The Full Monty: Labor's Lost – September 4, 2018

Fewer teens on certain social platforms; speaking in Cleveland this week; Alexa is branching out; how A.I. is set to change digital marketing; the problem(s) with Waymo; email still works; CMOs need a broad range of skills to fill gaps; what people want in transparency from brands; how Kenmore ended up on the scrap-heap; Twitter's CEO isn't just twiddling his thumbs; Facebook moderators deleted posts from the Anne Frank Center; Google has the perfect response to a hoax; Netflix doesn't want to be associated with binge watching; podcasting's rise means opportunities for marketers; Google got in bed with a credit card company; scooters are catching on; which social listening tools are best; where we go when we read; plus the podcast pick of the week and more in the Labor's Lost edition of The Full Monty for the week of September 4, 2018.

The Full Monty 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 check out The Full Monty on Flipboard.

Announcements

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Top Story

If you're reading this and you're from the U.S., welcome back from the Labor Day holiday. If you're outside of the U.S., welcome to September.

As we return from breaks from our screens over the weekend, here are a few data points to consider:

Gen Z has grown up online. So why are an increasing number of them turning their backs on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat?
Facebook is not popular with teens; the social network behemoth is expected to lose 2.2 million teens by 2022.
Kids in France are heading back to school without their phones.

Whether it's paper or electronic, the consumption of information does not fulfill us. What does fulfill us: Journaling our thoughts. Taking in the sights and smells of nature during a walk. Talking with a friend.

A quote to think about, as you devour this week's edition:

"He hath not eat paper, as it were; he hath not

drunk ink; his intellect is not replenished."

– William Shakespeare

Love's Labour's Lost, Act. IV

Thanks this week to content-spotters: Christopher Penn (subscribe to his newsletter), Gini Dietrich (read her blog), Chad Mitchell (marvel at his tweets), Scott Stratten (listen to his podcast), Benedict Evans (subscribe to his newsletter), Tom Martin (buy his book), and Chris Brogan (check out his stuff)

I hand-curate all of the content you see below (plus other stories on Flipboard that don't make the newsletter). If you've got something you think I should see, @ me on Twitter, Facebook, or email.

Speaking Engagements

I'm looking to increase my speaking engagements – including executive briefings / workshops and keynotes. I'd be glad to speak to your organization or at your event. Feel free to contact me to discuss it.

Content Marketing World in Cleveland, September 4-6 (THIS WEEK!).
Digital Summit Detroit September 12-13.
Brandemonium in Cincinnati, October 3-4
Pubcon in Las Vegas, October 16-18
Which marketing conferences should you attend? Christopher Penn has some suggestions.

Artificial Intelligence / Autonomous

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

Aʀᴛɪꜰɪᴄɪᴀʟ Iɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ / Mᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ Lᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ

Amazon's Alexa assistant now works with 20,000 devices – up from just 4,000 in January. (CNET) A sign of first mover advantage and of Amazon's incessant promotion. We'll see if it spills over into other players like Google.
The potential for voice commerce to upend brand loyalty is an issue that’s on the horizon for brands. (MarketingCharts) Depends on how many choices we want and how we take audio cues.
This changes everything: how A.I. is transforming digital marketing. (Top Rank) Don't worry about your day job but do figure out how you can adapt. There are things that A.I. can do more efficiently than you and help you with your job.
Microsoft is adding automated transcription capabilities to OneDrive for your video and audio files. Tough to see exactly how deep it will cut, but we may see a hit on small A.I.-driven startups that offer transcriptions for a fee.

Aᴜᴛᴏɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs / Mᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ

Auto makers promise "autonomous" technology, but it will be years before we get self-driving cars that can go anywhere. Self-Driving Hype Doesn't Reflect Reality (WSJ) It's not like we didn't see this coming, even without Lidar...
Waymo is running into some tech trouble with its testing program in Arizona. Namely: its cars are having trouble at T-intersections. (The Information) And the locals are incensed. (CNBC) Slow non-autonomous drivers are super-frustrating. I can't imagine behind behind a vehicle that doesn't even care if you honk.
AutoX, which has raised $43 million since 2016, launched a pilot to deliver groceries by autonomous cars to an area of about 400 homes in north San Jose. (Techcrunch)
Toyota is investing $500 million in Uber, valuing it at ~$72 billion, and will jointly develop driverless vehicles as part of the deal. (WSJ)
Three ways companies can adapt to the challenge presented by smart cities. (Medium/McKinsey)

Communications / Marketing / Business Strategy

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

Sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ / Mᴀʀᴋᴇᴛɪɴɢ / Cᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ

That trend to bring agency work in-house? Some advertisers are finding it a bit difficult to operate and are reversing course. (Digiday) In our next episode of As the Pendulum Swings...
CMOs need a broad range of skills to fill the gaps and bridge the silos that exist within marketing. (Forbes)
Amazon is planning to launch a new free, ad-supported video app to further boost its ad business by preying on the $70 billion TV advertising market. (Fast Company) Because, why not? Amazon has pretty much gotten into everything else.

Related: Amazon is moving aggressively into the $88 billion digital ad market, to compete with Facebook and Google. (NY Times) Now that's what I call targeting.

The three lists you should create for every influencer marketing campaign, to extend beyond the norm. (Spin Sucks)
Email isn't social media, but it works. (eMarketer) And guess what? An email address is required for every social media account.

Cᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ Mᴀʀᴋᴇᴛɪɴɢ

With Content Marketing World happening this week, here's a special section dedicated to content marketing.

If you're at an agency, there's plenty of room for you to get involved with content marketing. (Spin Sucks)

Okay, you've got a content strategy. Maybe you've had one for a while. But when is it time to update your content strategy? (The Content Standard)

Content Marketing World success tips. (BrainTrust Insights) Don't leave home without it.

Jᴏᴜʀɴᴀʟɪsᴍ / Cᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs / Rᴇᴘᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

People want brands to be more transparent on social media. That means things like admitting mistakes and giving honest answers. (Marketing Charts) It's not that difficult.
New strategies for actionable thought leadership at B2B organizations. (Agility PR)
The power of brevity: "As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing." (ScottMonty.com)
Episode 44 of The Full Monty was all about the simpler the better: taking complex ideas and making them simple but not simplistic will improve the uptake of your vision, strategy and message. (The Full Monty)

Retail Apocalypse

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

Retail is booming and some stores recognize that, thanks to Amazon, people don't want to have to work to shop. (NY Times) The power of Amazon to transform industries – particularly its own.

Related: the Impact of Amazon Prime on Whole Foods. (Sense360)

The number of independent bookstores in the United States has soared in the past 10 years. (Statista) The widespread notion that Amazon is somehow killing indy bookstores is simply false. What Amazon did kill was the big box bookstores (Borders, Barnes & Noble), which actually helped indy bookstores.

Walmart launched a new online “Premium Outdoor Store” curated by Moosejaw. It's the first of Walmart’s many recent acquisitions to get its own designated storefront on the Walmart website, offering a glimpse of the discount retailer’s long-term strategy to take on Amazon. (Techcrunch)
How Sears' once-proud Kenmore brand is now on the scrap heap. (CNN Money) Kenmore is the perfect embodiment of Sears’ downfall. How a once towering brand met its demise. Recall that the storied brand Craftsman is already gone.

“Is not his story a microcosm of the whole? We reach. We grasp. And what is left in our hands at the end? A shadow. Or worse than a shadow — misery."

– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Now's the time to review the 2018 Retail Forecast for Women's Footwear. It's got the most popular, searched-for brands, types of footwear, and retailers for the 2018 season. If you download it, it will help you determine the optimal weeks to begin your most aggressive marketing and advertising and have a measurable impact on sales.

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Platforms

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

Fᴀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋ / Iɴsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ / WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ

Facebook moderators removed a post by the Anne Frank Center that sought to educate people about the Holocaust. (Techcrunch) Facebook moderators apparently cannot tell the difference between Holocaust history and pornography.
Facebook has added a pixel to Groups so marketers can track engaged audiences. (Digiday)
Instagram announced updates aimed at improving security: more info on accounts, like creation date; ability to apply to be verified; and two-factor authentication support. (Fortune)

Tᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ

Twitter has taken its sweet time in trying to determine who are bad actors on the platform, often times with CEO Jack Dorsey getting personally involved. (WSJ)
In an effort to make its platform easier to follow and use, Twitter is testing threaded replies and status indicators. (The Verge)
A Swedish government study says that there has been a rise in automated accounts in the weeks leading to its Sept. 9 elections. (Associated Press)
Twitter suspended nearly 800 accounts last week for "coordinated manipulation." (Engadget)
Not satisfied with showing you who to follow, Twitter is testing out showing you who to unfollow. (Slate)

Oᴛʜᴇʀ

A look inside Snap’s program that gives a small set of the biggest advertisers early access to its new augmented-reality features. (Business Insider)
Donald Trump claimed Google is biased against him, since it shows mostly negative news stories. (Buzzfeed) There's actually a good reason for that.

Naturally, Google had an answer.
As Kara Swisher made clear in her new column: Those who complain loudest about being silenced never ever shut up. (NY Times)

YouTube added “Time watched” stats to its “digital wellbeing” tools in its mobile apps. (Techcrunch)
And because no one asked for it: the LinkedIn tech recruiter message generator.

Media

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

Vɪᴅᴇᴏ

Netflix doesn't want to be associated with binge-watching. “The brand is keen to distance itself from a term that has largely negative health connotations.” (Engadget) No word on whether "Netflix and chill" is okay amid rising levels of STDs.
As OTT subscriptions increase, which markets is Netflix winning globally? (eMarketer)

Aᴜᴅɪᴏ

The rise of streaming services is one of many challenges the music industry is currently having to contend with. In the latest installment of its "The Future of Music" series, The Verge tackles another pressing issue: A.I. This piece tells the story of Taryn Southern, an artist who used A.I. to co-produce her debut album. (The Verge)
Podcasting's rise is on a continued steady path (not the "meteoric" that the headline promised). There are a number of opportunities ahead for marketers. (MarTech Today)
What LegalZoom learned over seven years of podcast advertising. (eMarketer)
How Grand Theft Auto became a powerful tool for music discovery where gamers have listened to more than 75 billion minutes of music in the last five years. (Rolling Stone)
Program of the Week: Our pick this week is Slow Burn, which reconstructs what it was like to live through recent history. I'm just catching up on Season 1, which is eerily prescient. Season 2 just kicked off. Do you have a program to recommend? Add yours to our Google Sheet: smonty.co/yourpodcasts.

And don't forget about The Full Monty, our own brief weekly bit of business commentary.

Privacy / Security / Regulatory

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

Pʀɪᴠᴀᴄʏ / Sᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ / Hᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ

Google reportedly bought your data in secret from MasterCard and then used those data to to provide select advertisers with a tool called "store sales measurement," used to track online activity to offline purchases. For four years. (Gizmodo) Um, yeah. That feeling you're getting is the need to shower. Then again, you might want to wait until after the next article.
Researchers found a way to spy on remote screens: through your webcam microphone. (Ars Technica) Lather, rinse, repeat.
Two months after GDPR became enforceable, data protection complaints have skyrocketed. However, most people believe that the regulation hasn’t affected their experience with brands.

Rᴇɢᴜʟᴀᴛᴏʀʏ / Oɴ-Dᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ Eᴄᴏɴᴏᴍʏ

California just passed the most stringent net neutrality law in the country. It bans internet providers from blocking and throttling legal content and prioritizing some sites and services over others. (The Verge)
Uber and Lyft have been accused of using shoddy background checks on drivers. (9to5 Mac)
Uber's path forward: becoming the Amazon of transportation, bundling third-party services for convenience. (Stratechery)
Airbnb is the other service that cities love to hate. In this case, Paris is cracking down on Airbnb. (Politico EU)
San Francisco granted permits for a one-year e-scooter pilot program to Scoot and Skip; Santa Monica selected Jump, Lyft, Lime, and Bird for its e-scooter pilot. (The Verge)
Dockless scooters have gained popularity – and – scorn across the U.S. (NPR) One look at the @scootersbehavingbadly Instagram account should make it clear.

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.

Forrester's report regarding social-listening tools indicates there are too few differentiators and not enough integrated use of the data across the entire enterprise. (MarTech Today)
Many organizations have great data goals and practices. So where have your data-riven efforts gone wrong? (Spin Sucks)
We know that the plural of anecdote is not data. But here’s a look at the outside impact that anecdotes play. (Farnam Street)

Mental Nourishment

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

Trouble sleeping? Here’s a military-tested trick for guaranteed slumber. (Medium) And no, it's not by reading this newsletter.
Where do we go when we read? Are we in the room, or have we disappeared between the pages? A collection of anonymous black-and-white found photographs of people lost in that liminal space between this world and a fictional one. (Paris Review)

Somewhat related: Laudanum was Victorians' favorite drug. (Mental Floss) The opioid crisis is nothing new.

Some people like to soak in a bath to take the stress away (Remember "Calgon, take me away!"?). Increasingly, people are finding solace in sound baths.
Our 16th president was filled with wisdom and led the country through one of its worst periods in its history. Discernment, disappointment, triumph and tragedy: Leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln. (McKinsey)
We have three automatic psychological responses in any disagreement. But beware. These responses protect our ego and confirm our biases, not stretch and challenge our thinking. (Farnam Street) And recall last week's entries on biases and fallacies.
See how well you do on this three-letter airport code quiz. (Quartz)

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Top image credit: Detroit Industry by Diego Rivera, 1933. Photo of North Wall Mural in the DIA (Flickr)

Tuesday, September 4, 2018