Today, I wanted to do some shameless self-promotion. I have been working very closely with some great talented folks in Milpitas and New York to launch the Nielsen Online Analyst Blog called “Connecting the Dots.” Its been a really fun project and they even allowed me to post on the Blog!
We already have some great post up from many of the analysts, I have been working with at Nielsen Online. I look forward to all the great insights to come in the future. So, I want plug anymore just head over to “Connecting the Dots” and browse some really cool information.
Special thanks to everyone who worked so hard on this project with me.
Last week, emarketer.com sent this email to me. It had some interesting facts about digital music and its growth over the last couple years. As consumers (me included) increasingly switch to digital devices and legal purchases of music, I began to wonder why digital packaging has not caught up to this trend.
The chart above shows that almost half of all US teens did not purchase a CD in 2007 ( a number which is sure to continue to rise). If teens are switching to digital music at such a dizzying pace, why has the packaging not caught up? Most digital albums still include mirror images of their in-store counterparts. Why not progress to something more dynamic to reflect the new error?
Dynamic digital album artwork is the next progression in terms of packaging design for a digital universe. I could see a whole industry built around buying cool iPod/iPhone screensavers with animated capabilities. Does anyone else agree?
Most people think of Michael Jordan as the world’s greatest basketball player who won multiple championships with the Chicago Bulls. I always admired his game and thought of him as more artist than athlete. He was elegant, graceful and driven with a purpose to succeed. Despite all these successes there is another side of Michael Jordan that does not get as much exposure.
It’s a trait he shared with Thomas Edison, Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Burnett. You are probably thinking its inventiveness or creativity. While both of those are true it’s not the specific characteristic that I am thinking about. The trait I refer to is…
FAILURE
While everyone of the folks above has succeeded and become legends in their own right. They also have each shared terrific insights into the failures that helped them to achieve their goals in life. Let’s take a look at what they said.
Thomas Edison
‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.’ — Thomas Alva Edison
Edison is getting at a bigger issue of the natural “flight or fright” characteristic. Are natural tendency is to give up before we get to that “a-ha” moment. He is saying to just stick with it one more time and you could find a better solution.
Mahatma Gandhi
‘Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.’ — Mahatma Gandhi
Ghandi is telling us to always remember that freedom is a two-sided coin. We should not take the freedom to make mistakes for granted. It’s as important if not more than always succeeding.
Leo Burnett
‘To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas.’ — Leo Burnett
Burnett is saying essentially that creativity flows from mistakes. To become truly creative you have to be free to let your mind go wherever it may decide. Often it is the mistakes that lead us to the best idea.
Michael Jordan
‘I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.‘ — Michael Jordan
I think that pretty much sums it up! Look for me to fail sometime soon but the only difference is I will enjoy it much more this time.
A follow up to my Buzz for the Triple Crown from last week:
Horse-racing fans eagerly anticipated the Belmont Stakes this weekend as Big Brown competed for the Triple Crown. After breezing through the Kentucky Derby in May and the Preakness later that month, Big Brown surged to the head of the pack with a major spike in online conversations referencing the “Triple Crown.” Even after a disappointing loss at Belmont, Big Brown was still able to influence a significant amount of discussion although much less optimistic in sentiment.
The first wave in consumer discussions took place on May 3rd, as Big Brown captured the Kentucky Derby crown at Churchill Downs. Sentiment drivers included the remembrance of second runner-up Eight Belles, who collapsed after the race and was immediately euthanized, Big Brown’s big win and references to Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who shattered his leg in the Preakness later that year.
Online chatter for the “Triple Crown” peaked on May 17th as Big Brown won the Preakness, up 18.5% from May 3rd, while conversations increased 64% for “Big Brown” in the same time period. Most conversation centered on Big Brown’s run at the second leg of the triumvirate and whether he had the stamina and strength to do it.
The final and largest spike for Big Brown came last weekend as his completion of the historic feat was on the minds of the digital world. Belmont Buzz was almost three times as much as the two previous races with 0.15%. However sentiment was noticeably less optimistic as Big Brown failed to gain the Triple Crown. Many of the messages referenced him being in the same class as the 11 horses that have won the first two legs but lost at Belmont. Ultimately, though, the data showed failing to win the Triple Crown is still something to buzz about.
This post is long overdue but it’s still resonating in my head and therefore must be written (lol). A few weeks back, I penned a post about using the blogosphere to mine consumer-driven keywords from free text-analysis tools available on the web. In the post, I described the difference between what consumers say about your brand versus the internal verbiage used by employees and the ability to adjust search campaign spend appropriately based on consumers thoughts about your brand.
Its particularly interesting in the light of a May 19th post by Gerry Bavaro on the Mediapost Search Insider Blog. (here) In the article, he points out that analytics for search are one of the main factors of the rise of search and its huge spending forecast for the coming years.
I find it very interesting that when most people focus on the analytics of search they tend to look at the primary functions while completely ignoring the underlying causes. For example, we all get so focused on clicks we forget to wonder why someone clicks on a particular ad.
The psychology of the click is an integral part of understanding the nature of everything from visitors intent to consumers relationships with products. Why someone clicks, is the foundation of online advertising and could be considered the special sauce. It gives valuable insights into your brand’s position via the consumers mindset and motive when seeking out your services.
Lets face it, the closer you get to your consumer’s mindset, the better you will be in the long run.
Horse-racing fans are eagerly anticipating the Belmont Stakes as Big Brown will compete for the Triple Crown on June 7th at Belmont. After breezing through the Kentucky Derby in May and the Preakness later that month, Big Brown caused an uptick in online conversations around the Triple Crown. The first spike in consumer discussion took place on May 3rd, as Big Brown captured the Kentucky Derby crown. Conversation drivers included the remembrance of second runner-up Eight Belles, who collapsed after the race and was immediately euthanized, Big Brown’s big win, and references to Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who shattered his leg in the 2006 Preakness, and then put to rest. Online discussions for the Triple Crown peaked again on May 17th as Big Brown won the Preakness, up 18.5% since May 3rd, while conversations increased 64% for Big Brown.
The horse racing world is eagerly anticipating the Belmont Stakes. Big Brown, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will compete for the Triple Crown on June 7th at The Belmont Stakes in Elmont New York. With two-thirds of the Crown complete, Big Brown has been causing an uptick in online conversations leading up to and the day of the events.
The first spike in consumer discussion took place on May 3rd as Big Brown captured the Kentucky Derby crown. Conversation drivers for the first spike were not solely focused on Big Brown’s win. Other topics driving discussion included Eight Belles (the tragic runner-up who was euthanized on the spot after the race) and Barbaro, the 2006 Preakness Winner who was put to rest after shattering his leg during the race.
Online discussions for the Triple Crown peaked again on May 17th as Big Brown won the Preakness Stakes; it was up 18.5% since May 3rd, while conversations increased 64% for Big Brown. Discussions were primarily based around whether Big Brown would be able to capture the Triple Crown or if he would fall short like Smarty Jones.
Special thanks to Sandra Parrelli for helping with the data/idea to this post. And have fun at the race this weekend.
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