Marketing Japan: No Medium Can Survive the Indifference of 25-year-olds...

By Mike Rogers
After talking to a very interesting fellow named Roger Marshall from Odgers Berndtson on the phone this morning, and after reading the article I want to introduce today, I was inspired to quickly write up this short blog. Hope you find it interesting and useful.

There is a great article in the Guardian UK today. It is mostly about online newspapers charging for services in a scheme called, Paywall, that Internet Guru Clay Shirky says is doomed to fail (You won't find me disagreeing with him). It's an excellent article and I strongly suggest that any read it.

Most people will not have heard of Clay Shirky but he is recognized as one of the world's top experts of Social Media.

But there is one part in the article that struck a chord with me. This one part should strike fear in the hearts of anyone who is working in the old media. It says;

...if you are 25 or younger, you're probably already reading this (article) on your computer screen. "And to put it in one bleak sentence, no medium has ever survived the indifference of 25-year-olds."

I found this particular point quite useful and timely as, if you read my last blog about the Long Tail, you'd know that I am now in discussions with one of the larger satellite TV stations as to what to do about their admittedly bleak future.

In the case of this music TV channel even they know that 20-year-olds today;

1) Do not pay for subscription TV (their parents do - and it's probably part of a package anyway). The 20-year-olds do not have the habit or thinking that they need to pay for music TV.

2) When 20-year-olds want to see their favorite new band's video, they won't wait through 20 other videos that they don't like in the slim hopes to see the one that they do like. They will just click on YouTube and see what they want, for free, right now.

The TV station people understand this. Yet they are stuck in a sort of denial and they hope that things will get better... 

Sorry folks, but I have found that "hope" is usually not a very good business plan.  Funny that.

The other interesting thing the TV station people have all said to me when I asked them, "Why do young people watch your TV channel?" They almost all invariably answered, "I think they search the Internet using Google Search or Yahoo for an artist that they like, then they turn on our TV channel..."

So, dear reader, bear with me for a second as I get this straight in my own head... 

Let's see.......A guy or girl goes on the Internet to find the music that they like... They do! Then the TV station people think that the young person, after finding what they like on the Internet, is going to turn off the Internet and turn on the TV and watch their channel!?.... 

What in the world are these people thinking!?

Yes. I found their thought processes quite amusing also. But it just goes to show the depths of denial that some of our good friends are in. And, don't forget, most of these kind people that we must convince are coming from a far different point-of-view than we are. They come from inside their companies, we come from outside...

It is often far easier to understand something like, say, one's own country when they are on the outside looking in. 

We need to convince our friends in old media, and in other businesses in general, how they can increase their business and protect their jobs (families too!) by opening up their minds to the possibilities that the Internet can offer them. We need to show them that the Internet is not a threat.

Clay Shirky Cognitive Surplus

In Japan, the opportunities are everywhere. Most companies seem to be running their web pages as a sort of company directory instead of a branch of a business that turns a profit by itself. From what I see today, 92% of the corporate web pages are still Web 1.0. So, opportunities abound!  

The companies that do embrace this new way of thinking will have a much better chance of survival and could even prosper.

I won't go into more about the article in the Guardian, but will say that I think you should read it. If you need ammo in convincing someone that they need to wake up and start acting, then it could help. 

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Keywords: Guardian, old media, Odgers Berndtson, Clay Shirky, Satellite TV, Internet, Google Search, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Paywall, Social Media, Japan, business, music TV, Yahoo, Google, online, newspapers, Roger Marshall, 

60% of Twitter Users Quit in First Month

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers


Holy cow! Pay attention all you marketing, bloggers, advertising, PR, Social Media, people who U-Stream, Pick and video blog (vlog) and business in general people in Japan, I just stumbled upon this article from Nielsen Ratings that show some big trouble for Twitter down the road.

It seems that Twitter has a very poor retention rate for new users. In fact, Twitter's retention rate is worse than Facebook or Myspace and both of those Social Networking services are dying a slow death in Japan.


From the article:


Currently, more than 60 percent of U.S. Twitter users fail to return the following month, or in other words, Twitter’s audience retention rate, or the percentage of a given month’s users who come back the following month, is currently about 40 percent. For most of the past 12 months, pre-Oprah, Twitter has languished below 30 percent retention.


The problem with this retention rate is that it means that Twitter's long term growth is in serious question. It means that Twitter can only hope for a 10 percent reach. That's not good at all.


I have mentioned before that I think, in Japan, that Pick will blow away Twitter as Pick allows a photo to be placed right on the tweet (whereas Twitter forces the user to click a link)...


Could Twitter also face the problem that the entire Internet faced during the times of the dot-com bubble burst? That was when the Internet turned off lots of people because it was becoming too much of a tool for just selling things? Could Twitter be getting that sort of bad rap?


If Oprah Winfrey blabs about Twitter on TV and then, even she can't retain more than 60%... Could Twitter as a product or a service be in big trouble down the road here very soon? 

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Keywords: marketing, U-Steam, Google, blog, bloggers, tweet, product, Facebook, Internet, Myspace, Mike in Tokyo Rogers,  business, vlog, service, Japanese, Marketing Japan, Twitter, Social Media, Pick, Japan, TV, Japan's, advertising, blog, video blog, 

Marketing Japan: The Theory of the Future of Online Advertising by an Entrepreneur...

I like Shelly Palmer.

There's an extremely interesting Blog by Shelly Palmer about advertising goods and services in the future and her conversation consider it with a successful entrepreneur that I'd like to direct you to. Here is an excerpt from that article:

...Joe presented his theory of the future of online advertising empowered by social media. He articulated a future where traditional media and big brands were dead, and, just for good measure, he postulated a consumer-controlled, self-selected future of infinite choices of goods and services. His monologue was pervaded by phrases like, “advertising doesn’t work” and “people don’t want to be interrupted.” And, my favorite, “Social Media marketing is the only possible future … brands are completely out of control and marketers have to realize that. Consumers control everything! Besides, everyone wants targeted, measurable messaging, it’s all going to be online.” 

The rest of the article talks about Social Media and Social Media Marketing versus traditional media. I have issues with both sides, but it is interesting to read what "Joe" and Shelly think.  But there is one thing that Shelly writes that I thought was completely wrong:

You need to brush your teeth. You need inexpensive, nutritious food. You need durable goods, soft goods, hard goods and you need them packaged and delivered to a venue near you … everyday. In fact, the more organic, unpreserved, special and perishable the produce and goods are, the more time and energy must be expended to get them as close to you as possible. Not just in your town, nationwide — and in some cases, worldwide.

OK, it might sound as if I am nitpicking, but what I think Shelly is implying here is that organic, unpreserved, perishable produce needs advertising since this s not an article about food distribution. So, here Shelly is wrong. Generally speaking, basic foodstuffs do not need TV, radio or any other mass media advertising at all as they are basic to survival and are sought out by people. This is why is is unusual to see advertising for raw fruits or vegetables, etc... Processed food, and things that come in colorful boxes, on the other hand, are a different story.

But there is one thing that Shelly writes that had me howling:

most self-described Social Media-types are too into technology to understand real business. 

How true! If you get people to help you with marketing, advertising, buzz marketing and Social Media, including blogs, vlogs, U-Stream, Pick, Mixi, Facebook, Twitter, whatever - in the west or in Japan - especially in Japan - then get people who have true business experience.

Read the full article here. 

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Keywords: U-Stream, Twitter, intelligent marketing, marketing, TV, vlog, targeted, marketers, targeted message, vlogs, goods, services, message, Facebook, product, online advertising, radio, mass media, mass media advertising, Marketing Japan, technology, Mike Rogers, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Marketing Japan, Japan, business, buzz, radio station,  Internet, Mixi, Social Media, intelligent, advertising, traditional media, blog, 

Write a Blog! But at Least Spell-Check!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

I wonder if Barack Obama Twitters or, at least, does Pick, or any other Social Media? I guess he certainly must not blog himself. If he does, then, judging from his White House transcripts,  those must be nearly unreadable. And, if so, forget about his Facebook or Myspace... Those must be a total mess.

Marketing, blogging and doing Social Media is a must in this day and age.... Well, duh! You knew that already. You'd think that the president of the United States would know that too. You are about to be shocked by just how useless these people in government are!

But, I guess, Barack Obama is a moron, like his predecessor... Is Obama as dim as Bushy Boy? I think he is, but you be the judge.

Many people have asked me, "How do you blog so much?" Well, the secret, I think, is to - funnily enough - not to think too much. The secret to blogging often (3, 4, 5 times a week) is to write down what you want to say in your blog, Twitter, Pick, whatever  immediately on the fly - then spell check it - then upload as soon as possible.

You've got to strike while the iron is hot!

If you keep editing and re-editing your blog, it will kill the creative juices and slow down your productivity greatly.

So, when it comes to Social Media and Social Media Marketing, in Japan or your country, then the rules and hints to frequent blogging are to:

1) Write quickly while the ideas are fresh.
2) At least spell-check before uploading
3) Edit after uploading
4) Edit as much as you like using this method. Keep doing it until you get it right.

Simple enough.

Now, just for a laugh, I've got to show you the press release from the White House about president Barack Obama's latest comments. I know how hard it is to keep from making mistakes on a blog as I make them all the time, but you'd think the President of the United States could at least arrange to have work done better than a 4th grade level. Jeez, doesn't this guy have a proof-reader?

I'm not making this up. This is the White House press release. It is full of amateurish mistakes. I have highlighted the mistakes for you (if this is the level of work we get from the White House and Obama, then we are in serious trouble):

Obama: "We need to commit to fiscal adjustments that stabilize debt-to-GDP ratios at appropriate levels over the medium tenn. I am committed to the restoration of fiscal sustainability in the United States and believe that all G-20 countries should put in place credible and growthfriendly plans to restore sustainable public finances. But it is critical that the timing and pace of consolidation in each economy suit the needs of the global economy, the momentum of private sector demand, and national circumstances. We must be flexible in adjusting the pace of consolidation and learn from the consequential mistakes of the past when stimulus was too quickly withdrawn and resulted in renewed economic hardships and recession. For our part, we will pursue measures to SUppOit the recovery in private demand and return the unemployed to work. At the same time, we recognize the impoltance of setting a credible medium-term fiscal path: that is why my Administration will cut the budget deficit we inherited in halfby FY 2013 and work to reduce our fiscal deficit to 3 percent ofGDP by FY 2015, which will stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio at an acceptable level in that year."

There are a bunch of other mistakes in this message, but I just copied and pasted one paragraph here for you. There are a bunch more at the original. Is this a joke, or what? I understand a simpleton like myself, making these sorts of spell-check errors, but the president of the United States of America? And in an official press release? Think about it folks, this guy is the leader of the western world!? Like I said, I'm not making this up... 

We're doomed. The insane have taken over the asylum.
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