Do you know the name Aaron Swartz?

I never met Aaron. I heard his name only a couple of times as he was one of the people involved in the development of RSS, the organization Creative Commons, and the founding of Reddit. You would think that he was an industry veteran with a resume like that. Along with those roles, he was also a writer, political organizer and Internet activist. Sadly, Aaron committed suicide in 2013 at the age of 26. Total shame. The Internet's Own Boy is a documentary about Aaron Swartz. "It features interviews with his family and friends as well as the internet luminaries who worked with him. The film tells his story up to his eventual suicide after a legal battle, and explores the questions of access to information and civil liberties that drove his work," according to the website. It's an amazing story about an amazingly interesting and complex individual.

Watch The Internet's Own Boy right here:

Tags: aaron swartz creative commons documentary lawrence lessig reddit rss the internets own boy

There is a whole new slew of great business books that are coming your way in the next little while. Here are ten of the ones that look the most interesting (ranked by date of publication):

1. The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness by James Altucher and Claudia Azula Altucher. Without a doubt, James Altucher is one my most favorite writers out there today. Well, he just released his latest book and I'm about to get started on it! From the book: "How many times have you heard yourself saying yes to the wrong things -- overwhelming requests, bad relationships, time-consuming obligations? How often have you wished you could summon the power to turn them down? This lively, practical guide helps you take back that power -- and shows that a well-placed 'No' can not only save you time and trouble, it can save your life. Drawing on their own stories as well as feedback from their readers and students, James Altucher and Claudia Azula Altucher clearly show that you have the right to say no: To anything that is hurting you. To standards that no longer serve you. To people who drain you of your creativity and expression. To beliefs that are not true to the real you. When you do, you'll be freed to say a truly powerful 'Yes' in your life -- one that opens the door to opportunities, abundance, and love." The book was published on July 15th, 2014.
2. The Marketing Performance Blueprint: Strategies and Technologies to Build and Measure Business Success by Paul Roetzer. Paul wrote a super-interesting book titled, The Marketing Agency Blueprint, back in 2011. Now, he's back with this one. From the book: "The Marketing Performance Blueprint is an actionable and innovative guide to unlocking your potential as a marketer and accelerating success for your business. With an eye toward the marketing industry's rapid evolution, this book focuses on the processes, technologies, and strategies that are redefining the marketing environment. Step by step, you will learn how to build performance-driven organizations that exceed ROI expectations and outpace the competition. Companies are demanding a more technical, scientific approach to marketing, and this guide provides the key information that helps marketing professionals choose the right tools and recruit the right talent to more effectively build brand, generate leads, convert sales, and increase customer loyalty." The book will be published on August 11th, 2014.
3. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. Levitin. He's a scientist, musician, record producer and bestselling author. He wrote the incredible book, This Is Your Brain On Music. From the book: "The information age is drowning us with an unprecedented deluge of data. At the same time, we're expected to make more -- and faster -- decisions about our lives than ever before. No wonder, then, that the average American reports frequently losing car keys or reading glasses, missing appointments, and feeling worn out by the effort required just to keep up. But somehow some people become quite accomplished at managing information flow. In The Organized Mind, Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how those people excel -- and how readers can use their methods to regain a sense of mastery over the way they organize their homes, workplaces, and time." The book will be published on August 19th, 2014.
4. The New Rules of Sales and Service: How to Use Agile Selling, Real-Time Customer Engagement, Big Data, Content, and Storytelling to Grow Your Business by David Meerman Scott. One of the most prolific writers and speakers on marketing and technology (and all around awesome individual) is back with a new book. From the book: "Sales and service are being radically redefined like never before. With buyers now in possession of unlimited information, online content is quickly becoming the dominant driver for commerce. Today anyone working in sales or customer service needs to possess entirely new skills. Unfortunately most organizations are still using traditional selling and service models developed for a different time. In this new book by the author of the #1 bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR, David Meerman Scott demystifies the new digital commercial landscape and offers inspiring and valuable guidance for anyone not wanting to be left behind." The book will be published on September 2nd, 2014.
5. The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership by Richard Branson. He's back! Virgin founder and seminal entrepreneur, Richard Branson is back with a new book (not sure if these are written by or done by a ghost writer, but his books are always quite good). "While building the Virgin Group over forty years, Richard Branson has never shied away from seemingly outlandish challenges that others (including his own colleagues on several occasions) considered sheer lunacy. He has taken on giants like British Airways and won, and monsters like Coca-Cola and lost. Now Branson gives an inside look at his strikingly different swashbuckling style of leadership. Learn how fun, family, passion, and the dying art of listening are key components to what his extended family of employees around the world have always dubbed (with a wink) the 'Virgin Way.'" The book will be published on September 9th, 2014.
6. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley. OK, I lied in my intro to this post. I not only read this book, but was honored to be asked to write a blurb for it. I love all things Ann Handley, and she's back with a much-needed read for these times. This book is filled with writing goodness. From the book: "Everybody Writes is a go-to guide to attracting and retaining customers through stellar online communication, because in our content-driven world, every one of us is, in fact, a writer. If you have a website, you are a publisher. If you are on social media, you are in marketing. And that means that we are all relying on our words to carry our marketing messages. We are all writers. Yeah, but who cares about writing anymore? In a time-challenged world dominated by short and snappy, by click-bait headlines and Twitter streams and Instagram feeds and gifs and video and Snapchat and YOLO and LOL and #tbt... does the idea of focusing on writing seem pedantic and ordinary? Actually, writing matters more now, not less. Our online words are our currency; they tell our customers who we are." This book will be published on August September 15th, 2014.
7. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. Peter Thiel wants people to drop out of college, not go into debt and start their own businesses. He's so passionate about it, that he's putting his money where his mouth is. Literally. The co-founder of PayPal also created the Thiel Fellowship, which awards $100,000 to 20 people under 20 years old, in order to spur them to quit college and create their own ventures. From the book: "Zero To One is about how to build companies that create new things. It draws on everything Peter Thiel has learned directly as a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and then an investor in hundreds of startups, including Facebook and SpaceX.
   The single most powerful pattern Thiel has noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places, and they do this by thinking about business from first principles instead of formulas. Ask not, what would Mark do? Ask: What valuable company is nobody building?" The book will be published on September 16th, 2014.
8. The Digital Economy Anniversary Edition: Rethinking Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence by Don Tapscott. One of the brightest minds in the digital economy is Don Tapscott. This is one of his most fascinating books. It came out long before anybody was really doing and of the stuff that we're doing today, making this anniversary edition that much more curious. From the book: "Twenty years ago, The Digital Economy changed the way the world thought about the Internet. While everyone else was in awe of 'web sites' and 'dot coms,' Don Tapscott argued correctly that the Internet would have a much deeper impact on the nature of corporations, government, and every institution in society. In this new edition, the New York Times bestselling author updates his book with a sweeping new analysis of how the Internet has changed business and society in the last 20 years. Tapscott leaves the original text untouched for historical purposes and scrutiny, writing a dozen new sections placed in the context of two decades of transformation." This book will be published on September 26th, 2014.
9. UnSelling: The New Customer Experience by Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer. The UnMarketing guy is back with a new book. I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but rest assured he and Alison will be welcomed guests on podcast as soon as this book hits the streets. From the book: "UnSelling is about everything but the sell. We put all of our focus on the individual purchase transaction, while putting the rest of our business actions second. We've become blind to customer service, support, branding, experiences and even product quality. 60% of a purchasing decision is made before a customer even contacts you. We have funnel vision, and it needs to stop. Unselling is about the big picture: creating repeat customers, not one-time buyers. Create loyal clients that refer others, not faceless numbers. Becoming the go-to company for something, before they even need you." This book will be published on September 29th, 2014.
10. The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson. Walter Isaacson is a famous author. In our circle, he's most noted for him amazing Steve Jobs biography. Now, he's back with a book about innovation and Silicon Valley. From the book: "The Innovators is Walter Isaacson's revealing story of the people who created the computer and the Internet. It is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens. What were the talents that allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail?" The book will be published on October 7th, 2014.

Did I miss any? What new books are coming out that you can't wait to read? Do share...

Tags: alison kramer ann handley blake masters british airways business book claudia azula altucher coca cola daniel j levitin david meerman scott don tapscott everybody writes facebook instagram james altucher palantir paul roetzer paypal peter thiel richard branson scott stratten snapchat spacex steve jobs steve jobs biography the digital economy the innovators the marketing agency blueprint the marketing performance blueprint the new rules of marketing and pr the new rules of sales and service the organized mind the power of no the virgin way thiel fellowship this is your brain on music twitter unselling virgin walter isaacson zero to one

What are you really doing with your marketing dollars?

Digital media advertising is now bigger than TV advertising. I didn't make that up. It's a fact. I'm sure there are some advertising executives who would disagree with the data. I'm also sure there are some advertising executives who know it's true, but they're doing everything that they can to hang on for a few more quarters. By the way, this doesn't mean that people are watching less TV. I don't believe that to be true (no matter what the data says). I believe we're watching more TV than ever before. We're just watching it in a ton of different places (like on Netflix or Amazon or YouTube). And, when we are watching it in front of the TV, we're probably more distracted than when we're watching it on the subway. It's true. You know it. We watch TV on our couches with a laptop, tablet or smartphone nearby, and we shift our attention to whatever screen is the most interesting to us. We have screen ADD. When we're on the go, we're probably fixated on the only screen that matters to us (the one screen that is in front of us).

So, what does this have to do with media?

I spent a good part of my day today in Silicon Valley. I'd love to act all high and mighty and tell you all about the seriousness of these meetings, but (deep down inside), I'm just a kid. It's crazy to me that my job involves going to places like the Google, Facebook and Apple headquarters, and getting to spend time with some of the most fascinating minds in the technology and media space. You can rest assured, I'm giddly like a little kid every time that I pull up to these beautiful offices. This is my job? Sure. I'll take it. I could not be more grateful. In my journeys over the past few days, I uncovered a truth. A disturbing truth. I knew it existed, but I'm seeing it more and more as the years wane on...

All media is the same media. Just make it work.

That's the real problem with advertising today. If you go back to the first sentence in this post, I wrote that digital media advertising is now bigger than TV advertising. I didn't say that it was better. I just said that it was bigger. This is a problem. It's a big problem. Technology and the Internet can do amazing things. I truly believe that the advertising that goes along with it should be just as amazing. Sadly, I keep seeing may brands doing nothing more than shifting their dollars, rather than trying to elevate all of their marketing initiatives.

Shifting is boring.

It has to be said. Big deal, you're shifting dollars from one channel to another. Anyone can do that. What's really interesting is elevating the entire platform. There is no difference between running a TV ad on primetime or running a pre-roll ad on a popular YouTube channel. There is a chasm of difference between running a pre-roll ad on a popular YouTube channel and creating your own, valuable and highly interesting YouTube channel. That, for my advertising dollar, would be the difference between shifting dollars to elevating them. In the past 48 hours, I heard countless senior brand executives from very popular brands talk about their challenges with everything from display advertising and search marketing, to online video and social media. With that, I took note of the brands. I went back to my hotel. I acted like a consumer. I searched for them online (mobile and laptop), ran some keyword searches, joined their e-newsletters, followed them on popular social media platforms and more. Do you know how icky it felt? Do you know how many issues, errors and confusing brand experiences I encountered? And, these were from brands that are spending millions of dollars online.

The money was being shifted. Not elevated.

Don't get me wrong. I love me some good advertising. I love a relevant e-newsletter with great offers. Sadly, time and time again, I was faced with failed searches, errors, bad consumer experiences, stuff that smelled like spam, a lot of requests for me to provide additional customer information (even though I had not even bought from the brand yet). This led me to believe that if we, as a loving and caring digital marketing industry, don't come together and start doing the much harder business of elevating the work instead of just shifting the dollars, we're going to have a long, long road ahead. We're going to be dealing with disengaged consumers and Chief Executive Officers that will retreat to the age-old mantra that marketing is a non-revenue generating expense to an organization. This, as we know, is not reality. Brands keep looking for things like white papers, ROI models and more. If you scratch (just a little) beneath the surface, you will start to see that the brands making the most impact online are not the ones who have spent the most money (or shifted the most dollars from TV to digital), but rather the ones that hunkered down and re-organized the digital experience to elevate their marketing.

We have an amazing opportunity in front of us: let's elevate the brands and not just shift the dollars around.

Tags: advertising advertising executive amazon apple brand experience digital marketing digital marketing industry digital media display advertising elevate enewsletter facebook google laptop marketing marketing initiative marketing spend media netflix one screen world online video search marketing silicon valley smartphone social media spam tablet technology television advertising tv advertising youtube youtube channel

Things change quicker than most of us realize.

If you speak to marketers about how they are doing in relation to consumers and their mobile usage, it will be a disappointing conversation. If you speak to consumers about how brands are doing in terms of truly connecting with them at the mobile level, it will be a disappointing conversation as well. Brands love to toss about the term "omnichannel" as if it is some kind of salvation for the future. They see the true omnichannel as a place where all of their current silos converge and connect to one another. You have your social media fully integrated into your website, which matches up to the retail experience and beyond. It's a long, hard slog for most brands. We have organizational structure that must be reframed, we have technological and IT infrastructures that are in silos and much more.

The true omnichannel.

The true omnichannel is the consumer. They are already omnichannel. When a consumer is in the parking lot of a retailer, looking to find out what time the store opens at, or what's on sale on their iPhone or Android device, and they're suddenly faced with an non-responsive experience, that's the failure of omnichannel. They're pinching a screen, can't find what they're looking for, the content isn't relevant to where they are (or what device they're using). In short, it's a bad brand experience. The consumer doesn't care that your IT department has an eighteen month roadmap or that your marketing department is not connected with the technologists or whatever. It's simply not a consistent brand experience. It's not a good brand experience, either.

Accepting the reality.

I often talk about this notion of the one screen world. It's not about mobile, computers, TVs, out of home billboards, tablets or whatever. It's about connected screens. The only screen that matters is the screen that is in front of me. Screens are everywhere, they're getting cheaper and more ubiquitous. Because of this, we're seeing stunning growth on smartphone and tablet adoption, while the PC industry crumbles. It's old. It's antiquated. It's not going to turn around. So, ask yourself this: What percentage of homes in the US do you think have landlines? Would you be surprised to hear that 40% of homes in the US are now without a landline?

True story.

While brands sit around, trying to figure out mobile (and keep it locked in its own, strange, silo that lives somewhere between IT and marketing), consumers have already voted. No more landlines. You need me? I'm mobile. Do you think that this is going to slow down and folks will revert back to landlines any time soon? You may think that this is a piece of data relegated to more technologically savvy cities and that the numbers skew? Not so. According to the Chicago Tribune article, "In the Midwest, the number of wireless-only homes increased more than 4 percentage points to 43.7 percent during the period. Meanwhile, a survey this week says that 47 percent of U.S. consumers say they couldn't last a day without their smartphones... Also, 91 percent say their mobile phone is just as important as their car and deodorant and most say it is more important than TV or coffee."

Maybe that's taking things to an extreme?

It's staggering, isn't it? We are, for lack of a better word, uncoupling from many of our traditional ways and we never saw it coming. In fact, it's funny how the mind works. When I read the article mentioned above, all I could think to myself was this: "how long before the same will be said for how we get cable on our TVs?" Then, I quickly realized that we do have things like YouTube and Netflix that are already challenging this model. It looks like Amazon is playing in this space as well. So, as we bid adieu to landlines and plugging our TVs into these cables that have been drilled through our walls, you can't help but wonder what implications this will all have on the business of marketing?

Place your best. 

Tags: amazon android brand brand experience chicago tribune connected screen consumer iphone it department landline marketers marketing marketing department mobile mobile usage netflix omnichannel one screen world pc industry retail retail experience smartphone social media tablet technologist tv tv cable youtube