Media Trump

This Globe and Mail article by Simon Houpt, which is a good read, asks more questions than it answers about how the media is handling Donald Trump:

“His appeal raises hard questions: about clickbait versus quality journalism, and whether the two are mutually exclusive; about bias and fairness; about polls; about outrage journalism; about the little-examined role that class plays in media; about journalistic integrity; about whether the media – even the media outlets that position themselves as the true voices of real people – are actually in touch with real people.”

Whatever the answers, Trump is using his notoriety to make him money, not to make him president. He knows the media loves bad news and sensationalism, so they will pile on to the next story about the sky falling.

Trump has little chance of getting more than a fringe vote and the GOP won’t think he’s so grand when it’s time to pick a viable contender who can get the votes that Romney couldn’t attract.

Perhaps the Trump benefit is that more people will vote due to the heightened news coverage and awareness. If so, the media can be credited with helping to get out the vote, even if they’re struggling with how to report on Trump.

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Great Brand Stories Come From Answering 5 Questions

Some companies struggle to define themselves and what they do. I see it often when I go to the “about” page of a brand’s site and can’t immediately understand what they offer. More often than not I’ll need to Google the company to find news coverage describing them.

So why is it that some companies fail to clearly get to the point about what they sell and why it matters? Because they don’t understand the basics of storytelling.

News stories answer the following questions: what, why, who, how, when, where. For instance, knowing how a product will make it easy to quickly secure my data will help me appreciate why I might want to buy it.

All businesses need to know the answers to these questions. Whether it’s at the brand level or at the product level, if your team doesn’t know why your product matters and if your site doesn’t clearly state the customer benefits, for instance, then whatever is unique and wonderful about what you’re selling won’t resonate as much as it should.

So as you’re conceiving your startup or launching a new product or repositioning your business, make sure you and your teams are absolutely clear about the answers to these questions:

• What is your product or service?
• Why does it matter?
• Who is it for?
• How does it work?
• Where and when is it available?

Once you can clearly and succinctly address these questions, you’ll be able to tell a compelling customer benefit story that will help you, and your, team connect.

VHF Transceiver at the Cottage

It’s been a hot summer up at the cottage in the near north of Ontario and the lake is warmer than usual.

I love the combination of new and old here. We have Wi-Fi and an outdoor shower under the trees, a very modern kitchen and fire pit on the rocks by the water. In this home surrounded by forest by a lake, renovated rustic meets 21st century technology…. and 20th century technology in the form of a VHF radio.

The marine transceiver, which we never turn off, is the most immediate way to broadcast to everyone on water and land up here. We get updates from the lake association and can talk to other cottagers and boaters, although anyone with a radio can listen in. It’s like an old party phone line except you don’t need to pick up the receiver to hear what’s said.

I suppose this older communications device has similarities to Facebook, Google+ and other emerging media: it connects us to individuals and communities. Perhaps it’s closest to Twitter, though, since we primarily have short conversations about things that need to be done soon and about news that matters.

Such as the today’s weather forecast, which predicted that this morning’s rain will make way for sun.

Hope the sun’s shining and the water’s nice for you as well.