Apple Wants Original Content

As an admitted fan of Steve Jobs and Apple, I have enjoyed watching the company and using their products.  In my blog on Aug 21, I mentioned, and not for the first time, that Apple should consider buying a content company.  I suggested the purchase of CBS, Scripps, or Viacom, but wouldn't mind them buying Netflix either.  Today's Huffington Post speculates that Apple is indeed interested in producing original content to compete in the streaming space. 

In an age of build or buy, I might re-suggest to Apple that their expertise is not content creation.  But they have the free cash to buy and purchasing a content company with both a library of content and the talent that goes with it may be the best means to jump start their entry into the content space.  I've offered a few suggestions already, but maybe another is in order.  I think that Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and John Malone, CEO of Liberty Media might consider some sort of partnership approach.  Both bring an expertise from different sides of the media space and both see a global vision to their business strategy.  A healthy collaboration of content, distribution, and technology might be the synergy that we need to affect a quantum leap in the media landscape. 

Should Apple get into the content business, absolutely!  But I propose that buying media companies and building out a partnership with Liberty might be the ultimate one-two punch to compete in the distribution space. 

Communication Consolidation Continues

Its really difficult to look at the wire, wireless, and cellular platforms and limit their platforms to a single business.  No longer are they just a cable franchise or telephone company or cell phone business.  Through triple plays and mergers, the industry has been shrinking steadily.  AT&T wants DirecTv, Charter wants Time Warner Cable, Verizon wants AOL, and today, Dish Network wants T-Mobile.

It is a changing media environment that requires companies to envision the future and lead their companies toward it.  It is no longer an analog world; a new digital cloud that encompasses all types of communication, voice, video, audio, and data.  And the revenue that is derived from it is no longer digital pennies but actual dollars.  Subscription revenue, advertising revenue, storage revenue, e-commerce revenue, and more are the bounty that awaits the companies that successfully transform to match the growing demand. 

Is the Dish - T-Mobile merger a good move?  If it can create more cost efficiencies, drive more users, and deliver a greater share of the market, then it will be a smart decision.  If it fails to capitalize, it will get lost in the shuffle.  But consolidation is not over.  In fact, it is only beginning.

Will AT&T And DirecTv Merge?

Now that the Comcast and Time Warner Cable deal is kaput, attention turns to the next media merger.  While a merger would create a cable subscription behemoth larger than Comcast is currently, it would not impact the size of their broadband subscriber base.  That factor was the key stumbling block to Comcast getting its deal done.  DirecTv, as a satellite company, does not offer broadband service.  AT&T does.  Is that enough for the FCC to okay this merger?  Netflix doesn't think so.

In today's New York Times, Netflix "argued that a combined AT&T and DirecTV would have the ability and incentive to use its heft to harm online video distributors like Netflix to protect its core TV business." Actually, creating a video entity larger than Comcast might actually enhance competition.  Fundamentally, DirecTv and AT&T bring two different platforms together, satellite and fiber while the Comcast Time Warner Cable deal would have expanded their fiber distribution platform to control more than 50% of the broadband market.   Two very different outcomes.

Still, when looking at the merger of AT&T and DirecTv, the synergies that come into play seem more about negotiating cable content and getting more economies of scale on their contracts.  As to the broadband side of their business, AT&T still must rely completely on their own cellular and U-verse platforms to compete.  Of course should DirecTv satellites someday be able to provide two way broadband access to the internet, then new concerns might arise.  At the same time, Lightsquared and Dish have been currently unsuccessful in this approach.  Once spectrum opens to enable such opportunity, it would open new competition into the marketplace to challenge a merged AT&T - DirecTv entity.  And isn't that what the FCC really hopes happens in the broadband marketplace. 

GE Lights Up With Apple

According to re/code, GE is working with both Qualcomm and Apple to enable their next generation LED lights to work with Apple's HomeKit app.  Intelligent, efficient, and controllable seem to be the new elements of a smart home and GE is reshaping itself to fit this new world.  Beth Comstock, head of GE Business Innovation, says “LEDs plus software, it helps GE continue its Industrial Internet expansion, and I think the lighting business has a big role in GE’s future because of that."   Certainly the space is much larger than lighting and the hope is that GE sees fit to partnering with other manufacturers to assure an integrated experience across all devices in the home.   

Apple's Subscription Platform A Disruptive Force

Given the Apple infrastructure of retail, a full line of products from Apple TV to Apple Watch, plus its iTune interface and AirDrop capability, it is no wonder that the news of it's entry into an online cable subscription service has created quite a stir.  From traditional cable operators, like Comcast, to other technological rivals, like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, Apple has challenged their current business models.  How?  Let us see.

Comcast may be concerned on a number of fronts.  While NBC is currently not in the mix for services on the new Apple subscription platform, they may be forced to launch based on their agreements with the FCC.  According to the NY Post, "As part of Comcast’s deal to acquire NBCUniversal in 2011, the cable giant agreed it would make its content available to online video distributors on a “comparable” basis to its rivals."  For Comcast, the debut of Apple TV could cause a rash of cord cutting as consumers decide they prefer the TV Everywhere advantage of Apple, the simplicity of use across all their devices, and the mobility.  They also undercut Comcast with lower subscription fees for a scaled down but desirable list of networks.  Add HBO Now and Netflix and consumers mayjust prefer the Apple TV box or iPad or iPhone over a cable TV box tethered to a single television set.  How does Comcast compete?  With an Apple launch scheduled for the Fall, they have about 6 months to build a new business and marketing plan.

As to the other streaming networks, Apple will compete with Sling TV and Playstation Network.  Amazon may feel they have lost a step.  They have the smart phone and tablet devices, but don't have the broadcast nets and most of their streaming is tied to their Prime subscription model.  Microsoft has XBox, but they have already disbanded the content side of that business to concentrate on cloud computing.  Building an infrastructure of content partners and a streaming subscription service may not be part of their current focus.  And Google has concentrated on building out fiber in limited markets.  They have Google Play and can reach outside the Apple closed infrastructure through the open Android platform.  But by being open, it may lose some control.

Still, the speed of change has increased greatly and mass adoption continues to occur at a quicker and quicker rate.  All of these technology companies have the ability to commit to change and focus on driving digital consumption.  And moving off of cable boxes and onto personalized devices delivers richer data about who is watching, when, where, and how, coupled with the same users using these same devices to make purchasing decisions.  Apple's infrastructure and usage base could potentially give them a huge edge in capturing a sizable subscription audience and rich data to drive advertising revenue. 

Content Networks Chasing The Cord Cutters

Cable operators and content networks have always had a difficult relationship as buyer and seller.  In the early days of cable, their relationship was more harmonious with launches coupled with marketing activities to assure that subscribers saw value from the network and networks built awareness and hopefully ratings.  But the proliferation of cable networks, a loss of brand as niche networks began looking more and more like UHF channels, and a price only mentality have turned these negotiations bitter and untrustworthy.  The result has been broadcast and cable network drops, followed by ads telling subscribers how horrible the other side is behaving, and then finally a relaunch.

Consumers are changing too.  No longer do they seek content simply from a cable operator; now, they can watch TV shows and movies via a broadband connection.  And while broadband subscription rises, cable subscription is dropping.  Cord cutting is a fact.  Recognizing that the cable operator is not the only distribution platform anymore, content networks are constructing deals on OTT platforms.  Most recently, it was announced that AMC, IFC, and Epix are joining the Sling TV digital platform.  For as little as $20 a month, subscribers can get these nets as well as ESPN, HGTV, TNT and a few others.  Less networks than a cable operator subscription package but at a lower cost to the consumer.

HBO has also announced that it too will offer its network without the requirement of a cable operator.  Tentatively titled HBO Now, it helps them to compete in the same new world that Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others compete in.  With cable nets building alternative avenues for access, the pressure for more cord cutting will only continue to mount.  And as negotiations with cable nets lead to drops on cable systems, the likelihood that these networks will relaunch may become a distant memory.  Networks can simply advertise an alternative way to get the networks they love without the cable operator as the middleman.

Cable operators have done little to compete in this changing media environment.  TV Everywhere is not available to subscribers for all its nets; rather only certain networks offer authenticated carriage, some only inside the home, and with no aggregated way to easily search across a line-up.  Cable boxes remain clunky and hard to navigate unlike IP devices.  New packaging is not being created to drive down the subscriber price point to enable stronger retention.  Rather, prices continue to go up to keep revenues stable.

What does the future hold?  I see cable operators dropping cable networks that don't perform.  Smaller packages of cable networks but at lower price points.  I see operators needing to invest in new generations of cable boxes, embracing the TiVo type boxes that access both cable and internet content and bring it to the TV screen.  And I see the emergence of a la carte pricing where a home can buy a particular network through their cable box for access across all their devices.

Connectivity Brings Le Freak Out

The issues of security and privacy will not go away; as long as there exists devices to stop unwanted entry, there are people destined to break in.  The latest security breach is called "Freak" and affects mobile devices including iPhones and Android, as well as Mac computers.  So get ready to Super Freak, to Get Ur Freak On, to Le Freak, or simply Freak Like Me.  Okay, enough song title references.

According to re/code, "The vulnerability in Web encryption technology could enable attackers to spy on communications of users of Apple’s Safari browser and Google’s Android browser, according to researchers who uncovered the flaw."  Once discovered, corrections are being made and software updates will follow.  But it is only a matter of time till another bug is discovered, another flaw exposed, and folks with dishonesty on their minds will seek to take profit from it. 

This cycle of hacking to exploit data for nefarious means will never end.  The more sophisticated the encryption, the bigger the challenge and drive to try and expose it.  Never ending, we will be faced with stories like these for many, many years.  Think The Imitation Game but with bad individuals hacking into our personal and financial information.  Perhaps The Matrix is right, we might need to consider getting off the grid. 

Will Wearable Devices Create More Security and Privacy Breaches?

Next week, Apple plans to unveil their Apple Watch with availability in April.  Already out in the market are other wearable devices including Fitbit, Pebble smartwatch and others.  In the meantime, we have become more and more tied to our smart phones and tablets and see opportunities for being connected to other devices as the next best thing.  But are there also risks and concerns?

The opportunities for wearables are tremendous. From collecting health information to replacing physical credit cards.  Apple Pay is a great new feature that makes purchasing more convenient.  Adding that functionality to its watch enables an even better experience.  But the idea of wearable devices can be extended to multiple applications.  It could unlock and even start a car as we get near it, unlock our front door without scrambling for our house keys.  Houses with alarms enabled could recognize the device and instantly disable without the need to punch in a code.  Heck, a wearable device could make physical keys a thing of the past. 

But what about privacy and security?  Are we opening up additional risk that these kinds of locks could be more easily opened with other sophisticated technology?  Will our health information, like our bank and credit card data, be at risk as well?  Is there something to be said for a physical lock as opposed to a digital one?  These seem like huge challenges that have not been fully addressed.  As more and more consumers suffer from credit card fraud, are we opening Pandora's box?

A lost key can be replaced.  It may be on a keychain but it tends to lack personal information that tells the name of the owner, where they live and how to reach them.  A smartphone or smartwatch could be a different issue.  These devices aggregate all our data with the possibility that once unlocked, could be very dangerous to our privacy and security.  Could we be possibly be opening ourselves to too much risk?

The risk verse reward balance of connecting our devices to the environment we move around in is a serious one.  How we can protect ourselves from stolen data, fraud, and possible invasion and theft is one that has to be baked into the technology.  And marketed in a way to allay our fears and demonstrate how much grander the rewards can be. 

Net Neutrality Vote

Lately, our cell phone provider has been sending us messages telling us that we are reaching our covered monthly limit on our internet usage.  And the culprits tend to be our kids who forget to turn on their WIFI on their cell phones to watch You Tube or Netflix.  Truth is there are a limited number of providers for broadband service and so prices continue to rise.  Cable operators have done the best job of delivering high speed broadband service across a majority of the nation.  Telephone companies have managed with DSL service but it doesn't deliver the same speed as cable.  In some markets, FIOS and U-verse have overbuilt larger cities with alternative high speed service, many with fiber right to the home.  And some regional providers like RCN, WOW, and other also offer cable, broadband, and phone. 

But newer competition is rare.  The biggest entrant so far has been Google Fiber, starting first in Kansas City and expanding into a few other markets.  After that you have cell phone companies with data plans that get quickly used up on video consumption.  I know from firsthand experience.  Their speed is also no match to cable yet but the hope is that they can become a better provider. 

Today, broadband, like food, water and shelter, is being treated very much like a utility and so the government seems determined to regulate it as one.  Hence the vote today by the FCC to reclassify broadband service as such and assure that that all content delivered across the internet is delivered identically, whether a video stream or email message.  That is net neutrality.  But the concern of big government regulation in business is that it limits new entrants, innovation, and disruption. 

Consumers have very little choice in deciding what broadband service provider to use.  Where we live determines who is capable of supporting us.  Cable operators still strike franchise agreements to exclusively cover cities and towns.  More competition is needed.  New spectrum needs to be opened up.  Investments in technology to increase speed and capacity should be encouraged.  Net neutrality laws may seem like a short term fix but not a long term solution.  And as we continue to become a more connected universe, it is the long term that is more at stake. 

Suburu Uses Branded Content To Its Advantage

Armed with research on who buys its cars and where they are likely to reside, Suburu found a nice fit with IFC's quirky cable show Portlandia.  And while running ads along side the program is nice, integrating into the show is better.  So as Portlandia premieres its 5th season, Suburu cars will be featured inside the series.  Along with other marketing tactics, this branded content approach assure that viewers will see Suburu product placement as they enjoy the show.  And the benefit to Suburu seems well worth it.

For one, consumers won't be able to fast forward through it, the car is tied into the fabric of the content. Two, with the show based in the Northwest, it reaches a strong segment of the market that purchase Suburus. Third, the Suburu brand continues to be seen, post the initial run of the show, with repeats, on demand, and future syndication and streaming.  And fourth, it receives great press coverage including a full article in today's New York Times. 

Of course the biggest challenge to branded content or any content that is pre-taped and run months or years later, is when the unexpected occurs.  A negative news story, a recall perhaps, or possible indiscretions that turn a once popular program into a problem.  I speak most recently of two incidents, Stephen Collins and Bill Cosby, and the effect on their older shows, 7th Heaven and The Cosby Show.  Their negative publicity extends to the shows they appear on.  Unlike an ad that can be removed, when branded content is woven into the fabric of the show, it is there forever, through the good press and the bad.

But for now, the use of branded content by Suburu and others is a smart decision.  While its core message may not get presented, its brand awareness and engagement by the viewer can drive future interest and hopefully sales for the auto company. And the resurgence of branded content is a great means to fight ad skipping and the rise of streaming. 

Traditional TV Viewing Drops 4%

First and foremost, television is not dead.  It may have matured quite a bit, but opportunities still abound for those companies that see growth.  Still, the news out of Nielsen, from today's Wall Street Journal, is that "traditional television dropped nearly 4% last quarter, as online video streaming jumped 60%, according to a new report from Nielsen, crystallizing a trend for TV-channel owners amid ratings declines."  Expect that percentage to continue to drop. 

The simple truth is that there is only 24 hours in a day and the rise of new media means that old media must lose some usage as users aggregate to the new trends.  Print is feeling that effect from digital, radio felt it from broadcast and broadcast from cable.  Online viewing will simply take from those platforms.  But television, and the people that control them, can still drive success and growth. 

The notion of authenticated TV Everywhere with the cable operator bridging the gap of the cable box in the home with online access anywhere and everywhere still makes sense.  It enables customization, personalization, recommendation, and ultimately owns and tracks the viewer regardless of the device used to view the media on.  That consolidation and convergence creates an advanced advertising approach and data collection so valuable these days.  But until cable operators fully envelop the consumer in this bubble, consumers will find entertainment outside the cable box with other content and other OTT platforms. 

A 4% drop in traditional TV viewing is not the death of traditional TV.  Hopefully, it is a real wake up call to once again purse a TV Everywhere strategy.  Slingbox offers the technological tools to do it.  TiVo may as well.  Cable operators need to push it further and market the TV Everywhere value that they can one day deliver.

Discovery Adds To The Layoff Announcements

In my blog the end of last month, I noted the slew of end of year job layoffs across the media industry.  With the holidays coming and deep into Q4, those notices would only continue.  Although just announced in the press, it is my understanding that layoff notices at Discovery were received last week.  Per Multichannel, it was " a decision to consolidate its regional offices, leaving only a senior executive in cities like Detroit and Atlanta rather than a larger sales team."  Layoffs affected more than the ad sales group as affiliate sales and other functions were also hit.

 As for the programmer community, Discovery, Scripps, Fox, AMC, and others have all seen layoffs at their respective companies.  Given consolidation occurring at the cable operator levels, programming companies could see similar consolidation in the coming year.  And that will only mean more layoffs.  With more content heading toward digital, less people are needed to run affiliate sales and marketing.  And the ad sales efforts continue to get more automated and programmatic.  But like all we have seen before it, this move is cyclical and at some point more employees will again be needed to fun new monetization opportunities. 

the move also reflects a decision to consolidate its regional offices, leaving only a senior executive in cities like Detroit and Atlanta rather than a larger sales team. - See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/advertising/discovery-latest-cut-back-staffers/385840#sthash.RU1cW7QN.dpuf

the move also reflects a decision to consolidate its regional offices, leaving only a senior executive in cities like Detroit and Atlanta rather than a larger sales team. - See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/advertising/discovery-latest-cut-back-staffers/385840#sthash.RU1cW7QN.dpuf

Scripps Pushes Branded Content Across Its Networks

Its hard to know if viewers are watching commercials that invade their shows and movies.  Those two minute or longer breaks are the perfect time to switch the channel, go to the bathroom, look away from the TV to a tablet or smartphone, and other distractions to avoid watching those dreaded ads.  But make the advertising part of the show without hurting the credibility or momentum of the plot, and it becomes a very compelling win-win outcome.  Branded content, native advertising, and sponsorship done well can work great; done poorly, it is one long ad.

It seems that Scripps has found a terrific content sponsorship opportunity to coincide with Veterans Day.  Per today's NY Times, Scripps "is preparing an hourlong special — centered on the celebration of the Hawaiian homecoming of a wounded serviceman — that is to run on all six of its cable channels and be sponsored by major marketers like ConAgra Foods, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Union Pacific." As an indication of production integration into the format of the program, "There is a glimpse during the trailer of a scene from the special in which members of the military are served food bearing logos of a ConAgra brand, Marie Callender’s, that became the presenting sponsor of 'A Hero’s Welcome' as part of a cause-marketing initiative, the Comforts From Home Project, which benefits the U.S.O. and the USO2GO program."

A great cause, a great partner, and a great commitment to an important segment of our population.  Most important, it seems that the use of the product does not overwhelm the core element of the show.  This content sponsorship and promotion nicely extends across all of Scripps' available platforms.  Using its media synergy, ads are also being placed on its two magazine brands.  Hopefully, interest in the programming will translate to viewership and more branded content opportunities will emerge.

CBS Streaming Service Already Available

While HBO announced its unbundled streaming service, it is not available; CBS not only announced but it is already available for purchase at this website.  At $5.99, consumers can access both the live stream from their affiliate and a large library of on demand TV shows, from I Love Lucy and Twilight Zone to NCIS and The Good Wife.  And while the NFL won't be available, some live sporting events and other live events will be made accessible on the streaming app. 

For cord cutters wishing to still get TV programming, it might be a good deal.  But take the CBS model and watch it get copied by other broadcasters and cable nets, and the costs to subscribe to multiple channels quickly rise.  Buy 10 streaming channels at $60 or 60+ cable channels from your cable operator for $60.  Still, happy with access to a few channels will certainly make a subscription to CBS a cheaper deal.

There is one other advantage that the CBS streaming model offers.  When broadcaster and cable operator get into a license fee battle and their channel is removed from a cable line-up once the contract expires, CBS can now promote their CBS app to access their channel and not promote switching to another cable provider.  It may not be a perfect short term solution, but it is certainly an elegant one. 

Could Cellphone Beacons Ruin Our Lives

As humans, we follow Pavlovian tendencies.  And with our mobile phones, it seems that every buzz or ring causes us to quickly stop what we do to look at our phones.  In some cases we even look at our phones when it is someone else's phone that is ringing.  But the worse problem is when we look down at our phone and end up tripping or running into something.  Embarrassing when we are walking, deadly when we are driving.

So the NY Times article on beacons may at first seem promising, it poses problems too.  "Beacons, tiny low-powered radio transmitters that send signals to phones just feet away, have quickly become a new front in the advertising industry’s chase to find you whenever, and exactly wherever, you are."  In a store, they can alert you to coupons and specials, notify you to new information, offer rewards, and other one-on-one engagements.  But they also cause us to look down at our phones and not around us in the space we are occupying.  We may think we can be good multi-taskers, but we end up not seeing what may be right in front of us. 

In some cases, beacons can create some unique opportunities; but, overused can become a big problem.  Used properly, "They could enrich museum experiences, deliver the right recipe in the grocery store aisle, take us on interactive tours of cities and towns, let us quickly and easily check in to hotels or even pay at the gas pump."  Misused and we will walk into other people, crash into a  cart, trip and fall, or simply be so busy looking down that we fail to see the world we are living in.  Unfortunately, I doubt that restraint will be used and we will need to become even more careful as we navigate around so many people looking down at their cell phones.

Content vs. Distribution vs. Data

If you have the chance, a terrific article by Will Richmond entitled Data Is The Real King, as Netflix Keeps Proving, adds another wrinkle to the debate as to who is king, distribution, content, or data.  As we move further and further into a digital world, data, uncovered at the individual level, has become more and more important, especially for driving revenue. 

As a result, the debate of which comes first the chicken or the egg, content or distribution, may be no more.  Instead, we may have to start looking at content and distribution and data as a three-legged stool, each needing the other two to stand upright and remain functional. 

Netflix, in the article's example, works in this new model.  It has thrived because of original content, accessibility across an agnostic array of devices, and data to enable Netflix to make risk averse decisions.  All three work in tandem to propel Netflix to new highs, continuing to reach more and more subscribers.

No one attribute is king.  Content, distribution, and data simply must share the crown.  At the same time, they must each communicate with one another effectively to continue to rule. If data, or the information they hold, is not shared with content and distribution, then the other legs become weak.  And if content or distribution falters, then data is limited and unable to deliver good information.  Perhaps the new mantra should borrow from the Three Musketeers, "All For One And One For All".

Clear Channel Rebrands To Reflect Its New Direction

Turn on an iHeart radio station and you know quickly where you have landed.  We are reminded incessantly about its iHeart radio app and that is not a bad thing.  No longer are they a single 'Clear Channel', the iHeart tag is multi-media.  And unlike subscription services, the iHeart app is free.  To me, the heart symbolizes more personalization and more emotion.  And the radio stations deliver with big energy.  So now, the corporate name has rebranded to reflect a this new connection and multi-platform experience.

Headed by CEO Robert Pittman, former head of AOL, this rebranding reminds us that iHeart Inc. is more than just a radio station, they are digital as well as event focused.  Other than the corporate name change though, what else is changing.  While this announcement enables multiple press releases, tweets, and blogs, like this one, the rebrand simply puts another stamp on what iHeart Inc. has been doing for quite a while.  I'm more interested in what comes next.

With a focus that includes digital, shouldn't Pittman consider adding video to the list of businesses that they run.  Live events could be syndicated or sold as pay per view and video adds more dimension to their reach.  Just check out You Tube as others post video music performances from iHeart festivals.  I'm not suggesting Pittman buy a music cable network but consider developing a robust video offering to add another platform to their business model.  The iHeart Inc rebrand move is a good first step,but what's next.

  

Does Wireless Need Net Neutrality?

Net neutrality has been a hot topic.  While the FCC attempts to revise its rules, many are still unclear what it all means.  In essence, net neutrality for the internet means that all web sites would have equal access to consumers accessing them, whether the data is light use email or heavy use video streaming.  Netflix, leading the way with heavy usage, has made deals with cable companies to assure that it gets premiere broadband access.  And while they can afford it, many argue that lack of net neutrality favors big business at the expense of start up web companies.

But as net neutrality rules are being reworked, you would be surprise to hear that these rules have been strictly toward wired broadband connections.  The mobile space has been mainly unregulated in the broadband space.  According to the NY Times, that exemption is being reviewed.  "On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission will hold a round-table discussion to examine whether proposed net neutrality rules should cover mobile broadband."  With so many consumers accessing the web through their cellular connections verse a WIFI one, it is hard to believe that the two platforms were being treated differently. 

Technological change as wireless carriers have upgraded their systems has led to such a move. And again, according to the NY Times, "Now, with advanced LTE networks complete, a growing portion of consumers use mobile as their primary method of connecting to the Internet, meaning a wireless exemption would leave those consumers without net neutrality protection."  And as younger consumers cut the cord on cable connections, their cellular subscription becomes their primary communication, information, and entertainment portal."  If my children didn't have access to WIFI inside the house, they would definitely be using their cellular connection.  In fact, I sometimes check that their smartphones are still connected to the WIFI so that our cell bill doesn't get impacted.

Does wireless need net neutrality?  All broadband, whether wireless or wired, should be treated similarly.  While I oppose to much government regulation and prefer an open economy to manage supply and demand, broadband has become as essential a basic right as shelter, food, and the right to education.  I would prefer that the FCC spend more time lowering the barrier to entry to enable more companies to compete in the broadband space.  The rise of competition is the best means to assure consumers right to choose a source for their broadband connection. 

Three Digital Marketing Trends

It is hard to disagree with the article in ClickZ entitled These 3 Digital Marketing Trends Are About to Change Advertising except to say that it already has.  The three trends cited are programmatic ad buying, real time marketing, and native advertising.  We live in a world of immediacy where information is value.  Our digital landscape has enabled us to not only buy and sell in real time, but to also know more about the consumer then ever before.  And the power of this demographic, psychographic, and sociographic information allows for a more targeted, more customized, more specific ad and marketing message. 

And as real purchase data gets migrated into all this big data, it will only grow more powerful too.  The question is will consumers remain apathetic to the acquiring of all this data through cookies and other means, or will they want to reclaim more of their privacy? Do consumers like that sites feed them display and video ads shortly after a search on best vacuum cleaners perhaps?  Or will they find it a bit unnerving.  Data and research are powerful tools that power programmatic advertising, real time marketing, and even native content marketing.  Its use makes the technological elements that much more useful and effective.  As to trends in the future to look for, my bet is on the rise of e-commerce purchases to future advertising. 

How Are You Getting Your News?

With the recent passing of Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall, it struck me how we are getting our news.  While some continue to use TV and radio for breaking news, the rise of social networking and digital feeds has taken over as the first source of information.  Some heard through push notifications from their Breaking News app, others from their Twitter or Facebook feeds.  It has become our primary source for news and information, literally moments after it happened. 

At the same time, we also find ourselves questioning the info.  Is it a hoax or true?  Do we accept the first tweet as gospel or wait for more verification to authenticate the story.  Because social networking is open to all to post, we don't trust it as much as a more verifiable news outlet.  The adage, trust, but verify, is often taken into consideration.

The other thing I noticed was how quickly online sites used this breaking news to remind us of the great work left behind.  Huffington Post, Buzzfeed , and others quickly created articles like 17 of the most memorable Robin Williams movie quotes and 10 Robin WIlliams TV appearances you forgot about.  We find ourselves both mourning as well as celebrating a life. 

As we have become more and more connected, we expect news and information to be delivered instantaneously.  No longer can we wait for the morning edition of the newspaper to arrive to learn more details or wait till the nightly news on TV for latest updates.  Our smartphones and tablets have become even more important to us in receiving content.  But don't be naive that it is entirely truthful either.  Given the speed of sharing, not all the facts may be in.