#stakeintheground

Photo Courtesy of M360

Visual Diary 11 - Problematic Stake in the Ground

MySpace is another great example of a company putting a stake in the ground that ended up hurting the company. The rise of MySpace in the early 2000's was powerful, and the ability for its users to customize their pages made it a very appealing platform in an era when social media was almost unknown. The release of Facebook made it an instant competitor.

In 2005, Rupert Murdoch acquired MySpace for $580M. After this, many changes were introduced that made the interface clunky, full of ads, and less customizable - which was what users loved the most. This led to a decline in users, and as Facebook became more popular, it resulted in the end of the MySpace era.

Photo courtesy of NPR

Visual Diary 11 - Problematic Stake in the Ground

Borders Bookstore is an example of a company taking a stake in the ground and suffering the consequences. In this instance, Amazon was the innovative company that was poised to work with Borders on their online book sales. Ultimately, Borders went all in on music CD and movie DVD sales, just as the industry was entering into its digital era. Interestingly, Barnes and Noble pulled back from this and started gaining speed towards its online sales. In the end, Borders lost out on the online shopping and digital sales market in a way that Barnes and Noble was able to figure out.

Screenshot courtesy of AirBnb.

Visual Diary 10 - Stake in the Ground

For my second post this week, I'd like to reference the 2017 SuperBowl Ad called "We Accept" by AirBnb. This was a reference to the closing of the country's border to refugees by the Trump Administration. In response, AirBnb aired this ad putting a stake in the ground against the action of the administration and letting it be known that their views were of acceptance and inclusivity. The ad displays the following text, along with images of people of color and various backgrounds: "“We believe no matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love, or who you worship, we all belong."

Photo courtesy of Apple Podcasts

Visual Diary 10 - Stake in the Ground

For my first example, I'd like to reference Tori Dunlap and her NYT Bestseller Financial Feminist. Along with this, she produces a podcast called "Her First $100k" that has become a leading podcast in the financial sphere, even topping that of Dave Ramsey at one point.

Right from the very title of her podcast, it's clear Tori is putting a stake in the ground. If you aren't interested in equality for all genders, then her podcast is probably not for you. She also makes it clear that she will cover topics, such as politics and legislation, on her podcast and is not afraid to share her opinion. She will either attract you or repel you from her orbit, and she is completely fine with either of those.