September 08, 2011
ConAgra Bait & Switch PR Stunt: What Was Marketing & Ketchum Thinking?
I read the article below about a ConAgra Foods PR stunt with bloggers in disbelief. What on earth were the marketing and PR team thinking?
Of course it's a bait and switch and not a good one. They're food bloggers and you serve them processed boxed food from a "brand" when they think they're getting a hand-made meal by a well known chef? Who wouldn't be pissed and rightfully so?
I kept thinking throughout - their marketing team should be canned for SO not getting how off color this is not to mention off target.
The article below is reposted from the New York Times and Peter Shankman is SPOT ON - Ketchum should have known better. This is ethics 101 folks...ethics 101. Bait and switch is uncool for any marketing campaign but with bloggers who are going to WRITE about their experience. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
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In August, food bloggers and mom bloggers in New York were invited to dine at an underground restaurant in a West Village brownstone run, apparently, by George Duran, the chef who hosts the “Ultimate Cake Off” on TLC.
Sotto Terra, the invitation said, was “an intimate Italian restaurant” where attendees would enjoy a “delicious four-course meal,” Mr. Duran’s “one-of-a-kind sangria,” and learn about food trends from a food industry analyst, Phil Lempert. The invitation continued that upon confirming — for one of five evenings beginning Aug. 23 — bloggers would receive an extra pair of tickets as a prize for readers and that the dinner would include “an unexpected surprise.”
The surprise: rather than being prepared by the chef, the lasagna they were served was Three Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna by Marie Callender’s, a frozen line from ConAgra Foods. Hidden cameras at the dinners, which were orchestrated by the Ketchum public relations unit of the Omnicom Group, captured reactions to the lasagna and to the dessert, Razzleberry Pie, also from Marie Callender’s.
“Our intention was to really have a special evening in a special location with Chef George Duran,” said Stephanie Moritz, senior director of public relations and social media at ConAgra.
“The twist at the end was not dissimilar with what brands like Pizza Hut and Domino’s have done in the recent past with success,” she said, referring to hidden-camera advertising campaigns. ConAgra expected to use the footage for promotional videos on YouTube and its Web site, and for bloggers to generate buzz when they wrote about being pleasantly surprised.
But it was the marketers, not the diners, who were in for the biggest surprise.
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The hidden camera is a staple in commercials, from Folger’s ads in the 1970s and 1980s where diners in upscale restaurants unknowingly enjoyed instant coffee instead of the house brew, to more recent Pizza Hut ads, where diners, again in upscale restaurants, unknowingly enjoyed pasta from Pizza Hut.
But while consumers tend to laugh along with the ruse, ConAgra was about to learn that bloggers, who often see themselves as truth-seeking journalists, find the switcheroo less amusing, especially when it entails them misleading their readers beforehand.
“Our entire meal was a SHAM!” wrote Suzanne Chan, founder of Mom Confessionals, in ablog post after the event. “We were unwilling participants in a bait-and-switch for Marie Callender’s new frozen three cheese lasagna and there were cameras watching our reactions.”
On FoodMayhem.com, a blog by Lon Binder and Jessica Lee Binder, Mr. Binder wrotethat during a discussion led by Mr. Lempert before the meal, Mr. Binder spoke against artificial ingredients while Ms. Binder mentioned being allergic to food coloring. When the lasagna arrived, Ms. Binder was served a zucchini dish, while Mr. Binder was served lasagna.
“We discussed with the group the sad state of chemical-filled foods,” wrote Mr. Binder. “And yet, you still fed me the exact thing I said I did not want to eat.” (Among the ingredients in the lasagna: sodium nitrate, BHA, BHT, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.)
On the evening she attended, Cindy Zhou wrote on her blog, Chubby Chinese Girl, that during the pre-meal discussion, she “pointed out that the reason I ate organic, fresh and good food was because my calories are very precious to me, so I want to use them wisely.”
She continued, “Yet they were serving us a frozen meal, loaded with sodium.” (An 8-ounce serving of the lasagna contains 860 milligrams of sodium, 36 percent of the recommended daily allowance.)
“I’m NOT their target consumer and they were totally off by thinking I would buy or promote their highly processed frozen foods after tricking me to taste it,” Ms. Zhou wrote.
As negative comments on blogs, Twitter and Facebook grew, ConAgra canceled the fifth evening and vowed not to use the hidden-camera footage for promotional purposes.
“Once we sensed it was not meeting attendees’ expectations, that’s where we stopped, we listened and we adjusted,” said Ms. Moritz, of ConAgra.
For the rest of the article, click here.
September 8, 2011 in America The Free, In the News, On Blogging, On Branding, PR & Marketing, Social Media, WBTW | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 02, 2011
While Urbahn May Have Broke Bin Laden Death on Twitter, it was Void of Depth & Texture
Last night, I was due to have dinner with a client in Phoenix and she texted me letting me know it would have to wait until Obama's speech to the nation - Osama bin Laden had been killed. A quick Google search brought up the news and a few minute walk brought me to a random hotel lobby where CNN was on, a handful of people muddled around waiting for him to start his 9+ minute speech.
When Obama finally came on in his polished blue jacket, white shirt and red tie with the composed and stately White House behind him, he said half way through his talk: "Justice has been done". He also gave thanks to those who successfully carried out the action that brought Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader held largely responsible for orchestrating the 9/11 attacks nearly a decade ago, to his final death.
It was said that Bin Laden was killed in "deep" Pakistan and although the details we learned through the in-depth coverage on CNN, the news first emerged on Twitter.
A media alert went out shortly before 9:45 PM EST that the President would “address the nation” at 10:30, but a few minutes (five) before the speech began, Keith Urbahn, the chief of staff for the former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, tweeted out this: “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn.”
When I checked status of Foursquare and Twitter when I arrived at the hotel, the news of Bin Laden's death was already trending and remained trending well into the night.
Sure, Twitter is useful for breaking news, rapid fire reports (you see a fire on a city street, you can take a photo and tweet it out in real time before major news reporters from a so called "respectable" station or paper arrives), but a lot of people are still not on Twitter.
The same weekend of news of his death, we exhibited at the Ultimate Women's Expo in Phoenix, where we had nearly 3,000 women (and some men) stop by the booth each day. Every time I asked whether someone was on Twitter, 98% of them said no whereas a significantly larger percentage were on Facebook. And, remember that we were in Phoenix, a major American city, not a small town in the midwest.
That said, news of Osama’s death originating on Twitter from the chief of staff for the former defense secretary brings some credibility to the table is compelling (in other words, it wasn't from a 15 year old teenager).
Despite Urbahn's tweet and several other successful cases of Twitter reporting the first "news" (also note the trend and success in the world of entertainment: Charlie Sheen, Britney Spears, Jackie Chan), people still refer to more authoritative sources for things of significance. Also truth be told, Twitter can't go into depth about a story, and people want depth - the where, how, what, when and the intimate details of the WHY.
News of Osama’s death is so significant, not just because of who it is, but because there's so much emotion connected to it around 9/11 and those who have lost loved ones or been impacted directly and indirectly by those tragic attacks.
It's the in-depth emotional captures, the discussions on and offline and the impact of what his death means now and for the foreseeable future that people will want to dig their teeth into. Twitter can't provide that.
Remember while I was not a fan of Twitter in the early days, these days I am and have several accounts which I'm active on daily. Yes, daily. Even when I went deep into the desert, I had tweets queued up and tweeted in real time with photos when I had coverage. I did however leave my mobile device behind when I went into the South American Amazon......tweeting from such raw nature seemed a bit too much and I knew it would take away from the experience of being present with the beauty around me, rather than add or compliment it, which it can do in other situations.
While Twitter may continue to prove to be a useful source of breaking news moving forward, I still want depth. And, my Twitter stream is crowded despite my attempts to keep lists and streams, which work fairly well most of the time. The problem is that even well known "tweeters" with traffic and influence and some people I WANT to follow send their Foursquare check-ins to their Twitter streams or talk about their child losing their first tooth. Really? Time for quality control or perhaps a little of that Klout score needs to be taken away from that almighty Influence Number Ladder.
Below is the original speech that Obama gave the nation from the White House posted on YouTube, which give you something you could never get in 140 characters: the richness of the colors, the texture of his voice and the emotion surrounding the video, and the visuals of people parading outside the White House singing the National Anthem and carrying flags singing, waving and yes, celebrating.
May 2, 2011 in America The Free, In the News, On People & Life, On Politics, On Technology, Social Media, Videos, WBTW, Web 2.0 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 02, 2011
The Tohoku Kids Project Comes Out of Tragedy in Japan
After Japan’s horrific 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, people are donating money and time, charities are thinking of creative ways to help, and countless local and international agencies are on the ground doing extraordinary work for victims in the affected regions.
Smile Kids Japan and Living Dreams have joined forces to provide specific, effective solutions through a joint venture called, Smiles & Dreams: The Tohoku Kids Project.
They will work to support children’s homes (orphanages) affected by the disaster, focusing immediately on the needs of the children who rely on them. Their first act will be to restore basic necessities, including both personal and shared items. They will replenish basic needs such as clothing, baby supplies and basic medicines and also provide homes with items that will help them rebuild a nurturing environment for the children. Through their combined networks, their organizations will directly purchase and distribute necessary items quickly and efficiently.
Their second act will be to connect children’s homes directly to professional child counselling services and also to provide them with a wide range of activities to help their children emotionally move on after the tragedy they’ve endured. Proper counselling along with activities such as trips to theme parks, camping, going to concerts, Yoga, and various other types of therapeutic activities will improve children’s outlook on their lives and future. Counselling services and activities will be funded and arranged directly through our organisations’ networks. Find out more and how to get involved.
April 2, 2011 in In the News, On Japan, On People & Life, WBTW | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2011
Levy's WIRED Piece: Larry Page wants to Return Google to its Startup Roots
Steve Levy's Wired piece that came out today is a must read. Entitled Larry Page Wants to Return Google to its Start-up Roots, it takes us back to 12 years ago when Google was first funded.
Two excerpts from his piece:
"Now, after a 10-year run in which Google’s revenues grew from less than $100 million to almost $30 billion, Page is finally CEO again, a role he always felt he could handle. The general public may not appreciate the magnitude of the change—to most, Page is just one of the seemingly interchangeable pair of wacky “Google guys.” But Page is sui generis and could potentially have the kind of impact Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have had. Nobody better encapsulates Google’s ambitions, its ethics, and its worldview. At the same time, Page can be eccentric, arrogant, and secretive. Under his leadership, the company will be even harder to predict."
And, on what Google 'could' look like with Page back in the CEO position:
"If history is any guide, Page’s idealistic impulses could result in a vaster, more sprawling company. In 2008, Google participated in an FCC auction for radio spectrum to be used for mobile broadband. By the terms of the auction, if the spectrum was sold above a certain price, the winner would have to allow other companies to run devices on their networks—something Google strongly favored but that telecom companies dearly hoped to avoid. Google executives worried that the telecoms would conspire to keep bidding below that baseline price. So the company got involved in a high-stakes game of chicken. Google would bid on the spectrum, high enough to get it over the threshold, and then bow out. It left Google potentially vulnerable; if nobody else topped its bid, the company would be stuck with a multibillion-dollar piece of spectrum that it was unequipped to exploit. “Google definitely wanted to lose,” the company’s chief economist, Hal Varian, says. To Google’s great relief, Verizon did top its bid, and the company was off the hook."
Head over to WIRED to read the full article.
March 18, 2011 in America The Free, In the News, On Innovation, On Money, On People & Life, On Search, On Technology, On the Future | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 26, 2010
Meet the 2011 Explorer: A Social Media Unveiling
Traditionally, car manufacturers have launched new cars at auto shows, but this time around, Ford has chosen to launch their new Explorer, officially announced today, to its Facebook friends in a unique social media initiative. This will subsequently followed by reveal events throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Ford’s VP of Global Marketing Jeff Farley shared his excitement of how they plan to share the new car with their nearly 200K Facebook fans and the importance of getting feedback from fans and skeptics. “You can’t myth busy if you don’t know the myth,” said Farley. I had to laugh when he added, “I love auto shows, but the Ford Explorer deserves more.” They’re planning an online campaign at launch to hit 50 million people through social media – this is an effort to connect with and start a dialogue with customers who have an interest in Ford and want to learn more.
Since I had never been to Dearborn Michigan, the home of Ford and in many ways, a symbol of all things American, I was itching to experience the auto heartland and meet some of the people who had lived and breathed the auto industry for more than a decade.
Joe Ward below in Ford's Communications Group brings us all together for an evening outside buffet/barbecue the night before the briefing.
Mark Fields, the Executive VP and fields President of the Americas, kicked off the official product briefing the next morning. Dressed in a beige suit and tie and sparking shiny black shoes, he was gleaming as he geared up for unveiling the details of their new Explorer to a room of press, which they see as the “SUV reinvented.”
He revealed branding stats among American consumers: a whopping 96% had heard of the Ford Explorer brand. We then move into trends. According to their latest, yanks still want SUVs but the number one reason they don’t buy one is fuel economy and efficiency. “It’s the primary reason people are saying NO to SUVs,” says Fields.
The new Explorer, which will seat 7 passengers, offers a 237 horse power engine, a 13% increase in power from the previous model. Its V6 power is expected to deliver more than 20% better fuel economy than the 2010 model, shattering conventional expectations for SUV fuel efficiency. When equipped with the available 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 engine, Explorer fuel economy is expected to improve by more than 30% and exceed the 2010 Honda Pilot and 2010 Toyota Highlander V6.
In addition to putting a full force effort into improving fuel efficiency, they have focused their attention on better quality, keeping it “green,” safety aspects and incorporating smart technology.
Ford’s Group VP of Global Product Development Derek Kuzak hit the stage to cover each of those core areas, at the time, still without any of us seeing a visual of the new Explorer, still covered by a blanket behind the Ford execs.
Moray Callum, Ford’s Director Designer for the Americas shared the latest in design improvements and then at last, (drum roll please), the moment the auto geeks were waiting for, the blanket lifting. They chose a white vehicle and through years of practice, the polish and shine was just about as perfect as you can get……it glistened, it shone, it sparkled as it spun around on the flat stage with two Ford spokespeople in front of its glory and massive wall banner behind it. (A Ford Explorer sitting in a rugged setting with tall trees surrounding it).
The engineering team spent a significant effort on new features, such as safety, recycled materials used in the car’s interior, uncompromised towing and the terraine management system. This model allows you to go through four “driving” shifts on-the-fly, so within minutes, you can change from sand settings to snow to mud and ruts to normal every day driving.
They are also launching the first inflatable safety belts for the second row seat, a dramatic improvement in overall passenger safety. And, the materials used in the carpets are made of 25% recycled material.
Another cool feature is something they’re calling Hill Descent Control, which manages hill descent for you so you don’t have to manage the break and accelerator pedal manually. Also included is beefed up smart technology – their combined Sync and MyFord Touch, which I covered in more detail last week here.
Touting over 10,000 voice commands and a new ‘flattened command structure,’ you can get the same desired result from using different words and phrases to get what you want, i.e., play song or play track, find nearest shoe store or find shoe store, find nearest restaurant or I’m Hungry.
The team enhanced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) control for the new Explorer using an advanced technology called NoiseVision.
A ball with hundreds of tiny cameras and microphones, NoiseVision allows engineers to pinpoint and address potential noise issues earlier in the development process. Explorer is expected to be superior to in-segment competitors and rival premium SUVs in quietness and NVH control.
On safety, they have added enhancements there as well. Apparently, there are 50,000 curve related crashes each year related to speeding. As yet another safety feature addition, the new Explorer also has added curve control to its 2011 model.
Explorer’s EPAS system allows for variable rates of assistance based on speed, turn-in and direction. In addition to optimized steering feel, tight on-centering and appropriate resistance, EPAS provides a fuel economy benefit in comparison to traditional hydraulic power assist systems. EPAS also enables a competitive turning radius for optimum maneuverability in parking situations, combined with increased assistance at low speeds for parking ease. EPAS allows for the addition of Curve Control, a new feature that senses when a driver enters a turn too quickly and applies brake pressure to stabilize the vehicle.
The Interior Backseats
Additionally, their inflatable rear belts spread impact forces across more than five times the area than conventional seat belts, reducing pressure on the chest while helping to control head and neck motion.
Ford’s Jim Holland addressed aerodynamics. The team logged over two million CPU hours on aerodynamics alone, which has resulted in a 12% improvement over the 2010 Explorer. The new 2011 Explorer is being assembled at Ford’s Chicago manufacturing facility. Production begins late this year, and Explorer will be available in dealerships this coming winter.
July 26, 2010 in America The Free, In the News, On Innovation, On Technology, Social Media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 20, 2010
New Lessons from Old Spice
By now, I’m sure you’ve all at least heard of the Old Spice Guy campaign and the immense waves it made this week. It is one for the textbooks – a case study that will be reviewed, recounted and revisited for at least the next year, I’m sure. And with good reason. On every level, it was exemplary of what a digital campaign should be.
It answered all the social media ‘rules’:
- Be engaging
- Be integrated
- Be human
- Be transparent
- Influence the influencers
The campaign, which began with a string of hilarious print and TV ads, moved into digital using YouTube to broadcast personalised video responses to people talking about or to Old Spice across social networks (primarily Twitter, Facebook and YouTube but also across forums like Reddit and Yahoo! Answers). With YouTube as it’s very well-branded ‘homebase’, the campaign took the brand into other spaces with similar, but space-specific, creative treatments, behaviours and tone of voice.
The responses were instantly popular. Hilarious and off-beat, they very rarely spoke about the actual brand or product (unless, somehow, smacking a pinata with a dead fish is somewhere in the Old Spice brand guidelines). The brand became human. It wasn’t Old Spice the brand, it was the Old Spice Guy with (funny) stories. And it was responding personally to us, the users, the ‘dearest and closest internet friends’.
While the Old Spice Man created videos for the ‘average joe’ (and did he ever - he actually even proposed for someone), he also responded to users with high levels of activity, followers and authority (such as Digg founder Kevin Rose and celebritweeters like Alyssa Milano, Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres) which helped the campaign grow exponentially. It brought the level to an accessible user level and found celebrity involvement without the celebrity fee.
Old Spice started by sponsoring a tweet to solidify their space in Twitter’s Top Trends and the campaign was trending across Twitter and the web within hours of the initial tweet (something that would have happened organically, without the sponsored tweet – but still a safe move on Old Spice’s part).
Throughout the campaign, the agency behind it all – Wieden + Kennedy – brilliantly kept an open-door policy about the whole thing, offering up behind-the-scene shots and tell-all explanations of how the process was working.
The campaign is a simple idea, executed well. It hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but it has defined the way we use it.
What’s the big takeaway that B2B marketers can take from this? That thisn't just a B2C case study - it is a case study for B2B, too.
Before this, Old Spice was not an exciting brand. For as long as I have known it, it has been ‘the stuff my dad wears’ (and my Dad really does wear it which he will now claim makes him a trendsetter).
Campaigns like this are what give brands new traction. B2B has long had the reputation of being less fun and creative than the consumer side of our industry. We know that’s not true, so let’s get out the dead fish and started beating the piñata with it!
July 20, 2010 in America The Free, Arts & Creative Stuff, Entertainment/Media, In the News, On Branding, On Video, PR & Marketing, Social Media, United Kingdom, Web 2.0 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 02, 2010
And on the 20th Day They Rested
56 games after the opening match on June 11th between host South Africa and Mexico there was finally an off-day at the 2010 World Cup. Two days, in fact, before play resumed today with Holland's comeback win against Cup favorite Brazil and the upcoming match between Uruguay and Ghana.
After all the vuvuzela-ing, the officiating catastrophes and the disappointments of perennial big names England, France and Italy it still is the case that all but one of the group winners advanced to the final eight (the U.S. being the only exception), and that five of FIFA's seven top-ranked teams were still in the competition, so order has more or less prevailed.
It would have been even more so had third-ranked Portugal not had the misfortune of playing Spain in the Round of 16, and perhaps the greater misfortune of having their galactic star Cristiano Ronaldo in a tournament-long ego preen and pout.
Happily, Africa still has a representative in Ghana, but it is still the South Americans who are dominant, with four of their five teams in the final eight and an opportunity to advance all of them to the semifinals before Brazil's stunner.
It's been six days since the United States bowed out to Ghana in a disappointing loss, sufficient mourning time to perhaps enjoy one last scene of happiness, a video of the penalty kick goal by Landon Donovan which tied the match in the second half.
Alas, that was the only score by the team. This time there were no officiating excuses, just enough mistakes on defense and failures on offense and no last-minute heroics to keep them in the hunt.
If you've watched the other teams in the Round of 16 play, you can tell - even if like me you only know a little about soccer - that the United States has a long way to go in the dribble-and-pass game which all the great teams can play, whatever their strengths may be. They're also more resistant on defense and have at least one great goal-scorer up front, which the United States does not.
But perhaps that isn't so clear. Apparently a poll taken after the Algerian victory found that 90% of Americans expected the U.S. team to win the tournament. This wouldn't have happened if the rest of the teams were forced to play with two left boots.
Combine this poor vision with the response to the loss against Ghana - the anguish was so profound that it took two entire minutes for people to start talking about the Giants, in contrast to the liquid orgies of rage and despair in the English pubs the next day, after evisceration by the Germans. It's likely this week's love affair was about something other than soccer.
For the most part the fan interest was a fling, an excuse to demonstrate national pride. After a decade of boggy military incursions, the Katrina-BP bookend disasters in the Gulf and the recent financial collapse and shakedown it felt good to have a reason to chant "USA" and show some American muscle without feeling defensive or having to kill anyone to do it.The fan interest also resulted from some highly unusual late-game heroics. It's as if the United States lived up to its dual images of the Hollywood ending and the cavalry rescue, but the truth is that tournaments are won by teams which patiently build leads and hold on to them.
Or in some cases, play 120 minutes for a tie, which was the strategy employed by both Paraguay and Japan the other day. Witnessing this match was like watching an anaconda digest a feral pig on the Discovery Channel, without the benefit of time lapse photography. FIFA should destroy every tape and pull down all online video of this one. Even the soccer die-hards were in agony. A second ball rolled onto the pitch near the end of the regular time but nobody took the hint.
At one point in the stupefying delirium of overtime a mirage appeared of a split-screen TV, with the match on the left and on the right an episode of "24." Both of them in real-time, on one side you are begging for some time compression and on the right your adrenals are suffering because of it.
Now that the show is over perhaps FIFA can hire Jack Bauer as a roving field agent, reinforcing FIFA's utter control of the sport by having Bauer shoot a member of the team he determines is not taking enough risks. An American action movie version of a red card. That will manufacture interest in the U.S.
Successful soccer's premium on defensive play makes it hard to imagine the professional game taking hold here. It will be too dull for fans accustomed to other sports, and the economics of no in-play commercials might work for a World Cup but wouldn't for a season full of average-caliber contests.
There were certainly many households in America where young boys watched Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey and turned to Mom and said, "He's cool, I want to play soccer." Mom, relieved that the child is choosing something other than American football with its aggression and injuries, will ensure it happens.
But in order to vault beyond the second-level powers American soccer needs to extend the talent pool from the suburbs to the cities as well as take advantage of the increasing Latino population. Combine that with development in the European leagues after high school and it's not hard to imagine the United States being a consistently elite team in 12 years or so, even if the country doesn't care so much in between World Cup tournaments.
Anyway, one suspects the rest of the world has mixed feelings about the United States becoming a soccer power. American money will change the game and in some ways it feels as though the World Cup doesn't really start until the U.S. leaves, sort of like the loud rich neighbor who takes over the party but goes home early because he doesn't get it or have many friends.
Did anyone else notice in the videos of Ghanian celebrations in the U.S. that there were inevitably young white kids, protester-types somehow looking privileged and malnourished at the same time, cheering as if it were another way to denounce American imperialism and corporate dominion? They couldn't afford the trip to Davos or the Toronto G20 so slumming a World Cup loss would have to do.
Moments to remember:- A bird perched contentedly on the Algerian net during the England game, certain not to be disturbed by a shot on goal.
- Donovan's marine landing rush at the Slovenian goaltender, practically backing him into the net with the alternative of having his head taken off by the shot.
- Sepp Blatter being forced to come out of the FIFA tower to say something other than "Let them eat hand balls."
- Coach Maradona having more touches than half the Nigerian side in Argentina's first match. Letting go is hard.
- South Africa's tournament-opening goal, a beautiful scorcher. Like the promise of early morning, there hadn't yet been any officiating disasters, national meltdowns or 0-0 soporifics.
- Denmark's Jon Dahl Tomasson looking positively embarrassed after he needed a rebound on a penalty kick to end his international scoring drought.
- U.S. goalie Tim Howard leaping for a ball -- at the other end of the pitch. Desperate for the tying goal against Ghana he ran the full length of the field to create a man advantage. The replay showing both goalies jumping for the ball was amazing.
- The camera pan of the Portugese side heartily singing the national anthem before the first match, arms round each other, with the shot ending on Ronaldo at the end, self-contained, silent, head down. A nation of one.
July 2, 2010 in America The Free, In the News, San Francisco, Sports, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 01, 2010
Le Monde's Fate: Over After 66 Years?
* A steady erosion in readership.
* A lack of budget discipline, made worse by loose governance.
* The core newsroom’s reluctance to support the digital strategy.
* The collective certainty the “brand” was too beautiful to fail and that a deep-pocketed philanthropist will inevitably show up at the right time to save the company.
* A difficulty to invest into the future, to test new ideas, to built prototypes, or to invest in decisive technologies.
* A bottomless investment in the heavy-industry part of the supply chain, in costly printing facilities.
* An excessive reliance on public subsidies which account for about 10% of the industry’s entire revenue. Compared to Sweden, French newspapers have 3 times less readers, but each one gets 5 times more subsidies.
They are apparently seeking (needing?) at least €100m. Filloux gives an excellent account of its history, including his opinion and an assessment. He also includes a great set of stats and raw numbers. Take a look at the past three years. Source: Monday Note.
Their opinion of what they need? At a minimum, Filloux suggests an editorial and industrial project, restructuring, a strong and decisive human resources initiative and a long term approach - in other words, renovation won't be done overnight. If only newspapers understood this five years ago and started then, we wouldn't be reading about so many newspaper death marches ONLINE.
July 1, 2010 in Europe, In the News, On France, On Journalism, On the Future | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 29, 2010
FIFA Announces Solution to Referee Controversies
FIFA has taken a lot of heat for the number of obvious, dramatic and consequential errors made by referees during the 2010 World Cup, the latest being two embarrassing mistakes during Sunday's Round of 16 matches, one that resulted in a goal that shouldn't have been allowed and another which missed a goal being scored.
The international sporting press, players and coaches, and even politicians are calling for video review, additional on-field officials, or both, to ensure the integrity of match play. FIFA has resisted efforts to improve officiating, arguing that a certain amount of ambiguity adds to the appeal of the game as well as increasing fan interest. Usually FIFA refuses to even address or acknowledge the issue, but the severity of the mistakes in this tournament has forced a response.
FIFA has decided that, for the rest of the tournament, when the ball approaches within 20 meters of the net the video feed will be replaced by soap opera programming from the nation on the attack. Radio announcers will be required to stop calling the play and instead break out into native folk song. Fans at the match who do not turn their heads from the pitch will be escorted out of the stadium.
"This 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' approach is the only reasonable remedy," according to a FIFA spokesman who refused to be identified for fear of reprisals. "It is a human game, with humans making mistakes, and it would be the gravest mistake of all to try to change this fact."
"The play's the thing. Goals are not important, which is a good thing because they don't happen anyway. The only result people care about at the end of the match is that FIFA is in control. If people cannot accept this authority then they will lose their privilege of watching a FIFA event."
"Soccer is a reflection of life. In medicine, do you think the quality of care has improved as a result of technology or an effort to correct diagnostic errors? No. In law enforcement, do you believe that DNA testing or fingerprint technology has made it more likely the right people will be convicted of crimes? Did it make a difference that Edison kept trying to get it right? Of course not. Do you honestly believe the scientific method has done anything to improve the lot of humanity? It's absurd. Why should soccer be any different?"
The spokesman, who was captured crossing the moat on his way back into FIFA headquarters near Johannesburg, went on to say that FIFA recognizes that shortcomings of on-field personnel also need to be addressed. Referees who receive a failing grade for their performance in a match will be required to watch portions of Italy's and France's first round-matches while translating articles into their native language from the United States press about how stupid soccer is. While playing a vuvuzela.
"Honestly, FIFA has done everything it can be expected to do. For decades we have asked the players, coaches and fans to make the sacrifices required in order for FIFA to be able to continue presenting the most compromised football in the world. Unfortunately, the public has become resentful rather than grateful," the spokesman continued.
"How can it be The Beautiful Game, without beautiful errors. People say they want justice. Well we at FIFA ask who can provide justice? Can the players? The fans? No. Can a camera? Only God can provide justice, God and FIFA, and we are both of the opinion that video replay will not lead to justice."
An offer to return the FIFA spokesman safely in return for some kind of comment, anything at all, from FIFA President Sepp Blatter was ignored by the organization.
June 29, 2010 in America The Free, In the News, Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 25, 2010
World War Cup
You'd think that World War II was the most important event of the previous century what with all the parallels being drawn between the course of that conflict and the current World Cup. Basically, it goes like this:
France has capitulated early and Italy has given up the boot. England is left to fight Germany all alone, although the Yanks may show up eventually. The Japanese have advanced. All we need is for Russia to force Germany to divert most of her players to the Eastern Pitch.
But wait, the Russians aren't coming! Those pesky post-Tito Slovenes defeated them in World Cup qualifying because they penetrated the Russian defense in Moscow in November, a strategic conquest denied both Napoleon and Hitler.
Speaking of our favorite mass murderer, don't you think his hell-roasted spirit is in particular agony knowing that Germany's side has a bunch of guys who under his command would have been sent to a completely different kind of training camp? Turks, Brazilians, even Poles. To paraphrase another German, Max Weber, "The progress of humanity is the slow boring of hard boards." 65 years is not that long (the Serbs, who were eliminated yesterday, are still stuck on the year 1389). So this development is a very happy one.
Back in France L'Equipe is not being
welcomed a la maniere de Gaulle. The French are playing Yellow Card Red Card Race Card, with digits pointing about who to blame, who won't sing La Marseillaise and who is and is not really French.
A quick look at a team picture shows 13 players with dark skin. Contrast this with the 1998 championship team, which had only 13 players with dark skin. Ok, so it's the same number but that team, in contrast, won so they're patriots, true French, whereas this team lost, so they are a bunch of unassimilated enfants d'Afrique unjustly blessed with French citizenship. We'd have done better with the Algerians!
Yes, they conducted themselves horribly, winners of the Petulant Boot, and deserve the nation's condemnation. They squandered a quadrennial opportunity on the world's biggest stage, their behavior a warning to the world's children rather than an example.
But maybe it's about individuals and their poor choices, or about how professional athletes are absurdly spoiled, rather than let's simply tar everyone with the same old tar? Vive, vive, vive Le Pen!!!
France's flame-out was spectacular but mostly took place away from the pitch, and the whole mess with Henry's hand ball against Ireland and the French coach's astrological consulting made this outcome seem preordained in that weird fateful fashion that is so common in soccer.
The argument could be made that Italy's collapse was more shameful, especially when you consider the end of the Slovakia game. Once they got down by two goals Italy began playing with speed and inspiration. It was the most riveting 20 minutes of the tournament and it made it obvious that Italy's prior performance was from apathy.
France seemed troubled, but Italy seemed indifferent. That's a greater sin. In contrast, the Western Hemisphere is playing with enthusiasm and purpose lacking in most of the European powers. At least six of the eight teams are going to advance to the Round of 16 and Chile, the team playing the most exciting soccer, might make a seventh.
More specifically, has anyone noticed that in this particular game of Risk the South Americans are taking over the board? 10 wins, zero losses, three draws, with top-ranked Brazil and Chile playing against Portugal and Spain today. Today could have the best play we've seen so far.
To give us a sense of where things are, let's take a look at the map.
June 25, 2010 in Current Affairs, Europe, In the News, On Germany, Sports | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack