Social Mode

I recently watched the PBS documentary, art and copy. it’s a feature about advertising focusing mostly on the big agencies and agency personalities. absolutely fascinating. partly because these are big personalities but mostly because the campaigns featured are ones almost all of us know well and probably love.

there’s a stat at the end… 186000 employees at ad agencies worldwide. 26000 agencies. but 4 holding companies produce 80% of the advertising spend.

what that implies there just isn’t that much advertising that gets big, mass consumer popularity (and likely nor does the products behind the advertising).

so the questions for me:

is most advertising unappealing? just noise?

do people only have so much attention to give? the populace can’t support more than a few campaigns getting big?

are most folks in advertising biz just not very good?

is the ad biz really about unglamorous, small campaigns that work for small companies?

is the old ad model going to last? more and more big brands didn’t need an agency and an ad budget at all to go big (google, facebook, twitter, crocs…)

when should a biz use a big traditional campaign?

I don’t question whether a well capitalized, well executed branding campaign works. they do. I think it’s hard to get all the right things to make it happen and only those with the deepest pockets, best products and most aggressive teams will ever have a shot.

I think that’s why other advertising approaches are more appropriate for most businesses and growing in spend online advertising, for the most part, isn’t artful. it’s math. it’s about getting frequency and follow up and flow just right. science based advertising works better for the majority of products and services where there’s little differentiation or brand value between competitors. price and location (at time of purchase) are the keys, not artful impact.

also worth noting is that the current context in which online is viewed doesn’t lend itself well to bigger more potent messages like tv or radio. I think some of that has to do with the fact that tv and radio are more passive consumption around visuals and sound of people rather than text about the world. and tv and radio are usually consumed with others generating more shared experiences. the built in fragmented personalization of the web means known of us ever have the same basic experience.

I’ve worked on a lot of online campaigns that tried to do the big budget big branding thing. no shortage of good ideas and mostly good execution. the consumers just never respond.

there are no best way to do it.

one thing I think the folks in the documentary have in common with the successful math based online advertisers and agencies is a willingness to try and be wrong. too many folks think there’s a best way to do it and that you can know that a priori. you can’t.

as one of the agency celebrates. fail harder.

Advertising approaches

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Oct 30
[By Ron Williams, former attorney, Texas native, patriot and a frequent contributor to free press expression and open forum debates of note.]

Tea Party candidate for Connecticut Senate, Christine O’Donnell, recently stated in her debate with fellow candidate Chris Coons that the Constitution, as written, provides that the government shall not interfere with the establishment or operation of the church, but that there is no prohibition against the church being involved in the operation of the state. This is a most interesting interpretation of the Constitution.

This is an interpretation you hear many right wing conservatives espouse when they attempt to get government to somehow sponsor a church event or have the government provide money to support some church organized activity. The most common of these activities is probably getting the government to pay for private church operated schools.

Some conservatives espouse in the opinion that the government should be operated on strict principles of Christianity. After all, they argue that this government was formed on the principles of Christianity, so why should its daily operation not be based on those Christian principles?

There is a name for democratic governments, where religious principles dominate. They are called theocracies. One example of a religious-based “theocracy” is Iran. So if taken who its logical conclusion, as in Iran, the President of the United States, Congress and the Courts would all look to the pronouncements of a religious leader in interpreting the Constitution and in the implementation of any law.

If you are okay with that proposition, we then come to the next question. Christian beliefs will dominate government actions. Now, which version of Christianity will that be? Will it be the Mormons, so we can look to Utah for government principles? What about the Catholic Church. Catholics certainly are certainly Christians. That means we would look to the Pope for the operation of the American government is interesting that even in Italy, with all of its Catholics, the Pope still does not run the Italian government, But it seems that this would be okay with our conservative right wing brethren. If not Catholics, which branch of Gentile Christianity gets to call the shots?

Of course, I believe that when the right wing conservatives talk about applying Christian principles to the American government, what they really mean on their Christian principles. They believe that they get to decide what the rules are, what the laws are and how the government should operate.

One example of this might be the issue of abortion. One of the great tenets of the right wing movement is to be use the size and influence of government. They want to get government out of their lives. Whether or not to have an abortion is one of the most intimate and difficult decisions a woman can make. Then they would turn around and take the most intimate decision away from women. Right wing conservative would use the government to interfere in the intimate private lives of women. Explain to me how that is getting the government out of American citizen’s lives?

So what we come to, I believe, is that the people who call for the integration of church and state don’t really believe in democracy at all. They believe in a government run on their principles regardless of the feelings, beliefs, attitudes and opinions of other citizens.

And that is what is scary. A group of people who call themselves patriots who in fact are doing everything they can to destroy our current democracy. I believe we have to be careful of groups like this. What happened in Mussolini’s Italy and 1930’s Germany. You get some group who come into power via a democratic election, only to run the government based on their narrow political agenda. Real democracy is kicked to the curb. All the citizens then are required to follow the dictates of this new moral majority that control the government.

As a side note, notice how right wing Christians seem to cluster themselves around our military academies. Also, we should take note of the investigation surrounding the command structure at the Air Force Academy which has been investigated for proselytizing the Academy’s cadets

You say it could not happen here. And why not? If you believe I am being extreme to accuse these Christian right wing so-called “patriots” of being actually anti-American? Well go ask them how they feel about a government operated on Christian principles, and watch him say YES. Then ask them how they feel about those Christian principles being dictated by the Catholic Church.

I believe right wing Christian conservative are a danger to our democracy and should be recognized as such. A true patriot accepts the fact other patriots will have a slightly different view of democracy and allow those principles to be acknowledged in the operation of the democracy. The beliefs of these right wing zealots show that they do not believe in that sort of free democracy.

Christine O’Donnell on the Separation of Church and State

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Oct 23
From contributor Ron Williams…

I have read in recent days that Rick Sanchez as been fired from his CNN anchor job for making what was claimed to be “anti-Semitic” comment regarding Jewish control of the television networks. Recently Mr. Sanchez has started making the rounds of other television shows apologizing for his comments claiming that they were both “anti-Semitic” and wrong.

I watched with some amusement the ABC View program with the commentators bending over backwards to deny that his comments were true and to assert that even if they were not true that they were somehow anti-Semitic. If Jews predominate the entertainment industry, so what? I am somewhat at a loss to understand why Jews predominating the entertainment industry is anymore anti- semantic than saying that blacks predominate in basketball is racist today. It seems that these commentators on the View and others protest too much. And they do so without offering any proof that the statements are in fact anti-Semitic. They offer no explanation or support for the assertion that these comments, whether true or untrue are in of themselves “anti-Semitic.”

Furthermore, I do not believe that the comments were in fact an accurate, and therefore should not be considered “anti-Semitic”. I worked several years in the entertainment industry as an entertainment attorney. I noted empirically that a large number of Jewish persons were in control of the creative and decision-making positions in the entertainment industry, including music, motion pictures, publishing and television. If in fact that is the case, then stating a truism cannot be “anti–” anything.

The concentration of Jewish people in the entertainment industry as historical underpinnings. At the turn of the previous century, Jewish performers were highly concentrated in the Vaudeville circuit. In addition, I believe you will find that a significant number of the vaudeville houses were also owned by Jewish proprietors. Additionally, you will find that the majority of the songwriters and performers were Jewish. Jewish entertainers from George P Cohan, Al Jolson to Fanny Brice dominated the vaudevillian circuits. I understand that not every performer who was popular was Jewish, but there is no denial that Jews dominated the vaudeville circuit. A similar situation existed in both music publishing and performance.

In the early days of the film industry, Jewish entrepreneurs also dominated the production and performance in motion pictures , and the financing for these motion pictures came from Jewish controlled banks in New York. This pattern has continued through to today. I challenge anyone to look at the rosters of the key executives who control of the creative aspects of all of the major networks, the motion picture industry, the music industry and publishing and show that the predominant group controlling these industries are not Jewish.

Having said this, I find no problem with these industries being predominated by Jews. In the early days, entertainers were not held in high esteem. This is an area that Jews could succeed. That is often the case for groups that have suffered discrimination by the majority population. One need only look at national athletics both historically and today to see this pattern repeats itself. You can follow the progression of discrimination against various ethnic groups with their progression through the professional boxing ranks.

Today, no one can dispute the fact that national football and basketball are dominated by African Americans. Also note the significant number of Spanish-surname ballplayers we are seeing now in professional baseball, players coming from countries such as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico where sports is seen as a way out of poverty. WHEN ANY GROUP IS DENIED the full range of professions in this society, it is only natural that they take the path of least resistance to achieve success. African Americans for several generations now have seen athletics as one of the few viable path to economic success. That is probably why you see more African Americans in football and basketball. It is not because African Americans are carefully better football players or basketball. In turn of the previous century, entertainment was an available track for success.

This overreaction is even more dramatic when I see commentators like Glen Beck make all kinds of wild assertions about the President and other African Americans with impunity. I also note that Glen Beck make their assertions on their programs while Rick Sanchez made his comments on another program w2hile being interviewed. It seems as if his First Amendment rights have taken a back seat on this issue. Again methinks they protest this too much.

So before we see Rick Sanchez do an endless round of apologies for his statement, people demanding his apologies should show that his statements are in fact incorrect. But more importantly, whether they are correct or incorrect, his statement should not be a reason for his termination. If the statements are not true then slapped him on the wrist for making an untrue statement. But I believe that upon examination will be shown that his statements are in large part true. And whether true or not, I believe there is nothing wrong with a situation where Jews would be in control of the entertainment industry. Just like there’s nothing wrong with African Americans being the predominant football and basketball players or that Hispanics are now coming dominate boxing. If Jews control the entertainment industry, so what.

[Ron Williams is a retired attorney living in The Woodlands, TX, and a welcome guest contributor to Social Mode]

Rick Sanchez “Anti-Semitic” Comments

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Oct 21
We invite them here and then kick them out… Migrant workers suffer and have no rights…

– Stephen Colbert

Ya may not agree with him but at least you understand his point. And that is the start of real policy making… good communication.

Odd as it is, Colbert makes the most clear statement of the day…

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Sep 24
Here’s WRITTEN the testimony transcript from this mornings immigration hearing.

In July of 2010–in the midst of Arizona’s immigration firestorm–I welcomed Arturo

Rodriguez, President of United Farm Workers of America, as a guest on my television show

to discuss the impact on harvests in California’s Central Valley. During our interview and

subsequent conversation, I learned of his Take Our Jobs Campaign; offering unemployed

Americans farm work, providing necessary training, and addressing the chronic and endemic

shortage of agriculture laborers across the country. While an enthusiastic endeavor, the

project recruited a mere three participants. As a comedian and satirist, the temptation of

subjecting my character to manual labor proved impossible to resist. I offered to be the

fourth.

This is NOT what Colbert read/performed…. here’s that

Stephen Colbert Immigration Testimony Transcript of House Judiciary Hearing on Capitol Hill

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Sep 24
By Ron Williams – citizen, contributor and patriot – 9-22-10

[Ron Williams is a retired attorney living in The Woodlands, TX and a welcome guest contributor to Social Mode]

It took a tough, smart candidate to win the Democratic nomination and the win the election for President. It then takes a tough, smart President to govern the United States. Candidate Obama was that tough and smart candidate. While I believe that President Obama is being smart, I do not think he is being tough. By this I mean, playing hardball with those who are opposed to his presidency and to his policies

For the last two years, political opponents of President Obama have consciously spread deliberate innuendo and outright lies in order to oppose the political agenda of the President Obama and the Democratic Party. These opponents have used every tool at their disposal in their attempt to discredit the Democratic Congressional Majority and President Obama. Over the last two years, we have seen the Democratic Majority and President Obama may tepid responses to these loud, angry and forceful attacks from the Right Wing of the Conservative Republican Party.

It is true that President Obama promised to have a less confrontational and more collaborative approach to governing this country. He spoke of plans to reach out to the Republican Congressional Minority to work together and forming legislative solutions to the serious problems facing this country. And I believe we have seen him struggle mightily to honor that commitment. It seems however, that the Republican Party adopted a legislative strategy that was to simply oppose each and every solution proposed by the Administration to address the serious problems facing this nation, regardless of the actual real world impacts of this strategy on the welfare of the average American. The strategy was combined with a constant attack on the Administration’s proposals, even when they were mirror images of programs opposed by the conservatives themselves just a few years ago.

Democrats in both the Administration and in Congress did negotiate with the Republicans in good faith on these legislative initiatives. The result was legislation ripe with loopholes that have allowed the same large corporations and big businesses that caused our current economic situation ,to continue “business as usual” operation. So, we have people who in large part operated in cahoots with the bad actors in the business world to create the mess we are in, doing everything in their power to keep those who are in charge now from doing anything serious to fix the problems. And on top of that they continue to attack the folks who are trying to fix the problems. The audaciousness of the Republican Party and the right wing Conservatives is breathtaking.

But their strategy has worked. Poll numbers for the Democratic Party and the President have been going down dramatically for the last year, while the Republican Party poll numbers have gone up slightly. Republican Party has been apparently rewarded for since the doing nothing but saying, “NO.”

This lowered public support for the President and his programs have had the effect of making it more difficult for the President to aggressively address the problems facing this Nation. The actions of the Republican Party therefore may actually be seen as unpatriotic and unAmerica, because they are not working to solve America’s problems they may be actually working to prevent the problems from being solved. It would be another thing if the Republicans presented alternative programs to address the nation’s ills. But instead they have simply become the party of “NO.” With the exception of Congressman Paul cap Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican Party is not offering any serious solutions to the nation’s current economic woes. More should be expected of them.

However, I am addressing the actual state of affairs in suggesting that President Obama in the cab Democratic Party aggressively respond to what the Republicans are actually doing, and vociferously point out that they are not working for the good of the country but instead are simply working as hard as they can in order to get themselves reelected. Further, if past behavior is any indicator of future behavior, should they recapture leadership of either the House or the Senate, we can expect legislation directed solely toward the benefit of high paid lobbyists and the companies they represent in that once again got us into the mess in the first place. In most instances, this representation works to the detriment of the average American citizen.

President Obama should point this out at every reasonable occasion using a high tone, but still affirmative language. The President’s surrogates however, should be much more blunt and on point. Additionally, the Democratic Party should be running ads in every competitive district pointing out the simple fact that despite Republican opposition, significant legislation has been passed. The voting record of each individual Representative or Senator should be highlighted along with their ties to big business and their lobbyists. These points should be hammered home aggressively and repeatedly.

Additionally, I recommend that research be done on all of these pundits and commentators who have made it a point of deliberately distributing false and misleading facts about the President. Every time one of them issues a lie, that lie should be immediately corrected, the media notified that this particular commentator has issued a lie, pointing out how many other times he or she has done so. I see no reason why people who deliberately publish misleading information to be given a free pass when their falsehood is brought to light.

Until President Obama and the Democratic Party begin to aggressively counterattack the current tactics being used by the Republican Party and its right wing conservative (Tea Party) constituents the undecided moderate voters will continue to get a distorted and inaccurate picture of what has been accomplished and which party has the best chance of saving this country.

Obama Needs to Be Tougher

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Sep 23
Only where there is struggle is there progress. I don’t mean struggle in the battle type sense, I mean the struggle between order and chaos, status quo and innovation, all info known and no info known.

Natural selection, the internet, your business, the universe… the edge of chaos is where there is something instead of nothing. Nothing is almost equivalent to no interesting thing (complete order) and no understandible thing (complete chaos). The stuff of life is in the middle!

I like to talk about happy accidents… those seridipitis tangets that one happens into if they venture into struggle and keep their senses open and opprtunistic. These branches of opportunity only come about when there’s a clash between the wellknown and the unknown.

Be mindful of history but venture forth into uncertainty. Struggle to find the edge and don’t fall off.

Find the edge

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Sep 21
The kindle 3 is great for what it’s meant to be, a simple device for reading long form works.

The upgrade from kindle 1 to kindle 2 wasn’t nearly as dramatic as 2 to 3.

The kindle 3 is thin and light. The page refresh is fast and the battery life appears to be ridiculously good.

The new kindle cases have a light built in for those dark reading sessions.

I’ve got ipads and every other device. The kindle is bar far the best reading device. I do plenty of staring at screens and the kindle 3 does an even better job than the 2 of being less screen like than all other reading devices.

I cannot stress enough about the greatness of having a single purpose device for reading. Ipads, iPhones, and what not are full of distractions that unless you completely lock down and disconnect your device overwhelm the reading experience.

Did I mention this thing slips into cargo short pockets perfectly?

I’ve said this in previous posts and ill reiterate it here: no other digital bookstore compares to amazon. They simply have thousands more titles that I want to read. Oh, and they actually categorize books and provide more useful filters than iBooks or the nook estore. I can barely navigate the other stores. And certainly can’t wander the digital stacks at all like I do in the physical world.

Yeah, I’m a kindle fan.

Kindle 3 review

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Aug 28
The only thing that matters in computing now is….

How long will it last….

Without a cord.

The iPhone4 smokes all other smartphones in battery life. It’s the only phone you can really travel with.

Stop innovation on everything else and make all devices work without electrical outlet jacking every 7 hours.

I am not an apple fan boy…. I’m typing this on an evo and my main CPU is Windows 7. But if I don’t get better disconnectivity from the wall…..

Battery is the next chip

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Aug 25
This video is a great example of how the talking heads stir up the problems they are trying to accuse everyone else of creating.

The question is… can the media do anything that keeps an audience that isn’t “a broad brush” or over generalization of complex issues?

I say no. and as disappointing as that is… what can really be done about it?

NYC Mosque Hate Speech and the Media

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Aug 25

From contributor Ron Williams…

[Ron Williams is a retired attorney living in The Woodlands, TX, and a welcome guest contributor to Social Mode]

[Ron Williams is a retired attorney living in The Woodlands, TX and a welcome guest contributor to Social Mode]