Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Colbert for President?

Comedian and fake journalist Stephen Colbert, star of the Colbert Report, has officially announced his intention to run for the office of President of the United States. He will enter the Presidential race in his native South Carolina, where he intends to run as a "favorite son" in the January, 2008 primary.



I've blogged before about entertainers entering politics, but this time the line blurring TV persona and authentic candidate is nearly imperceptible. Remember too that there is an historical precedent. You may recall Laugh-In comedian Pat Paulsen who ran for president as a gag in 1968, and then like Forrest Gump couldn't stop running.

Is Colbert, the man who nearly had a bridge in Hungary named after him, who has a Ben & Jerry's icecream flavor called AmeriCone Dream, and who is the genius behind "truthiness" and "wikiality," just toying with us or is this more than a stunt? We should know more tomorrow, after the November 1st filing deadline.

Oh, but there is one little problem. Something called the Equal Time Provision may be interpreted to mean that Colbert will have to give up his cable TV show, or force Comedy Central to offer equal time to competing candidates. Hey wait a minute, that might be pretty funny...or not!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Will Microsoft or Google own the future?

Microsoft has coughed up $240 million for a tiny share of Facebook – strange to some considering Facebook doesn’t generate $200 million in annual revenue (some Wall Street analysts place the Facebook value at $15 billion).

What did Bill Gates get? A stake in the Future - otherwise know as Social Networking.

MySpace is still the best in show, but Facebook is eyeing 50 million active users (both of these sites are an advertiser’s dream come true).

Google owns YouTube and DoubleClick (they were considering a stake in Facebook but Microsoft has obviously beat them to the punch), but they lack SN power.

So… can you see the future? Google needs Social Networking – where will they get it, how will they compete with Facebook or MySpace? Can Facebook lead, or will they always play second fiddle to MySpace? What is Microsoft’s plan aside from on-line advertisements inside Facebook? What new platforms, models, or applications will Microsoft deliver?

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Will Santa be Bringing Toys for Christmas?

The Federal Trade Commission is getting quite involved in the recent toy crisis involving not only the famous toymaker, Mattel, but several others, as well. The incident involves China, the leading toymaker of U.S. toys, creating toys with lead paint, which is extremely harmful to children. Hundreds of thousands of Barbie dolls, GI Joes and other famous toys have been recalled to protect the U.S. consumer. Federal legislators are looking at the possibility of new regulations on the import of toys before they're sold to consumers.

A recent survey by eToys.com found that 59% of those surveyed believe toys made outside the U.S. are less safe than those made in America. In fact, 45% said they were willing to now pay more for toys that are made in the U.S.

Mattel has apologized to its consumers; Mattel has apologized to China stating that it isn't entirely their fault; Mattel may be facing its more serious issue ever...will the famous toymaker we all know and love be able to maintain its reputation as the world's greatest maker of...safe...toys? What should Mattel do to insure that its reputation stays intact?

Should the federal government get involved to insure toy safety, which may increase the price of toys? Should we expect the toy industry to regulate themselves? Should the toy industry stop doing business with China?

What kinds of toys will you be buying this Christmas?...or should I say, Santa?!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Press conference etiquette

Last week, Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy issued a harsh (and, at times, personal) criticism of Jenni Carlson, a reporter/columnist from The Oklahoman, during a press conference (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VytIZZzee0 for Gundy’s comments during the initial press conference; see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AisVxShCs&NR=1 for The Oklahoman’s response to the press conference; see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGlt9v8lMY&NR=1 for Gundy’s follow-up comments). How does this kind of behavior during a press conference influence 1) the reputations of the individuals and organizations speaking at/holding the press conferences and 2) the individuals and organizations criticized during the press conference? Do you think this kind of criticism/behavior is appropriate during a press conference?