#5big

Succession 

As I recently wrote about my “Fascination with Family Businesses,” this show embodies and glorifies some of what they’re (mostly) all about, albeit on a grander scale.  It’s witty, fast-paced and includes all of the elements of a hot new summer show - sex, drugs and money. With Will Ferrell as an executive producer, you’ll undoubtably enjoy and appreciate the humor mixed in with the dark family fueding and nepotism.

The Profit

Five seasons in and Marcus still hasn’t lost his touch. With his three simple principles: people, product and process -- he changes people’s lives and their businesses. I’m a fan of Marcus’ ability to communicate with people and turn most struggling businesses into lasting enterprises. 

Below Deck Mediterranean

Guilty pleasure. I’ll be the first to admit -- I love this show. It’s like the old MTV Real World, but with the crew AKA cast being together in a tiny boat basement for an entire yachting season, the ridiculous drama is just intensified to the point of humor.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

If I could hang out with anyone in this world for 5 minutes, it may just be Jerry Seinfeld. The guy’s a comedic genius and I love the nothingness that gets discussing during his 15-20 minute schmooze sessions. 

Million Dollar Listing New York

In the few short weeks since getting the keys to our new home I have had a blast getting schooled on all things ‘smart home’. What is remarkable and pleasantly surprising to me is just how consumer friendly all of these new gadgets and gear are. 

Yes, alarm systems and doorbells, outdoor cameras and speakers, are not new by any stretch. But, what is new is i) how relatively affordable they are ii) the ease by which you can install them (mostly) yourself and iii) how simple they are to learn and operate.

At [L]earned Media we always talk about the ‘consumerization of enterprise software’ -- the idea that end users expect all of their digital business platforms (i.e. quickbooks, asana, dropbox and even just your website) to look, feel and act as elegantly and as simply as say, Facebook.

Today, it’s safe to say that consumers expect and are very much getting the consumerization of hardware. Where yesterday you would need to hire an alarm company to watch over your home, today it’s a ‘disruptive tech company that designs, engineers, and sells wireless security alarm systems, cameras and services for houses, apartments, and other commercial properties’.

Without further delay, here are Five BIG things in smart home tech:

Nest (Camera, Thermostat, Lock, Alarm, Doorbell, Smoke and CO Alarm) https://nest.com/

Just like when you use all of Apple’s products, everything feels harmonious such is the case with Nest. Everything being cleanly billed and showcased within their app feels great. I highly recommend the Nest ecosystem for all of their products. 

Sonos https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop

Sonos is about to go public and I’d buy the stock. Apparently there are no other smart amps that can touch theirs. Even Apple’s Airplay has major limitations in comparison. Sonos products are not cheap, but they are top tier and they work well with every service from Spotify to Pandora, Apple Music to Amazon Music & more

Amazon Alexa https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-And-Alexa-Devices/b?ie=UTF8&node=9818047011

Do we even need to bother? Alexa is the leader in voice, period.

SimpliSafe https://simplisafe.com/

Not going to lie, I went with the local hometown alarm company for my own house, BUT, it was a very tough call. The truth is that while the monthly protection monitoring fees are nearly half that of the local shop (roughly $50/mo vs. $25/mo), pricing for the equipment (window sensors, motion sensors, etc.) is comparable. That and the home we bought already had everything installed so sticking with the local shop meant we didn’t have to buy all new sensors (which adds up)!

Amazon Fire TV https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N32NCPM/ref_=fs_ods_fs_smp_ne

I have a Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV. You really can’t go wrong here as they are all good devices and have their own pros and cons. For example, you can’t use iTunes to buy a TV show on Roku and you can’t stream your cable subscription (if you have one) on Apple TV. Something about the UI of the Fire TV and it’s voice controlled remote (which Apple TV also has but doesn’t work as well) makes it my pick here.

For more smart home tech and reviews, check out Wirecutter a site that the NYTimes bought awhile back: https://thewirecutter.com/home-garden/smart-home/

And for a peek into the future, check out Google Duplex in action. This voice assistant makes real phone calls to real people -- it’s awesome but it’s obviously not out for public use yet. Watch this now!

Kara Swisher interviews Snap CEO Evan Spiegel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQYBLeV6sbM

Kara Swisher interviews Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq8UvZa3SFg

Kara Swisher and Peter Kafka interviews Facebook executives Sheryl Sandberg and Mike Schroepfer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QBy5T0qxw

Jason Del Rey interviews Joe Tsai, executive vice chairman of Alibaba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FREispbUxms

1) Your business has evolved.

If your brand no longer speaks to who you serve or what you do, it’s time to consider an update. Whether you’ve gone through any type of M&A, added markets to your service areas or expanded to new verticals  -- it’s likely time for a refresh.

Consider this, 10 years ago before the web 2.0 digital revolution a company could be successful with a unique product or service. “What” you sold was sometimes enough to grow your business. 5 years ago the world flattened and many competitors likely caught up, however, the “how” you did business was still something that could set you apart (i.e. customer experience). Today, many of the “whats” and “hows” you provide clients are similar to that of your competitors -- technology being a major factor towards standardizations that customers expect. The biggest differentiator, which, will likely always remain as a place to stand out is the “why”. The “why” of a business can be communicated most effectively via a brand and most often via it’s website.

2) Your brand has no consistency and the people in and out of your organization are using the different logos, fonts and descriptions when referencing who you are and what you do.

Having a consistent brand look and feel is critical to maintaining a high degree of value perception relative to your customers and clients. Ensuring your customers and clients know who you are, what you stand for and the values you maintain can separate you from your competitors and give you a leg up in the marketplace.

3) You or others at your company make excuses every time you share your website URL or hand out a business card.

We can all relate to the feeling of walking into a room wearing a stylish, well fitting suit, dress or outfit that’s been custom tailored precisely to fit you and the event you’re about to attend. This is similar to the feeling you’ll get as a business owner after you’ve invested in a brand and website refresh. The confidence you will exude on top of the fresh branding will yield many tangible and intangible dividends. Every day your brand and website is showing up dressed as a schlub is a day you’re missing out on impressing an existing client to give you more business or new prospect to move their account to you.

4) Your brand looks just like everyone else's.

A brand and website can do many things to the outside world -- one of those things is to help make you stand out. If you’re finding that everyone else in your space has started to look and talk the same way about their business, it might be time to consider a refresh.

5) The next generation of ownership is making its way in.

2) The hype of Beacons!?

What happened to this technology that was supposed to create incredible personalized IRL shopping experiences for consumers? No clue, but I haven’t heard a word about it in years. I’m not sure how much longer we have to wait to see a real use case that anyone cares about.

3) Organic Facebook for brands is dead.

Stop it right now. I will save you the 10 hours x $30/hr you are paying your marketing coordinator each week to create content and post on your brand’s Facebook page. It’s not working. No one is seeing your content.

4) Traditional media is making a comeback (but it never went anywhere in the first place).

Outdoor, direct mail, print, radio, TV, digital, social, mobile, events, etc.. With each new medium comes the predictions that old ones will die. Hasn’t happened yet, don’t think it ever will. While everyone has been distracted with all of the new ‘shiny objects,’ sophisticated marketers have continued to market (effectively) cross channel.

5) There’s no more gaming Google on SEO.