Remember that tag line? Thinking back to the 80’s, there are not many ads that stick in my mind as much as the ones from MTV. Maybe “Where’s the Beef?” Push forward a couple of decades to today and the slogan has even more meaning.
Many of you have been asking so I wanted to post a quick update on my doings and whereabouts. And from the intro, you probably guessed it. About four weeks ago I joined MTV Networks and will be working in their Global Digital Media group on an initiative called “Scenic”. I’m sure I’ll be posting more on that in the future.
At a high level, “Scenic” is an initiative aiming to bridge a lot of the innovative platform capabilities that MTV Networks continues to pump out whether it be search, content, social, video and the like with an optimal and flexible way to deploy site features across the network. As you can see from my lack of posts, my first four weeks have not disappointed. It’s been busy but I’m thoroughly enjoying it as I’m working with a great team of people, we are innovating with some of the latest web technologies, working on a complex problem and building a set of digital products that aim to build great online experiences for users.
It is safe to say that MTV has evolved quite a bit in last 20 plus years. What was once MTV has now evolved into a portfolio of some of the best media brands out there. Of course there’s MTV, VH1 and CMT on the music side but in entertainment there’s Spike, Comedy Central and Atom. Leaving out a ton but you get the idea. My daughter is particularly excited that I’ll be working with Dora and Diego over at Nickelodeon. And internationally, there is an enormous amount we are doing as we extend the brands beyond the domestic market. (Apologies for the free plug, MTV Music Spain launched earlier this week!)
To close, check out MTV: The First 24 Hours. Wow.
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Posted in: Uncorrelated.
Tagged: Digital media · MTV · MTV Networks
My wife handed me a full page ad today of Post cereal’s ad campaign that started I believe last month. The headline: ”Innovation is not your friend.” The tag line: ”We put the ‘no’ in innovation”
Certainly an attention grabber. It certainly caught me off guard on first glance. And I don’t think anyone will be clamoring to steal that tag line from them.
But there is certainly something to the campaign. We live in a world of innovation, innovation is taking place everywhere around us: genetics, new sources of energy, the web, sneakers that blink, sneakers that roll, beer that tastes like it has lime already in it… While innovation is great and the right thing for many companies and products, is that always the case?
Too many times we see companies fall into the trap of innovating to create the next new thing that they lose sight of what got them where they are. Worrying too much about what is next rather than concentrating on their core competency and ensuring that they maintain their competitive advantage simply (or not so simply). Sometimes, remaining the best in your space and at “what you do” needs to be the focus.
I’ll always be a believer in being on the outlook for new markets, new features (that add value), new technology trends and understanding what could disrupt your business. At the same time, focus must remain on the core, this campaign speaks volumes to how companies need to remain focused on the core knitting. Just in the time its taken me to write this post, I like this ad more and more. And it is just a bonus for Post that I don’t believe anyone is going to try to mimic this campaign. How ironic. An innovative ad campaign saying ‘no’ to innovation.
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Posted in: business, innovation, strategy.
Tagged: cereal · innovation · Post Shredded Wheat
In case you are interested, I wrote a guest blog post over at Slice of MIT on the Masdar Institute as a follow-up to my post on the Masdar Initiative taking place in Abu Dhabi. The Masdar Institute is going to serve as the epicenter of learning, innovation and venture creation on green concepts, processes and technologies.
Slice of MIT is a new blog that is out discussing (or should I say “giving a small taste”) of MIT life, happenings and what is going on with MIT and alumni. I’ve been an active reader for the past couple of weeks and it gives a good perspective on the things going on around campus. Enjoy.
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Posted in: Uncorrelated.
Tagged: Masdar Initiative · Massachusetts Institute of Technology · MIT · Slice of MIT
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