lost jobs. Here is a little sample of what they sent (remember R&R is an ad agency and people who work in advertising are, well, a little interesting to say the least):
All Twitterpated for Twitter
Rob Santwer, a digital marketing consultant at R&R, cited the rise of Twitter as his noteworthy event. Rob likes getting his news and information quickly, and Twitter makes him happy because it’s another example of how America’s ingenuity can bring about change in the world (reference the medium’s impact on the political process in Iran). He’s not alone. According to eMarketer, 12.1 million people use Twitter and that number is expected to climb to 18 million in 2010. I found a great Twitter blog that details the top new events, hashtags, sports events, people, etc., on Twitter in 2009. It’s cool. Check it out.
K9 Cop Meets R&R Employee
We had an overzealous R&R employee come to work at 5 a.m. recently. He showed up before sunrise to prepare for a presentation. Sounds like a job in advertising, doesn’t it? The only problem: The building alarm had gone off before he got here. He walked in through the back door, sat down at his desk and started working. Little did he know the police were searching the building with canines. You know … big, mean dogs with really keen noses and razor-sharp teeth. Our employee heard voices and popped up from his cube to say hello. A very large canine cop came running down the hall and lunged at the R&R employee. A human officer, who was just as stunned to see the R&R employee as the employee was to see to the cops, reached out and grabbed the dog’s collar just as his hot kibble breath reached our employee’s nose. Pat Carrigan, our director of Production Services, was thankful for the officer who saved our employee from the mouth of the police doggy.
Gaga for Gaga
Robin Milgrim, an art director in our Las Vegas office, is clearly gaga for Gaga. I can’t say I blame her. After years of pop stars badly regurgitating someone else’s lyrics to dance moves someone else invented, 2009 brought us Lady Gaga. Robin says it best when she writes:
“I’ve never been a fan of pop music, but I think the rise of Lady Gaga stands out this year. As an art director, I am wooed by her attention to theater and fashion. Whatever you think of her, or her music, Lady G stands out as a true artist – aware and in control of every aspect of her image. I say again, in control. Her actions are considerate and calculated. In a celebrity-driven world where so many are just vying to get airtime at any cost, Gaga makes a focused effort to entertain us on every level. She’s not entirely innovative, and could not have existed without artists like Madonna, Cher, Bowie, Elton and MJ laying the pavement, but she has taken everything her predecessors have done and rolled it all into one solid package, giving it just enough of a twist to make her stand out and feel fresh. As someone who generally gives credit to the world of alt/punk for breaking new ground, she gains my props for not being afraid to be controversial and for successfully mixing weird and sexy. Hence the bloody climax at the VMA’s… She makes me want to dress up like I did in the ’80s and dance my ass off in a gay club. As advertisers, I think we can learn a lot from her.”
Tiger, Tiger, Woods, Y’all!
OK, 2009 sucked big time for Tiger Woods, if not more for his poor wife and children. There is so much to say about Tiger Woods – where do you start? Jason Bailey, R&R’s research manager, found it just too ironic that Golf Digest ran a cover pre-TigerGate issue dated January 2010 – which, as you know, is like 10 mistresses later. The cover reads, “10 Tips Obama Can Take from Tiger.” As Jason says, “The unintentional comedy is a hole in one … ba-dah-dum!”
Anonymous Giving
Up north in Salt Lake City, our creative director, Kyle Curtis, lives next door to a nice family who lost their 16-year-old in a car crash. Anonymous donors reacted to the tragedy by paying for the 16-year-old’s funeral and bought the family a new car. Not that it can ever replace the loss of a child, but as Kyle says, “+1 for humanity.”
Cronkite Signs Off As We Sign on
Tara LaBouff, our public relations account supervisor in Phoenix, wrote this regarding the passing of Walter Cronkite and what it means to news in America:
“The news model is changing frantically as traditional outlets accept that they must compete with citizen journalists and digital delivery formats. When Walter passed away, it truly felt like the last page of an epic novel. Journalism as we knew it for the past century is now being practiced so differently from before. There is rampant speculation rather than presentation of facts, chronic interviewing of reporters by other reporters (rather than true subject matter experts), and few outlets employ fact checkers. The up side? Citizens have more ability than ever before to participate in the news discussion and digitally broadcast their side of the story. Going forward, whether journalism experiences another Walter Cronkite is still unwritten. For the moment, who America turns to as the “most trusted voice” appears to be the person most like you with a screen name and profile pic.”
So as we wave goodbye to 2009 and say hello to 2010, I want to wish you a happy and healthy new year. Remember, even when things seem to suck, you can always find something to smile about. I learned from this little exercise that good people still exist, Twitter is both good and maybe a little evil, Tiger should not give Obama advice, Gaga is good for pop music, and to not come to work early. But most of all, I learned people will always persevere and that human nature compels us to move forward. And, moving forward is positive enough for me.
Until 2010 … this is R&R’s resident Web geek saying “stay classy” blogosphere.
What would life be like if everyone told nothing but the truth every time they opened their mouth? Hard to say, though a few films starring the likes of Jim Carrey and Ricky Gervais have tried. In those films, the whole “all the truth all the time” thing was played for laughs – with varied results.
I think the reality of it might be a little bit different. Truth can be tough. Truth can be cruel. Truth doesn’t care about your feelings or your weaknesses or your beliefs. Truth simply is. And the truth, as they say, can hurt. So we fudge it, change it or leave it out entirely. Sometimes it’s to deceive or cheat, which isn’t good. More often, however, our motives are less malicious. We prevaricate to be nice, to spare others’ feelings, to avoid conflict or simply to have people like us. There’s really nothing inherently wrong with it, within reason. It keeps us from being permanently sad, or angry. Or both. It’s part of the human condition. We all do it. Always have. Always will.
But make no mistake, the ability to play fast and loose with the truth is not something we are born with. It’s a learned skill – like reading, writing or eating food with utensils. Speaking the truth is instinct. Bending it takes practice.
Which brings me to my point. There are people out there who have learned to communicate (to a point) who haven’t yet learned how to lie. They love to talk, and everything they say is completely honest and sincere. And conversations with them can be among the best, the most refreshing and most enjoyable you’ll ever have.
I am speaking, of course, of three-year-olds. Much younger than three, and their language skills aren’t really refined enough to carry on more than the most rudimentary dialogues. And though I am sure there are millions of brutally honest four-year-olds out there, the sweet spot seems to be three.
How do I know this? Well, I happen to have a friend who happens to be three. Her name is Alexia, but everyone calls her Lexi. She is the granddaughter of a friend, and any time I get to spend with her renews my faith in the human race. Lexi basically has two states of consciousness: talking and sleeping. Ever since she discovered that she possesses this marvelous gift called language, she has become completely determined not to let it go to waste. Something else you all need to know about Lexi. She is unquestionably the happiest human being I have ever met. So there you go – a little girl who can’t stop talking, who never speaks anything but the truth and who is never anything short of ecstatic to be alive. To say we could all learn a little from someone like Lexi is a vast understatement.
Of course, when Lexi and I get together to discuss the issues of the day, the conversation tends not to go to places like healthcare reform or the future endorsement value of Tiger Woods. Thank goodness for that. I get enough of that all day in the adult world, where the truth is merely a starting point to be positioned, parsed or spun into something virtually unrecognizable. Instead, we hold forth on subjects including whether we will read Curious George or My Little Pony later on or the relative merits of dipping our chicken fingers into ketchup or barbeque sauce (Lexi likes ketchup – on everything).
I won’t claim that she doesn’t have an agenda. She does. But it’s very simple. It goes like this: “Let’s have fun. What are we going to do next? Will it be fun?”
I can live with that. In fact, I respect it. Totally.
If you’re already lucky enough to have a three-year-old in your life, you know what I’m talking about and I’m sure you enjoy your time with them as much as I do my time with Lexi. If you don’t, you’re missing out on the joy of total honesty, delivered without pretense or ulterior motive. That’s too bad. It’s a luxury everyone should have.
It’s a luxury because it doesn’t last forever. Pretty soon Lexi will be four and soon after that, five. And so on. She’ll always be my pal, but she won’t always be three. And so she will change. And the day will come when she decides not to tell me that my haircut looks funny or my shirt doesn’t really match my pants. She’ll leave those details out because she wants to be nice and won’t want to hurt my feelings. Which is great, but also a little sad. Because it will mean she’s on her way to being an adult. The world has plenty of those already.
But that’s a still a little ways off. And until those days get here, I’m going to get my truth from the best source I can imagine – a three-year-old named Lexi.
I don’t have the latest version of the company handbook handy, so I’m a little hesitant to post this blog.
No, it isn’t that I’m concerned about posting potentially objectionable content. The only way my blog posts would be considered offensive or disturbing would be if my picture accompanied them. Fortunately, our site spares you of such visual anguish.
The problem, you see, is that it’s Friday afternoon and I’m engaging in social media on the company’s dime. If I post this before 5 p.m. and Tweet about it, I may be breaking some corporate policy and I can’t really afford a $7,500 fine right now.
The idea of being fined 7.5K for harmlessly using social media at work is silly, you say? Well, I’d agree. But apparently, it’s not so far-fetched to the folks at the NBA.
Case in point: Milwaukee Bucks’ first-year player Brandon Jennings made a classic social media rookie mistake last weekend, updating his Twitter account shortly after the Bucks won a thrilling double-overtime game against Portland.
Here’s what Jennings posted: “Back to 500. Yess!!! “500″ means where doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys.”
The league didn’t take issue with the content itself, although as a writer, I’d have fined Jennings for his missing decimals, using “where” instead of “we’re” and his bizarre capitalizations in the last sentence. OK, OK, I’ll stop being the grammar police. It’s Twitter, after all, and he’s not paid for punctuation.
The problem, as the NBA sees it, is that his post came at 10:39 p.m. — 15 minutes after the game ended. The league’s policy is that players can’t tweet during “game time,” which is defined as beginning 45 minutes before the game starts (which really isn’t game time, but whatever) and ending after players have finished talking to the media following the game — hardly a concrete guideline. What if nobody wants to talk to them? Are they done in five minutes?
Today, the league gave Jennings 7,500 reasons to wait a while longer before publicly sharing such privileged information as his team’s balanced won-loss record.
His response to the fine on Twitter slam-dunks my point home perfectly:
“I understand I got fined, but 7500? For being happy over a win, you would of thought I said something bad. I mean it was a big win for us.”
It’s not as if Jennings lambasted an official over a call, took shots at teammates or coaches or any of the other stuff that generally draws fines for professional athletes. This is one technical foul the league just should not have called.
Guys shouldn’t be tweeting from the free-throw line, sure, but 15 minutes after the game ends is no longer game time in my book. Especially after double overtime.
He was pumped about a big win and wanted to tell his fans about it. Is that a $7,500 offense? No.
Hey, speaking of the clock running out – it’s after 5! I just looked it up, and our policy says I can post something on social media after “shift time,” defined as beginning 45 minutes before my first cup of coffee and ending after I have finished talking to my boss about why I didn’t finish everything on my task list. Looks like I’m safe to post.
I used to think the book industry, unlike the music and newspaper industries, really understood the digital evolution/revolution. E-readers hit the market and they were publishing and selling e-books, on top of the digital audio book downloads available on iTunes and other digital distribution sites. They had it all figured out. The book industry had developed three channels of distribution and three revenue sources. Even better, they were getting more books to more people. Better still, they were letting consumers of books get the content the way they wanted to consume it. Awesome!
Then I read this headline from the Associated Press: “Publishers say they’re holding back some e-books.” My head exploded. It seems some book publishers like HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group USA intend to hold some titles back from digital release by as much as four months. Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy was quoted in the Associated Press article as saying “The rise in e-books has led to cannibalizing of new hardcover books sales.” Really! Duh! Why is that a bad thing?
Amazon sells an e-book for $9.99, much lower than what a hardcover book costs. Obviously, the publishers make greater profits from hardbound book distribution. But as I think about the types of book readers that I know, I’m not sure publishers are thinking this all the way through.
I know at least three types of book readers. One is my sister-in-law, who reads books like they are going out of style. She can read a book in a day, and she can’t wait to start a new title. My sister-in-law was the one who showed me her Kindle at least a year ago. She loves e-books because she can consume books as fast as she can download and read them. She loves to say, “I just finished a great book by so-and-so; you should read it” or “Did you ever read such-and-such?”
The other reader I know is my mother. She reads almost daily and follows a stable of favorite authors. She is not a fast reader, but rather a casual reader who loves the weight of the book in her hands as much as she loves the smell of the ink on the pages. If the book is by one of her favorite authors she will run out and buy the hardcover. She even collects vintage first-run books and loves to show off her finds.
And then there’s me. I hate reading. The last ten books I read were books on tape … so I guess I didn’t really read them. I like it when someone like James Earl Jones reads me a story while I am flying cross- country or driving in the car. As my high school and college teachers learned, if you hand me a book to read, I’ll look for the CliffsNotes or the movie. For me, nothing is better than an iTunes gift card and a good book on tape. Ahem… I mean iPod.
Now, as I think about these types of readers and put on my marketing hat, I see one huge glaring mistake with the publishers’ e-book withholding strategy. My sister-in-law is a book influencer; she reads more books than anyone else I know and uses her knowledge to influence others to buy books based on her suggestions. The book companies are wrong to withhold books from her, for two reasons. First, she buys more books than anyone I know. Volume sales! Book readers like my sister-in-law are buying reading material at much higher levels than others. She also adopted the Kindle faster than anyone and that’s the audience for e-readers and e-books. Secondly, she can sell a good book better than anyone named Simon or Schuster. Instead of withholding books, they should leak the books to their best digital customers and ask them to review it on their social media sites. That would provide instant peer-to-peer marketing through social media. Too smart!
Maybe I am wrong to think that the book industry is trying to save the dinosaurs from dying. A coworker of mine has a theory … he thinks the publishers are looking for leverage against the online retailers and that this isn’t just some shortsighted digital slight. He thinks the publishing industry is trying to learn from the music industry by establishing better financial terms with online retailers like Amazon. The music industry had no digital foresight and was forced to fight a pitched battle first with free peer-to-peer sharing sights like Napster and later with retailers such as Apple to gain control — and a share of — digital music distribution. By withholding digital titles from e-retailers like Amazon, they have leverage to negotiate a bigger slice of the digital distribution pie. He might just be right.
Either way the book industry stands to alienate their best customers and lose out on a huge opportunity to harness the peer-to-peer influencing power of the super readers. And, yes … I did get through college without reading the Iliad and the Odyssey. I have seen the movie so I know what I missed.
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