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Jacobs Media’s digital guy, Tim Davis, is back from SXSW Interactive.  Last week, he summarized the vibe from the conference.  Today, a look at author & thought leader Guy Kawasaki’s presentation…

A non-thematic highlight at SXSW was seeing Guy Kawasaki speak about his new book Enchantment.  It’s not tied into some of the overarching themes that I talked about last week, but it covers a lot of ground that has a broad appeal – and he’s a big fan of radio (public radio especially).

I took copious notes, and will share some highlights below.  But this infographic from the Ogilvy Notes series does great justice to his presentation, and is a very cool depiction of the presentation.

The essence of Guy’s book and talk are that in 2011, you’ve got to “enchant” people in order to achieve optimal communication.  Whether it’s your clients, your boss or your employees (he didn’t mention this, but one assumes it applies to spouses and children as well…).

It’s a 21st century spin on Dale Carnegie, but more broad-based and imaginative.  Plus, Guy provides some great action steps for presenting your idea and your brand, some of which I’ll relate below:

Get Ready. Guy urges that you be prepared for whatever it is you’re creating – a product pitch, a new show, a mobile app, etc.  He’s a proponent of D.I.C.E.E. or:

• Deep
• Intelligent
• Complete
• Empowering
• Elegant

Launch. This is where the rubber hits the road, and Guy says that you need to tell a story and focus on what motivates people to listen and engage.  It’s not about the great miles per gallon performance that sells cars (or “30 minutes of nonstop rock”).  It’s the narrative.

Overcome resistance. If you’ve ever launched something innovative, you know the first reaction you get – pushback.  Guy cites the example of those white cords that accompanied iPods.  At first, they looked odd but they ended up becoming the industry standard.

Endure. Veteran radio programmers know what this is about.  And Guy cited the Grateful Dead as an example of enduring success.  The sharing and swapping, the community it created, and the connection to fans are all reasons why the band is relevant today.  In radio, it’s one thing to give away cash, but an enduring experience might mean making a listener the music director for a day, or seeing a hockey game with the airstaff, etc.  Those are the prizes that Guy would call “enchanting” – the experiences that money can’t buy.

Present. This is an area that we all need to work on.  Whether it’s a PowerPoint, a sales pitch,or an on-air promo, how can you sell your dream?  Reasons aren’t good enough.  Enchanting your audience is at the heart of creating interest in them wanting to be a part of your dream.

(For PowerPoints, by the way, Guy is a believer in the “10-20-30 Rule” – no more than 10 slides, less than 20 minutes long, and 30 point fonts or bigger).

Enchant “up.” Drop everything else when the boss asks (Fred is a big believer in this).  Prototype fast and deliver bad news fast, too.

Enchant “down.” Provide MAP: That is, mastery, autonomy, purpose.

Empower action and suck it up when you have to.  Don’t ask your employees to do things you’d never do.  Think Mike Rowe on “Dirty Jobs.”

All in all, great ideas for motivating yourself and your team.  Thanks to one of the sharpest minds in the business.

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Creativity, Management, Marketing, Process

Another sign that we’re living in a Seth Godin digital universe and not a Ries & Trout analog world occurred last week when Rupert Murdoch put up a “for sale” sign on MySpace.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing was a guidebook for media and marketing pros everywhere back in the '90s.  And what was Rule #1?

1. It is better to be first than it is to be better.

Of course, that was the case for many brands – General Motors, Kodak, TWA.  If you got in first, you could dominate for decades.

But as we’ve learned over the past decade or so, just being first in is no guarantee of long-term success.

Yahoo! was the first search engine – not Google.

Palm's Treo was once the hot smartphone.

And now the first mega-social network, MySpace, is on the scrap heap as News Corporation looks for a new buyer.  Their explanation?

"The new MySpace has been very well received by the market and we have seen very encouraging traffic figures.  But the plan to allow MySpace to reach its full potential will be better realised under a new owner.”

Right.

The fact is that in this Wild West digital environment, being first doesn’t mean much.  That’s’ why Steve Jobs, the Google team, and Mark Zuckerberg are working themselves and their teams in hyperdrive to stay sharp, cutting edge, and innovative.

There are a lot of chips out on the table for companies that have the passion, desire, and bandwidth to be great.

For those mailing it in, “same as it ever was” is the fastest path to an obituary.

Just ask Rupert.

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Management, Marketing, Process, Social Media

Whether you’re at work today or it’s part of a 3-day weekend, contemplating why Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as an American leader is worthy of your time.

Simon Sinek took on this topic at the TEDx Puget Sound conference last year, and it dovetailed nicely into why Apple succeeds while so many other great tech companies fail.  And in this story are some lessons for all us who are trying to inspire people with our brands and companies.

This could be the best 18 minutes of your day.  Enjoy and let me know what you think, and how it inspires you.

 >EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW SIMON SINEK'S VIDEO<

Thanks to Curtiss Johnson (Entercom/Sacramento) for bringing this to my attention and to Simon for allowing us to use it in today's post. 

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Apple, Management, Marketing, Process

Many years ago, I received some advice from a mentor that I have always cherished.  He told me that at the end of each year, it’s a great time to take your “career inventory” by asking yourself some key questions:

“In the past 12 months, did you learn new skills, were you challenged, did you grow in your job, did you develop as a professional, and did you bring anything new to your current place of employ?”

And he went on to counsel that if you have trouble answering “yes” to these questions and/or you're at a loss to quickly think of good examples, you may be in a career cul-de-sac.

Now I totally understand that for many over the past couple of tough economic years, a goal has been to preserve wealth, maintain one's job, and simply stay intact.  But even if "maintenance" is paramount for you, it doesn't mean you have to stagnate in your current job.

So, as we head into a new year and a media business that is going through more gyrations since Gutenberg invented the printing press, this is a great time to assess, reevaluate, and plan ahead for a strong 2011 – even if you're feeling a little stuck in your job. 

Here are some suggestions about how to enhance your career and your business in the new year – advice, by the way, that we are dodng our best to employ at our company:

1. Read as much as you can about new media, new technology, and what traditional companies are doing to integrate digital.
2. Subscribe to web emails about social media, mobile, digital, and other areas that are new or foreign to you.
3. Set up profiles for yourself on social media sites beside Facebook.  If you’re not on Twitter, sign up.  Same with Foursquare, and keep your eye out for other new sites that look promising.
4. Spend time on Mashable.com, a great site that provides training and information for new digital tools.
5. Hire a college student, start an internship program, and/or find a way to integrate youth into your operation.
6. Work on something new and exciting for your station (or yourself) – a new project that even if it never sees the light of day, can stimulate and perhaps lead to something else.
7. Attend a non-radio convention at some time throughout the year, preferably a conference that is digital in focus (140 Characters, BlogWorld, CES, etc.).
8. Attend an actual radio/broadasting conference this year to reconnect with your industry.  If your station doesn’t sanction this or won’t pay for you, find a way to take off time and pay your own way.
9. Schedule at least two off-sites for your staff during the year – a chance to hang out, brainstorm, and simply spend time with one another.
10. Make sure you use your vacation time this year, go somewhere different, and don’t just spend your time off puttering around the house or apartment.
11. Thank the people around you – those you report to and those who report to you – for the work they do throughout the year.
12. Find a way to connect your business or station to a community service project or campaign of some type.

That’s a healthy to-do list for 2011.  And I’m sure I’m missing some important things, but hopefully, this post will spur some ideas and thoughts for how you can make this coming year better for you, your family, and those around you.

Getting through a difficult recession and media tsunami has been challenging for everyone, from the entry level to the corner office. But I predict that despite the speed bumps and often daunting missions we all face. we will look back on this era as a time when innovation, risk-taking, and stretching one's boundaries were very much a part of the mix. 

We look forward to exchanging ideas via this blog with you in 2011, and wish you and yours a great new year.

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Apps, Future, Management, Marketing, Mobile, Process, Technology