Kige Ramsey of “start-up” YouTube Sports has some of the worst production of any sports news videos made in what appears to be a wood-paneled basement. But that is exactly the appeal. The videos are, by all appearances, shot in one take with no editing. The sets are decorated with magazine cutouts and if Kige has rehearsed his readings beforehand, then he’s either a brilliant actor or something is wrong with him. Deadspin even nominated him into their Hall of Fame.
And guess what - this is the appeal of Kige Ramsey. There’s a certain trainwreck quality to his prognostications. It’s innocent and 100% awful.
If you’re going to do a terribly produced video, do it all the way.
If you’re going to do a professional video, do it all the way.
If you’re going to do ANYTHING, do it all the way.
Which brings me to my next point: Please back up a step.
I know your webcam is on top of your monitor and you need access to the keyboard but too many times, the camera is close enough that I can count your pores. Think about all the movies and television that you’ve ever watched. Do any of them look like webcam videos? There’s a reason they don’t.
My ask? Press the “record” button, take a step back so I can see your shoulders. When you’re done, walk back to the computer and press the “stop” button. Then, take the 5 minutes it takes to crop the front and back part of the video so I don’t have to watch you press the aforementioned buttons.
It’s easy. I’m looking at you iJustine. Take a cue from Jay Smooth at illDoctrine and get a swift piece of video editing software. It’s not a difficult task. It just takes a couple more minutes than you’re probably used to, but it’s in the details that people like/dislike something. Blackberries and iPhones pretty much do all of the same stuff - but there are some key details that make their users so passionate.
Regarding the Madden curse? I don’t remember the curse ever turning in on the game itself. But as John Madden says in the most recent issue of Time:
No, and I don’t think players believe in it either. If you go back to the history of the Madden game, I was probably on the cover of it half the time. So if I was to believe there was a curse, I would also have to believe I’d been cursed. And I’ve never had that feeling. Full Post
Why hasn’t EA gone back to using the gregarious announcer on its cover? What’s stopping them? I’m not sure if, at this point, it’s affecting sales that much to have an NFL star on its cover. (Now, on the other hand, if there were limited runs of 30 players (one for each team), I wouldn’t be surprised if that boosted sales.) With the exclusivity liscence, EA is the only company with NFL players in it and I’m won’t be shocked the company never puts Coach Madden on the cover ever again.
I would tend to think that after this fiasco, they are going to stick to current players with active, long-term contracts.
For the comments, what would you do if you were EA if Favre goes to another team? Do you ever put John Madden on the cover of another version of the game? Why hasn’t Madden been on the cover since 1998? (Bonus Pop Quiz - who was the FIRST NFL cover athlete for the series? No Googling allowed.)
Over the weekend, Manny Ramirez started his yearly “I want to be traded” routine.
(Full disclosure: I’m an obnoxious Sox fan.)
At this point, it’s been done enough times that it’s hard to believe that it’s actually going to happen. But then I think about a discussion in the movie 21about variable change.
The long and short of the conversation is that when you change the environment around a probability, the probability changes. (The movie uses the example of a game show with the classic Door #1, Door #2, Door #3 situation.)
No, I have no idea what made someone think that a website dedicated exclusively to Cats in a Sink was a great idea.
What I can tell you is that this is not the future of the internet. (”Man cannot surf on cats in a sink alone.”)
While there are certainly going to be more sites like these that pop up, unless the model is scalable and creates utility (whether its the transfer of knowledge, money, or community), sites like this one will be nothing but niche and mildly profitable.
This brings me to today’s lessons that the greatest businesses are those built on self-propulsion. Continue Reading »
In your brochures, on your website, and on your garment tags there is some copy that can be improved.
Let’s face the facts here, you are developing a story for your product and for your brand. In the pictures, in the design of the site, in the choice of the colors, in the word choice, every single decision (both physical and digital) impacts the overall narrative of your brand.
When a new company is trying to strengthen its brand, it is important that the customer begins to identify and qualify the company’s products in accordance with the company’s long-term brand strategy. In regards to price, unless the long-term strategy is to always offer discounts (e.g. compete on price), a discount is detrimental to the overall brand.
Discounted prices can create a price-sensitive consumer that believes that waiting is the best way to optimize return-on-investment. When the customer knows that a discount is coming down the road, it becomes advantageous for them to hold off on purchasing and wait until the product gets hit with the discount. What would force a discount? Perhaps, slow sales? When the customer knows the discount is coming when sales are slow, the customer can force the hand of the company to offer the discount by not purchasing the product.
Discounted prices create a different product. It takes a long time to research and develop that widget. Between examining the market and putting the product into development and getting the appropriate approvals from the FCC or FDA or whatever, a lot of effort and time has been sunk into the product. When you discount a product, you immediately allow your audience to re-calibrate their perception of the product. Remember what I said about perception being reality for your consumer? When there is only one price for your 128 GB iPod, there’s only one way your customer can perceive the product.
Full price allows companies to create relationships with their customers. I use the word “allow” because this aspect is not set in stone, nor is it feasible for everyone. Selling directly to the consumer from the website or from a retail store gives the company an opportunity to interact and show some love to their customers. It gives the company the opportunity to show how special each and every customer is. It gives them the opportunity to say “thank you” right there and then; to offer a cup of coffee while browsing the store; to allow the sales associate to smile and be friendly to the customer; to get the return/exchange processed immediately and without a fuss.
CAVEATS
Low prices for valid reasons are not discounts. A lower price because it was purchased on-line (as opposed to through the catalog) is a valid reason for a lower price. The customer has made the fulfillment process easier for the company and the company is passing the savings back to the customer.
Free shipping is not a discount. Free shipping is a way to encourage your customers to act on-line and to get the product to the consumer without going somewhere else.
There are expiration dates on technology. Creating products with updated features immediately makes your older versions hit their expiration date. There’s no two ways around it. The new iPhone made the old iPhone go out of date. Discounts on the old iPhone are valid because it’s a different product in the eyes of the audience.
FOR THE COMMENTS: Why are discounts a valid and an important part in creating brand identity? -or- What are more valid reasons why discounts are a bad strategy for brand identity?
"I'm an artist, and if you give me a tuba, I'll bring you something out of it." (c) John Lennon 
