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A few days back, Nick Denton of Gawker fame issued a new proclamation to the world which identified 7 key drivers that will define the future of their media brand.

1. The power of the scoop- getting a big story first can change your brand
2. Aggregate or die- you've got to be out there on Twitter and Facebook
3. Demonstrate a rounded personality- more than the gutter
4. The web is a visual medium
5. The growth of video ads- that's where the money is
6. Appointment programing- TV gets tune-in impact
7. Gawker is a branding vehicle- it's a way to sell yourselves to advertisers

Denton concluded..

If the model sounds like TV, that is no accident. There is no future in low-end web advertising, at least not for a media company with any aspirations. We will offer a larger canvas for both our editors and advertisers; and pair their offerings in the way that the web has so far failed and TV has done so well."

It seems amazing that after decades of the internet trying so hard to become a new medium, it's turning into the media that once was its supposed enemy.

The big question here is if all media companies with any aspiration want to be like TV- what do TV companies want to be when they finally grow up?


Posted by Ed Cotton

It was interesting hearing Tony Hsieh of Zappos talk the other day about how consulting is a new revenue opportunity for Zappos.

Other companies simply want to know their secrets and Zappos is prepared to share them and charge handsomely for access.

Years back, your company's secrets were just that, you didn't share them with anyone, but Toyota changed that when they let anyone visit their plants and see how it all worked. Toyota believed it was one thing to see and yet another to replicate, so they never felt threatened in any way by opening up.

The other company happy to do this is 37signals. A company that's viewed by many as a software radical, that not only makes great products, but has a really interesting culture that it can't stop talking about. It has blogs, podcasts, best-selling books and now for $1000, a masterclass.

It's not something that's been exploited much in the creative world with exception of Wieden, who run a school and I remember London design collective, Tomato used to make big money running classes in Tokyo.

If you have an interesting brand and culture and your are open, there are bound to be people who are willing to pay to for opportunity to seize the "magic". While many might be scared of the competitive threat, there's none, because unique cultures are so hard to replicate.

Posted by Ed Cotton Russell Brand ( "Get him to the Greek", etc..) might not have hit the US with as much force as his has in the UK, but he's certainly been the talk of the tabloids for the last 3 years.

His wild lifestyle and BBC " voicemail" controversy have forced him into the limelight.

However, while he somewhat enjoys his celebrity role, like many of his peers, he finds it empty and meaningless. His solution, not to become the next Bono, but instead wants to investigate the cult of celebrity and consumption and to see if there might be a more positive  and uplifting alternative.

Brand was recently interviewed by Britain's foremost and most aggressive interviewer, Jeremy Paxman.

Here below is part 2 of interview, part 1 can be seen here.



Posted by Ed Cotton Innovation is often presented as a radical and demanding discipline that requires men in designer glasses to bring the required creativity.

Everyone knows that change on a large scale is often incredibly complex and that the systems through which change happens, are often highly innovative.

In the world of brands, there are few better examples than P&G when it comes to practical innovation. They know their strengths and weaknesses and work their way through them with very smart thinking.

Last week they presented at a Barclay's conference, where they shared some of their thinking about how the corporation plans to move forward. Innovation is at its heart, but there are a few drivers behind it.

1. Power Brands

P&G's massive investment in brands and branding means it's easy for them to innovate around the brand and to take it into new categories and territories. When you see the road-map, it's all based around extending this power brands into new places, like moving Gain from laundry to dish detergent.





2.Real-Time Systems

Technology is changing the way business is done and giving employees the tools to know if things are working. P&G; knows getting this information faster and acting upon it is one way to secure competitive advantage




3. Thinking about the Sum of the Parts

When you have a portfolio of power brands, you can do things on a large scale, like secure space in retail that allows you to dominate. In the case below, a grocery aisle dedicated to men's grooming.



Not every corporation has the attention to brand detail that P&G has and its a shame, while most respect P&G's place in the market and a recruiting ground for brand and marketing experts, most lack the discipline to put P&G; style brand practices into their own companies.




Posted by Ed Cotton There's a great film going around the web right now, that's basically a recruitment ad for Twitter.

It's probably the first piece of communication the brand has done and it gives a real flavor of the place, it's people and its culture. It's also pretty cool, ripping off a scene from the movie Rushmore and the music.

While most brands think primarily about their customers, most forget there's a talent war going on and do little to present themselves in an interesting way, beyond the usual job fair recruitment round.

Twitter shows it gets the people it wants to recruit, by showing the spirit of the internal community it clearly communicates that it has got something over on the likes of Facebook and Google. This is talent who values community, almost as much as opportunity.



Posted by Ed Cotton Recent rumors circulating in the news media suggest that HP could be ready to kill the Palm brand, or move it into the background.

Obviously, Palm had some cool technology and an operating system that could be of use to HP, but isn't the fact Palm isn't HP, interesting?

HP has spent millions on trying to make its brand cool and despite the Gwen Stefani sponsorship deals and Jay Z ads, it hasn't quite bridged the gap, it still seems like a stodgy, solid engineering company.

In a world where consumer electronics/phones and other gadgets are ostensibly fashion items, it's tough for HP to play effectively in this space.

Given that Apple is cool, surely HP could use some of its own?

I am not saying Palm was the coolest brand on the planet, but it was different and had an unusual take on the user experience. It also had a devoted army of loyalists who had worshiped the brand through thick and thin.

Again, when engineers and bean counters look at the issue, it's easy to vote for efficiencies and there's also a very subjective belief that the parent brand is better.However, given the complexities and challenges of this dynamic marketplace, HP could be making a mistake not re-energizing the Palm brand and putting some new meaning behind it.


Posted by Ed Cotton