Cutting Through the Clutter: Creating Amazingness in Media

I have spent most of yesterday going through volumes of notes on characteristics of NEW breakthrough companies, across all media and their approach. I'd guess that 99.9% of “New Content” companies may claim 'breakthrough' but in reality are simply updated digital versions of the same old. of course that .1% is enough to keep us hyper focused on a journey you may want to ride:

IT'S PROGRAMMING NOT CONTENT. Content is a commodity. Programming is an art form

STUPID IS AMUSING AND SADLY POPULAR AMONG ADULTS... BUT NOT COOL. Unless you think the current environment is cool.

WHACKED IS GOOD. Well done whacked is the underpinning of viral.

MEET THE TECHNOLOGY. Part of that is simply timing. You have something new and amazing that matches the newness amazingness of the emerging technology.

TOTALLY NEW ARCHITECTURE. The whole experience needs to be different to be better. We are doing unorthodox things on EVERY level. Attacking the average with a new and better way. It's part of re-imagination

AUDIO AND VIDEO A whole new SOUND AND LOOK. Sound doesn’t get a pass…its every bit as important as the picture

MILLENNIAL NONSENSE. We are NOT a hip, cool new “content creator” for millennials OR Gen whatever. When you hear those words…RUN…and put on a George Carlin video. The point here is that cliches run rampant in most big media attempts to reach younger targets by blindly following trends rather than streets

WE ARE ANTI BULLSHIT. Internally and externally.

WE ARE NOT MERGING INTO SUCCESS. Or tying up with some hotshot. We are designing the future the old fashioned way.

IN SYNC WITH THE ERA. Changers don't grasp on to the past in fear. It's always WAAAY new. And traditionalists will bash it or ignore it while civilians will love it

NEW GENERATION OF PERSONALITIES. Few holdovers...create the new ones. They are out there…

WE AREN’T ENAMORED WITH THE BUSINESS. We live on the street not the conference room or confab. Let others be enamored with US.

LOCAL. Completely absorbed in the community. Community doesn’t mean Peoria in this global age! Remember WE are local...our 'town' is …THE WORLD

NEW PROGRAMMING TRADEMARKS. These are the hooks that create 'reasons' to engage. Aa franchises/segments.

COMPLETENESS. Critical. You can't "sorta" do it…everything from the way the receptionist greets guests to the eye-ear-brain, EVERYthing needs to be in synch with each other (no regression)

INTEGRITY. EVERY lasting game changer is rooted in hard core REAL integrity...that doesn't mean uptight and elite...it means unfailingly honest. Unfortunately, some lose this as they grow.

ENLIGHTENING. Yep...try running that by a traditional media thinker who would likely look at that as some bad non-commercial . Enlighten is GOOD…

PASSION IN THE BUILDING. The people. Hire right. Train right. Create a magical but AFDI environment. It's the "mission" vs gig thing.

LOVE. People LOVE these products...some HATE them...but theres EMOTION tied to them, they aren’t generic and we aren’t afraid to SHOCK.

AUDIENCE RESPECT. I mean REAL audience respect. In American Media audience respect means creating a slogan "We respect you!" figuring the dummies Will buy it. Respect builds fans. These companies have fans not users. Ever run into a James Bond "user" ?

THE COOL FACTOR. Ya either got it or ya don't. Can't focus group that. It's also known as the "It" factor. Let "it" happen instead of repressing 'it.'

INTELLIGENT. Let's just say there's a reason Overseas companies are beating the USA in a lot of traditionally American dominated entities.

COMMITMENT. Not a lot of "we'll see how it goes"....theres ALWAYS evolution and flexibility (!) but never doubt

UNDER SOLD. Not in revenue terms but in under selling to the public. Letting the greatness sell the product (not to be confused with marketing)

ANTICIPATION. Always evolving---that's what makes things timeless vs a quick hit. It's always evolving...and better not regressing.

CLEVER. Someone is thinking…beyond the obvious

YOU ARE AN IDIOT UNTIL IT'S SUCCESSFUL, THEN YOU ARE A GENIUS. Comes with the turf. Detractors will scream idiot...then be silenced upon success

SUCCESSFUL. Those with the guts to deliver are the successful ones.

OUR BIG DIFFERENCE is looking at these characteristics and building them into EVERYthing we do---very specifically and thoughtfully. It's not "Hey! Lets be intelligent and cool and respect the viewer" we are all about ACTIONS. Building these and other characteristics into our DNA in EVERYTHING we do 24/7/365. Anybody can aspire to these characteristics...few can AFDI them. WE WILL