Commentary
"Geniuses differ from ordinary men less in the character of their attention than in the nature of the objects upon which it is successively bestowed." – William James
There's a difference between theory and practice. You've undoubtedly heard the phrase, "Those who can't do, teach." It's a little unfair to teachers, as you could just as easily turn the phrase into "Those who do can't teach."
Still, there's a line between saying something and doing something.
Winston Churchill was spot on with his observation about the difficulty between simply stating general principles and putting them into practice.
Some responses to the recent statement by Business Roundtable (encouraging executives to serve stakeholders, not just shareholders) have been cynical. And rightfully so. We've seen too many companies give lip service to a standard, only to act in a different way.
Case in point: Uber/Lyft, who are all about changing transportation. They've made a few billionaires with their IPO and have given customers cheap and frictionless rides, but drivers? Not so much.
In some cases Uber pockets more than 75% of the fare. And just in case you're not clear on their view on drivers, Uber, Lyft and DoorDash are spending $90M on defeating California legislation that would categorize drivers as employees rather than as contractors.
The response to my piece last week was overwhelming. One even called the column "One of the best discussions of the state of social media, society and technology in a decade." (Why Businesses Need to Prepare for the Gathering Storm).
Correspondents noted the chasm that currently exists between consumers and companies, and that there's a sense of frustration that's been building for a while.
I'd encourage you to read it and be sure you're getting the other updates I'll be making on the topics of corporate integrity, trust, and the need for advisory work that addresses the needs of humanity—humanity that exists in employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the public. [Just check both boxes in your subscription settings.]
| | Curated Stories
"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and nothing but the thread that binds them is my own." – Montaigne
I Do Not Think That Word Means What You Think It Means
Ahem. An Instagram "influencer" was called out after someone noticed the exact same cloud formation in all of her pictures. No big whoop, according to the fauxmodel; excuses alternated between versions of "everyone does it" and "I don't hide it." (BuzzfeedNews) My take: There's nothing inherently wrong with Photoshopping your images. Clear disclosure never hurts either. But on a platform that's manufactured reality, dare we expect better?
Not Too Real, Please
Which brings us to the concept of authenticity (you knew it would come up, didn't you?) Ninety-three percent of consumers say forced or fake authenticity is just as likely to make them unfollow as a total lack of it. (Agility PR)
My take: This shouldn't come as a surprise. People see through B.S. You may as well say nothing at all. Why not just trying being yourself and seeing how it works out?
Fasten Your Seatbelts
However, there's good news, advertisers: Research shows that influencer marketing might be worth it. Influencer ads generated 277% greater emotional intensity and 87% higher memory encoding in participants than TV ads did. Influencer ads were also similarly more effective than Facebook and YouTube ads, particularly when it came to memory encoding. (eMarketer).
My take: So now we have more influencer ads to look forward to.
If You Can't Beat Them, Rip Them Off
Once again, Facebook thinks Snapchat has the right idea. So it has turned to its R&D lab is copying the concept of building a messaging app around your close friends. Instagram is debuting Threads, an app that encourages sharing your location, status, and more. (The Verge)
My take: Aside from the intellectual dishonesty, who is signing up to give Facebook even more of their data at this point?
Summer Reruns
In the U.S., all the bundles are starting to unbundle and the content owners are trying to go direct—before, in a few years, they get rebundled. The Streaming Wars: Its Models, Surprises, and Remaining Opportunities. (REDEF)
My take: While we've seen this pattern before, it's fascinating to watch this unfold and to see where the major players are putting their effort.
Two on Podcasting
The world of podcasting is still evolving (despite rumors of "peak podcasting"). The State of Enterprise Podcasting looks at publishers and their ongoing efforts. And Tom Webster, Edison Research's SVP of marketing, has Three Ways to Survive Podcasting's Existential Crisis. (Medium)
My take: We've got a ways to go on this industry segment yet. But rather than chasing the medium, we should focus on the value we're creating that brings in listeners. | | Content Marketing World discount available
Are you breaking through the content clutter? Are you amazing your audience? Content Marketing World 2019 is returning with new ideas, new speakers, and more. Learn and network with the best. MONTY19 saves $100 | | | For the Curious Mind
"Curiosity is the lust of the mind." – Thomas Hobbes
A deep and wonderful read on what inspired Shakespeare. He claims that all but perhaps two of Shakespeare's plays were original concepts, which makes us wonder: how original are we? This nugget captures essence of originality versus inspiration: "One scholar's verbal echo is another scholar's sheer coincidence." (Five Books)
The future of history is...complicated. Traditionally, exploring archives meant largely physically collecting, searching and reviewing paper records. Today, and into the future, consulting archival documents increasingly means reading them on a screen. Universities will need to incorporate new approaches to how they train historians, either through historical programs or newly-emerging interdisciplinary programs in the digital humanities. (The Conversation)
As you plan your storytelling, keep Alfred Hitchcock in mind. He was specific about the distinction between surprise and suspense: "Surprise is when a bomb goes off without warning. Suspense is when the public knows that the bomb has been placed and is waiting for it to go off." Celebrating Hitchcock's Most Iconic Shots. (CrimeReads)
| | Recommended Reading/Listening
"Let me recommend this book." – Arthur Conan Doyle
| | | The Economist's Tom Standage and Slate's Seth Stevenson examine the historical precedents that can transform our understanding of modern technology, predicting how it might evolve and highlighting pitfalls to avoid. The Secret History of the Future. | | | | The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt is a look at how the discovery, copying and translation of an ancient book—the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age—fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists, thinkers and scientists for years to come. | | | | Just in case you want more links and more stories, I curate everything to The Full Monty on Flipboard. You can follow along there. | | | |
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