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.
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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.
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.
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.
- Tech addiction is a real and dangerous phenomenon. The new Center for Humane Technology, helmed by Google's former design ethicist, wants to do something about it.
- In order to get there, some technologists need to adopt humanism.
- If tech addiction is real and here to stay, then let's manage tech rather than let it manage us. Flipboard goes all-in with its refreshing approach.
Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous
The latest in AI, machine learning, bots, and blockchain, mobility, and autonomous everything.ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / MACHINE LEARNING
- The folks at Bain believe that automation alone could erase 20% to 25% of jobs, hitting low and middle income workers the hardest.
- Even with all of the hype around robots replacing jobs, it's a good bet that the workplace of the future will be more human, not less. Cognitive technology will require skills that machines are unlikely to possess any time in the near future.
- Indeed, such changes mean we'll need a global workforce to advance the artificial intelligence industry. Just how shallow is the A.I. talent pool?
- An interesting philosophical question from a marketing student recently addressed the collision of A.I. and creative destruction: "Shouldn’t we be focused on creating jobs for people instead of destroying them?"
- Machines can do pretty much anything that’s repetitive. So, the new world requires a different sort of person. Changemakers are people who can see the patterns around them, identify the problems in any situation, figure out ways to solve the problem, organize fluid teams, lead collective action and then continually adapt as situations change. Hmm. Kind of like Brain+Trust Partners...
AUTONOMOUS / MOBILITY
- Alphabet’s urban innovation arm, Sidewalk Labs, announced a new side-project called Coord. The goal is to build out a cloud-based platform that serves as the connective tissue for a city’s transportation services — everything from ridesharing to bike sharing to public transit.
- There's a good chance that self-driving trucks may be good for truckers. Perhaps for the rest of us too. Although there are down sides as well.
- In the latest episode of The Difference from Brain+Trust Partners, Christopher Barger discusses what's missing in the chatter about autonomous vehicles.
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
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.- Online grocery shopping is growing significantly, and consumers' shopping data is informing how grocery retailers are managing the customer journey.
- Shoppers who are part of the subscription e-commerce market (think Dollar Shave Club, Quip, Beauty Box) value different things. From the element of surprise through curation, to saving time and money, to exclusivity, here's a look at trends and opportunities with subscription e-commerce customers.
- L.L. Bean's return policy was legendary, as they were willing to take back any item that they ever sold, if it was damaged or worn out. However, the Maine company is imposing limits on its return policy, citing consumer fraud. This is why we can't have nice things.
- Brands can't remain reliant on distribution networks that are owned by third parties, where they're subject to the whims and changes of companies they can't impact. Direct to consumer selling will save brands in the long run.
- Walmart has acquired virtual reality start-up Spatialand, which will joins Walmart's tech incubator Store No. 8. Did you even know that Walmart has a tech incubator?
- Amazon is testing its own shipping service called —wait for it— Shipping with Amazon. The service is being tested in Los Angeles and will compete with UPS and FedEx. Given Amazon's scale, this could have a significant impact on the delivery giants. Both stocks were down last week on the news.
- Amazon is also launching free two-hour delivery service for Whole Foods orders. But count on human nature to complicate things. Can you imagine how many impulse orders may result, leading to more traffic, higher fuel consumption, and a more complex logistics system?
- Oh, and let's not forget the mess made by Amazon's HQ2 selection process. See how your city fares:
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Platforms
News to know about relevant social, virtual, and augmented reality platforms that may affect your business.- Twitter posted its first-ever quarterly profit in Q4 2017. And Wall Street responded accordingly.
- Perspective. Twitter's stock has lost $2 billion since going public; Facebook's stock has gained $34 billion.
- Even as its stock is soaring, Twitter's live video service Periscope is suffering from neglect. So much so that we removed it from this section header (as we did with Vine previously).
- The disinformation campaign online continues. How Twitter recycles Cold War techniques to sow political division. Pay attention.
FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / WHATSAPP
- Facebook hired a full-time pollster to monitor Mark Zuckerberg's image. He quit after 6 months. Evidently, he decided Facebook is bad for the world and never going to change.
- Facebook is testing a “downvote” button on some comments for users to give feedback to company, with options like “Offensive,” “Misleading,” and “Off Topic.” Finally. No more need for all of those "Angry" votes.
- Recognizing that video is the secret to success, Facebook is planning a more direct assault on YouTube, including talking to media buyers about expanding Watch to more individual creators and creating an advertising system where everyone would get a split of revenue.
- Instagram is testing its version of the retweet through Stories. It's Instagram meets Twitter meets Snapchat.
MICROSOFT / LINKEDIN
- As Facebook's reliability falters based on recent algorithm changes, more publishers are turning to LinkedIn.
SNAP / SNAPCHAT
- Snap is trying to lure Instagram advertisers by offering free ads on Snapchat. Oh Snap!
- Snap is launching a tool to let TV networks show live broadcasts directly in the app, and is beginning with live coverage of the Olympics and NBC.
Media
The latest in the world of streaming video, audio, and the advertising, pricing and bundling models related to them.VIDEO
- The chairman and CEO of Turner says that the future of television is happening now, with a world of infinite choices at our fingertips.
- The Walt Disney Company announced the company's streaming sports package ESPN Plus will be $4.99 a month.
AUDIO
- How podcasts are breaking through on video-obsessed social media.
- HBO is getting into podcasts. The premium cable network has signed a deal with the hosts of the popular “Pod Save America” podcast to broadcast a series of hour-long TV specials later this year.
- The 6 Eminently Disprovable Rules For Roundtable Podcasting. (NPR)
- Apple is set to take over Spotify on the number of U.S. subscribers. Apple’s U.S. subscriber-account base has been growing about 5% a month, versus No. 1 Spotify’s 2% clip. They also have an additional revenue stream(s).
- It is more important than ever for brand marketers to understand the value of connecting with consumers via voice and audio programming. The Smart Audio Report from Edison Research and NPR gets into the numbers.
- Apple's new HomePod speakers have great sound, but aren't all that smart.
- Program of the Week: This week's show is You Must Remember This, the podcast that dishes dirt on old-world Hollywood. 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
- Google says Chrome will mark all HTTP sites as “not secure” starting in July 2018 with release of Chrome 68. Time to get your HTTPS in place.
- Tracking shows that Russia is preparing to meddle in U.S. midterm elections. And they're already doing it by using techniques like newsjacking, where they feed off of news, events and even established hashtags to contribute to propaganda and misinformation.
- When it comes to cyber crimes, how do you fight something you can’t see, and may not even know is right there in front of you?
ON-DEMAND ECONOMY
- Drivers don't trust Uber (get in line!). And now Uber is doing all it can to win them back.
- Uber and Waymo settled their high-profile lawsuit, with Waymo getting 0.34 percent of Uber's equity, or approximately $245 million. Interesting, in that the all-equity settlement means that Waymo is betting on Uber's future.
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.- Data-driven marketing is on the rise, with more than three-quarters of marketers agreeing that the practice is well-positioned to grow in the future. Respondents to a new DMA survey reported investment increases across all data-driven marketing channels, both online and offline.
- Researchers ran William Shakespeare's work through plagiarism software. You'll never guess the results on the playwright who penned "my revenue is the silly cheat." (A Winter's Tale)
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.")
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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.
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