“I cannot control how I am perceived, I can only control how I am presented.”
This quote came from (of all places) Tim Gunn’s guide to style TV show. (it was on in the background while I was working… honest)
It’s the same for our brands and websites. Do what we can and ignore the uncontrollables.
While chatting with Duncan Riley over espresso I found out:
Web 2.0 bible techcrunch has more page views than the Sydney Morning Herald and The Melbourne Age combined.
The question is which one will drive our web start up further?
We all agree that media is changing – “ing”, not “ed”.
So it still makes sense to consider both options for our limited marketing and startup budgets.
So here’s a simple summary of each:
Old media
Costs a lot, but is really quick. Reaches people who might not have been looking for you. Leverages solid infrastructure so demands less human capital. But has a high wastage rate. Suits mass markets
New media
Usually free, and reaches those who are seeking you. Can be quick, but only for the lucky few who nail ideas people want to spread. Uses fragmented infrastructure so requires more man hours. Leaves a digital footprint and so effort compounds. Suits niches.
Until old & new media fully merge, we need to allocate budgets. But it’s also important we remember we can replace money with time when we are financially constrained.
There is no shortage of television shows about holidays.
Let’s call it Holiday Porn… Lot’s of visuals, quite stimulating, high end holidays with locations and activities which are largely out of reach for most people. Who can really afford to drive a Ferrari down the Amalfi coast?
A lot of sizzle, not much sausage. So they generally leave you feeling a little unsatisfied.
Australian media start up Abundant Media have done a nice piece of game changing with their new TV show Holidaysforsale.tv
A simple concept: Everything you see on the show is for sale – You can watch the show, then jump on line and book the exact same holiday. The exact stuff you see and they do. No tricks.
This Australian media startup has in a very short time proven that there is room for innovation even in a crowded market space.
And here’s the bit I love the most, they are so focused on doing, that they’ve sold in their TV show to channel 9, produced it and aired it, and they haven’t even built their own corporate website yet! – Check it here: http://www.abundantmedia.com.au/ Bootstrapping Gold.
Yep – they’re focused on making it happen, not stuff which is nice to do.
I was in a session with the ‘School of thinking’ founder Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson on Friday. (he co-founded this organization with guru Edward De Bono)
The session was amazing. I wrote down a particular quote which resonated with me:
“The perfect pitch being worked on at your desk can send you out of business. The imperfect pitch being presented to a customer can keep you in business.”
Get out there.
The latest trick of many airlines is to segregate elements of their product cost
– Introducing the “Fuel Surcharge”
Apparently this provides pricing transparency. Thanks Mr Airline, but we know the price of oil is rising.
Isn’t fuel a fundamental input cost for airlines? (30%)
Do they think we care what their input costs are?
Do they realize that we’d rather the total price – no tricks?
Do they know it reduces ‘trust’ in their brand and industry?
And just to show my total disdain for fragmented and aggregated pricing here’s a few questions I’d like to propose to the airline Industry:
Does Nike have a shoe lace surcharge?
Does Ford charge extra for the steering wheel?
Does Coke have an aluminum can surcharge?
Does Nokia charge extra for the buttons on the cell phone?
Fuel is not an ‘optional extra’. So work it out, include it and charge us a price. That’s what business is…. Businesses are meant to be working this stuff out to reduce the complexity in our lives. That’s what business does.
No wonder airlines have the highest business failure rate of any industry, and the worst profitability of any Industry in history. (which by the way is a net negative over the past 100 years)
Start up blog says: Consumers hate ‘Oh, by the way’ charges. Avoid them at all costs.
Here’s a list of business bubbles you may / may not have heard of:
Tulip bubble – 1630’s tulip’s sold for more than houses!
South Sea Bubble – 1720
Bull market of 1920’s – resulted in the great depression
Japanese asset price bubble – Commercial real estate selling for US$1.5m per square meter!
Real estate bubble every 10 years or so… You’ve just lived through one!
Tech wreck (dot com)– Companies with negative cash flow valued over 1 billion!
Sub prime / hedge fund bubble 2008 – We’re yet to see all of this…
Green Marketing bubble ? – This one’s coming watch out!
Many business bubbles are focused in new industries where startups are abound.
Here’s when to get nervous. When you hear the words ’it’s different this time’, or people are overly focused on industry growth and the so called – revolution.
Here’s when there is no need to get nervous. When your business model based on basic business fundamentals like cashflow and growth in your net cash position. Startups take heed.
For 1000’s of years business and industries never grown much over 10% p.a. once compounded. Yes, there’ll be exceptions like Microsoft in the early 1980’s. But generally speaking when things are predicted to grow at rates above 20%, and valuations are more than 20 time earnings….get suspicious, very suspicious.