Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Full Monty: This Again? — February 26, 2018


It's a matter of trust (again); the dangers of artificial intelligence - and what we're doing about it; an IQ test between Google Home and Amazon Echo; going electric in China; the ad industry faces a pivotal moment; print journalism may only have another 10 years; Walmart's secret weapon against Amazon; Facebook faces its first decline ever; the case against Google; more cord cutters mean less TV ad revenue; the impact of the GDPR; ridesharing may do more harm than good; measure what matters; what you consume defines what you create; plus, the latest edition of The Difference; and more in the This Again? edition of The Full Monty from Brain+Trust Partners for the week of February 26, 2018.



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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.

We've got all of these links — and those that didn't make the cut for publication — in The Full Monty Magazine on Flipboard. You might also be interested in the Brain Trust magazine, as well as Salmagundi by Christopher Barger and Saddle Up by Tim Hayden.






Top Stories

It seems like we just covered this topic. Or perhaps more likely, that we never stopped covering it. I'm talking about fake news. No, not the kind you hear squawked from behind a podium or a high-profile Twitter account. The actual, deliberate and deceitful kind.

From videos that spew conspiracy theories to bot accounts on Twitter to downright breach of privacy, there are a number of reasons to be wary of technology companies and the agents at play on them. And without some kind of reassurance, our level of trust is going to continue to dwindle.

We need trust not only in the accounts and content on these platforms, but we need trust from these technology providers as well. They should be looking out for the public's best interest, not their own bottom line.

And right now, we're at a pivotal moment where they need to step up. Swiftly and decisively.





Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

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

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / MACHINE LEARNING


    AUTONOMOUS / MOBILITY

    • UPS is developing its own fleet of electric delivery trucks. It'll need them in the fight with Amazon. But the logistics provider has always been clever about its fleet operation, and you can bet that connected electric trucks will be smart.
    • China’s Didi Chuxing is teaming up with 12 automakers including the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance to build an electric-vehicle-sharing network in the world’s largest auto market. China, on the cusp again.
    • One of the biggest headaches for makers of autonomous vehicles: keeping the vehicles clean. Dirty sensors = poor self-driving ability. Which is why winter autonomous driving is not fully developed.

    BLOCKCHAIN

    • Blockchain explained: it builds trust when you need it. Hmm. Maybe it could help with fake news and the above AI issues...


    READ THIS BOOK

    It's an important aspect of many things: joke telling, sales calls, and more. Timing matters. Dan Pink's new book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing breaks this down.



     


    Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

    Industry developments and trends, including advertising & marketing, journalism, customer experience, content, and influencer relations.

    STRATEGY / MARKETING / CONTENT

    JOURNALISM / COMMUNICATIONS / REPUTATION



    Retail Apocalypse

    Humans are a transactional species, and the practice — if not the very notion of what retail is  is undergoing a historical metamorphosis. 


    SPONSOR

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    Some of the results are going to really surprise you.

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    Platforms 

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


    TWITTER

    FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP

    ALPHABET / GOOGLE/ YOUTUBE

        SNAP / SNAPCHAT

        OTHER



        Media

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

        VIDEO

        AUDIO

        • The New York Times announced that it’s working with American Public Media to repackage its wildly successful daily news podcast The Daily as a thirty-minute broadcast for distribution to public radio stations starting in April.
        • Pandora Premium is expanding to the web. The Spotify competitor lets its subscribers listen to specific songs and already has an app.
        • McDonald's released The Sauce, its three-episode story behind the re-relase of its legendary Szechuan sauce (and the distribution gaffe that accompanied it).
        • Apple's new HomePod speakers have great sound, but aren't all that smart.
        • Program of the Week: This week's show recommendation is Business Wars. Epic battles for control of corporate America, from the infamous wars between Coke and Pepsi or McDonalds and Burger King, to small businesses across the country struggling to survive intense competition from local rivals. Do you have a program to recommend? Add yours to our Google Sheet: smonty.co/yourpodcasts.  
        Don't forget to subscribe to The Difference from Brain+Trust Partners!



        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 week.


          patreon.com/scottmonty

          Does this publication provides any kind of value to you? Then please show it! Become a regular supporter.



          Upcoming Brain+Trust Speaking Engagements

          • We'll be at IBM's THINK conference and the National Automobile Dealers Association annual meeting in Las Vegas in March.
          Can we speak for your organization or event? 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, and streamlining processes, our focus is on digital business transformation that improves customer experience and drives efficiency for your company. 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 image credit: Sunset After a Storm on the Coast of Sicily by Andreas Achenbach, public domain.

          -- 

          Monday, February 12, 2018

          The Full Monty: The Struggle is Real — February 12, 2018


          Put down the tech and pick up some better habits; jobs or no jobs, we need to focus on the A.I. talent pool; find a changemaker; digital transformation still has a ways to go; trends in e-commerce; how free two-hour delivery may complicate things; Twitter finally makes a profit; Facebook goes all-in against YouTube; the future of TV is here; podcasts are breaking through in a crowded video market; how to fight something you can't see; data-driven marketing is growing; self-compassion beats self-confidence; and more in The Struggle Is Real edition of The Full Monty from Brain+Trust Partners for the week of February 12, 2018.



          Please consider becoming patron to show how you value the work that goes into this newsletter


          You know you want to

          If you find this newsletter indispensable, then show it.    



          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.

          We've got all of these links — and those that didn't make the cut for publication — in The Full Monty Magazine on Flipboard. You might also be interested in the Brain Trust magazine, as well as Salmagundi by Christopher Barger and Saddle Up by Tim Hayden.

          Programming note: The Full Monty will not publish the week of February 20, due to travel and holiday schedules.




          Top Stories

          You may think that the problems and challenges we're met with in the 21st century are unique and new. But if you look at the cycles of innovation, technology, and change over the course of the last few thousand years, something becomes evident: human nature doesn't change.

          We complain about advancing technology. We moan to our children that "when I was your age..." something something. Even Cicero, in his oration against Verres in the first century B.C., lamented "O tempora! O mores!" which translates to "Oh what times! Oh what manners!" It's human nature to be concerned with the customs that govern our behavior — especially when those customs are threatened by some upheaval or disruption.

          And just like clockwork, our technological solutions came along but weren't accompanied by ethical solutions. We've substituted mindless entertainment for quiet reflection (as we opined in the Enough Already edition of the newsletter). We've become fixated on watching other people's stream of updates on various social networks instead of doing what enriches us and helps us improve ourselves.

          So do yourself a favor: consciously get out of the online rut you're in. Put down your phone and pick up a book. Instead of opening your laptop, talk a walk. Spend time with your family, talking to your parents or children, or writing (yes, actually physically writing!) a note to a friend. Because without technology (beware the zombie apocalypse!), they're all you've got.




          Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

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

          ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / MACHINE LEARNING

            AUTONOMOUS / MOBILITY


            READ THIS BOOK

            We're hooked on our smartphones and we need to do something about it. So put down your device and pick up a book, such as The Power of Off by Nancy Colier.

             


            Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

            Industry developments and trends, including advertising & marketing, journalism, customer experience, content, and influencer relations.

            STRATEGY / MARKETING / CONTENT

            • Digital transformation is expected to boost the bottom line of companies by more than 50% in the next five years. And we're not there yet. We're not even close. [NOTE: this is Brain+Trust Partners' specialty. Please consider getting in touch if you have questions.]
            • People around the world seem to be developing more negative than positive reactions to the evolution of advertising over the past few years, according to a review of results from Kantar Millward Brown’s latest AdReaction study. About 7 in 10 feel that ads are more intrusive now, but half think that ads are doing a better job of storytelling. What's the answer? More ads!
            • Mobile email conversions match desktop email conversions for the first time, according to a study by Yes Lifecycle Marketing. Purchases on smartphones rose 33 percent and desktop continues to drive a higher average order value.  Expect more of this as people continue to spend more time on their mobile devices and the customer experience improves.
            • Where do U.S. ad buyers go for the best return on investment (ROI)? To the industry leaders, naturally.

            JOURNALISM / COMMUNICATIONS / REPUTATION

            • The "failing" New York Times reported its earnings last week. Its subscription revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2017, adding more than 150,000 digital subscribers in Q4. This is an encouraging statistic amid many publications that are struggling to balance their print and digital presences profitably.


            Retail Apocalypse

            Humans are a transactional species, and the practice — if not the very notion of what retail is  is undergoing a historical metamorphosis. 


            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.

            TWITTER

            FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP

            MICROSOFT / LINKEDIN

                SNAP / SNAPCHAT




                Media

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

                VIDEO

                AUDIO

                Don't forget to subscribe to The Difference from Brain+Trust Partners!



                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.
                  • Tired of hearing people prescribing more self-confidence as the solution for what ails you? Perhaps you need to try self-compassion, which encourages you to acknowledge your flaws and limitations, allowing you to look at yourself from a more objective and realistic point of view. Don't beat yourself up for who you're not; focus on your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses.
                  • It's the moment gingers everywhere have been waiting for. Redheads will finally get emojis this year.
                  • A peek into the borrowing records at the private New York Society Library reveals the reading habits of writers like Roald Dahl, Herman Melville, and Malcolm Cowley, among others.
                  • From a reflective 45 year-old, here are 12 rules for life. ("Don't just pay people compliments; give them eulogies." "Be kind. Mean is easy; kind is hard.")



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


                  patreon.com/scottmonty

                  Does this publication provides any kind of value to you? Then please show it! Become a regular supporter.



                  Upcoming Brain+Trust Speaking Engagements

                  • We'll be at IBM's THINK conference and the National Automobile Dealers Association annual meeting in Las Vegas in March.
                  Can we speak for your organization or event? 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, and streamlining processes, our focus is on digital business transformation that improves customer experience and drives efficiency for your company. 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 image credit: Ships Running Aground During a Storm by Ludolf Bakhuizen, 1690s, public domain.

                  -- 

                  Tuesday, February 6, 2018

                  The Full Monty: Amazon For ___ — February 5, 2018


                  Make no mistake: Amazon is coming for your industry; the complete guide to artificial intelligence; autonomous vehicles are perfect for collecting data (especially by law enforcement); the Auto:Motive 20/20 e-book; the case against buyer personas; the most trusted companies; leadership lessons galore; Walmart's reputation is immune from bad news; more tech is coming to e-commerce; Facebook is getting more aggressive; keep your eye on MoviePass; Equifax is getting off; ride-hailing companies don't want you to own autonomous vehicles; predictions for data and analytics; find out how moral you are; and more in the Amazon For ___ edition of The Full Monty from Brain+Trust Partners for the week of February 5, 2018.



                  Please consider becoming patron to show how you value the work that goes into this newsletter


                  You know you want to

                  If you find this newsletter indispensable, then show it.    



                  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.

                  We've got all of these links — and those that didn't make the cut for publication — in The Full Monty Magazine on Flipboard. You might also be interested in the Brain Trust magazine, as well as Salmagundi by Christopher Barger and Saddle Up by Tim Hayden.

                  We're going to be making some slight changes to the newsletter in the near future, and we'll be asking for your feedback to ensure that we're not doing so in a vacuum. Please stay tuned.




                  Top Stories

                  Jeff Bezos is now the richest man in the world. And he's not only the richest in terms of financial holdings, but in terms of data, market share and mind share. Amazon has ruined virtually every customer experience for us, because whether or not Amazon plays in a particular market, the very experience of using their service has elevated what shopping should be.

                  With more than 64 percent of U.S. households participating in Amazon Prime, we want our goods and we want them now. And we want more complex transactions such as healthcare and car buying to match those experiences. While car dealers will always fall back on the weak excuse of franchise laws, they're already in a precarious spot, with low trust and favorability from consumers; if Amazon did a head-fake in the automotive direction, you can bet that markets would be rattled.

                  And so it was last week in healthcare, when Amazon, along with Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced a collective whereby the three companies would address healthcare challenges and develop a more cost-effective system for their employees. And as you would expect, the healthcare market was spooked, and stocks dropped.

                  All it takes is a head-fake from Amazon and market cap gets erased in an instant. It doesn't matter what industry you're in; Amazon wants to be there — or at least has the potential to be there. You know that little arrow that makes up Amazon's logo? That's not just a smile. It points from A to Z. And you can bet Amazon is going to get there.




                  Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

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

                  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / MACHINE LEARNING

                    AUTONOMOUS / MOBILITY


                    Brain+Trust Partners recently debuted the publication of Auto:Motive 20/20, a look at what's moving the future of the car industry. Did you miss it? There's still time to download it.

                     Auto:Motive 20/20 by Brain+Trust Partners



                    READ THIS BOOK

                    In light of the Super Bowl ads that are the talk of the industry, here's a must-read from Tom Fishburne. Your Ad Ignored Here is a compilation of some of his best work from marketoonist.com.

                     


                    Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

                    Industry developments and trends, including advertising & marketing, journalism, customer experience, content, and influencer relations.

                    STRATEGY / MARKETING / CONTENT

                    JOURNALISM / COMMUNICATIONS / REPUTATION

                    • Alignable released its most recent small business (SMB) Trust Index Report, and Amazon and Google were ranked as the two most trusted companies. SMB marketing companies and ad products such as Facebook Ads and AdWords fared poorly by comparison. Is anyone else picking up on the irony that they want all of your data, but they’re the most trusted...
                    • How does Walmart's reputation play into customer loyalty? It turns out that bad news doesn't have much of an effect on shoppers; many value a company’s “social consciousness and overall kindness” instead.
                    • Sam Maule interviewed Brain+Trust Partners' CEO Scott Monty on Connection Interrupted to talk about lessons in leadership — from his experience with former Ford CEO Alan Mulally and what he learned from three of the best interviewers in history.
                    • Want the secret to good leadership? It starts with one thing.


                    Retail Apocalypse

                    Humans are a transactional species, and the practice — if not the very notion of what retail is  is undergoing a historical metamorphosis. 


                    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.

                    TWITTER / PERISCOPE

                    FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP

                    ALPHABET / GOOGLE / YOUTUBE




                        Media

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

                        VIDEO

                        AUDIO

                        • The $220 million podcast industry is poised to significantly expand as Hollywood offers lucrative new revenue opportunities. Gimlet Media is creating Gimlet Pictures to capitalize on the opportunity.
                        • The new measurement platform from Apple Podcasts is showing that podcast listeners are faithful and attentive — exactly the kind of attributes advertisers want in an audience.
                        • Program of the Week: Since conspiracy theories seem to have dominated last week's news cycles, we give you The Polybius Conspiracy from Radiotopia, a complex story of two men united by a decades-old urban legend. Polybius, a mysterious arcade game from the '80s whose alleged existence in the Pacific Northwest is fueled by myth and an obsessive online fan base. Do you have a program to recommend? Add yours to our Google Sheet: smonty.co/yourpodcasts.  



                        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 week.


                          patreon.com/scottmonty

                          Does this publication provides any kind of value to you? Then please show it! Become a regular supporter.



                          Upcoming Brain+Trust Speaking Engagements

                          • We'll be at IBM's THINK conference and the National Automobile Dealers Association annual meeting in Las Vegas in March.
                          Can we speak for your organization or event? 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, and streamlining processes, our focus is on digital business transformation that improves customer experience and drives efficiency for your company. 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 image credit: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. "View of Seattle, looking toward Puget Sound." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1874.

                          -- 

                          Learn from the Past to Inform Your Future

                          The Full Monty in Person


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