New Media — Connected World Media

Cheap Trick Talks New Marketing

March 17, 2010 By David Jacobs

Image via Wikipedia

Cheap Trick is a band that had it’s heyday back in the late 70′s and 80′s, but it has found a way to stay relavant in todays world despite monumental changes in the music business. While other older bands have been very slow to adopt the new digital marketplaces like iTunes, Cheap Trick has gone all in on new media marketing.

In this CNBC video, the band talks about how they dropped their record label and are doing all marketing and distribution themselves these days. They clearly recognize most of their money is made from touring and merchandise, not record sales. “Why do you give some of your music away?” asks the reporter with surprise. “It’s great promotion!” answers Cheap Trick.

An older band like Cheap Trick has virtually no chance for traditional radio play or prime locations at retail. The band knows their best chance to keep doing what they love and keep getting paid is to take full control over their own situation. They have also been very savvy in creating work for movies, video games and even Stephen Colbert’s theme music. Not only do they know how to market to their core audience, but embracing these new venues can open them up to new customers as well.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: Blog, Digital Music, Marketing, New Media Tagged With: Cheap Trick, CNBC, iTunes, Music, Music Industry, New Marketing, New Media, Record label, social media

Connected World TV: 2010 Trends

January 27, 2010 By David Jacobs

Sorry, I’m a little late posting this one, but here are the 2010 technology trends as I see them.

Quicktime Version

Filed Under: Blog, Connected World TV, Marketing, New Media, Podcast, Technology Tagged With: 2010 trends, android, location services, mobile, Technology

What is Your Passion?

August 16, 2009 By David Jacobs

I read, listen and watch a great deal of content about success, business, marketing and new media. What I hear over and over again is you will be most successful pursuing your passion. This is especially true in the new media world. It gets me thinking about my own passion which I have outlined before, but I will do again. I don’t think it hurts to revisit this topic to further refine and crystalize it.

From as early as I can remember, I have been most passionate about three main things. Technology, media, and communications. Media and communications could be considered one in the same and they predate technology so let’s take that first. I love media, all kinds of media. Print, radio, tv, magazines, all of it. I was a big fan of the “zine” trend that I first connected with in the 80′s. Enabled by new technology like personal computers and the first laser printer, ordinary people started producing their own magazines, often about very niche topics and distributed them online and via small indie bookshops. Some people still used the even older school technology of manual paste up and copiers to produce zines. This was one of the first examples of regular people using technology to produce their own media for a specific audience. It was the beginning of the media disruption. I produced my own zine using Quark Express and Adobe Acrobat. It was digital only and was briefly distributed on a website of mine. I only did one issue but it was a fun experiment. What distracted me was the web. But I digress.

I also grew up a great lover of radio. In Los Angeles, I was fortunate to have some of the best radio personalities to listen to. This was also a time of greater creative freedom in radio before the industry started killing itself with computer programed playlists and robot dj’s. We had radio greats like Jim Ladd, Mary Turner and Frazer Smith. Sports radio legends like Chick Hern and Vin Scully were better to listen to than watch the tv broadcast. Finally, CBS Radio Mystery Theatre brought dramatic productions to light during the late night hours. I can’t count the number of nights I fell asleep listening to these stories.

I am old enough to remember life before cable tv. I very clearly remember the day we got cable installed. The man finished and there we were watching Australian rules football from Australia. It’s hard to describe how amazing that was. I was there to see firsthand when MTV was truly revolutionary.

Then, my friend’s mother brought home a Commodore PET computer from her school for us to play with on the weekends. This computer was so ancient that it used cassette tapes to load programs. But it had a great Monopoly game which we played all the time. Don’t let anyone tell you games are not a valuable experience. It was these early video games that fueled our continued interest in technology. It was a few months later that my personal tipping point happened. I convinced my parents to get me an Apple //e and I installed a modem into it. When I first dialed out on that modem and connected to my first old school BBS is when my life changed forever. I could connect on this computer. I could connect to people locally and around the world. I could connect to people with similar interests that I would never have the opportunity to interact with otherwise. I love people, I love discussion and interaction. This intersection of communication and technology is where my passion truly lives. I love any kind of gadget or gizmo that enhances our ability to connect and communicate. Obviously the web was a watershed event for me as has been the explosion of connected mobile technology.

These are the forces that lead me straight into the social media world. And so it made sense for me to form Connected World Media and make it my career. Another one of my passions is helping people understand technology better so I have made training a cornerstone of the business. I’ll be working harder on in person training and online screencast training videos as we near the end of this year. As always, I’d love to work with you or your company on social media strategy, training or media production. Don’t hesitate to contact me and we can talk about how I may be of service to you.

So, what is your passion? Are you pursuing it actively? It’s something worth spending time thinking about.

Filed Under: Blog, New Media, Technology Tagged With: cable tv, commodore pet, connected world media, david jacobs, LA Radio, passion, radio, Technology, zines

See You At Gnomedex

August 15, 2009 By David Jacobs

I’m very excited to be attending my first Gnomedex conference this year. I’ll be there Aug 20-22 in Seattle. If you are going to be there, please contact me via Twitter or Email and let’s get together. It’s been several years since I’ve spent time in Seattle and I’m looking forward to it, it’s a great city. Gnomedex, if you’re not familiar, is one of the premiere social media conferences, hosted by Chris Pirillo. Many of the industry heavyweights will be there as well as hundreds of other not so known but equally as smart folks. I look forward to two days of great learning and insight as well as connecting with new people .

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, New Media Tagged With: Gnomedex, New Media, Seattle

Twitter is Like a Ball of Clay – Part 2

July 26, 2009 By David Jacobs

Consider this a followup post to my original Twitter is like a ball of clay post. I saw a couple of videos tonight that gave me some additional ideas to further refine the concept and answer the question, why do many people still disregard Twitter as trivial messaging?

The first video is Barry Diller chairman of IAC. He has barely if at all used Twitter and says it’s not a “natural” advertising platform in addition to disregarding it as trivial. It’s also not natural for people to jump out of perfectly good airplanes, but many do and they get a singular experience that cannot be attained any other way. Nothing is normal or natural about social and new media either. That’s why it’s called disruptive and revolutionary. This new marketing world requires a new way of thinking that Barry Diller cannot grok which is ironic since IAC owns a number of great Internet properties.

The second video is White House press secretary Robert Gibbs mentioning that Twitter is, in fact, blocked from White House computers. He does so very casually and he indicates that, at least for him, it doesn’t really matter. It’s not as egregious as Barry Diller, but still somewhat dismissive.

So why? Why do these prominent people, and many others, view Twitter in this way? I think the answer is that Twitter is like a ball of clay. If you’re not willing to pick it up and try to do something with it, it will just be a ball of clay, which is not terribly useful on the face of it. And that’s the problem. People look at Twitter and say ” ok, it’s a ball of clay, I don’t get it”. If you’re not willing to look beyond the surface. If you’re not willing to pick up the clay and mold it into something useful for yourself, you will never, ever get it. Twitter is not some whiz bang social media, demographic, statistics dashboard from on high. It is not a spoon fed, pre-packaged marketing widget. This is what too many marketers want unfortunately. Twitter and much of the rest of social media is something you have to work with your hands. Yes, like working clay you have to get your hands dirty. If I can push the analogy maybe a little too far, this is a good thing because you get a real tactile feel for and a connection with your art (marketing) like never before.

Twitter is a tricky technology because it’s value runs below the surface. I will admit to not seeing it myself at first. I ignored Twitter for a few months thinking it sounded quite dumb. But I gave it a chance and more importantly I went deep with it. The more people I followed and that followed me the better it got. I was patient and it took time to build up to where I am today. It’s something else common marketers don’t have, patience nor the creative zeal to mold the clay and teach their clients to mold the clay.

And that’s what I do at Connected World Media. I teach my clients how to mold the clay. I teach them how to view Twitter for what it is, unlimited potential and how to tap that potential for their benefit.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, New Media, Social Networks Tagged With: advertising, Barry Diller, IAC, Robert Gibbs, social media, twitter, White House

Karma and the Social Media Ecosystem

May 22, 2009 By David Jacobs

I believe in social media Karma. I also believe social media is an ecosystem of content and ideas. Like any ecosystem, there is a delicate balance that must be maintained to sustain the healthy state of the system. As we use social media, be it a blog or some content in Facebook, a Twitter we are putting things into the ecosystem. The more good and valuable things we add, the better the ecosystem is. Adding things of no value or worse toxic things (spam) the ecosystem and everyone in it suffers.

Some tips that I think help maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Don’t think promote first: If everyone simply promoted all the time, a take, take, take strategy, the social media ecosystem would be sucked dry. Think about giving first before you try to take. If you are a good social media citizen and keep adding value, social media karma will eventually kick in and start paying you off.
Be helpful: One of the best things about the Internet is there are so many smart people from all kinds of professional fields you can learn from. There are lots of people with different levels of expertise many of whom are looking for help or answers. If you can help people with your knowledge or advice or with a connection you can help them make, that’s another big deposit in the social media karma bank. One of my all time favorite quotes from Zig Ziglar is “You can get everything you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Never has it been so true and never has it been so possible but with the connections that bind us on the Internet.
Don’t be a troll: The opposite rule to the previous one. Trolls are toxic to the ecosystem. They are individuals who seek to cause harm and damage to all they run into. A nasty comment on a blog, a vicious review on Yelp. Trolls want to tear down people and companies for no good reason but their own folly. There is certainly room for spirited debate and disagreement on the Internet, but be careful you don’t cross the line into personal or unsubstantiated attacks.
Care: I call this the Gary Vaynerchuk credo. One of the best things Gary always says as one of his secrets to success is to care. Care about your customers, care about your prospects, the people you work with. Care about the ecosystem and everyone in it.

My job as a social media professional is to help companies and individuals primarily outside the ecosystem interface with the powerful tools within the ecosystem to better run their business. If the ecosystem becomes damaged or dirty, my job gets harder. Please don’t poop in the pool.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, New Media, Social Networks Tagged With: Gary Vaynerchuck, karma, social media, spam, trolls, Zig Ziglar

Essential New Media Books

May 22, 2009 By David Jacobs

I just finished reading a fantastic new media book called Groundswell that I am considering to be an essential new media business book. That got me thinking about other essential titles. So here they are, the new media books I consider to be paramount and essential reading for any business professional in this new marketing age.

The Cluetrain Manifesto

Cluetrain is like the book of Genesis in the standard bible. This is the one that started it all. These are the most fundamental concepts of new media marketing. Unflinching and direct, this is the book to start with and if you only read one book on this list, this is the one to read.

The Long Tail

This is your economics lesson for new media. Filled with lots of research and data, this book explains how some of the most successful Internet companies actually make money. You will hear the phrase “long tail marketing” a lot in presentations, blogs and other books. Here is where you find out what it all means.

Permission Marketing

Seth Godin is revered in marketing circles and his books are among the most popular business books. This is one of his earliest but possibly most important work. None of Seth’s other books make any sense without understanding Permission Marketing. The concept is also one of the fundamental pillars upon which all of new media marketing stands on. As a bonus, Seth’s other fundamental book is Purple Cow

Don’t Make Me Think

An unusual choice as this book is primarily about website design and usability, but way to many businesses that I deal with still make too many mistakes on their websites. All the new media tools aside, the most important business tool is still your website and it’s critical you get it right. You can actually learn a lot more than just web design and usability from this book. The concepts apply just as well to presentations and even advertising layout. If nothing else, you should ask any web professional you work with if they know this book. If they do, your in good hands. If not, give them a copy and tell them to read it before they work on your website.

I would love to hear from you about your essential new media books. What would you recommend not being without? Leave your choices in the comments to this post.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, New Media, Web 2.0 Tagged With: Chris Anderson, Permission Marketing, seth godin, The Cluetrain Manifesto, The Long Tail

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