Monday, August 28, 2017

The Full Monty — August 28, 2017


After much back and forth, Uber's got a brand new CEO; the top trends to watch in 2018 and beyond; how AI will affect our children; the winner-takes-all approach to autonomous vehicles; comScore's 2017 Mobile Apps Report; consumers want more from brands; beware of falling prices — at Whole Foods; Walmart has more partners in its battle against Amazon; #HappyBirthday, hashtag; Facebook gets more transparent — except when it doesn't; the top streaming device is ___; the destruction of albums; Sonos is taking a hard line with its privacy policy; SoftBank bets on WeWork; impact measurement for marketing; billiards—or life—is a multi-shot game; and more in the Papa's Got a Brand New Bag edition of The Full Monty. Don't forget check out where Brain+Trust is speaking (final section below).



Do you find these updates valuable? Would you consider supporting it for $5 a month? What about $2? 

You know you want to

Thank you for doing your part to keep this publication going.  



The Full Monty, a Brain+Trust Partners publication, exposes you to virtually everything you need in business intelligence at the top of every week. Links are below with commentary in italics. Please sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing. And please click send your colleagues to this page to sign up as well.

We've got all of these links — and those that didn't make the cut for publication — in The Full Monty Magazine on Flipboard.



Top Stories

  • As the weekend began, it looked as if GE chairman Jeff Immelt was the front runner for the uncoveted Uber CEO job. However, in a single tweet, Immelt pulled out of Uber CEO race. Some insiders say he thought Uber's board as dysfunctional, and the lawsuit-happy board members from Benchmark as destructive.
  • While many thought that HP's Meg Whitman would be offered the job, it turns out that Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will get in the driver's seat. Now all they have to do is fill the COO, CFO, CMO, and General Counsel seats. 




Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Autonomous

The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and autonomous everything.

AUTONOMOUS



Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

Industry developments and trends, including retail, fake news, customer experience, content marketing, and influencer relations.


THIS WEEK IN RETAIL:



SPONSOR

Want to know what 500 marketers (budgets up to $10 million) believe and how those beliefs influence their behaviors when it comes to hiring and firing agencies just like yours?

Don't miss this FREE 16 page report, full of information, insight and guidance on how to best approach prospects based on the findings.

Some of the results are going to really surprise you.

If you're seeing this, maybe you'd like to see your company's name here too. Let us know.


Platforms 

News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.

  • Medium will now measure success based not on recommendations, but based on how many claps writers get. They plan to pay writers based on these accolades. Insert your own clap jokes here.

TWITTER / PERISCOPE

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP

SNAP

ALPHABET / GOOGLE / YOUTUBE

  • YouTube has a 'Breaking News' category across many platforms. Given the popularity of the app with the aforementioned 18-24 year-old segment, you can bet that YouTube will become a primary destination for news for this group.


Media

The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.

VIDEO

AUDIO



SPONSOR


The Detroit Digital Summit is September 11-13, 2017. It's filled with speakers, workshops and sessions on the latest trends, tactics and insightswhere ideas and inspiration are formed. You don't want to miss this one.

Use checkout code BT50 to receive $50 off of your ticket.


Regulatory / Security 

Business disruptions in the legal, regulatory, and computer security fields, from hacking to the on-demand economy and more.

SECURITY / HACKING:

    ON-DEMAND ECONOMY



    Measurement / Analytics / Data

    The future is not in plastics, but in data. Those who know how to measure and analyze it will rule the world.


    Mental Nourishment

    Other links to help you reflect, improve, or simply learn something new.
    • If you want a job interview with Li Fan, head of engineering at Pinterest, you’ll need to wait until Friday. For people who manage hundreds of employees and dozens of projects, having a foolproof way to plan the day is crucial to performance.
    • As you design systems that incorporate some sort of win/lose scenario, it's unlikely that you'll include duration as an element. Such is the notion of the reputational cue ball that positions you for the next shot. And yet it's helpful to remember that billiards—or life—is a multi-shot game.
    • The best leaders have one single goal in common. Can you guess what it is?
    • Rutherford B. Hayes won the presidency in 1876 thanks to the 'Victorian Internet.' As in the 1870s, we are now in the midst of a technological revolution that has altered the flow of information. So the question naturally arises: Who Owns the Internet?



    Do you like what you see here? Please subscribe to have trends on digital communications, marketing, technology and business delivered to your inbox each Monday.


    patreon.com/scottmonty

    Between this and the podcast, it's a lot of work. Does this provide any kind of value to you? If so, please consider joining as a patron.



    Upcoming Brain+Trust Speaking Engagements

    Can we speak for your organization? Drop us a line.


    Brain+Trust Partners helps smart, risk-taking executives discern the real from the hype. From strategy development to technology and data vendor selection, to digital transformation and streamlining processes, our focus is on the customer experience. And our decades of experience working for major brands means that we deeply understand the challenges you're facing. Let us know if we can help you.


    Top photo credit: Shipwreck off Nantucket by William Bradford, Metropolitan Museum of Art (public domain)

    --

    Monday, August 21, 2017

    The Full Monty — August 21, 2017


    Tech companies are at the center of a great debate on free speech; Baidu wants everyone speaking into their OS; Apple is expanding Siri; inside Ford's AI purchase; principles of customer strategy; the fate of online trust in the next decade; how companies avoid disruption; the battle between Amazon and Walmart moves into an unlikely area; iMessage is a powerhouse; Twitter boosts TV; Facebook took a step that will impact influencer marketing; YouTube's push for subscription music; major budgets for original content from Apple and Netflix; smart speaker data; the best sites for password security; your face will unlock your accounts soon; Lyft gets a boost; new metrics for brand performance; meditating, the classical way; and more in the solar eclipse edition of The Full Monty. Don't forget check out where Brain+Trust is speaking (final section below).


    Do you find these updates valuable? Would you consider supporting it for $5 a month? What about $2? Thank you for doing your part to keep this publication going.  

    You know you want to



    The Full Monty, a Brain+Trust Partners publication, exposes you to virtually everything you need in business intelligence at the top of every week. Links are below with commentary in italics. Please sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing. And please click send your colleagues to this page to sign up as well.

    We've got all of these links — and those that didn't make the cut for publication — in The Full Monty Magazine on Flipboard.



    Top Stories

    • The alt-right relied heavily on the app / social network Discord for organizing. Following the Charlottesville events, Discord finally took action, banning several of the largest alt-right Discord communities and taking away one of the white nationalist movement’s key communication tools.
    • This has led to a wider discussion about and actions by technology companies regarding unsavory content and activities that their sites host. The future of free expression lies in the balance as tech companies are now being called on to make ethics-based decisions. And the conundrum is where they'll draw the line.




    Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Autonomous

    The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and autonomous everything.

    AUTONOMOUS

    • Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will cooperate with BMW to develop self-driving cars. This takes care of the last OEM standing. FCA was last in the race as other automakers charged ahead. Having a powerful partner like BMW could help them catch up with the competition.
    • Ford Motor Company put $1B into autonomous startup Argo AI. Here's a look at what's behind Argo's autonomous expertise in the race to build self-driving cars.
    • At Ford's Future of Cities conference last week, CEO Jim Hackett reiterated the company's commitment to having Level 4 autonomous vehicles on the road by 2021, although the deployment is in question: "If you think we’re going to take the [autonomous vehicle] and just replace the station wagon, I don’t believe that’s what’s going to happen.



    Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

    Industry developments and trends, including retail, fake news, customer experience, content marketing, and influencer relations.
    • Does trust even matter any more in the age of the Internet? Some experts say lack of trust will not act as a barrier, while others are hopeful that it will grow. Ultimately, we need to wonder at what point does trust trump convenience? From Pew Research: the Fate of Online Trust in the Next Decade.
    • Targeting customers is no longer enough. You need a well thought out and considered customer strategy. Here from PwC are 10 principles of customer strategy.


    THIS WEEK IN RETAIL:

    • Walmart (a Brain+Trust client) held its Q2 earnings call last week, and in doing so, shared a few choice bits of information: online sales surged 60% (that's after 63% the previous quarter), food sales are helping discount retailers, and the integration of online and brick and mortar is more important than ever.
    • Walmart is nudging into one of Amazon's successful areas: Walmart is getting heavily into the ad business, offering display, native, programmatic and in-store ads for brands that wish to use the service. Combined with Walmart's treasure trove of data on customers, this could be a very attractive option for some brands.
    • Meanwhile, Amazon is getting into the brick-and-mortar business with Instant Pickup, a service that allows customers to pick up items immediately after ordering them.
    • And Target is buying Grand Junction, a San Francisco-based startup that connects retailers and other distributors to a network of more than 700 carriers across North America, a move to better go toe-to-toe with rivals Amazon and Walmart on same-say delivery.
    • Costco owes Tiffany $19M for using the luxury retailer's name without permission in conjunction with diamond sales at its stores and online. From the famous blue box to a big box...


    SPONSOR

    Want to know what 500 marketers (budgets up to $10 million) believe and how those beliefs influence their behaviors when it comes to hiring and firing agencies just like yours?

    Don't miss this FREE 16 page report, full of information, insight and guidance on how to best approach prospects based on the findings.

    Some of the results are going to really surprise you.

    If you're seeing this, maybe you'd like to see your company's name here too. Let us know.


    Platforms 

    News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.

    • Huddle is a mental health app that gives users a safe space to discuss mental health and to avoid the stigma in public spaces such as on Facebook or Twitter. How great to see the tech industry create something not it just because he could, but rather because it answers a real need for millions of people.
    • How iMessage came to dominate messaging among US teens: studies show upward of 70% of teens on it. Where Apple may go with it to disrupt apps like Snapchat, Messenger. iMessage is a social platform for teens. It’s currently the center of their immediate, social universe.

    TWITTER / PERISCOPE

    FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP

    ALPHABET / GOOGLE / YOUTUBE

    AR / VR

    • Facebook is developing futuristic smart glasses that will likely put it squarely in the augmented reality business. The smart glasses would be able to display images, video, and work with connected speakers or headphones to play audio when worn.
    • John Arrow, founder and chairman of Mutual Mobile, opined on the future of tech, particularly on how VR will play a role in meetings and conferences


    Media

    The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.

    VIDEO

    AUDIO

    • Public radio stations are using Amazon's smart speakers to discover new ways of reaching their audiences. The platform incorporates “skills,” which allow users to access content or information from a specific company or organization by saying a specific phrase. Stations want to ensure that they control the geotargeting, not third parties. There are lessons here for any business that has local branches.
    • Make no mistake: music will aid the rise of the smart speaker. And vice versa.
    • The latest data from Edison Research shows that 58% of VA smart speaker owners had listened to music for an average of 4 hours 34 minutes in the previous week, and 65% said they are listening to more music since buying a smart speaker.
    • Thinking of getting into the audio industry. Here's a back-of-the-envelope survey on how much audio producers are earning.
    • Do you know George Guidall? You should. He's the undisputed king of audio books.
    • Program of the Week: This week's recommendation comes to us from Dan York: For Immediate Release. For over 12 years, Shel Holtz has hosted this weekly podcast on "the intersection of business communications and social media, technology and more." The show features different panels of guests covering the latest topics of interest. Do you have a program to recommend? Add yours to our Google Sheet: smonty.co/yourpodcasts.  


    SPONSOR

    The Detroit Digital Summit is September 11-13, 2017. It's filled with speakers, workshops and sessions on the latest trends, tactics and insightswhere ideas and inspiration are formed. You don't want to miss this one.

    Use checkout code BT50 to receive $50 off of your ticket.


    Regulatory / Security 

    Business disruptions in the legal, regulatory, and computer security fields, from hacking to the on-demand economy and more.

    SECURITY / HACKING:


      ON-DEMAND ECONOMY



      Measurement / Analytics / Data

      The future is not in plastics, but in data. Those who know how to measure and analyze it will rule the world.


      Mental Nourishment

      Other links to help you reflect, improve, or simply learn something new.



      Do you like what you see here? Please subscribe to have trends on digital communications, marketing, technology and business delivered to your inbox each Monday.


      patreon.com/scottmonty

      Between this and the podcast, it's a lot of work. Does this provide any kind of value to you? If so, please consider joining as a patron.



      Upcoming Brain+Trust Speaking Engagements

      Can we speak for your organization? Drop us a line.


      Brain+Trust Partners doesn't believe in gobbledygook — we use common sense strategic guidance to help you master the evolving marketplace. From strategy development to technology and data vendor selection, to digital transformation and streamlining processes, our focus is on the customer experience. And our decades of experience working for major brands means that we deeply understand the challenges you're facing. Let us know if we can help you.


      Top photo credit: Eclipse by Eugene Atget, Metropolitan Museum of Art (public domain)

      --

      Monday, August 14, 2017

      The Full Monty — August 14, 2017


      The loner genius strikes again; all eyes on China for AI developments; machine learning will power your marketing; a creepily driverless car; let's get phygital; the pros and cons of influencers; the death of retail has been greatly exaggerated; the Amazon empire is vast and hidden; Facebook sneaks into China; Snap suddenly isn't all that; sports streaming services are on the rise; why VCs hate podcasting; the restaurant industry is falling prey to phishing attacks; the soap opera that is Uber continues; your phone has your attention even when it's off; the difference between amateurs and professionals; and more in the Hey, Kool-Aid! edition of The Full Monty. Don't forget check out where Brain+Trust is speaking (final section below).


      Good content takes time and energy to produce. Time to step up and support what you believe.  

      You know you want to



      The Full Monty, a Brain+Trust Partners publication, exposes you to virtually everything you need in business intelligence at the top of every week. Links are below with commentary in italics. Please sign up for our email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing. And please click send your colleagues to this page to sign up as well.

      We've got all of these links — and those that didn't make the cut for publication — in The Full Monty Magazine on Flipboard.



      Top Stories

      • Amid the fallout from the Google memo, we're finding that the loner genius nerd may be something of a myth. After all, programming for better customer experience means that interpersonal skills like collaboration, communication, empathy and emotional intelligence are essential to the job.
      • While the usual elements of diversity are being debated—gender and race—there's another more insidious 'ism' that flies under the radar: age discrimination in Silicon Valley.




      Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Autonomous

      The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and autonomous everything.

      AUTONOMOUS




      Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

      Industry developments and trends, including retail, fake news, customer experience, content marketing, and influencer relations.


      THIS WEEK IN RETAIL:



      SPONSOR

      Want to know what 500 marketers (budgets up to $10 million) believe and how those beliefs influence their behaviors when it comes to hiring and firing agencies just like yours?

      Don't miss this FREE 16 page report, full of information, insight and guidance on how to best approach prospects based on the findings.

      Some of the results are going to really surprise you.

      If you're seeing this, maybe you'd like to see your company's name here too. Let us know.


      Platforms 

      News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.

      FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP

      • Facebook is banned in China. So the company released a stealth photo sharing app — one that doesn't contain Facebook's name.
      • Facebook also launched Dynamic Ads for Real Estate: targeted real estate ads for Facebook and Instagram, giving it a direct challenge to Zillow. While you have all of your information already on Facebook, it might be a stretch for the company to take over Zillow's role. After all, would you want your house price associated directly with your profile?
      • Facebook shut down teen-focused network Lifestage a year after its launch. Now that it has replicated Snapchat in Instagram and to a degree within Messenger, Facebook's job is done

      SNAP

      ALPHABET / GOOGLE

      • YouTube is entering the mobile messaging space. The Alphabet division launched a new sharing feature in its mobile app that allows users to send their friends videos and chat from within a new tab in the mobile app. Look out, Snap — you're surrounded.


      Media

      The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.

      VIDEO

      AUDIO



      SPONSOR

      This sponsor spot is open. If you're seeing this and would like to see your company or message here, please get in touch.


      Regulatory / Security 

      Business disruptions in the legal, regulatory, and computer security fields, from hacking to the on-demand economy and more.

      SECURITY / HACKING:

      • Simple phishing attacks are delivering complex malware to restaurant chains. Researchers recently came across a new JScript backdoor called Bateleur, which is being distributed by the FIN7 (aka Carbanak) hacker group in phishing emails targeting U.S.-based restaurant chains. The threat is distributed in an email sent from an Outlook.com or Gmail account, with the message, “here is the check as discussed.” Attached to the email is a Word document containing a macro. Be careful out there.
      • HBO leaks continue, with a hacker posting several episodes from Curb Your Enthusiasm and four other HBO series including Insecure and Ballers. We haven't been able to verify if Larry David accidentally leaked the episodes himself, in an effort to show Cheryl that he hadn't written her out of the show.

        ON-DEMAND ECONOMY



        Measurement / Analytics / Data

        The future is not in plastics, but in data. Those who know how to measure and analyze it will rule the world.


        Mental Nourishment

        Other links to help you reflect, improve, or simply learn something new.



        Do you like what you see here? Please subscribe to have trends on digital communications, marketing, technology and business delivered to your inbox each Monday.


        patreon.com/scottmonty

        Between this and the podcast, it's a lot of work. Does this provide any kind of value to you? If so, please consider joining as a patron.



        Upcoming Brain+Trust Speaking Engagements

        Can we speak for your organization? Drop us a line.


        Brain+Trust Partners doesn't believe in gobbledygook — we use common sense strategic guidance to help you master the evolving marketplace. From strategy development to technology and data vendor selection, to digital transformation and streamlining processes, our focus is on the customer experience. And our decades of experience working for major brands means that we deeply understand the challenges you're facing. Let us know if we can help you.


        Top photo credit: Sea Cove by Albert Bierstadt, Metropolitan Museum of Art (public domain)

        --

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