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Thursday, September 27, 2018

The Hot Property That’s Next on Tech’s Agenda: Real Estate Technology

By ERIN GRIFFITH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2xSPMbQ
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WhatsApp's Acton, Facebook's Marcus Spar Over Executive Defections

WhatsApp's Acton, Facebook's Marcus Spar Over Executive Defections

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Adding to Facebook’s frustrations, discord between the company’s current and former executives spilled into the open this week.

In an interview with Forbes, WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton said he regretted ever selling his startup to Facebook, because the company places too high a value on monetizing its membership.

In response, David Marcus, head of Facebook’s blockchain efforts, published a blog post in which he essentially called Acton ungrateful. He took issue with Acton’s characterization of Facebook as less than supportive of the startups it acquires.

“There are few companies out there that empower and retain founders and their teams for as long as Facebook does,” Marcus wrote. “The main reason is because [Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg] personally shields founders from what typically frustrates them in larger companies, giving them unprecedented autonomy.”

The timing of the row is awkward for Facebook, coming just days after Instagram cofounders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger abruptly announced their plans to depart the tech titan.

While details around the cofounders’ imminent exits remain unclear, reports suggest that disagreements with Facebook management contributed to their decision.

Yet, rather than shy away from the changes at Instagram, Marcus applauded Facebook for holding onto its cofounders for years after assuming ownership of their property. “Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger thrived at Facebook for six years,” he noted.

Taking aim at Acton, Marcus said Facebook did everything in its power to make the WhatsApp team feel welcome and supported.

“WhatsApp founders requested a completely different office layout when their team moved on campus,” he recalled. “Much larger desks and personal space, a policy of not speaking out loud in the space, and conference rooms made unavailable to fellow Facebookers nearby … This irritated people at Facebook, but Mark personally supported and defended it.

“The global rollout of end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp happened after the acquisition, and with Mark’s full support,” Marcus noted. Yes, [WhatsApp cofounder] Jan Koum played a key role in convincing Mark of the importance of encryption, but from that point on, it was never questioned."

Added Marcus: “I find attacking the people and company that made you a billionaire and went to an unprecedented extent to shield and accommodate you for years, low-class.”

Facebook bought WhatsApp for roughly $19 billion in 2014. Koum cofounded the messaging app along with Acton back in 2009.

Tensions between Facebook and WhatsApp’s founders were on full display earlier this year when Acton encouraged the world to delete their Facebook accounts. “It is time,” Acton tweeted. “#deletefacebook”

The call to action came just days after the Cambridge Analytica controversy was made public.

Acton left WhatsApp earlier this year, while Koum announced his plans to depart in April. Acton also recently invested $50 million in WhatsApp rival Signal, which has not been lost on analysts.

“It’s not surprising, given that Acton joined Signal after leaving Facebook,” Jeff Pollard, an analyst at Forrester Research, said earlier this year.

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September 27, 2018 at 09:26AM

Corbyn Pours More Fuel On His Fire Of Media Hatred

Corbyn Pours More Fuel On His Fire Of Media Hatred

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Jeremy Corbyn could never be accused of courting the press. From the moment he became Leader of the Labour Party, seeing him walk away from cameras and refusing to speak to journalists was a common occurrence. It's his right, of course, but anyone with an ounce of media savviness knows it makes a politician look shifty and evasive.

Yesterday, in his speech to the Labour Party conference, he took another swipe at the media, claiming press freedom is used to spread "lies and half-truths". His remedy was to encourage left-wing activists to "challenge the propaganda" and take to social media and oppose the news coming from billionaires. The irony of this inevitably meaning posting articles on Facebook, owned by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, appeared to be lost on the applauding crowd.

John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor, has similarly attacked the press at the conference, as had union leader Len McClusky. To be blunt, it was open season on the media from a party that feels the press, particularly The Daily Mail and The Sun, give Labour and its leader too hard a time.

One only has to think back a month or so to remember Jeremy Corbyn setting out plans for how to deal with the power of Facebook and Google. Although his antidote to the national press is to rely on activists using sites owned by the US tech giants, he suggested they need to be held back by a new broadcaster funded by the public, perhaps with an online streaming service to take on Netflix. Yes, that's right -- Jeremy Corbyn is suggesting something we already have in the BBC and iPlayer is launched. It beggars belief.

As for the stories that get Corbyn so hot under the collar, I don't think anyone would say the UK press always gets it right. I remember the attack on the Milliband brothers (Ed was previously Labour leader) over their father's views expressed decades ago was one where The Daily Mail got it particularly wrong. There is history between some parts of the media and the Labour Party.

However, one only has to think of the stories surrounding Corbyn attending a ceremony at a Muslim cemetery to realise how he just doesn't get it. Like you, I have no idea who else is buried there, what the point of the ceremony was and whether Corbyn laid a wreath and if so, for what purpose.

The thing is, Corbyn's rage at the media meant he gave a series of bungled explanations, meaning that he ended up having to admit there was a wreath-laying ceremony on the day, after all. This had two results. First, he just kept giving the story "legs" by giving and withdrawing and adding to explanations. Secondly, it made him look a bit shifty.

Let's add a third result. It demonstrated his dislike of how the media clouds his judgement on how to deal with the press.

This rage and his inability to, dare I say, play the media game, will seriously impact what the public thinks of him, but it only shoots himself further in the foot. The more he has a go at the press, the more petrol is thrown on the fire, and the more the press will oppose him.

Corbyn could really do with taking a leaf out of Tony Blair's book, the deal-maker who even managed to get The Sun to support him as he swept to power.

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September 27, 2018 at 09:26AM

Only In Healthcare Do Ad Creators Admit The Truth, Smith Says

Only In Healthcare Do Ad Creators Admit The Truth, Smith Says

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Steve Smith, editorial director of events at MediaPost, is opening today’s Marketing Health conference.

Consumers are almost in complete control of their media experience. It’s a tectonic shift from what came before. We knew where it was being consumer, mostly. Prime time TV, we knew what those four hours were about at night. There was a defined And contained experience. Even the internet was defined by home use and office use. Now, mobility has changed that in a radical way.

For media planners and buyers, it’s a fundamental shift. We’re only starting to appreciate the ways these interruptions are happening. As we blow apart the old context, interruptive advertising no longer makes sense. In healthcare, hosts of sensitivities around data.

The retailization of healthcare marketing. In consumer controlled media world, where patients have access to info, now everybody is a retailer. Have to speak to consumers in ways they never thought of before. Today, we’ll break this down. Look at the ways in which our focus is shifting, where the money is going.

Data, how its gathered, and how it can make messaging more human. Rise of the D2C brand, using techniques that have a lot to teach legacy brands. Social part of disruption, mixed history in healthcare, much bad information. But it is the channel that may be the most promising if used well. Finally, healthcare one of few area that ad creators admit the ads suck. Common challenge that everyone seems to be honest about in this field.

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September 27, 2018 at 09:26AM

Live Nation Unveils Global Music Study

Live Nation Unveils Global Music Study

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With 72% of Gen Z/Millennials saying they have driven over 100 miles to attend a live music event, it's no surprise music serves as a connector in today's digital world.

Now, Live Nation and research agency Culture Co-op are revealing findings from their global "Power of Live" study that tracked 22,500 live music fans, from 11 countries, ranging ages 13 to 65.

Three in four respondents (73%) say that now want to experience real life rather than digital life. It isn't just about the two-hour concert. Nearly eight in 10 (79%) says the experience extends beyond the event, with 65% making a purchase specifically for the concert and 68% sharing on social media.

Music may also strengthen brand affinity, since the report finds emotional intensity of live music opens the mind to new ideas.

Two in three (67%) say the more emotionally engaged they are, the more open they are to new ideas. In fact, 90% said brands are welcome in the space as long as they find authentic ways to enhance their experience.

Live Nation recommends brands seeking brand engagement need to be culturally relevant, mutually beneficial, stand for something build strong bonds, especially when their aligned values are center stage. "Live music is a feed of unforgettable moments," states the report.

As one participant in the report stated: “Brands need to go beyond putting their name on something, they need to interact with the community in creative ways. It takes more effort for a brand, but the return — the loyalty they could build — would be worth the effort.”

Despite today's divided culture, respondents said music drives identity more than their hometown, politics, race or religion. The only things that are a bigger force than music are friends/family and pastimes.

Here is a link to the report.

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September 27, 2018 at 09:26AM

Is Apple Being Too Careful About TV/Movie Productions On OTT Platforms?

Is Apple Being Too Careful About TV/Movie Productions On OTT Platforms?

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What is Apple's approach to TV/movie productions? Be careful and safe.

Apple could be focusing on safe content quality for its productions -- in the “family-friendly” vein -- according to The Wall Street Journal. Think TV/movie content without violence, politics and risqué story lines.

In a somewhat related move, Apple has delayed many of its new TV shows coming online. For many big-time TV producers of programming -- whether a Netflix, Amazon, HBO, CBS, NBC, or Fox -- production delays are common.

This year, Apple could spend up to $2 billion in TV/movie productions, according to estimates. That's no chump change for sure. But for Apple? Just a drop in the bucket.

It seems Apple has two goals here: First, to appeal to the widest possible audience. Second, and more importantly, to avoid a possible backlash when it comes to consumers issues regarding its iPhone, iPads and other electronic devices.

Here’s the rub: Consumers increasingly expect a wide range of content: Adult, family-friendly, independent, and wide-screen popular release -- especially when it comes to movies.

But Apple can only succeed if it takes chances with varied content. A significant portion of TV/movie content will always fail -- no matter what. And perhaps not for reasons easily to figure out.

Just go back and listen to any broadcast or cable network entertainment chief explain and scratch their heads when asked by TV critics -- at the twice yearly Television Critics Association meetings -- why certain shows that those executives loved, tested great, and hired the best people for, didn’t work.

Now, for Apple, it seems to adding additional impossible components: Don’t use swear words, show violence, or get too racy. The hope: Apple won’t find customers rebelling with social-media content featuring smashing or burning of iPhones.

This runs a fine line of dealing with an ever-fluid success/failure rate on TV. Some say that certain areas of TV content creation have only a 10% success rate for TV shows. Maybe less. For reality shows, according to one estimate, the success rate is 24.6%.

Even then, the shows that seemingly “make” it on a broadcast network’s schedule, cable network or SVOD service -- may only be for a few episodes, 9, 12 or 15.

One key would be to define -- and perhaps calculate in a new video world -- what "success" means when it comes to TV on traditional TV network platforms (broadcast and cable), OTT platforms and even short-form video.

When you figure it out -- and come up with the all-important algorithm -- Apple will thank you for it.

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September 27, 2018 at 09:26AM

Advertisers Encouraged To Buy Facebook, Messenger Stories

Advertisers Encouraged To Buy Facebook, Messenger Stories

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While the dust s ettles over at Instagram, Facebook is encouraging advertisers to consider new opportunities on its other apps.

Specifically, the tech titan is officially inviting advertisers worldwide to buy placements in Facebook and Messenger Stories.

Facebook opened Instagram Stories up to advertising last year, and the response from users has been promising.

A majority (62%) of survey respondents said they became more interested in a brand or product after seeing it featured in a Story, according to an Ipsos survey commissioned by Faecbook.

Big brands already testing ads in Facebook Stories include iHeartRadio, Kettle Chips and KFC.

While it remains a niche activity relative to Facebook's other features, Stories continues to grow in popularity. At present, more than 300 million people use Facebook Stories and Messenger Stories on a day-to-day basis, according to internal data.

The Ipsos survey found that 68% of people say they use Stories on at least three apps regularly, while 63% plan to use Stories more in the future.

Among other benefits, Stories ad placements can be presented in a full-screen format, while the Stories viewing experience closely mirrors that of programmed TV.

Like Instagram Stories ads, Facebook Stories ads will support a range of branding objectives — from reach to awareness, video views to app installs, conversions to lead generation.

Speaking directly to performance marketers, Facebook insists Stories ads can convince consumers to take action.

More than half of the people surveyed said they’re making more online purchases as a result of seeing stories, the Ipsos survey found.

Also, 38% of people said that after seeing a product or service in a Story, they talked to someone about it. Some 34% said they went to a store to seek it out.

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September 27, 2018 at 08:02AM