Media and the 2016 Olympics
by Brian Reich | 21 Jan 2009, 10:18pm
I was asked to share some thoughts about how media and technology will change before the 2016 Olympics - and what that should mean to the bid process, the preparations whoever is selected as host City need to make, and the sporting world in general. They were compiled on StadiTech, and interesting blog about stadium technology and innovation.
Media For 2016 Olympics Interview with ‘Media Rules!’ Author - Brian Reich
StadiaTech.com takes a look ahead at the 2016 Olympic Games and interviews Brian Reich, author of Media Rules!, on his views of media activity and technological advances for the 2016 Games.Q: What will be the three most popular personalized marketing methods by 2016?
A: I’m not sure I would describe it as a method, but I think high quality content will be the most important element of marketing in the future. The process that someone goes through when deciding whether to buy a product or make any other decision is a personal one — they are looking to satisfy their personal interests or needs. They are looking to be a part of a community or to know that their investment, whether its time or money or something else, was worthwhile. The more than marketers can adapt the messaging of their campaigns to meet individual interests, the more effective those efforts will be. In the context of sports and the Olympics, marketers should be looking at the Olympics as the ultimate experience, the chance to represent your country or live vicariously through an athlete — stories and details that make the Games accessible (through the product experience you are selling) will resonate. Second, marketers should be looking at how to create conversation about their product, especially among a friend or family member of their target. The community that surrounds a consumer has the greatest influence on their decision making, so facilitating peer-to-peer marketing is critical. Not surprisingly, people talk about the Olympics, the achievements of the athletes, the triumphs and tragedies that only the Olympics can create. They don’t talk about the soda they drink or the car they drive. So in terms of creating conversation, find ways to thoughtfully and credibly integrate your product into the Olympic experience, so that people discuss it naturally. Finally, marketers need to be transparent about their activities and responsive to the audience. Consumers have questions, and they want those questions answered before they make a decision to buy (or to buy again - since you can, in most cases, trick someone once into buying something they don’t want). The transparency helps demonstrate to an audience that you have nothing to hide, and good, responsive customer service shows you value your relationship with the customer. That is true no matter what you are marketing, and all the more true when you are aligning with someone as heavily watched and scrutinized as the Olympics.
Important - I didn’t mention technology, because if you can embrace these methods for marketing, you’ll be successful not matter what set of tools you use to communicate.
Q: What affect will stadium usage as broadcast points have if Chicago is selected as Olympic host?
A: Stadiums present an opportunity for a large audience to have a shared experience. Everyone remembers being at the big game, and the people they were sitting with at the time (even if they didn’t know them beforehand). The more information and opportunity you arm that community of people gathered at the stadium with, the better. The stadiums are also marketing experiences themselves — rather than try to interrupt or co-opt the viewing experience of the fan, find ways to enhance the whole event through the stadium. If the line for food is too long, or the event is interrupted by too many announcements, that is what the fan will remember. If every piece of information delivered, and the methods for delivering that information, enhance the whole experience, you are doing something right. And marketers can and should take on some of that responsibility, as a way of showing their interest in supporting the fan experience. An example would be how the Seattle Mariners are working with Nintendo to use mobile/video game devices to provide statistics and replays to fans attending the game. In the case of baseball, statistics are important to understanding and appreciating the game being played on the field… so making that information available to fans, in real time and in context, only creates a better baseball experience. That is true for every Olympic sport and should be integrated into every venue.Q: How important is a nations media infrastructure in the selection process or is this irrelevant?
A: Its very important, but its more than just media infrastructure that is important. In my mind, media is about information, experiences, and stuff. Its not limited to the quality of your broadband or cell network, how many news stations you have. There are places with less technological capacity that can create incredible media. And there are countries with great wealth and technology that place unnecessary and unacceptable limitations on how media works. As a host nation you have to be able to provide timely, relevant and compelling information, create meaningful experiences, and sell/offer/support stuff that people want and need. If you can’t do that, especially when the eyes of the world are on you, you shouldn’t be hosting the games. Countries where the flow of information is limited for technological reasons, or political reasons, should not be hosting the games in my mind — because full transparency, flow of information, freedoms and similar are central to the spirit of the games and the function of hosting them. China, to its credit, was willing/able to relax some of its normal controls because they understood the potential of the games to highlight their evolution over time (and recruit partners to help them get the rest of the way). But even they placed too many controls on the media — and knowing that, we shouldn’t be doing to countries that adopt such rules. There are plenty of potential host countries that have free and open media and the ability to create the kind of meaningful experience fans and athletes deserve.Q: Should stadiums and the media be concerned by live cell phone video streaming or should it be encouraged?
A: Encouraged. First of all, the results of a competition are not the only, or in many cases, most important element of the games. The television networks like to limit how much information leaks out so they can focus the audience on a particular broadcast, but that is antithetical to the way we get and share information today, so its a mistake to attempt. The mashing of cultures, the integration of language, the spectacle of the competition — those are all important as well. The perspectives and experiences that individuals fans, athletes, and others are having is important. Streaming a live feed of someone running a race or scoring a goal can’t fully capture that. so even if the results are known, people will still go seeking information, or highlights, so they can create their own good experience. In the future, the media experience around the Games will have to be multi-dimensional and multi-platform. You need to be able to get real-time results or watch live, as well as choose how and when to get more information about athletes and competitions. That information shouldn’t be limited to who owns the rights to the games either. Fans who are in attendance should have as much voice in the coverage of events and should be encouraged to use the tools to share their perspective and raise awareness about what is happening in the competition. That will only spur more interest and more media consumption (sort of a rising tides lifts all boats theory).
Q: Will celebrity sports personalites have less or more influence as the interests of consumers continue to grow thanks to the arrival of the Internet?
A: Celebrity sports personalities will also be important — particularly for those who are only passively interested or who have limited understanding of the complexity of the games. And as long as the television or other media partners related to the olympics try to limit how information about the games is distributed, they will grow in importance — because celebrities are one of the few ways of attracting mainstream awareness around a topic. But, if the controls are lifted and information flows freely, the emphasis won’t be on celebrity. Rather than unified interest in one or a small number of athletes or competitions, every athlete or competition will have the ability to host its own audience and build its own interest. The idea of celebrity will change - and hopefully be focused again on the athletic achievements, and not the personality or marketability. Someone like Michael Phelps is deserving of attention and celebrity because of his accomplishments, but that doesn’t diminish the face that hundreds of other athletes from the most recent games also have compelling stories and represent huge successes. People want to hear those stories, and learn more about their sports, and find topics that relate to their particular interests. So instead of a few celebrities which capture all our attention (because its our only option), we’ll see everyone capturing just a little bit of attention (and some getting more, for sure), but it should add up to more interest across the audience of prospective fans. Technology allows this, and of course it is how technology is used generally - to give people access to the information they care about most, regardless of the topic. Such an understanding will need to be in place for the 2016 games (and well before frankly) if the audience is going to continue to show its interest.
Here is the link to my comments: http://www.stadiatech.com/?p=298
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: 2016 media Olympics Stadiums Technology
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Change Has Come To WhiteHouse.Gov
by Brian Reich | 20 Jan 2009, 5:24pm
At 12:01pm EST (four minutes before President Obama was actually sworn in) the website for the White House - www.whitehouse.gov - switched over to reflect the new President. The first post on the new White House blog outlines the focus and spirit of the site, and is worth posting in full. Here it is:
Change has come to WhiteHouse.gov
Welcome to the new WhiteHouse.gov. I’m Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog.A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House’s new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world.
Millions of Americans have powered President Obama’s journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country’s future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration’s efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement.
Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration’s online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities:
Communication – Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.
Transparency — President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President’s executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.
Participation — President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it.
We’d also like to hear from you — what sort of things would you find valuable from WhiteHouse.gov? If you have an idea, use this form to let us know. Like the transition website and the campaign’s before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you. So thanks in advance for your patience and for your feedback.
Later today, we’ll put up the video and the full text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. There will also be slideshows of the Inaugural events, the Obamas’ move into the White House, and President Obama’s first days in office.
Change has indeed arrived. Exciting times ahead.
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: Communication Participation President Obama Transparency WhiteHouse.Gov
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I Heart Van Jones
by Brian Reich | 10 Jan 2009, 4:57pm
I Heart Van Jones
I don’t know Van Jones. But, I heart Van Jones.
Van Jones is President of Green For All, a national organization dedicated to ‘building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.” He is the author of The Green Collar Economy, a best-selling book that delivers a real solution that both rescues our economy and saves the environment. And he is the leading advocate for so-called “Green Jobs” - which is really anything that helps put American on the path to a more environmentally sustainable future, such as jobs in public transit, jobs in green building, jobs in energy efficiency, even traditional blue-collar manufacturing jobs (as long as what you are building is green).
I have several friends and colleagues who know Van Jones, have worked with him, or have devoted themselves to his cause — and they have told me over and over that he is one of our nation’s most passionate and articulate social and economic justice advocates. Based on the profile of him that I just read in The New Yorker, I certainly agree.
That’s not why I like Van Jones though. His accomplishments speak for themselves. His book is a good read. And on top of all that, I happen to agree and support his approach to addressing the economic and environmental challenges facing our nation.
The reason I like Van Jones, however, is because of HOW he does his work.
Elizabeth Kolbert writes in The New Yorker profile about a meeting between Jones and Scott Lang, the mayor of New Bedford, MA, a former whaling town now facing “a long list of problems - failing schools, high unemployment, gang violence.” The mayor is committed to rebuilding the economy of New Bedford and agrees with Jones that green-collar jobs are key to that effort. But when Jones suggests the mayor hire a group of teenagers as a part of his initiative, the mayor won’t bite. The conversation goes back and forth and the mayor refuses to commit. Kolbert notes, however, that Jones was able to get this concession “I’m willing to meet people halfway or more,’ she quotes the mayor saying.
In the very next paragraph the articles describes Jones telling a teenager he had met earlier that day that the mayor was interested in working with him. Kolbert, who was at the meeting and had a different impression of the mayor’s comments, presses Jones on this interpretation Jones responds:
“I’m not looking for the points of difference. I’m looking for the points of commonality. I’ve trained my mind so that people can say twenty-seven things that might be objectionable, but as soon as they say one, that twenty-eighth thing, that’s in the right direction, that’s where I’m going to go in the conversation. I think that’s really important in a country as diverse as ours, to listen. So this guy, he says, I don’t want this, I don’t want that. But he says, I want everybody to be included. Well, that’s all I need. Dayenu.”
Dayenu indeed. By focusing on the areas of agreement, Van Jones is able to build relationships and create opportunities for moving forward — even with people who don’t fully understand or accept his vision. If you want to truly change the world, create a new way of thinking, push the envelope… this is how you should be approaching your work. Incremental change is no longer enough. We need significant, across-the-board, top-to-bottom, macro level change.
What we are doing isn’t working anymore. We need a new economy. We need a new politics. We need a new way of communicating, and that includes marketing, and media. We need to re-think, re-build, re-consider, and re-fashion everything. If you want to do that, have that kind of impact, you have to think and act like Van Jones.
Anyway, that’s why I heart Van Jones.
TAGS
: Elizabeth Kolbert Green Collar Economy Green For All New Beford Massachusetts Scott Lang The New Yorker Van Jones
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links for 2009-01-05
by Brian Reich | 5 Jan 2009, 3:01pm
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In recent years the Army has tried a number of ways to increase enlistment, including home video games, direct marketing promotions, a stronger online presence and recruitment-themed music videos. Now they have launched an arcade!
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"The call center fills a critical information gap that exists in Indian society about these issues. This is the first line of call for many young men and women who would otherwise end up going to street-corner quacks, use inappropriate contraception methods or not use any. There is no lecturing involved. People call and ask questions, and we empower them with answers."
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links for 2009-01-02
by Brian Reich | 2 Jan 2009, 3:00pm
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Phil Gomes captures the spirit of change - in the context of PR.
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Every year a bunch of really smart people get asked to answer one big question. Here are the results of this year's question - fascinating.
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Looking Ahead
by Brian Reich | 2 Jan 2009, 2:31pm
The economy is tanking. Media is changing. 2009 has only just begun, but its clear that we are entering a time of significant change. When we look back at this time next year, everything will be different. That is probably true every year, but still…
I think this year, and the incredible events in our economy, politics, media, and everything else are more than just interesting happenings, more than just an excuse for little fixes. They are, individually and collectively, an opportunity to re-think, re-invent, re-consider, re-order, re-focus, re-boot, and re-everything.
We shouldn’t just repair our economy, we should remake it.
We shouldn’t just web 2.0-ify our government, we should reinvent it - completely.
This way of thinking should be applied to everything - education, philanthropy, sports, media, architecture, etc. We have an opportunity to fundamentally change the way our society operates - for the better - and we should take that opportunity now.
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