Weinrib & Connor

The media, in all its coverage, overlooked this shocking assessment: sure IT people know their technology inside and out but now as this article states, IT gurus have zero idea how the AI machine learning, learns. Apparently, it has an unpredictable mind of its own. As a backup, maybe it's time to return to paper in case this all goes wrong. Source: https://lnkd.in/ezjpnZWB

If you haven't heard about Cole Brauer, she is the first woman to have sailed solo around the world. This plucky adventurer faced heinous conditions that her land-based digital team couldn’t fix. She is the daughter of non-sailors and faced the worst Mother Nature can dish out. She is more than an inspiration to many when you hear her story. Friday was International Women's Day and we salute Cole for her achievement of spending four months at sea circumnavigating the globe. 

Profanity is growing and raising its ugly head. It is a lead player in entertainment trending. You can’t curse in school, work or in the presence of many who find it distasteful. Yet why is it part of entertainment? To reach our base selves? Yet in places like New York City, it’s amazing how much cursing goes on, albeit good-natured. Yet when people do feel comfortable enough to curse around you, it’s usually a sign, in their book, you’ve arrived!   Source: https://lnkd.in/eiqf_i6w

Given the holidays, we want to repost our favorite drink. We can thank The British Isles for the fruitcake tradition, much maligned and often regifted. Like chestnuts roasting, it’s bygone and goodbye. Several tree trimmings ago, we took favor with this bourbon update on the Cosmo. The recipe has been well-received and can be made more sweet or tart. Think of it as the official drink of Festivus! The Fruitcake: 2 parts bourbon, 2 parts cranberry juice (diet is ok), 1 part triple sec (orange liqueur) and 1/2 part lemon juice. Shake and serve up or on the rocks. Garnish with lemon or other citrus peel. 

Pretty cool. Can this be the wave of the future?

Billboards are one of, if not the best advertising medium: you cannot turn it off, you can’t skip it, there is no fraud. For decades, advertising agency creatives lamented billboard assignments—they are truly THE toughest creative challenges. They must be clever, brief and highly impactful. When done right, billboards resonate with daily commuters, tourists, road trippers, everybody who sees them. Today, with big sporting and cultural events, entertainment marketers have started using drones for “billboards in the sky.” This technology, which is in its infancy, enables the utmost in clutter-busting at night, when most folk tune out outdoor. Watch the billboard dragon in the sky below!   Source: https://lnkd.in/ehyfh9y2

Say it ain’t so. This fun expose on how a pizza order can wreak data privacy havoc is a hoot, but maybe not so funny.   CALLER: Is this Gordon's Pizza? GOOGLE: No sir, it's Google Pizza. CALLER: I must have dialed a wrong number. Sorry. GOOGLE: No sir, Google bought Gordon’s Pizza last month. CALLER: OK. I would like to order a pizza. GOOGLE: Do you want your usual, sir? CALLER: My usual? You know me? GOOGLE: According to our caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and meatballs on a thick crust. CALLER: OK! That’s what I want ... GOOGLE: May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and olives on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust CALLER: What? I detest vegetables! GOOGLE: Your cholesterol is not good, sir. CALLER: How the hell do you know! GOOGLE: Well, we cross-referenced your home phone number with your medical records. We have the result of your blood tests for the last 7 years. CALLER: Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetable pizza! I already take medication for my cholesterol. GOOGLE: Excuse me sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database, you purchased only a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once, at Drug RX Network, 4 months ago. CALLER: I bought more from another drugstore. GOOGLE: That doesn’t show on your credit card statement. CALLER: I paid in cash. GOOGLE: But you did not withdraw enough cash according to your bank statement. CALLER: I have other sources of cash. GOOGLE: That doesn’t show on your last tax return unless you bought them using an undeclared income source, which is against the law. CALLER: WHAT THE HELL! GOOGLE: I'm sorry, sir, we use such information only with the sole intention of helping you. CALLER: Enough already! I'm sick to death of Google, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Tik-Tok and all the others. I'm going to an island without internet, cable TV, where there is no cell phone service and no one to watch me or spy on me. GOOGLE: I understand sir, but you need to renew your passport first. It expired 6 weeks ago.

Data mining and consumer/customer predictions are either the mother lode or fools gold. Marty Kihn came of age when ad agencies recognized there was a whole lot more than TV spots to persuade their targets. He’s written a terrific book on consumer data analytics and what it says, and equally important, what it doesn’t say. Broad stroke changes to methodology are one thing. The behavioral nuances that govern them are another. Here’s his top twenty tips. #1 is so true! 20. We're in the age of the post-verbal consumer -> make good 7-second videos 19. Tolerance for friction in the CX goes down each year -> take it out 18. Generations and demos don't mean much -> more attention to mood, time of day, etc. 17. Be (very) careful with survey responses -> know when people are poseurs 16. People are paranoid about their data -> overshare what you're doing 15. The 'Paradox of Privacy' is real -> tell them why to opt in 14. Best way to gain trust is to have high CSAT -> trust is earned not talked up 13. Marketers and consumers see reality differently -> ask what they think 12. Best marketing investment is analytics -> start with data science 11. AI changes everything but not all at once -> start w/ prompts and text 10. Q's are getting more important than A's -> be very precise 09. LLMs are commodities that need refinement -> train them on your data 08. Data has more value when it's organized -> this is the Data Cloud pitch 07. If you don't have 1PD you can rent it -> that's why retail networks 06. Enterprise tech stack is getting more open -> APIs, interoperability, etc. 05. CDP category is looking like CRM -> a category too broad to be useful 04. Marketing is getting more important -> listen to your CMO 03. Customer-centricity requires a unified CX -> CDP beyond marketing 02. Personalization is extending into "Brands" -> the Taylor Swift effect 01. Every business is now in show business ...   He is worth a follow: https://lnkd.in/ea95avGS

Are we living in a world dominated by media-pandered megalomaniacs? Lately Musk trumps Trump when it comes to noise. Why is this so? Who is closing in on third place in this steeplechase? Walter Isaacson just published a biography and Musk’s “first principles” are business genius. His “5 principles” are the Jack Welch biz simplification du jour. Time will tell but his place in history as our Edison is a lock. Source: https://lnkd.in/epRKQ2j2

Some of the greatest event spectacles in marketing history have been corporate sales meetings. All the sales folk fly to a resort and experience a huge multi video show with lights and dancers. Before this, overhead projectors with xeroxed acetate slides were the precursor to PowerPoint like many of us older than 30 experienced in school as in business. Yet, the greatest agency pitchman in recent history, Don Peppers, swore by using no visual aids whatsoever. So how does your big pitch wind up today?      Source: https://lnkd.in/eEUnPX4F