Be the Brand. Tips from the (pseudo)master.

Note: This post was originally published August 25, 2008. But it’s so good I just had to reblog. Enjoy.

I’ve written other blogs on other topics before, but never with the sense of purpose I have today.

Not to say that I’ve never had a sense of purpose in the past.

But I feel singularly inspired to write this blog because its all about me.

‘Who am I?’ you ask.

Entrepreneur. Brand strategist. Technology evangelist. Marketing maverick. Biz dev specialist. Trend setter.

I’m the guy who tells you like it is, whether you want to hear it or not.

To put it simply, I’m that dude.

You know who ‘that dude’ is.

He’s the guy that everyone acknowledges (implicitly or explicitly) when he walks into the room.

The one that you’ll remember years after you’ve met him.

The one that everyone aspires to emulate.

The one with the aura, the gift, the presence.

He’s that dude.

We all have ‘that dude’ in us.

It’s that aspect of us that tells really funny jokes.

Or knows how to solve complex equations in our heads.

Or has ability to remain cool in the face of difficulty.

The ‘go-to’ guy when things really need to get done.

Being the brand is the act of cultivating the ‘that dude’ in all of us.

I want to demonstrate the power of my mantra, ‘Be the Brand,” using myself as a living case study.

I’m not particularly famous.

If you Google “Chukumba” you’ll see about 27,000 results.

Add the qualifier “Stephen” and that jumps to about 37,000.

Not bad, but nothing really if you consider the 37 million results generated by searching for the term ‘Oprah’ or the 40+ million generated by searching the term ‘Donald Trump.’

Oprah and Trump are classic examples of iconic figures with huge brand recognition.

When Oprah Winfrey started O Magazine, people said, “She’s so vain. Why does she need to be on the cover of every issue?”

I thought, ‘that’s brilliant!’

What better way to promote your brand than to put your face on everything you put into the stream of commerce?

Oprah didn’t become a billionaire by promoting other people (although she has made quite a few people rich from her promotional prowess).

She promoted herself.

Similarly, when Donald Trump started ‘The Apprentice’ people thought “Who does Donald Trump think he is?”

He’s practically bankrupt!

But Trump is a perfect example of the value of self-promotion.

Love him or hate him, you’ve got to deal with him because his face, his properties, and his brand are everywhere.

Despite his well publicized failures, you’ve got to concede his staying power and presence are indomitable.

There are countless others who fit the Oprah/Donald Trump mold, both famous and unknown.

I include myself in their ranks, and I am going to prove that anyone can be the brand, if they want to be.

Being the brand is a perspective that allows you to define yourself and your world-view in a way that sets you apart from the crowd, but without thrashing others in the process.

So stay tuned to see what I’ve got to say.

I’ve got a lot to say-I’m quite verbose.

Hopefully, you’ll come away with lots of good advice.

And at least it’ll make for some interesting reading!

Now go be the brand!

Sue me and I’ll sue you back. The Apple Samsung saga continues.

Surprise, surprise.

Today TechCrunch announced that Samsung filed a patent lawsuit against Apple, alleging among other things, that the iPhone 5 violates several of Samsung’s patents.

I find it quite humorous that Samsung is suing Apple for patent infringement, when by their own assessment, the iPhone 5 is eons behind Samsung’s Galaxy SIII.

Is Apple violating the ‘not-living-up-to-expectations‘ patent?

Perhaps it’s the ‘my-phone-does-way-less-things-than-yours-does‘ patent that Samsung is protecting.

Or it could be the ‘your-phone-is-almost-as-unwieldy-as-mine‘ patent, that Samsung takes issue with.

Whatever the actual basis for the suit, I doubt the case has any real merit.

From what I gather, the suit is a function of principle.

Per the statement issued earlier today,

“We have little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights.”

Little choice huh?

It has absolutely nothing to do with the billion dollar shellacking you took recently?

Yeah, right.

We all know that Samsung has to (try to) save face after having their bums handed to them.

So, they’ve trumped up some claims that Apple violated one of the 30,000 patents that Samsung owns or has acquired.

We’ve been down this road before, haven’t we?

Samsung has sued Apple in nine different countries, and has been successful a grand total of zero times.

When will they learn?

They get an “E” for effort, “T” for nice try.

That’s for all my Tribe Called Quest folks in da house!

If I were Samsung, I’d take my lumps and accept that I’ll never be the leader of the pack…

Except the pack o’ fools telling you to waste your money on these frivolous lawsuits.

Don’t you know your lawyers will follow your silly asses all the way to the bank?

Oh well, it’s your money.

Take solace in the fact that their commercials lambasting Apple are pretty funny – even to Apple fans.

But another lawsuit?

Really?

Give it a rest.

Being number <insert any number but “1″> isn’t all that bad.

I’m sorry. I just can’t get excited about the iPad Mini.

Is this the new iPad Mini? Time will tell.

There’s quite a hullabaloo around Apple’s alleged September 12 announcement.

The buzz around the iPhone 5 and the release of iOS 6 have kept tech bloggers busy.

I have to admit, that I too, have been caught in the frenzy.

I was totally bamboozled by a colleague who posted up a link to a leaked ‘first look’ video of the iPhone…only to realize that it was a hoax.

Damn you adamthinks.com!

But as much as I’ve tried, I simply can’t muster the energy to get excited about the iPad Mini.

Yeah. The rumor mills have been throwing around theories about what the iPad Mini will ultimately be.

And there has much speculation about its potential features.

Sure. The Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7 have left Apple in the unenviable position of NOT being first to the mini tablet space.

So the likelihood of a smaller, lower priced offering, designed to compete with these devices, is great.

But I’m still not waiting with bated breath for it.

I mean really.

The ‘new‘ iPad dropped a few months ago.

Less than six months later, they’re dropping another iPad.

And I’m supposed to be all gaga over it?

Why?

Because of the smaller form factor?

The lower price?

Will it have all the same bells and whistles of the current iPad?

Or will Apple pull an ‘iPad’ and drop a device without all the attributes you know they have the capacity to bake in – just to set up the crush for the fully loaded iPad Mini 2.

We’ve all been victims of Apple’s frequent bait-and-switch.

As much as we applaud Apple whenever a new innovative product is released.

We resent them.

When they immediately drop the new and improved whatchumacallit rendering your latest acquisition obsolete.

So you’ll pardon me if I’m over the fanfare and leaks around the iPad Mini.

If you’re really interested, I’m sure that TechCrunch, Gizmodo or Engadget are following the iPad drama unfold.

But not the kid!

Not today anyway…

If you’re really interested in the latest-and-greatest iPad Mini news, check the link to the latest iPad mini photographs from the Daily Mail.

Move over QR Codes. Good night SnapTags. Augmented reality is here!

A few months ago, I was looking at the back cover of a box of cereal and noticed something pretty interesting.

There was a complete takeover by the latest Spiderman movie, and (more importantly) there was an app.

If you downloaded the app, you would be able to see an advance clip from the movie.

Intrigued, I downloaded the app, dialed it up on my iPhone, and pointed it at one of the frames on the box…

And suddenly, the scene on the box came to life and I was watching a clip from the movie on the box!

Rather, on the box on my phone.

I had never experienced that before.

There were no weird wiggly lines or ringed logo required to access the video.

No separate browser window.

I just aimed my phone at what looked like a frame from a Spiderman comic strip…and viola!

Mind you, I’m a fan of QR Codes and SnapTags.

I’ve written about them a few times.

I think they’re immensely useful for driving interactions between brands and consumers.

At the time, I had no idea what technology was powering the Spiderman experience on the cereal box.

And while I found it novel, I didn’t explore it any deeper.

But a few days ago, a colleague shared a Ted talks link with me about augmented reality.

The video talked about how brands were exploring ways to integrate augmented reality into their apps.

I realize that my explanation of the Spiderman cereal box leaves much to be desired.

So check out the video from the Ted talk, which explains (and demonstrates) augmented reality with far greater clarity.

The technology Matt was demonstrating was developed by a company called Aurasma, which is one of the pioneers of augmented reality apps.

I definitely see augmented reality as the wave of the future.

The possibilities are literally limitless.

And the opportunities for brands to engage in immersive and increasingly interactive ways are even more limitless.

And I’m not talking about donning a helmet or a pair of glasses – I’m talking about having rich, interactive layered experiences by simply pointing your phone at an object.

But don’t take my word for it.

Keep an eye out for augmented reality coming to an app near you.

If you want to get a jump on the whole augmented reality movement, check out the Aurasma app in the iTunes App store.

Were Apple’s Genius Spots a stroke of genius?

What this kid part of a stroke of genius?

For about a month now, the blogosphere has been buzzing about Apple’s advertising campaign, which highlighted an extremely accommodating member of their Genius bar.

If you’re not into Apple, then these spots may have been lost on you.

There would have been no immediate recognition of the blue t-shirt clad youth, with the plastic lanyard around his neck.

The fact that he was giving advise to hapless individuals in unusual situations would have been equally mysterious or perplexing.

But if you do Apple, then these ads made sense.

Maybe.

In the advertising world, Apple’s three Genius spots, which aired primarily during the Olympics, drew a fairly negative response across the board.

Folks really took issue with the ads, which were (admittedly) a marked departure from the slick, clean and simple ads characteristic of Apple.

Almost universally, Apple’s ads were drummed.

For one (some complained) they featured no product.

Others were put off by the fact that consumers were portrayed as idiots.

Still others thought that humor (campy humor, at that) was beneath Apple.

Ad Age devoted no less than three articles (The Apple Genius Ads that Everyone Hated Are Over, Cool or Not, the Thinking Behind Apple’s Genius Spots Was Smart, What if Awful ‘Genius’ Ads Were All Part of Apple’s Stealthy Plan?) to the subject.

But now, folks are starting to consider whether Apple’s heavily drummed ads were…intentional?

Even Ad Age, which maligned the ads the worst that Apple had ever created, seems to have had a change of heart.

“Why?” you ask.

Because the numbers seem to bear out the fact that Apple may have properly targeted the demographic they were trying to reach with those ads.

More importantly, it appears that Apple was aware (even if the rest of us weren’t) that there was a shift in who’s buying Apple products.

I’m not going to act like I’ve been paying attention to Apple’s buying demographic.

But I am glad that cats have gotten off this hyper critical assessment of their ad campaign.

Maybe now we can focus on some real issues…

Like Apple’s soaring stock price…

Or the upcoming release of the iPhone 5…

Or iOS 6…

Maybe even my campaign for world domination! Mwaahhahaha!

Oh wait…ignore that last one.

The Secret of Success? Planning and Execution.

I frequently consult young entrepreneurs seeking advice on establishing new business ventures.

Typically, they’re a group of close friends, former classmates or loose affiliates, galvanized by a strong central figure or idea that they collectively believe in.

Often this allegiance manifests itself in some form or other, that evidences the sincerity of their commitment and desire to bring their idea to fruition.

Sometimes this manifestation is a one-sheet or prospectus.

Other times, it’s the first draft of a business plan.

And still others, its a landing page or website.

Very rarely, though, I come across a young entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs, who have it all: business plan, marketing materials, financial projections, website and launch strategy.

I’m always excited when I encounter individuals like these, because it’s much easier to refine material that’s been primed, than trying to work the raw material itself.

Recently, I’ve been approached by an organization that seems to have the hallmarks of this rare breed of entrepreneur.

Since I’m bound by an NDA, I can’t talk about them or their project in any real detail.

But I can talk about what makes them exceptional, as a case study for other young entrepreneurs seeking to find success outside of a traditional 9 to 5.

So here are the five signs of a successful entrepreneur.

1. Planning makes perfect. One of the most important traits of any successful entrepreneur is the ability to plan. Success doesn’t ‘just happen’. It comes as the result of careful planning. I frequently refer to Sun Tzu, when I talk of planning, because it’s through planning that one defeats their enemy. Failure is the enemy. And as the saying goes, “he who fails to plan, plans to fail.” I’ll take it one step further and say, “he who plans poorly, fails miserably.” To avoid the pitfalls of no/poor planning, I recommend the use of online project management and collaboration programs, like Basecamp, to take your planning to the next level.

2. Document everything. Having an idea of how you plan to get something done isn’t the same as documenting that plan. It’s important that your plans are memorialized in writing for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it puts everyone on the same page (pun intended). If you’re concerned about maintaining documents in a usable and shareable way, Google Docs is an excellent tool for storing, sharing and editing documents online.

3. Scared money don’t make no money. A serious entrepreneur understands the importance of raising and spending money. The best ideas in the world go nowhere because they can’t get investment. I’m not talking IPO money or VC capital to build a prototype, hire staff and file patents. I’m talking basics: get a domain name, hire a web developer, get some business cards made. You’ve got to have a strategy for funding your company or idea, especially at its initial phases. Optimally, you can get your business up and running and generating revenue before you have to ask anyone (beyond friends and family) for money. Once you’ve got it going, you’ve got to have a strategy for sustaining and growing it. The presence/absence of a fundraising strategy is one of the key indicators of the viability of any business. Kickstarter is a great resource for jump starting York fundraising initiatives.

4. Get your tech on. In business nowadays, technology is the great equalizer. One trait that I find particularly intriguing about young entrepreneurs is their propensity to develop new platforms, and the fact that they understand the strategic importance of positioning technology in the marketplace. A good idea can become an overnight success through the effective utilization and implementation of technology. Whether its something as innovative as a new platform or as mundane as having a mobile website, integrating technology into your strategy is a sure means of differentiating you from your (potential) competitors.

5. Get sound advice. Have you ever drafted what you though was the perfect email? You labored over every word and read and re-read until you were certain it was just right. Then, satisfied, you press send. Of course, the minute it leaves your desktop you notice you’ve misspelled something. Or used “your” when you meant to use “you’re”. Or “there” instead of “their”. If only someone else had proofread it before it went out!

Starting a business venture is like preparing that email. Even when you think you’ve thought of everything, a more seasoned eye can spot things that you’ve missed. Having an experienced advisor, advisors or board of directors can be a valuable tool for not only launching your business, but growing and expanding your business as well.

If I had to give a formula for a successful entrepreneur: success = planning + execution.

Lots of people have good ideas.

What separates them from the guy sitting on his couch saying, “Hey! I thought of that years ago!” is that they got off their asses and did something about it.

Now get off your ass!

If you’re interested in getting some advice for your business idea, feel free to drop me a line.

Tech Advice: Go with the iPhone. The Samsung Galaxy gives you the cooties

The Samsung Galaxy SIII gives you cooties!

I am the de facto techie in my circles.

Even though I don’t have a technical bone in my body, I stay abreast of the goings-on in the digital tech space, and know a lil’ sumthin’ sumthin’.

So I often am asked (and share) my opinion about this, that and the other, when it comes to technology.

Case in point: my 23 year old baby sitter is upgrading her phone.

She’s had a Crackberry Blackberry for two years, and she’s debating between the Samsung Galaxy and the iPhone.

The exchange went something like this:

Me: So do you like your Blackberry?

Her: No. I’m definitely over it.

Me: Well what kind of computer do you have?

Her: A MacBook Pro.

Me: (Incredulous) You’ve got a Mac and you’re thinking about going outside of the family? AND it’s cheaper? What’s wrong with you?

Her: I’m just really digging that big screen.

Me: You realize that both the iPhone and the Galaxy have way bigger screens than that Blackberry right? It’s going to be like pulling a flat screen TV out of your pocket.

Her: I know! And I like that. But with my trade in and upgrade, I can get the iPhone for less.

Me: So I’m not seeing your problem. You own a Mac. The iPhone is cheaper. You’re asking an Apple dude if you should go Apple or Android.

Her: I just like that Galaxy!

Me: So what? You’re just looking for a co-sign so you don’t feel guilty spending more money on a WACK phone? Get out of my house! You’re not welcome anymore!

Now that last part didn’t really happen, but I did go on to extoll the virtues of Apple and the integrated nature of its products.

I also lambasted Android and the ‘buggy’ nature of products running that OS.

But in fairness to Samsung, I told her that it was a good device, with favorable ratings, and lots of features.

I also talked about it’s large form factor, and how it’s size approached that of smaller tablet devices, making it an excellent device for anyone interested in owning a tablet but not wanting to have two separate devices.

In the final analysis, I told her it was really a personal decision.

Were it my choice, I wouldn’t be pulling a massive phone with a huge screen out of my pocket.

And then I remembered the first time I saw the Samsung Galaxy in the wild.

And I had to share.

I was on the PATH train headed back to NJ.

The train was packed, as is typical for after work.

I found myself standing next to over a smaller Asiany man, who pulled out his phone just as we started to pull away from the station.

I watched him swipe a geometric pattern across a series of dots to unlock his phone, navigate to his calendar, pull up a date and begin typing.

G-E-T B-L-O-O-D D-R-A-W-N

Wow.

What a responsible fellow.

Donating his blood…wait…still typing…

F-O-R H-E-P B

Hepatitis B! WTF!

Let me switch cars right quick and get away from this dirty mutha…

Shut yo mouth!

I’m just talking ’bout Hep B y’all!

Anywhoooo…

After that cautionary tale, I sent her off, hoping I had assisted her in deciding which phone to ultimately choose.

I felt good…and like I needed a shower…

But, hey! If you’re looking for assistance or advice, and it involves technology, feel free to drop me a line.

Perhaps I can help you avoid the cooties too!

The Digital Divide

A snapshot of the Moodle we developed to teach out digital curriculum.

When you think of the digital divide, the first thing that comes to mind is the standard issue of the gap in access and exposure to technology, between children of different economic circumstances.

This lack of access and exposure, leaves lower income and minority youth at a marked disadvantage, by depriving them of skills which are becoming increasingly valuable in the workplace and essential in various industries.

But there is a deeper issue.

Lack of adequate instruction.

Unlike us, children today are exposed to technology and digital content, regardless of economic background, to a far greater extent than any other period in history.

Internet capable mobile devices, social media, interactive gaming systems, and a torrent of digital content, are the norm, not the exception.

Youth today immerse themselves in completely virtual worlds, and engage in social interactions and activity, across a variety of devices and platforms.

iPhones, Blackberries, Androids, PS2s, Nintendo DS3s ( and the list goes on) enable youth to play games, surf the Internet, update their status, listen to music, watch videos, text, chat and share content with each other wirelessly.

We need to examine how this exposure is impacting our youth, and what implications the “mobilizing” of technology has on them.

I believe we should be creating curriculum, which addresses the responsible use and utilization of technology, and programming that harnesses the inherent familiarity with handheld technology that youth have, regardless of economic circumstances.

Ever since I began teaching at the PAL Digital U.N.I.Verse.City, I have been able to see what youth of today are doing with technology.

Most youth know how to surf the net.

Any kid knows how to get to YouTube, or send an email.

They know how to use Google, Bing, Ask.com and Yahoo to conduct searches, and find pretty much anything they’re looking for.

Their mobile phones are extensions of their hands, and their fingers were built for texting (I’ve even seen a few texting without even looking at the phone).

As such, their behavior, adoption and use of technology is distinctly different from ours, and requires a distinctly different approach for educating them on using technology responsibly and appropriately.

Most classroom instruction on technology teach kids the basics.

But kids today need real lessons which go beyond the basics.

They need instruction that helps them see technology as an extension of their inherent creative capabilities.

In our course, we’ve married the theoretical with the practical.

First off, our course lives online. We developed a Moodle, which each student can access, where each lesson, document, evaluation, reference, and assessment can be accessed.

When we teach about Canon EOS 60Ds cameras, the kids are shooting on those cameras.

If we talk about data transfer and tagging, the kids are transferring content from the cameras and putting descriptive tags and meta content within the files.

Our classroom instruction recognizes that these kids need a level of engagement that challenges them, and expands their horizons.

More importantly, academic institutions need to accept that technology is changing at an ever increasing pace, and we have to be prepared to meet the youth where they are (which is far more technologically savvy then we were at their age).

Enough with the Acronyms! Plain English please.

Enough with the jargon. Plain English please!

The other day while giving a presentation, the client asked, “what does RAID mean?“

We had been talking about servers, storage and protocols for preserving and backing up data – not roach spray.

And RAID had been introduced because it would continue to function even if one of the drives were damaged or inoperable.

Eventually, we explained that RAID was an acronym, which stood for “redundant array of independent disks.”

It’s a form of storage technology that combines several drives into a single unit, making it robust and reliable (and relatively inexpensive as servers go).

Reflecting on that meeting, I was struck by the frequency with which we tech types use acronyms as if they were common parlance.

The reality is that there is so much alphabet soup out there, that it’s difficult for techies to keep up, much less lay folk.

So today’s class will focus on defining some of these acronyms, and building your technical lexicon.

I’m sure you’re familiar with SMS (short messaging service), MMS (multimedia messaging service), DRM (digital rights management), CPM (cost per thousand impressions), yada yada.

Here are four terms you may not know, but should.

LBS – location based services.

Tech speak: LBS is an information or entertainment service, accessible with mobile devices through a mobile network which uses information on the geographical position of the device. We are the Borg. You will be assimilated.

The Borg can use LBS to find you.

Plain English: LBS is a system which lets you send and receive information from your mobile phone, based on where you happen to be at the moment. Common uses of LBS include finding the nearest ATM machine (BoA), tracking a package (Fedex) or locating a specific destination (Google Maps).

NFC – near field communication.

Tech speak: NFC is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity.

Plain English: NFC is technology that makes life easier and more convenient for people by allow them to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect to electronic devices with a touch. Common uses of NFC include opening a car with your phone (ZipCar) or exchanging contact information (Bump).

API – application programming interface.

Tech speak: API is a source code-based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other.

Plain English: An API is a way of putting data into and getting data out of a system, without having to manually type that data in yourself. APIs are simple tools developers create to help other developers make the most effective and efficient use of their code. Many mobile apps out today employ APIs which let you register or log in using your Facebook or Twitter credentials.

GUI – graphical user interface.

Tech speak: GUI is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands.

Plain English: A GUI makes it easier for people to learn, use and implement, through the use of icons, graphics, and menus. Think Apple.

So the next time you hear a techie waxing eloquently in technical jargon, you no longer have to nod your head knowingly (while totally ignorant to what’s actually being said).

You can jump in that convo and throw a few around your damn self!

Is Social the Future of Television? You Better Believe It!

Have you heard of YouToo?

YouToo. Be On TV.

YouToo is the world’s first social tv network allowing viewers to interact with one another over a national cable television network.

Youtoo claims to be “the next frontier of social networking” because it’s both a social network and a television network which uses “advanced technology that makes them work together.”

What about Trendrr?

Trendrr. More signal. Less noise.

Trendrr is a tech solution that helps content producers process and understand the multiple streams of data from television, online, and social media, and put that data to use.

Trendrr measures the social media activities tied to television broadcasts, and the increasingly significant impact that social has on brands and audiences.

You must have heard of Revolt, right?

Sean Combs is launching a new network called Revolt.

Revolt is the new music video cable network of Sean “P Diddy” Combs that’s slated to launch next year on Comcast.

With a focus on artists, Revolt’s mission is to revolutionize the way artists are promoted using social as a platform.

These are just a few of the brands that are focusing on ‘social television‘ the intersection of television, social media, connected devices and audiences.

So what does it all mean?

It means that there is a growing nexus between television and social interaction, and businesses are paying attention.

The recent record-breaking numbers in viewership and social chatter with the Super Bowl, Grammy Awards and the Oscars, aptly demonstrates this point.

More importantly, the availability of low-priced, more powerful smartphones and tablets, means that more people will have the ability to take advantage of these intersections.

Connected devices make it even easier for brands to interact with their audiences, regardless of whether they’re in front of traditional television screens or not.

It also creates opportunities for brands to engage audiences in ways that simply didn’t exist as recent as a year ago.

Twitter hashtags, on-screen QR codes, text calls-to-action, voting and integrated mobile apps are just a few of the methods television programmers have embraced to become more social.

Home shopping networks, like HSN, have been leading the way for years, giving shoppers the ability to browse for products and make purchases from the convenience of their couches, home computers or mobile phones.

I suspect that this trend will continue well into the conceivable future, which will undoubtedly provide even greater opportunities for brands to interact ‘socially’ with their audiences.