... You're also excited about this.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Smack n' Cheese
Image via WikipediaIt's not often that I post on a company's quarterly earnings, but Kraft's Q2 announcement shows continued evidence that marketing is an investment, not an expense. For those of us who have experienced the Kellogg marketing education, this statement is far from controversial. However, I've learned that this is not a common maxim across American corporations. As Kraft's recent performance suggests, without strong brand building, people would more likely choose private label foodstuffs to feed their families.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Stat of the day (7.21.08): 49%
49% = The % of the Washington Post Company's revenues attributed to its Kaplan education business, up from 40% two years prior. (See table below)
It's clear that we're seeing a significant disruption of significant industry (a rather interesting disruption I might add). The issue is that print media companies are struggling for growth as their core sources of revenue (advertising and classifieds) shift online. The Washington Post company is an example of a company going outside its core competence of news reporting and into another avenue of publishing. Despite WPO's ability to grow the top line, they continue to see an operating income erosion, which I suspect is a direct result of the aforementioned declines in advertising and classifieds revenues. However, WPO is clearly straddling two disparate competencies (test prep/education and news media). Is this divirsification sustainable, or even in the best interests of shareholders?
The decline of print is a HUGE topic, which I hope to have some more posts on in the very near future. There are some very significant strategic questions that many very smart people are trying to answer as they attempt to lead (or consult) their companies to success during this turmiol.
- What is the future of the mid-market and small town paper?
- Will publications like the WSJ finally provide their articles for free online?
- Will the general public adopt RSS readers on a large scale?
Source: http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?filingid=5764444&tabindex=2&type=html
It's clear that we're seeing a significant disruption of significant industry (a rather interesting disruption I might add). The issue is that print media companies are struggling for growth as their core sources of revenue (advertising and classifieds) shift online. The Washington Post company is an example of a company going outside its core competence of news reporting and into another avenue of publishing. Despite WPO's ability to grow the top line, they continue to see an operating income erosion, which I suspect is a direct result of the aforementioned declines in advertising and classifieds revenues. However, WPO is clearly straddling two disparate competencies (test prep/education and news media). Is this divirsification sustainable, or even in the best interests of shareholders?
The decline of print is a HUGE topic, which I hope to have some more posts on in the very near future. There are some very significant strategic questions that many very smart people are trying to answer as they attempt to lead (or consult) their companies to success during this turmiol.
- What is the future of the mid-market and small town paper?
- Will publications like the WSJ finally provide their articles for free online?
- Will the general public adopt RSS readers on a large scale?
December 30, | December 31, | January 1, | ||||||||||
(in thousands, except per share amounts) | 2007 | 2006 | 2006 | |||||||||
Operating Revenues | ||||||||||||
Education | $ | 2,030,889 | $ | 1,684,141 | $ | 1,412,394 | ||||||
Advertising | 1,234,643 | 1,358,739 | 1,317,484 | |||||||||
Circulation and subscriber | 817,807 | 772,250 | 740,004 | |||||||||
Other | 97,067 | 89,797 | 84,005 | |||||||||
4,180,406 | 3,904,927 | 3,553,887 | ||||||||||
Source: http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?filingid=5764444&tabindex=2&type=html
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Stat of the day (7.20.08): 20
20 = The # of people who work at Craigslist, the well known "classifieds" community and one of the highest traffic web sites.
Source: Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
Source: Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
Sunday, July 13, 2008
July Shows
July 2 - Drive By Truckers
These guys played like their name suggests, playing straight through for over two hours with barely a pause. It was a pretty amazing show, if not for the musical endurance, than for the amount of Jack Daniels passed around by band members. They sounded great, playing a few favorites from their latest, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," and switching between singers throughout. One singer (Patterson Hood) sounds like Don Henley with a drawl, the other more (Mike Cooley) like your traditional southern crooner.
Did I mention they never switched or re-tuned guitars? I've never seen that happen, let alone for a 2 hour show.
Great show, but I want my eardrums back.
July 12 - Mark Knopfler
I've had this conversation before... "Who is Mark Knopfler?" Quite frankly, he's one of the best living guitarists, and better known as the former front man for Dire Straits. Legend.
It was great to finally see Mark in concert, as he dazzles with his effortless playing and crafted guitar tone. They played many favorites, as well as some new songs from his most recent album.
Here's what I remember of the playlist (in order). As I said, there were a bunch of new songs which I do not know...
These guys played like their name suggests, playing straight through for over two hours with barely a pause. It was a pretty amazing show, if not for the musical endurance, than for the amount of Jack Daniels passed around by band members. They sounded great, playing a few favorites from their latest, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," and switching between singers throughout. One singer (Patterson Hood) sounds like Don Henley with a drawl, the other more (Mike Cooley) like your traditional southern crooner.
Did I mention they never switched or re-tuned guitars? I've never seen that happen, let alone for a 2 hour show.
Great show, but I want my eardrums back.
July 12 - Mark Knopfler
I've had this conversation before... "Who is Mark Knopfler?" Quite frankly, he's one of the best living guitarists, and better known as the former front man for Dire Straits. Legend.
It was great to finally see Mark in concert, as he dazzles with his effortless playing and crafted guitar tone. They played many favorites, as well as some new songs from his most recent album.
Here's what I remember of the playlist (in order). As I said, there were a bunch of new songs which I do not know...
What It IsHe also played 4 guitars: one steel, Telecaster, Les Paul, Stratocaster, and one I didn't recognize, which is a custom Pensa.
Romeo and Juliet
Sultans of Swing
Sailing to Philadelphia
Telegraph Road
Brothers in Arms
So Far Away (Encore)
Desperately Seeking Alpha
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeMark Hlbert of the New York Times provides an interesting, if not depressing report on the performance of mutual fund managers."There was once a small number of fund managers with genuine market-beating abilities, as judged by having past performance so good that their records could not be attributed to luck alone. But virtually none remain today. Index funds are the only rational alternative for almost all mutual fund investors, according to the study’s findings."This information is taken from a year old study, “False Discoveries in Mutual Fund Performance: Measuring Luck in Estimating Alphas, " available here.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tonight's Fortune
Image via WikipediaFrom the great fortune cookie authors at Chino Latino..."Polish your resume. It's going to have to be pretty damn impressive to compensate for your Facebook page."
Thank You Readers
I've seen a surge in activity lately on the site, and I certainly appreciate all of the new and returning readers. I've also received some great comments among the notable Kenny K, as well as a gentleman from Farecast on some recent posts, so thanks for your constructive criticism on the web metrics I've shown.
On the subject of web metrics, what sites do people recommend, other than Compete.com, to get an accurate read on a site's popularity?
Again, thanks.
On the subject of web metrics, what sites do people recommend, other than Compete.com, to get an accurate read on a site's popularity?
Again, thanks.
Monday, July 7, 2008
That's stat-tastic
More stats...
McCain vs. Obama. I think we know who's winning the web battle, by a factor of over 3x might I note.
Looks like McCain could use some, uh, HOPE.
Image source: http://beiderbecke.typepad.com/tba/images/2008/02/28/obama_hope.jpg
McCain vs. Obama. I think we know who's winning the web battle, by a factor of over 3x might I note.
Looks like McCain could use some, uh, HOPE.
Image source: http://beiderbecke.typepad.com/tba/images/2008/02/28/obama_hope.jpg
Forecast for Farecast: Buy Now - UPDATE
UPDATE: According to Roger from Microsoft, Farecast now has a new URL, which is http://farecast.live.com, and they've been forwarding visitors since May 21. Roger also had a great point about Compete's data, which does not show sub-level statistics and can thus show some skewed numbers. Thanks for the comment Roger. I'll keep an eye on your progress. -
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This past April, Microsoft purchased one of my favorite travel sites, Farecast.com. Farecast no longer looks like itself, and has MSFT logos tattooed all over its homepage. I wondered to myself, does the Farecast user care about this management change, or do they prefer to obtain travel information from an independent and trusted source.
Though this data is not scientific, it looks like Farecast users have started to drop. There are certainly other reasons why this could have happened (e.g travel seasonality), so stay tuned to this integration.
---------------------------------------------------------------
This past April, Microsoft purchased one of my favorite travel sites, Farecast.com. Farecast no longer looks like itself, and has MSFT logos tattooed all over its homepage. I wondered to myself, does the Farecast user care about this management change, or do they prefer to obtain travel information from an independent and trusted source.
Though this data is not scientific, it looks like Farecast users have started to drop. There are certainly other reasons why this could have happened (e.g travel seasonality), so stay tuned to this integration.
Stat of the Day (7.7.08)
Image via WikipediaI've been doing some research on teens and college students on their study habits, and found this nugget:64% of teens admit to using text messaging shorthand in writing scholastic papers.
This is nothing to LOL about.
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
Growth Mind Set
This NYT article illustrates the importance of open-mindedness about learning when it comes to career success. Though not discussed in the article, I would say that open-mindedness is an indicator of a positive attitude, and that a positive attitude is another differentiating factor in success. How many Debbie/Donnie Downers do you know in the c-suite?
Image Source: Flickr Creative Commons
Image Source: Flickr Creative Commons
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Survey says???
The results are in... Thanks to all 42 of you who participated in my poll. While I don't claim this to be a scientific poll, if it was answered honestly, provides for interesting information.
I am happy to report that 60% of us Kellogg 07 grads are quite happy with our jobs. On the other hand, a full 20% are quite unhappy with their current work situation.
What's the significance of this? Well, other than my own curiosity for knowledge, the key takeaway is that many of us have been able to connect with companies and jobs which suit us quite well. For the rest of the sample, they should at least know more about what they want in a position or company, and will work towards those goals.
(Side Note: does anyone know any good chart tools for blogging?)
| Answer | % | |
| (BEST) I love my job and have found my true calling.: | 24% | |
| It's going pretty well and I'm enjoying my job. : | 36% | |
| (AVERAGE) You know, it pays the bills and keeps Sallie Mae off my back. : | 21% | |
| It's not going that well and I do not think it's going to last.: | 10% | |
| (WORST) I hate my job. Get me out of here!: | 10% |
I am happy to report that 60% of us Kellogg 07 grads are quite happy with our jobs. On the other hand, a full 20% are quite unhappy with their current work situation.
What's the significance of this? Well, other than my own curiosity for knowledge, the key takeaway is that many of us have been able to connect with companies and jobs which suit us quite well. For the rest of the sample, they should at least know more about what they want in a position or company, and will work towards those goals.
(Side Note: does anyone know any good chart tools for blogging?)
Derivatives Downside
Image via WikipediaGreat point by an Economist reader on an otherwise excellent piece explaining the current credit crisis and derivatives:"SIR - ... It is true that one person's loss is another's gain, but there is no mechanism to ensure that the gainers will invest to match the disinvestments by those who lose. The gainers my bide their time or, in other words, hoard their winnings."
- Jonathan Michie, President of Kellogg College at Oxford
Source: Economist June 28, 2008, p. 19.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Insult + Injury = Hilarity
As the enduring lifespan of America's Funniest Home Videos will attest, people hurting themselves is, well, funny. Why is it so much funnier when they hurt themselves via Segway?
http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2008/07/segway_disaster.html
Link source: www.buzzfeed.com
Image source: www.aipfl.com
Insult + Injury = Hilarity
http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2008/07/segway_disaster.html
Link source: www.buzzfeed.com
Image source: www.aipfl.com
Can't Explain
Image via WikipediaHow on earth does this happen? Wilco, one of my favorite bands, announces it's going to have openers of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, two of my new favorite bands, for their summer tour. Weird.
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/51268-fleet-foxes-to-open-for-wilco
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
ScreenGrab
This is a great Firefox add on. Just activate ScreenGrab in your right click menu, then select the portion of the page you want to copy.
And don't forget to name your sources, as they don't like that too much.
And don't forget to name your sources, as they don't like that too much.
MY Precious
Image via WikipediaRecently, scientists uncovered more evidence to what they're calling "the endowment effect," which is a human tendency to place more value on things they own. As noted in the Economist, this effect may be the result of primordial human behavior due to scarcity of goods in tribal villages, but this irrationality is still seen in modern life.While this study focuses on physical goods already owned, it also raises questions about things or ideas people collectively own. Let's take brands, for example. In reality, a brand can be viewed as the collective perceptions of a good or service (or person for that matter). And while a company can claim this intangible asset as intellectual property, the consumer interaction with the brand can be considered ownership one another level. I think we can spot a few excellent examples of the endowment effect in marketing's storied past. New Coke, anyone?
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