Sorry Spartan fans and National Car Rental agents who point us to the “Emerald Aisle,” the unmistakable green hue of today’s “junk drawer” post has nothing to do with you.
In fact, it’s in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, and those of you called in sick today, suffering from the Guinness flu.
Did you know that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was said to protect the devout from false prophets, heathens, heretics, witches and wizards (druids), and even consultants?
In honor of yesterday’s celebration, today’s awesome “junk drawer” finds are guaranteed to have the ring of truth, with no blarney.
Item #1: Even the giants stumble – We are told to “innovate or die” and to “fail fast.” Tech-savvy advisors remind us that when we hack our way to success, not everything is going to lead us to the proverbial pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow. In fact, two of the biggest giants came up with major disappointments in the race to innovate the car.
First, there was General Motors, the Detroit automaker that came up with their Marketplace platform back at the end of 2017. The concept involved an embedded dashboard app described as “the automotive industry’s first commerce platform for on-demand reservations and purchases of goods and services.”
The car connected the driver to various brands – Shell Oil, T.G.I.Fridays, Dunkin’ Donuts, and several other popular stopping places.
Based on AI, the Marketplace could connect you with these outlets, serve up coupons, and help make retail connections.
Yes, your phone already does many of these same functions, but that didn’t stop GM from rolling it out.
It was clear to us that part of Marketplace’s function was to circumvent radio as an advertising go-between, and directly connect you the kinds of businesses that traditionally run ads.
As Notebook Check‘s Codrut Nistor points out, BMW and Ford are using Amazon’s Alexa as a shopping middle-girl, while Audi is working with a series of Chinese brands to deliver similar integrated services.
So while Marketplace is now dead, analysts expect GM to roll out its successor soon. In one way, shape, or form, the automakers are looking for dashboard monetization solutions that connect their cars to retailers. Radio would be wise to pay attention.
And then there’s Apple, the subject of innovative car rumors for years and years, starting with the formation of a project team back in 2014. Most analysts believe Apple was going for an electric vehicle featuring autonomous functionality.
But in a world where Tesla has set a new standard on innovations for an automotive high bar, Apple’s entrant in the space would have to be truly spectacular. Remember, Apple was late to the
mp3 player party. But the iPod had an amazing UX, they functioned better than anything on the market, plus it was truly beautiful. When they came out in 2001, iPods were elegant devices, the best in breed. In automotive, it’s a much heavier lift.
According to Apple Insider (and many other similar sites), analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports Apple recently dissolved its entire car team. Obviously, there’s unhappiness in Apple Park (or the “spaceship” as it’s often called) with the lack of progress of the Apple Car.
Conventional wisdom was that Apple would finally unveil its four-wheel entry in 2025, but that appears to be in doubt now.
Not that it should make us feel better when one of the biggest companies suffer epic fails. It is a reminder that just because it is announced does not mean it will work or even see the light of day.
Actually, I feel better.
Item #2: The Last (Late-Night) DJ – This is not the article you want to read about in your local newspaper.
Earlier this month, the Edmonton Journal’s Chad Huculak wrote a story about Now Radio. They are the only radio station in town with a live host during the late evening hours.
Apparently, DJ Raj Dhami is the last man (or woman) standing amidst the Edmonton airwaves at night. He’s the last remaining live and local voice in the market. Everyone else either voicetracks or defaults to syndication during these hours.
Dhami sees his unique status as a definite advantage to Huculak, “There’s a different connectivity. That’s the great thing with evenings, there’s always somebody who wants your company.”
In most American radio markets, you’d be hard-pressed to find a whole lot of situations much different than what’s happening in Edmonton.
The vast majority of stations have either gone network or are pre-recorded.
Whether that’s good, bad, or in the middle is up for debate. You just don’t want another new media outlet in your market to decide it’s newsworthy.
Item #3: Linking In to podcasts – As the world descends on L.A. next week for Podcast Movement’s “Evolutions” conference, chances are you’ll see some folks with a familiar company logo emblazoning their ID tags.
LinkedIn is the newest player in the podcasting game, debuting a new podcast from their CEO,
Reed Hoffman. He’s the new host of the “The Start-Up of You,” a show about the personal entrepreneur.
It’s the first rung in LinkedIn’s Podcast Network, taking advantage of the success of their “Hello Monday” featuring Jessi Hempel.
The new network will carry the same theme we’ve come to expect from LinkedIn, appealing to a professional audience base. According to Engadget, the focus will be on “understanding tech, managing mental health, and explaining the hiring process.”
For now, the focus will be on in-house productions, but you have to believe LinkedIn’s podcast network will be an aggregator, looking to add like-themed podcast content to their offerings.
LinkedIn is likely to have presence at “Evolutions,” and if they’re successful, will be at podcast conferences and upfronts for years to come.
Item #4: Could a CD Thon be next? – Sure there’s Vinylthon (see my note below), but at the rate compact discs are selling, you never know.
Pitchfork writer Marc Hogan reports that after peaking in 2000, the once-lowly CD may be back. MRC Data reports that CD sales actually increased last year, the first time that’s happened since 2004.
The gain was slight – just 1% – causing skeptical observers to call it a blip rather than a reversal of fortune. Digging into the data, it was Adele’s new album that was the source of the uptick. Amazingly, CD sales are less than half the sales of vinyl.
On college campuses (where trends are often made or they end), turntables are clearly more popular than CD players. But music in jewel boxes appears to be gaining in popularity. Maybe.
Hogan remind us that nostalgia moves in roughly 20-year cycles, which is about right for a CD renaissance given the format’s peak around Y2K.
We’re moving along with our “Vinylthon 2022” plans I wrote about in yesterday’s post. Thanks to all of you have signed up for the April 23 celebration, as well as the forwards, retweets, and press in the industry trades.
This is about supporting our next generation of radio stars, living and loving the medium at the college radio level.
More information about how your radio station(s) can get involved is on our website or by heading directly to “Vinylthon” headquarters.
Have a great weekend. – FJ
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Catching up on old blog posts. As a former resident of Edmonton I did not know that Edmonton has more radio stations per capita compared to most other Canadian cities.
Off the top of your head, does anyone in the country do a live, overnight radio show?
That last one is a great trivia question, Matt.