Tom Asacker

Engagement and Apple's new iPad

There wasn't any (engagement, that is). And that's not a problem. At least not in the short term.

Engagement is the very first door that any business must open when attempting to unlock hearts and minds in today's idea economy. 

Engagement is unexpected. Engagement surprises and captivates. Engagement gains attention and creates curiosity.

Apple's iPad, however unexpected it was purported to be, was anything but. 

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, one could sense a collective "duh" in the room (watch the video). "A big iPod Touch? That's what we would have created. C'mon Steve?"

But that doesn't matter. Apple is way beyond the door of engagement. The company has people's undivided attention (Google "iPad" and see). Apple's challenge with the iPad is the next door: The door of interest.  

Will people be interested in an oversized, $500 iPod Touch? Is there compelling desire for the improved value and experience; e.g. larger screen, larger keypad, built-in speaker, 10 hour battery life, ability to run Keynote, Numbers and Pages applications, etc. (watch the iPad promo video)?

Here's my two cents: 

Apple sells about 3 million of the iPod Touch each quarter. There are nine quarters worth (millions) waiting to be gifted to loved ones, so that the unselfish gift givers can upgrade to the iPad. My guess is that Apple loyalists are already busy rationalizing the price of the iPad, and they'll be chomping at the bit by the beginning of Spring.  

Those are just the loyalists.  As soon as software developers and content creators release new, captivating iPad applications -- e.g. games and multimedia versions of books (note: I've been working on one myself. That's what that little fetch engine in the top left column of this blog is all about) -- a much larger market will become engaged and interested.

All in all, the new iPad is exactly what we've come to expect from Apple. And in Apple's case, that's a very good thing.

What’s the meaning of your message?

Why do most marketing messages fail to engage potential customers? Why are most internal corporate communications viewed as a bunch of baloney? Why do we distrust big media, big business, and most politicians (big or small)?

It's simple, really. Have you heard the expression, "The meaning of the message is the response it elicits?" It suggests that when you communicate a message -- whether you do so face-to-face, over the telephone, on the Internet, over the airwaves, or in writing -- the message means what the receiver of the message thinks it means. And increasingly, what most messages mean to us is apparent.

We sense that most messages are designed to sell their stuff, promote their cause, or advance their agendas. Now stop and think. As leaders today -- of companies, departments, communities, families, and countries -- isn't one of the most important part of our jobs effective communication? Of course it is.

But our communication is effective only if there is a resultant influence on people's feelings and behavior.  We can talk, blog, tweet, blast out press releases, and advertise until we’re blue in the face -- or in the red, to use a more color appropriate metaphor -- but unless people ultimately take some kind of action, it’s all for not.

And now for my point, albeit a counterintuitive one: What you say and how you say it are the least significant components of your communication.

You read it right. Today's sophisticated marketplace is bursting at the seams with masterful content and stunning delivery. Slick and technically proficient communication is now the norm. It’s virtually impossible to discern the Fortune 100 from the one-man show. Technique doesn't win hearts and minds today. Intent does!

So, what meaning does your communication convey?

Whether it's an advertisement, a sales talk, a speech, a direct mail piece, a blog, or a presentation to your Board, being design-savvy, grammatical and logical in one's communication is woefully inadequate today. You must do something different to win hearts and commitment in this age of disillusionment and distrust; something many have lost focus of during their pursuit of wealth, reputation and power.

You must sincerely care. And you must be willing to take a stance and make choices to demonstrate to us that you care.  And if you simply don't care, please don't be surprised by the response your message elicits. The meaning of your message will eventually become apparent to everyone.

Branding is a Dangerous Concept

The parochial view of branding is a dangerous business concept.  I hope this one-page article makes today's marketplace more clear, and incites you to seize the opportunity that's screaming in your ear.  For as Sun Tzu wrote, “Opportunities multiply as they are seized."

Read "Branding is a Dangerous Concept (PDF)" and make 2010 your new beginning!  Here's the URL:

http://tinyurl.com/ydm2rbz

Choose your customers wisely

I'm in sunny Ft. Lauderdale today to speak to a fun and passionate group of business owners and leaders; people with a burning desire to learn and succeed.  

I've presented to this group in the past, so I know their intent and energy will fill the meeting room when I take the stage as MC later this morning, and when I give my keynote presentation tomorrow.  And I also know that my performance will soar because of them. 

It's an example of what I mean when I say that all business is co-created.  Customers and clients co-create experiences with you, and with others.  We set expectations for each other and those expectations help create shared outcomes, and subsequent memories, mindsets, and word-of-mouth (and sales).  We also help each other through patience, recommendations, and participation.

What does this mean for you?  It means that what you are and how you evolve is what your community is and how it evolves.  Be sure to choose your customers and community very carefully.

You can screen each and every opportunity to ensure a favorable outcome.  And you can let your uniqueness, intentions and vision shine through in everything that you say and do, so that you only attract the right kind of customer.  

I highly recommend doing both.

You see what you look for

A few months back, my aunt traveled from her native Louisiana to visit my family.  As we drove from the airport towards my New Hampshire home, her eyes became large as they devoured the magnificent landscape.  The brilliant golds and reds of a New England autumn was an unexpected and exciting experience for her.

Later that day, I decided to take a walk in the woods to find some vibrant, pristine leaves that she could press and take back home.  I tossed on my barn coat, grabbed a paper sack, and headed down a well-worn path overflowing with recently fallen leaves. 

As I walked along, with my eyes fixated on the ground attentively searching for the perfect leaf, all I could see were decay and various shades of brown.  I could not believe that in an area overflowing with foliage (and acorns), I couldn't find one leaf worthy of display.  But after about ten minutes of looking, something strange occurred.

All of a sudden, and to my surprise, the forest floor started popping with Crayola color; burnt orange, brick red, lemon yellow.  The leaves seemed to be rising airily from the ground, as if I were wearing 3-D glasses.  It was an extraordinarily arousing and educational experience.  My old eyes suddenly became new again, as my brain adjusted to its new environment and child-like instructions.

The English biologist and politician John Lubbock wrote, "What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” Where you are and what you attend to conditions what you see.  If you look for beauty, ideas and meaning, you'll find it.  If you look for data, statistics and shortcomings, you'll find them.

If you want to see new, you have to experience new.  But it may take some time for your old eyes to adjust to the new world and your new intentions.  

So, I'd revise Lubbock's words slightly to, "We eventually see what we look for."  Stay focused and be patient. The answers will appear.

Are you better off today?

 The first ten years of the new century may go down as the decade to forget.  Terrorists attacks, devastating natural disasters, scary increases in CO₂ emissions, Wall Street scandals and two market crashes. 

The stock market is down 26% since 2000, median household income is also down, and unemployment is up.  The price of oil has more than tripled, health care costs have spiraled out of control and there appears to be no end in sight to corporate bankruptcies and the mass exodus of loyal employees.

But . . . scientists have mapped the human genome, information has been set free with web-based collaborative initiatives and low-cost publishing platforms, vaccines are being developed to prevent cancer, water was found on the moon, Apple launched the iPhone, and the Red Sox captured the World Series for the first time since 1918 (I had to toss that in). 

So, are you better off today than you were ten years ago?

You are if you've been keeping up with the changing environment, while passionately pursuing your calling and working to make a difference in people's lives. 

Will you be better off in 2020?  That's up to you.  Here are a few major trends to consider during the twenty-tens; the decade of unprecedented opportunity:

• The Internet - In 2000, a little more than half of all Americans spent less than 30 minutes a day online.  Today 75% of Americans are online for more than 4 hours each day.
• Cell phones - In 2000, 50% of Americans owned cell phones and sent 5.4 billion text messages.  Today 85% of Americans own cell phones and send over 1 trillion text messages a year.
• Online shopping - 28% of adult Americans purchased a product online in 2000-01.  55% bought something online in 2008-09.
• Social networks - In February 2005, 8% of adults used a social networking site.  In April 2009, 46% used one.
• Television - An average American home could get 61 channels in 2000 and 3.5 million households owned a DVR.  Today it's 130 channels and 31 million households with DVRs.

We are in the midst of radical change, from the way we listen to music and find a date to how we purchase products and consume information.  The average American spends about 70 percent of her waking hours -- 11.8 hours per day -- devouring information.  That's more than triple the amount of information we were reading, viewing or listening to in 1980.  The number of Google searches has grown seven-fold since 2004 to over 7 billion per year.

Real-time and location-based technologies are exploding onto the scene.  Americans are watching tens of billions of online videos each month.  Consumers are much more informed and discerning in their choices of brands and companies.  And we will continue to witness the collapse of institutions and the rise of individual power.

It's an unsettling, yet exhilarating time to be alive.

The scholar and political theorist John Schaar wrote, "The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created -- created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination."

Your thoughts and actions today will determine whether or not you'll be better off tomorrow.  Now is the time to sincerely consider what future you hope to create for yourself, your people and your loved ones?

Welcome to 2010!

 As you travel through 2010, when you stop and look behind you, may the times you've been happy far outnumber the times when fate has been unkind. And may much more happiness be awaiting you on the journey yet to be.

My mission is to help you with that journey as a protagonist and a guide. So check back often, or subscribe to my blog over in the right column.  I've got a lot on my mind that I feel compelled to share with you.

And have no doubt about it, this year will be a happy year.

The Scottish theologian Carl Bard wrote, "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."  Let's make 2010 that start!