Scott Monty

We Need More Leaders Like This

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVee5Hvyz9o/UzOQ-O6d06I/AAAAAAAASNw/0XFXQxr5IYQ/s1600/Mister+Rogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fred Rogers was an inspirational leader and a hero to many" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVee5Hvyz9o/UzOQ-O6d06I/AAAAAAAASNw/0XFXQxr5IYQ/s1600/Mister+Rogers.jpg" height="390" title="Fred Rogers hero" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It may seem odd to place a photo of Mister Rogers as the hero image for an article on leadership. After all, most leaders we admire have traditionally been those who are forceful, deeply charismatic or visionary in some way. A simple Google image search picks up the likenesses of Captain Kirk (!), John F. Kennedy and Steve Jobs in one grouping.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers" target="_blank">Fred Rogers</a> (1928-2003) was a minister and a television personality who, over the course of his three decades on PBS, touched the lives of millions of children and adults alike. With his gentle demeanor ("a voice that sounds adult to the ears of children and childish to the ears of adults," according to Tom Junod), sneakers and cardigan,<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"> </span>he doesn't seem to fit the mold of what we typically think of when we imagine a leader.<br />
<br />
And yet...<br />
<br />
I recently had the occasion to read a profile of Mister Rogers by Tom Junod in the November 1998 issue of <i>Esquire</i>, titled "<a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/can-you-say-hero-esq1198" target="_blank">Can You Say...Hero?</a>" I'm not one who takes to hyperbole, but I can honestly say that Junod's piece is one of the most well-written and touching long-form articles I've read in a long time. If ever.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-slr1ynOHk-0/UzN4iqP94dI/AAAAAAAASNY/Z6AXxLhePHI/s1600/Esquire-mister-rogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of November 1998 Esquire with Tom Junod's profile of Fred Rogers" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-slr1ynOHk-0/UzN4iqP94dI/AAAAAAAASNY/Z6AXxLhePHI/s1600/Esquire-mister-rogers.jpg" height="400" title="Fred Rogers cover Esquire November 1998" width="296" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As I've grown, both as a professional and as an individual, I've come to appreciate Mister Rogers and his teachings more deeply. When I graduated from Boston University, Fred Rogers was there <a href="http://exhibit.fredrogerscenter.org/advocacy-for-children/videos/view/971/" target="_blank">to give the invocation</a>, and at the time, I enjoyed his presence with something of a happy nostalgia for my childhood. But since I became a father, I came to appreciate the simple yet deep wisdom of Mister Rogers as I think about the world that my children will inherit.<br />
<br />
The <i>Esquire </i>profile made me reflect on all of those things and more: who I am as a person - a husband, a father, a son - and as a professional. It struck me that Mister Rogers, in his gentle, caring way, had attributes that made him a truly great leader. And I don't think it is a coincidence that this realization struck me around the same time that Glassdoor revealed its list of <a href="http://www.glassdoor.com/50-Highest-Rated-CEOs-LST_KQ0,21.htm?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=CEO14&utm_content=CEO14" target="_blank">50 Highest Rated CEOs</a> (as judged by their employees). I'm proud to say that Alan Mulally, our CEO at Ford, is ranked #2 on that list. Alan, like Mister Rogers, is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet; and it's truly who he is.<br />
<br />
We can all take a page from the book of Mister Rogers by examining some of the characteristics he exhibited.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Respect</h4>
It didn't matter whether you were a child, an adult, a captain of industry or a thief; Mister Rogers respected everyone. He listened to people and made it clear that he heard them. By all accounts, he was thoughtful and personal, and he gave of his limited time freely. From the fan mail that he answered himself - every single letter - to the routine of praying for other people daily, to Mister Rogers, everyone deserved his attention and respect.<br />
<br />
It was impressive to see the reaction he got when, during his Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award speech, he requested the audience to take 10 seconds of silence to think of those who helped them achieve what they did:<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Upm9LnuCBUM" width="600"></iframe></center>
<br />
<h4>
Empathy</h4>
When he was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_9GegVoYk" target="_blank">inducted into the Television Hall of Fame</a>, he was greeted by a surprise visitor - Jeff Erlanger came out onto the stage in his electric wheelchair. This is the same person who was on <i>Mister Rogers' Neighborhood</i> as a guest some two decades prior, for whom Rogers had shown such compassion and feeling.<br />
<br />
When some ophthalmologists asked him for help with a chapter on how to treat children who might be scared by a procedure, closing their eyes, or simply the dark, he avoided all of the technical jargon or child psychology that he could have so easily relied upon. He simply tapped into the feeling within them, writing, "You were a child once, too."<br />
<br />
But the story that does an even better job of demonstrating this extraordinary gift of empathy is a longer one from the <i>Esquire</i> piece. Junod tells us of a boy who didn't like himself very much:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is something that happens to the brain. It means that you can think but sometimes can't walk, or even talk. This boy had a very bad case of cerebral palsy, and when he was still a little boy, some of the people entrusted to take care of him took advantage of him instead and did things to him that made him think that he was a very bad little boy, because only a bad little boy would have to live with the things he had to live with. In fact, when the little boy grew up to be a teenager, he would get so mad at himself that he would hit himself, hard, with his own fists and tell his mother, on the computer he used for a mouth, that he didn't want to live anymore, for he was sure that God didn't like what was inside him any more than he did. He had always loved Mister Rogers, though, and now, even when he was fourteen years old, he watched the Neighborhood whenever it was on, and the boy's mother sometimes thought that Mister Rogers was keeping her son alive. She and the boy lived together in a city in California, and although she wanted very much for her son to meet Mister Rogers, she knew that he was far too disabled to travel all the way to Pittsburgh, so she figured he would never meet his hero, until one day she learned through a special foundation designed to help children like her son that Mister Rogers was coming to California and that after he visited the gorilla named Koko, he was coming to meet her son.<br />
<br />
At first, the boy was made very nervous by the thought that Mister Rogers was visiting him. He was so nervous, in fact, that when Mister Rogers did visit, he got mad at himself and began hating himself and hitting himself, and his mother had to take him to another room and talk to him. Mister Rogers didn't leave, though. He wanted something from the boy, and Mister Rogers never leaves when he wants something from somebody. He just waited patiently, and when the boy came back, Mister Rogers talked to him, and then he made his request. He said, "I would like you to do something for me. Would you do something for me?" On his computer, the boy answered yes, of course, he would do <i>anything</i> for Mister Rogers, so then Mister Rogers said, "I would like you to pray for me. Will you pray for me?" And now the boy didn't know how to respond. He was thunderstruck. Thunderstruck means that you can't talk, because something has happened that's as sudden and as miraculous and maybe as scary as a bolt of lightning, and all you can do is listen to the rumble. The boy was thunderstruck because nobody had ever <i>asked</i> him for something like that, ever. The boy had always been prayed <i>for</i>. The boy had always been the <i>object</i> of prayer, and now he was being asked to pray for Mister Rogers, and although at first he didn't know if he could do it, he said he would, he said he'd try, and ever since then he keeps Mister Rogers in his prayers and doesn't talk about wanting to die anymore, because he figures Mister Rogers is close to God, and if Mister Rogers likes him, that must mean God likes him, too.</blockquote>
<br />
<h4>
Passion</h4>
His legendary fight for the funding of public broadcasting is an example of Rogers being able to share his passion to others through storytelling. He used personal anecdotes, songs and stories of progress in his chosen profession. It moved Senator Pastore to restore funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on the spot.<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yXEuEUQIP3Q" width="600"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Optimism</h4>
For Fred Rogers, the days in his neighborhood were truly beautiful. He looked for the positive aspects of everything, including of others. His encouragement and cheerfulness, which to the disaffected might seem saccharine, were genuine and thoughtful, yet were far-removed from the Land of Make Believe and more closely aligned to the realities that we all live with.<br />
<br />
For example, during the school shooting in Newtown, CT and the bombing at the Boston Marathon, we saw <a href="http://www.fredrogers.org/parents/special-challenges/tragic-events.php" target="_blank">a quote from Mister Rogers</a> that seemed to give us - particularly those of us with children - the ability to look at the world with hope rather than dread:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world."</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
We were fortunate to have Fred Rogers with us as a role model that shaped young minds. He was, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upm9LnuCBUM" target="_blank">in his own words</a>, someone who "helped you become who you are...who cared about you and wanted what was best for you in life."<br />
<br />
His lessons are equally as applicable for adults inside and outside of the business world.<br />
<br />
Who do you look to for leadership inspiration?<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/kBZo6w" target="_blank">Bo Gordy-Stith (Flickr)</a></i><br />
--

We Need More Leaders Like This

It may seem odd to place a photo of Mister Rogers as the hero image for an article on leadership. After all, most leaders we admire h...

Businesses Are Not People

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5BWxR4CKHNg/Uyx_8U9k50I/AAAAAAAASGg/nwrrwKeg228/s1600/3793133076_64d5816f65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5BWxR4CKHNg/Uyx_8U9k50I/AAAAAAAASGg/nwrrwKeg228/s1600/3793133076_64d5816f65.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br />It's always tempting - particularly in this day and age of so-called "real time marketing" - to take part in conversations stemming popular events that are happening around us. The Super Bowl, the Oscars, World Cup, NCAA tournament and more - and all of the super stars that are celebrities in those fields. The public recognizes them and brands want to be part of that conversation to show that they "get it" too.<br /><br />The challenge is that doing so as a brand is not quite as simple as it is for individuals. Often times, these events are protected from commercial references unless brands have a contractual or sponsorship arrangement with them. And in some cases, unauthorized use of a celebrity's name - or even a reference to them based on their uniform number - can land a company in hot water.<br /><br />Case in point: <a href="http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=8e28df29-0ebd-4911-8d8f-9a170a794006&l=7KW8LYA">Michael Jordan sued an advertiser</a> (and won) after a pair of sneakers, his name and his number were used in an ad by a grocery chain to congratulate him on being accepted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The copy of the ad read:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
"A Shoe In! After six NBA championships, scores of rewritten record books and numerous buzzer beaters, Michael Jordan’s elevation in the Basketball Hall of Fame was never in doubt! Jewel-Osco salutes #23 on his many accomplishments as we honor a fellow Chicagoan who was ‘just around the corner’ for so many years."</blockquote>
<br />The ad also contained the store's logo and slogan "Just around the corner."<br /><br />The court ruled that this was commercial speech and damages are being awarded to Jordan.<br /><br /><h4>
It's different for businesses</h4>
The lesson here is that, even in social media, companies need to be treated differently. While it may be important to speak to consumers in a more informal way, there are certain laws and regulations (and these vary by market - please check with your local legal team) that will require the brand to be very careful about how it takes part in conversations with the public.<br /><br />You certainly don't want to find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit that accuses a brand of using an image, likeness or trademarked item for commercial gain without permission. It may sound technical, but beyond legal ramifications, it's a good practice - and common courtesy - to get consent first.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29322132@N08/3793133076/in/photolist-6MbNj9-6MbNn7-6MbNnS-6MbNp1-7onAiQ-7onAku-7onAoj-7onApW-7vmBj8-7vmBte-9xYByS-9xYAbh-9xYAEm-9xVH4B-9xYB2Y-aZV9eR-aZUPEp-7QMToz-81ZXFq-9xVK1z-8ZhwFk-kFLhHt-kFMSRs-kFMSNw-8r7MDq-7DeQbv-9xVBhZ-9xVP7v-9xYAbf-9xVPPD-8RngVm-8kEBon-9xVBhV-9xVBhX-j3csKD-j3b1f8-j3f4sU-j3csxz-j3f4oq-j3aZvn-bf5JB2-iyhJDU-fHWRDR-fJepxS-b5fE1P-9xYJns-8ZFr1C-czzawo-9APq5J-j2yQj5-9ALw3Z" target="_blank">chrishimself (Flickr)</a></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>

Businesses Are Not People

It's always tempting - particularly in this day and age of so-called "real time marketing" - to take part in conversations s...

This Week in Digital - 3/19/2014

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WEhRVcZ9l0k/Uyx5zqwz4kI/AAAAAAAASGM/izZy1N9UsAw/s1600/cloak-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cloak - an anti-social app that tips you off to where your friends have checked in." border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WEhRVcZ9l0k/Uyx5zqwz4kI/AAAAAAAASGM/izZy1N9UsAw/s1600/cloak-header.jpg" height="406" title="Cloak - app screenshot" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The unbearable lightness of behavioral targeting, digital opportunities for 2014, an anti-social network, Chinese tech IPOs in the US, Twitter's birthday, Facebook privacy settings, four models of brand newsrooms, an essential marketing workshop for under $20 and more, it's This Week in Digital.<br />
<br />
A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
<br />
Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs.<br />
<br />
If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below.  And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O">This Week in Digital Magazine</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Industry </h4>
<ul>
<li>A stunning 76% of marketing executive say <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/76-marketing-execs-say-they-dont-target-behavioral-data-156408">they don't target with behavioral data</a>. (AdWeek) </li>
<li>Busting a handful of myths and destroying some long-held truths, Tony Haile lets us know that <a href="http://time.com/12933/what-you-think-you-know-about-the-web-is-wrong/">what you think you know about the web is wrong</a>. (TIME) </li>
<li>According to a study by Adobe and Econsultancy, <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/24604/the-most-exciting-digital-opportunity-of-2014">the most exciting digital opportunities of 2014</a> include content marketing, social engagement and targeting/personalization. (MarketingProfs) </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fr9YFCHbgeI/Uyx4ivrlM5I/AAAAAAAASFw/OwMi8r28hpE/s1600/top-priorities-econsultancy-110314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Three digital areas that are the top priorities for 2014: content marketing, social media, and targeting and personalization" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fr9YFCHbgeI/Uyx4ivrlM5I/AAAAAAAASFw/OwMi8r28hpE/s1600/top-priorities-econsultancy-110314.jpg" height="598" title="Top marketing priorities for 2014 - Econsultance and Adobe" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Platforms </h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cloak-incognito-mode-for-real/id830708468?mt=8">Cloak</a> is a new app that scrapes Instagram and Foursquare to let you know where all your friends, "friends," and nonfriends are at all times so you never have to run into that special someone. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/17/meet-cloak-the-antisocial-network-that-helps-you-avoid-people/">Think of it as the antisocial network</a>. (Washington Post)</li>
<li>Alibaba and Weibo are two Chinese platforms <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/hot-stock-minute/china-s-alibaba-and-weibo-move-forward-with-u-s--ipos-133301597.html">planning to file for IPOs in the US</a>. (Yahoo Finance)</li>
<li>Twitter turned 8 years old this week and invited users to take a step back in time and <a href="https://discover.twitter.com/first-tweet">discover their first tweet</a>.  Just fill in a user's name to see what it was. (Twitter)</li>
<li>It's getting <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/facebook-reportedly-slashing-organic-reach-pages-156417">increasingly more difficult</a> for brand pages to reach their fans without paid advertising. (AdWeek)</li>
<li>Contrary to popular belief, <a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-research-2/new-data-demonstrates-teens-are-not-abandoning-facebook/?fb_action_ids=10152106922444480&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.UyngaK-PBJc.like">teens are not abandoning Facebook</a>. In fact, it's still frequently visited by them on a daily basis. (Edison Research & Convince and Convert) </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QtSQqsk8xHI/Uyx4tJ8HOlI/AAAAAAAASF4/uiEqqIvk-iM/s1600/Facebook+Daily+Visits.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Edison Research finds Facebook still sees the most daily visits among teens (12-24 year-olds, actually)" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QtSQqsk8xHI/Uyx4tJ8HOlI/AAAAAAAASF4/uiEqqIvk-iM/s1600/Facebook+Daily+Visits.png" height="360" title="Facebook visits by teens - Edison Research" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Measurement / Metrics / Big Data </h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Data analytics is moving from a niche enterprise IT solution and <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/big-data-the-feature/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0">into more integrated role as it becomes an essential feature</a> of  marketing tools and other departmental efforts. (New York Times Bits Blog)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Legal / HR </h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>A good reminder - whether you're a new user or haven't been paying attention to the inevitable and myriad changes: <a href="http://time.com/25448/the-comprehensive-guide-to-facebook-privacy-settings/">the comprehensive guide to Facebook privacy settings</a>. (TIME)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Content </h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2014/03/06/4-brand-newsroom-models-that-work/">Four models of brand newsrooms that work</a>: brand awareness (IBM, GE), industry news (Intel, Microsoft), create and sponsor (Adobe's CMO.com) and lead generation (HubSpot). (Contently)</li>
<ul>
<li>Related: <a href="http://www.hubspot.com/cmos-guide-to-brand-journalism?__hstc=20629287.00d7312a42c5714391691f2b12128c79.1392850248935.1393450007873.1394131628551.3&__hssc=20629287.1.1394131628551&__hsfp=423664205">The CMO's Guide to Brand Journalism</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Essential Reading/Watching/Listening</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>According to researcher dayna boyd, <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/13/5488558/danah-boyd-interview-the-era-of-facebook-is-an-anomaly">the era of Facebook is an anomaly</a>. Expecting everyone to go to one site is not the norm any more, but Facebook has still managed to capture that zeitgeist. (The Verge)</li>
<li>Entrepreneur, author and marketing consultant Seth Godin has launched <a href="http://www.skillshare.com/classes/business/The-Modern-Marketing-Workshop/96411401">The Modern Marketing Workshop in conjunction with Skillshare</a>, a crash course built for the team of today. It consists of 23 videos, ebooks, worksheets and more, for only $19. (Skillshare)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" class="wistia_embed" frameborder="0" height="386" name="wistia_embed" scrolling="no" src="http://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/6juu4qv72u?controlsVisibleOnLoad=false&plugin[socialbar][version]=v1&plugin[socialbar][buttons]=embed&plugin[socialbar][pageUrl]=http://www.skillshare.com&plugin[socialbar][pageTitle]=The Modern Marketing Workshop&plugin[socialbar][logo]=true&plugin[socialbar][badgeUrl]=http://www.skillshare.com&plugin[socialbar][badgeImage]=https://d2skqxifvz50tr.cloudfront.net/assets/images/logo-100-20.png" width="640"></iframe><br />
<div style="margin: 15px 0 5px; width: 640;">
<a href="http://www.skillshare.com/classes/business/The-Modern-Marketing-Workshop/96411401/?utm_source=EmbeddedIntroVideo&utm_campaign=96411401&utm_medium=video-embed" style="color: #f68c51; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: 15px; text-decoration: none;">The Modern Marketing Workshop</a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #ddd; color: #999999; font-family: 'Arial', san-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 15px; width: 640;">
An Online Skillshare Class by Seth Godin</div>
</center>
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<br />
.

This Week in Digital - 3/19/2014

The unbearable lightness of behavioral targeting, digital opportunities for 2014, an anti-social network, Chinese tech IPOs in the US, Tw...

This Week in Digital - 3/12/2014

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7csavuXH5k/UyJjdBhv49I/AAAAAAAAR_0/QzhKPFpqnZM/s1600/obama-ferns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="President Obama goes on Between Two Ferns on funnyordie.com to promote healthcare.gov" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7csavuXH5k/UyJjdBhv49I/AAAAAAAAR_0/QzhKPFpqnZM/s1600/obama-ferns.jpg" height="358" title="Obama on Between Two Ferns" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There's big money in anonymity, reddit as a source for story ideas, Omnicom and Instagram sign a deal, video ads launch on Facebook, ecommerce inside WeChat, what sets social innovators apart, the harsh realities of content marketing, the true meaning of SXSW, trust reigns supreme and more, it's This Week in Digital.<br />
<br />
A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
<br />
Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs.<br />
<br />
If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below.  And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O">This Week in Digital Magazine</a>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Industry </h4>
<ul>
<li>As part of a major shift of its spending to digital media, <a href="http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/03/06/mondelez-international-launches-global-strategic-partnership-facebook">Mondelez International is entering a strategic partnership with Facebook</a> that puts it at the center of the food giant's media investment plans. (The Drum) </li>
<li>Lyft, the ride-sharing service that competes with Uber, is <a href="http://recode.net/2014/03/08/lyft-funding-official-documents-filed-for-150m-round/">raising a round of funding worth $150 million</a>. (re/code) </li>
<li><a href="http://recode.net/2014/03/11/disney-ponders-the-biggest-big-media-youtube-bet-yet-buying-maker-studios/">Disney is in talks with Maker Studios about a $500 million acquisition</a>. The YouTube network deal would be the largest yet for a traditional media company being built on a video site. (re/code) </li>
<li><a href="https://www.globalwebindex.net/products/chart_of_the_day/11th-march-2014-two-thirds-of-16-24s-are-second-screening-via-mobile?utm_campaign=Chart+of+the+Day&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12173107&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--EEAjlphCQrp0h9geP4pM-12Uq5Q0yhz7LG4B9vhRStOvQU0QgLawAccwwY3DxP2ox1bok6B1zQSCy-ZJstg_kZH86Bw&_hsmi=12173107">Chart of the Day</a>: two thirds of 16-24 year olds are second-screening via mobile. (Global Web Index) </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G0N8WQPoUdE/UyJhfOUihlI/AAAAAAAAR_Q/PYcwQ6HEI6c/s1600/GWI+-+second+screening.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Two-thirds of 16-24 year olds are second-screening with their mobile devices - from GlobalWebIndex" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G0N8WQPoUdE/UyJhfOUihlI/AAAAAAAAR_Q/PYcwQ6HEI6c/s1600/GWI+-+second+screening.PNG" height="640" title="Second screen usage by teens" width="626" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Platforms</h4>
<ul>
<li>One of the platforms that's often overlooked is reddit. But in fact, <a href="https://econsultancy.com/blog/64386-the-21-reasons-why-your-boss-should-pay-you-to-browse-reddit">reddit is a goldmine for ideas, stories and inspiration</a>. (Econsultancy)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/zmRPMZzPEpAHvNLcbAEZVM/Facebooks-Instagram-said-to-sign-50-million-Omnicom-ad-dea.html">Instagram inked its first advertising deal with a holding company</a> in an arrangement valued at up to $50 million with Omnicom. Under the deal, brands represented by Omnicom that are already Instagram users will be able to have their images seen by a wider audience. (Live Mint)</li>
<li><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/05/flipboard-acquires-social-magazine-zite-from-cnn?utm_content=buffer219be&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#awesm=~oy8l8Mc6j3d6i9">Flipboard has entered into a strategic partnership with CNN</a> and has acquired the new giant's social reading mobile magazine Zite. (readwrite)</li>
<li>Facebook is rolling out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/A-Streamlined-Look-for-Pages">a streamlined look for brand pages</a>. (Facebook)</li>
<li>Also, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-13/facebook-unveils-video-ads-to-court-tv-s-market.html">Facebook is launching video ads</a> in the News Feed. (Bloomberg)</li>
<li>WeChat is opening <a href="http://www.techinasia.com/wechat-adds-payment-support-for-brands-and-retailers/">an ecommerce offering inside the app</a>. An example is a coffee chain that gives customers an opportunity to select the drink type and size, takes payment and allows the user to present the screen to check out. (Tech in Asia)</li>
<li>Take a look at the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hottest-pre-ipo-enterprise-startups-2014-2?utm_content=bufferf5ba1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#">11 hottest pre-IPO enterprise startups</a>. (Business Insider)</li>
<li><a href="http://digiday.com/platforms/twitter-direct-response-advertisers/">Twitter is now offering a click-to-call button</a> for advertisers to use for lower funnel direct response solutions. (Digday)</li>
<li>Anonymous apps <a href="http://gigaom.com/2014/02/16/secret-is-anonymity-worth-it-if-youre-invisible-3/">continue to thrive</a>:</li>
<ul>
<li>Whisper <a href="http://recode.net/2014/03/10/secret-sharing-app-whisper-raising-another-30-million-at-200-million-valuation/">is raising another $30 million</a> on a $200 million valuation. (re/code)</li>
<li>Secret, just launched 5 weeks ago, <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/03/07/secret-raises-nearly-10-million-at-40-million-valuation/">is raising $10 million</a> on a $40 million valuation. (WSJ Digits)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8I73_IqU-0/UyJhz4sSfLI/AAAAAAAAR_Y/M_VHIkvA1uA/s1600/Secret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shh!" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8I73_IqU-0/UyJhz4sSfLI/AAAAAAAAR_Y/M_VHIkvA1uA/s1600/Secret.jpg" title="Secret" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Measurement / Metrics / Big Data</h4>
<ul>
<li>Which Facebook metrics matter? Chris Penn has <a href="http://www.christopherspenn.com/2014/03/the-simplest-facebook-metric-to-remember/">the simplest Facebook metric to remember</a>. (Awaken Your Superhero)</li>
<li>What sets social innovators apart? <a href="http://www.inc.com/mitch-joel/social-media-strategy-listen-analytics.html?utm_content=buffer0b89b">They listen</a>. (Inc.)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Legal / HR</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>A lesson in paid endorsements: "Safety Mom," a guest on Today, was actually an endorser paid by security company ADT. But <a href="http://adage.com/article/media/today-expert-safety-mom-a-paid-endorser/292012/">this wasn't disclosed on the show</a> and the FTC says the company misrepresented that. (AdAge)</li>
<li>The world's most famous selfie has a prickly legal issue attached to it: <a href="http://www.todaysgeneralcounsel.com/owns-rights-ellens-oscar-selfie/?utm_source=weeksmostpopular">who owns the rights to Ellen's Oscars® selfie?</a> The answer might surprise you. (Today's General Counsel)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Content</h4>
<ul>
<li>"Social is at the center of marketing, mobile is the vehicle, and content marketing is the best way into those essential spaces." - from a presentation at Social Media Week on <a href="http://blog.percolate.com/2014/2014-the-new-marketer/">the revolution of content marketing</a>.  (Percolate)</li>
<li><a href="http://johnbell.typepad.com/weblog/2014/03/three-harsh-realities-of-content-marketing.html">Three harsh realities of content marketing</a> delves into some of the hidden items behind a successful program. (The Digital Influence Mapping Project)</li>
<ul>
<li>Content marketing takes a lot more quality content than you have right now.</li>
<li>The need to understand customers' journeys requires new research behaviors.</li>
<li>Writing editorially (interesting and of-use to audiences) needs training, cultivation and practice.</li>
</ul>
<li>Two on trust:</li>
<ul>
<li>Millennials trust <a href="https://socialtimes.com/sxsw-millennials-trust-user-generated-content-50-traditional-media_b144425">user-generated content 50% more</a> than traditional media. (Social Times)</li>
<li><a href="http://adage.com/article/steve-rubel/native-narrative-2014-quest-trust/292132/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage&ttl=1395267621">Trust is still the biggest hurdle</a> for native advertisers, as consumers favor third-party articles by journalists. (AdAge)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Bookmark / Read / Watch Later</h4>
<ul>
<li>SXSW is not about technology; <a href="http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/sxsw-innovation-marketing-tech/292078/">SXSW is about innovation in marketing</a>. (AdAge)</li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/03/11/what-the-internet-of-2025-might-look-like/?mod=djemTECH_h">What will the Internet look like in 2025?</a> "<a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/">Digital Life in 2025</a>" features predictions by experts on what the world make contain. These include invisible information, the potential of wearables, democratization of education, the dark realities that accompany pervasive online activities and goods, unprepared geopolitics and more. (WSJ Digits & Pew)</li>
<li>This week, President Obama shocked a few people by <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/03/11/between-two-ferns-obama/">appearing on Between Two Ferns</a> with Zach Galifianakis. The intent was to drive registrations of a younger demographic on HealthCare.gov. The result was impressive.</li>
</ul>
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="http://t.co/FrO24hdvcA">http://t.co/FrO24hdvcA</a> is the #1 source of referrals to <a href="http://t.co/0r93BavlrV">http://t.co/0r93BavlrV</a> right now.<br />
— Tara McGuinness (@HealthCareTara) <a href="https://twitter.com/HealthCareTara/statuses/443421401903820800">March 11, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center>
<br />
--<br />
<br />

This Week in Digital - 3/12/2014

There's big money in anonymity, reddit as a source for story ideas, Omnicom and Instagram sign a deal, video ads launch on Facebook, ...

This Week in Digital - 3/5/2014

<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOC5iuObb9E/UxjJvKC1ceI/AAAAAAAARtQ/uezZY4CENlU/s1600/Fallon++Tonight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Microsoft is coming out with a digital assistant for its smartphone, similar to Siri, called "Cortana." Her name was supposed to be Cathy, but they let John Travolta make the announcement. #FallonTonight" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOC5iuObb9E/UxjJvKC1ceI/AAAAAAAARtQ/uezZY4CENlU/s1600/Fallon++Tonight.jpg" height="360" title="Cortana, Travoltified" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
A world record for Twitter, Samsung and Ellen, Mashable gets another investor, Yahoo ties things up, millions of Getty images available for free, messaging apps, personalities of the major social networks, Facebook's bid for wifi drones, when big data is bad, social media and litigation, the future of the news business, the mispronunciation heard round the world and more, it's This Week in Digital.</div>
</div>
<br />
A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
<br />
If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below.  And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O">This Week in Digital Magazine</a>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Industry</h4>
<ul>
<li>The Oscars happened on Sunday evening, and host Ellen Degeneres broke the record for <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/03/02/ellen-degeneres-celeb-selfie/">the most retweeted image of all time with this selfie</a>. (Mashable)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23oscars&src=hash">#oscars</a> <a href="http://t.co/C9U5NOtGap">pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap</a><br />
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/statuses/440322224407314432">March 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
</center>
<ul>
<li>The interactive portion of the SXSW festival kicks off this weekend, but some are wondering <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304071004579409383726411524?mod=djemCIO_h&mg=reno64-wsj">if the event has outgrown its usefulness</a> for launches or announcements. (Wall Street Journal)</li>
<li><a href="http://recode.net/2014/03/02/mashable-raises-more-money-this-time-from-tribune/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonu6nPZKXonjHpfsX54uUuT%2Frn28M3109ad+rmPBy+2oMFWp8na+qWCgseOrQ8mFkIV8izUs0TrKM%3D#038;utm_medium=email%26%23038;utm_campaign=rc_email_daily">Mashable has raised a round of capital from Tribune Company</a> as it continues to move away from tech/social and into mainstream news. Mashable content may find its way into Tribune print publications as a result. (re/code)</li>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/01/comcast-freewheel/?ncid=fb">Comcast purchased video ad server FreeWheel</a>, to use the technology for its own video ad platform. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/4/5472186/yahoo-will-block-google-and-facebook-accounts-from-accessing-its">Yahoo is removing</a> Google and Facebook sign-in options from all of its products. (The Verge)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bjp-online.com/2014/03/getty-images-makes-35-million-images-free-in-fight-against-copyright-infringement/" target="_blank">Getty Images has decided to make 35 million of its images available to embed for free</a>. Recognizing that it can't stop the behavior of individuals and search engines that pick up its licensed images and infringe on copyrights, the firm has gone the route of YouTube, Twitter and others, and is now making <a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/HelpCenter#faq22" target="_blank">embed codes</a> available to share the images for free. (British Journal of Photography)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
The Platforms</h4>
<ul>
<li>Om Malik reminds us that <a href="http://om.co/2014/03/03/whatsapp-vs-facebook/">WhatsApp is different</a> - particularly when you look at monthly active users per employee (scale) and growth of mobile data users (speed). (Om) </li>
<li>Facebook's purchase of WhatsApp got the industry to sit up and pay attention to the messaging platform. Here's <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2014/02/27/intimacy-at-scale-chat-apps-and-the-community-marketing-revolution/">a rundown of messaging apps and their numbers</a>. (Contently)</li>
<li>Some findings from a report on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-primer-on-social-media-demographics-3-2014-3">Social Media Demographics</a> reveal surprising identities of each major social network. (Business Insider)</li>
<ul>
<li>Facebook still skews young, but the older demographic is growing quickly, and higher-income households are also getting on board. In addition, a huge share of Facebook's audience is international.</li>
<li>Instagram: Instagram's user base is heavily dominated by women, something that has more often been associated with Pinterest.</li>
<li>Twitter has a surprisingly young user population for a large social network, and in terms of household income, Twitter is fairly equally represented across income brackets.</li>
<li>LinkedIn is international and skews toward male users.</li>
<li>Google+ is the most male-oriented of the major social networks.</li>
<li>Pinterest is dominated by tablet users, and skews heavily toward women.</li>
<li>Tumblr is strong with teens and young adults interested in self-expression, but it's not especially popular with those in higher income brackets.</li>
</ul>
<li>Marketers may show little interest in Google+, but they seem to show <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-marketers-on-social-media-2014-2">even less interest in Tumblr</a>. (Business Insider)</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3_fwP7OkcQ/UxfsQLnS4tI/AAAAAAAARsM/HOl_9U0Rzn0/s1600/Interest+in+Tumblr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google+ is of little interest to marketers but Tumblr is even less significant in 2014" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3_fwP7OkcQ/UxfsQLnS4tI/AAAAAAAARsM/HOl_9U0Rzn0/s1600/Interest+in+Tumblr.jpg" height="480" title="Marketers social network priority 2014" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Countering this trend, <a href="http://digiday.com/platforms/apple-chose-tumblr-social-media-debut/">Apple, long considered "anti-social," has debuted a Tumblr campaign</a> to boost sales of its iPhone 5C. (DigiDay)</li>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/03/facebook-in-talks-to-acquire-drone-maker-titan-aerospace/">Facebook will acquire Titan Aerospace</a> for $60 million, in a bid to make internet access to more people around the world via the company's solar atmospheric satellite platforms. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li>In an effort to align with different objectives of advertisers, <a href="http://www.insidefacebook.com/2014/02/26/facebook-to-simplify-ad-campaign-structure/">Facebook is simplifying its ad campaign structure</a>. (Inside Facebook)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/US-Twitter-User-Base-Begins-Mature/1010641">Twitter's user base is growing in the US</a>, extending beyond a young base. By 2016 more than 25% of Internet users from 12 to 44 will be monthly Twitter users. (eMarketer)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apFHhlW8CVo/UxfsZMnd_RI/AAAAAAAARsY/ZFLjM0W1n6c/s1600/US+Twitter+users+and+age.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Twitter is growing in the US - particularly in age groups over 18-24" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apFHhlW8CVo/UxfsZMnd_RI/AAAAAAAARsY/ZFLjM0W1n6c/s1600/US+Twitter+users+and+age.gif" title="Twitter growth in US" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6sKcn8ETD8g/UxfsZFxz9tI/AAAAAAAARsU/J5vI250ktjw/s1600/US+Twitter+users+and+penetration.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Percent of US population that uses Twitter is growing" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6sKcn8ETD8g/UxfsZFxz9tI/AAAAAAAARsU/J5vI250ktjw/s1600/US+Twitter+users+and+penetration.gif" title="US Twitter users and penetration" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Measurement / Metrics / Big Data</h4>
<ul>
<li>The latest CMO survey from Duke's Fuqua School of Business indicates that <a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-research-2/new-research-most-companies-do-not-have-the-talent-to-leverage-marketing-analytics/?fb_action_ids=10152019930836319&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.Uw-FyJJ5LSM.like">most companies do not have the talent to leverage marketing analytics</a>. (Convince and Convert)</li>
<li>The greatest challenge of Big Data is <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304071004579409383726411524?mod=djemCIO_h&mg=reno64-wsj">the separation of signal from noise</a> - not to mention that certain online populations may not reflect the wider world. In other words, what's trending on Twitter may not really be trending at all. (NY Times Media Report)</li>
<li>Traders have an additional source of how the market is trending: <a href="http://gigaom.com/2014/02/28/traders-turn-to-twitter-for-market-news-now-they-can-measure-mood-too/">Bloomberg has announced a sentiment analysis tool</a> that alerts of a spike in activity and determines whether the news is good or bad. (GigaOm)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3a9KmD4XkUw/UxfsjkcYf8I/AAAAAAAARsk/0M6-z7xmYmE/s1600/bloomberg-chart-re-cmcsa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bloomberg stations will now show representative Twitter postings with sentiment that may help them determine the direction of stock prices" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3a9KmD4XkUw/UxfsjkcYf8I/AAAAAAAARsk/0M6-z7xmYmE/s1600/bloomberg-chart-re-cmcsa.gif" height="458" title="Bloomberg Twitter sentiment" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
Legal / HR</h4>
<ul>
<li>Confidentiality agreements need to be honored. That's what the teenager found out after her errant Facebook post disclosed that her father won an age discrimination suit and a court ruled that <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/02/28/dana_snay_s_facebook_post_cost_80_000_by_violating_confidentiality_agreement.html">the $80,000 settlement would be tossed out</a>. (Slate)</li>
<li>Defamation via social media is real. In fact, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/10677309/Student-ordered-to-pay-100000-over-Twitter-defamation-of-teacher.html">a teacher is set to collect $AUS105,000 in damages</a> because of defamatory posts a student wrote about her. (The Telegraph)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Content</h4>
<ul>
<li>A handy ebook from Marketo takes a look at using <a href="http://www.marketo.com/ebooks/lets-get-visual-visual/">visual content for storytelling</a>. (Marketo)</li>
<li>The annual INBOUND conference sponsored by HubSpot is always a source of amazing talks from marketers and storytellers. Here's a roundup of <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/storytelling-essentials-lessons-2013s-inbound-bold-talks">15 lessons from 2013's INBOUND Bold Talks</a>. (HubSpot)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Bookmark / Read / Watch Later </h4>
<ul>
<li>Marc Andreessen on <a href="http://a16z.com/2014/02/25/future-of-news-business/">the future of the news business</a> - a bullish piece on where the opportunities lie for an exciting and viable set of business models. (Andreessen Horowitz)</li>
<li>PBS's Frontline takes a look at the culture of the digital/social world, where it meets brands and what the constant stream of content means in <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/generation-like/">Generation Like</a>. (PBS)</li>
<li>A rather controversial piece, but one that is an essential read: <a href="https://medium.com/p/62e484f79c10">The Social Media Industry Is Broken - and It's Our Fault</a>. (Medium)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/who-do-really-trust/">Who do you really trust?</a> An examination of the forces that compete to win your attention and loyalty. (Twist Image)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Commentary</h4>
<b>The Internet can be an unforgiving place</b><br />
<br />
On Sunday evening during the televised 86th annual Academy Awards, there was a gaffe heard round the world. It was the sound of John Travolta not just mispronouncing the name of singer Idina Menzel, but completely butchering it as "Adele Dazeem."<br />
<br />
No sooner had her song begun than the sharp sticks came out, pointing in Travolta's direction. Twitter exploded. Within an hour, BuzzFeed created one of its infamous lists in the form of <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/if-john-travolta-had-to-pronounce-everyones-name-at-the-osca">If John Travolta Had to Pronounce Everyone's Name at the Oscars</a>. And Slate even created <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/low_concept/2014/03/john_travolta_called_idina_menzel_adele_dazeem_what_s_your_travolta_name.html">the Adele Dazeem Name Generator</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W5lpJpWOl58/UxftEI3Za-I/AAAAAAAARss/mELc8e6IMkE/s1600/Travoltify.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="See how John Travolta would have mispronounced your name at the Oscars" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W5lpJpWOl58/UxftEI3Za-I/AAAAAAAARss/mELc8e6IMkE/s1600/Travoltify.PNG" title="Travoltify your Name" /></a></div>
<br />
John Travolta became a trending topic on Twitter and remained there throughout all of Monday and most of Tuesday as the Internet had its way with him. A quick Google search of his name together with "Oscars" or "Idina Menzel" produces well over 100 million results.<br />
<br />
<br />
Just as flub by a celebrity has its consequences, so too does the risk exist for brands. Proper grammar and careful attention to spelling are a must, as mistakes will stand out more than the message that is being conveyed. While we can be assured that most of us won't have the massive audience that a televised awards show will have, everything we do or say communicates to our audiences in some way. Detractors - perhaps even fans - may line up with virtual pitchforks as they prepare to excoriate us for a human error.<br />
<br />
They may not be quite so forgiving as Ms. Menzel:<br />
<br />
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
THANK YOU, JORN TROMOLTO!<br />
— Adela Dazeem (@AdelaDazeem) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdelaDazeem/statuses/440340626781917184">March 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
</center>
<br />
Until next time, I'm Stuart Morphay.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br /></div>

This Week in Digital - 3/5/2014

A world record for Twitter, Samsung and Ellen, Mashable gets another investor, Yahoo ties things up, millions of Getty images available ...

Collaboration: Sharing is the New Buying

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6Zqnn4N1bs/UxTwZ7ZoRII/AAAAAAAARqA/4OpA7KPHPdE/s1600/Crowd+Companies.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6Zqnn4N1bs/UxTwZ7ZoRII/AAAAAAAARqA/4OpA7KPHPdE/s1600/Crowd+Companies.PNG" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Late last year, <a href="http://web-strategy.com/blog" target="_blank">Jeremiah Owyang</a> left Altimeter Group to form a venture called <a href="http://crowdcompanies.com/" target="_blank">Crowd Companies</a>. The concept was simple: the self-serve nature of the web, technology and innovation has given rise to the ability for people to collaborate with each other to create products, services, transportation, space and money that were previously only controlled by brands.<br />
<br />
Some high profile examples of start-ups in the Collaborative Economy include Uber, Kickstarter, Breather, Feastly, TechShop, Airbnb and more. The opportunity for brands is to get involved to help provide insights, resources, assets or other things to help foster this changing world. Standing by a long-held business model is not enough any more; people are empowered. The question is, what can companies do to help them and to adapt to the changing landscape? The formula is simple:<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Empowered people. Resilient brands.</h4>
<br />
Because this is a fairly new area of the economy, there is little data on it. And yet it's imperative for businesses to understand what's going on beyond the macro-level trend. Crowd Companies and Vision Critical joined forces and completed a comprehensive survey of some 90,000 people about how they participate in this changing economy. The report, <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang/sharingnewbuying" target="_blank">Sharing is the New Buying</a>, is available for free (see below) and represents a real advance in understanding exactly who these people are and what they want.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Lay of the Land</h4>
Consumers no longer get their goods and services from the traditional vertical supply chain. The examples of startups that fill these gaps are numerous. Rather than buying goods from big brands, they can buy pre-owned (or new) goods from each other on eBay. Instead of staying at hotels, travelers can book homes or apartments via Airbnb. Rather than getting a loan from a bank, borrowers can get funds from each other through Lending Club.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TcyJKz_lyNA/UxVIJOU4tmI/AAAAAAAARqQ/GdgZfogHGuw/s1600/Taxonomy+of+Collaborative+Economy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Many startups filling the need that traditional brands have filled for goods, services, transportation, space and money" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TcyJKz_lyNA/UxVIJOU4tmI/AAAAAAAARqQ/GdgZfogHGuw/s1600/Taxonomy+of+Collaborative+Economy.jpg" height="640" title="Taxonomy of the Collaborative Economy" width="518" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
The World of Sharing</h4>
Through surveying 90,112 people, Crowd Companies and Vision Critical determined that there are three major types of customers in the collaborative economy:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Non-sharers</b> are people who have yet to engage in the collaborative economy. But many of them intend to try sharing services in the next 12 months, so they are a key target audience for both established businesses and sharing startups. They make up roughly 60% of the US and Canadian population and 48% of the UK.</li>
<li><b>Re-sharers</b> buy and/or sell pre-owned good online using well-established services like eBay and Craigslist. While many of them intend to try other kinds of sharing in the next 12 months, they have not done any "neo-sharing" in the past 12 months. They account for 16% of the US and Canadian population and 29% of the UK.</li>
<li><b>Neo-sharers</b> are already using emergent sharing services: in the past 12 months, they have used at least one of th elatest generation of sharing sites and apps, like Etsy, TaskRabbit, Uber, Airbnb and Kickstarter. Neo-sharers now constitute 23% of the population in the US and UK and 25% in Canada.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LC2-aHFZMmY/UxVKkIEuMJI/AAAAAAAARqc/l63aTP5fDik/s1600/World+of+Sharing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Collaborative Economy - Sharing is the New Buying - global statistics" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LC2-aHFZMmY/UxVKkIEuMJI/AAAAAAAARqc/l63aTP5fDik/s1600/World+of+Sharing.jpg" height="640" title="World of Sharing" width="576" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
The Opportunity</h4>
<div>
The report recognizes that there are societal, economic and technological drivers that are behind this transformational shift. Societal drivers include a desire for an independent lifestyle, concern about the environment and sustainability, and a rejection of a culture of accumulation. Economic includes the rising costs of production, desire to maximize resource utilization and a desire to source more income from personal projects. Technological drivers like mobile devices, social networks, payment systems and the like have made peer-to-peer transactions frictionless.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Where the opportunity for businesses lies is in determining how they fit in the matrix of the re-sharers, neo-sharers and the various business models.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtM03zHU1KM/UxVMgsyb2PI/AAAAAAAARqo/JKZ-f4WlADY/s1600/Participation+by+Category.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Participation in the Collaborative Economy by Category - goods, services, transportation, space, money" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtM03zHU1KM/UxVMgsyb2PI/AAAAAAAARqo/JKZ-f4WlADY/s1600/Participation+by+Category.jpg" height="640" title="Participation by Category" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Sharing is Growing</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In every category except buying and selling pre-owned goods, the collaborative economy is growing. No single category stands out as advancing over the other; all categories are equally as good prospects for growth.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrON12I8psk/UxVNzEUHhOI/AAAAAAAARq0/WTD6IbYw6gk/s1600/Collaboration+Economy+participation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Participation in the Collaborative Economy is growing - 2013 and 2014 stats" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrON12I8psk/UxVNzEUHhOI/AAAAAAAARq0/WTD6IbYw6gk/s1600/Collaboration+Economy+participation.jpg" height="640" title="Participation in the Collaborative Economy is growing" width="632" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://ctt.ec/0mJ9Y">The size of the collaborative economy could double in the next 12 months.</a> [Tweet this]<br />
<br />
For more on where the opportunities lie in this growth segment, the report offers deeper insights.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Sharing is Mainstream</h4>
This isn't just something for urbanites or tech-savvy Millennials. Sharers reflect the population as a whole. While they skew younger, this is because this is an emergent behavior. Think about when eBay first came out and how you perhaps adapted first and now your parents may be buyers and even sellers on the online auction site.<br />
<br />
Sharers tend to skew slightly younger: about half of neo sharers are in the 18-34 age range. And they're affluent: while 25% of the general US population are neo-sharers, among Americans with incomes over $100,000, 35% are neo-sharers.<br />
<br />
Again, deeper analytics are available in the report that delve into exactly who these people are.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EtUqvazHPP8/UxVPdSIH4FI/AAAAAAAARrA/FYUOSPsbHfU/s1600/Sharing+is+Mainstream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Male, female and across age groups, the Collaborative Economy cuts across demographics and lifestyle choices" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EtUqvazHPP8/UxVPdSIH4FI/AAAAAAAARrA/FYUOSPsbHfU/s1600/Sharing+is+Mainstream.jpg" height="640" title="Sharing is Mainstream" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The things that most people share include: books, cars, clothes, condos and cottages, DVDs, jewelry, computers, phones and electronics, furniture, cleaning services, money, toys and writing services.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reasons for Sharing</h4>
This is probably the most interesting set of findings. Most of the sharing that occurs is driven by convenience, price and the desire for unique quality goods and services. It makes sense, as people are busy and want to simplify their lives, and the economic times call for thrifty solutions. Then again, sometimes, the product you can get from a peer is something that you might not be able to get elsewhere.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-38Fs8FCojCA/UxVREUrM7nI/AAAAAAAARrM/G3SqXnLx3Ho/s1600/Why+people+share.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Why people use collaborative economy solutions - mostly convenience, price and desire for quality goods and services" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-38Fs8FCojCA/UxVREUrM7nI/AAAAAAAARrM/G3SqXnLx3Ho/s1600/Why+people+share.jpg" height="640" title="Why people shared in the collaborative economy" width="570" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There are a number of other images and factoids to pull from the report, but it concludes with a section titled "How to Win in the Collaborative Economy," with call-outs for executives, marketing and market research, corporate development, legal, product and R&D, social media and social business teams, marketing and sales, finance, customer support, operations and supply chain and human resources.<br />
<br />
The research is impressive and the outlook very promising. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it reminds me of a trend identified by the Ford team in the <a href="https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2013/12/12/Ford_2014_TrendReport.pdf" target="_blank">Looking Further with Ford 2014 Trends Report</a> - particularly the "Innovation's Quiet Riot" section - put out by Ford Motor Company (my employer). Ford is also a charter member of the Crowd Companies business council, and its innovative work with TechShop and other partners through its global innovations group play into that as well.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="511" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/31818007?rel=0" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="479"> </iframe> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong> <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang/sharingnewbuying" target="_blank" title="Sharing is the New Buying: How to Win in the Collaborative Economy">Sharing is the New Buying: How to Win in the Collaborative Economy</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang" target="_blank">Jeremiah Owyang</a></strong> </div>
<br />
<i>Image credits: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremiah_owyang/sets/72157641774642874" target="_blank">Jeremiah Owyang (Flickr)</a></i><br />
--<br />
<br /></div>

Collaboration: Sharing is the New Buying

Late last year, Jeremiah Owyang left Altimeter Group to form a venture called Crowd Companies . The concept was simple: the self-serve n...

Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor