Lists, Marketing, and Web 2.0 Reverberation

A couple of weeks ago someone I follow on Twitter posted a link to Rotten Tomatoes list of 50 movies for 50 states. My wife and I both agreed that this was pretty cool. We rushed to the site to see which picks we agreed and disagreed with, and which movies are in our DVD collection. We correctly predicted a few of the picks then we turned our attention to a difficult state. Point Break for California, I never saw this movie nor did I know what it was about. But to get this honor for California is huge. California is “the” movie making state. Well guess what, today we own Point Break.

A simple list can be a powerful marketing tool. They are a simple way to say that this is more important than that or for a collector to check off what they own. In the web 2.0 world these lists can be anywhere in a second. I am pretty sure that this list was put together with the intention of both entertaining viewers and promoting the sale of DVDs. Well it worked.

Intentional and unintentional consequences happen every time a story or idea is told and retold, even if it is a simple list. So what are the unintentional results of that list? I now want to put together my own ultimate list of lists. Note that I say my own because a simple web search indicates that it already exist. I will probably never get to this on my own but perhaps someone who reads this will.

Spread an idea and change the world!

An Economical Change

The Economist is one of my all time favorite magazines/newspapers. They are also in an industry that is struggling to capture the value they deliver due to changes in distribution. I applaud them today for getting around to making an audio version available automatically in itunes. This is a great example of adaptation and change in the media industry. Many will know that the Economist has gone round and round on whether to make their content online free, limited, etc. While finding the perfect balance takes time and experimentation they generally get it right in the end. I like the print edition but it comes too late in a world that is electronically wired. I liked the audio download but it was cumbersome and time consuming to download. So they figured out a great way to distribute in a timely fashion. I also should add that I like paying them a subscription fee to keep the great reporting alive. However, I think their next step will be to offer a discount for an audio version only. Thanks Economist!

Here is something to change

Most people do not know it from meeting me but I am partially sighted, this is the politically correct way to say it since I feel more partially blind. I often wonder if my business quailifies as a minority business. I have never followed up on this since I think I do okay without assistance but at the same time being physically disabled does have its downsides to business development, etc. What really gets me though is when I read information like the following found on the wesbite of the US Department of Transportation; http://www.osdbu.dot.gov/DBEProgram/definitions.cfm

If you do not want to follow the link here is the highlight (lowlight?);
African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific and Subcontinent Asian Americans, and women are presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged.

My points are;
1) I would be pretty upset if it was presumed that I am socially and economically disadvantaged.
2) I am upset that people with physical disabilities are not included
3) with women included the US government is already presuming over 50% of the population is disadvantaged, I find something defeatist and pessamistic about this wording

It is (always) time for a change

Change is everywhere. It is the duty of individuals to embrace it. The government can only moderate the pace and attempt to make it less destructive. But destructive it must be to the status quo. Without it we would have no progress. So stop saying you are dynamic and start being dynamic.

This blog is inspired by the lyrics of the Peter Gabriel song Fourteen Black Paintings

From the pain come the dream
From the dream come the vision
From the vision come the people
From the people come the power
From this power come the change

It does not matter if you are an individual, a company, or a country, let's start working together to make a better and more profitable future.