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February 19, 2007
The Dictionary and The Google
Erin McKean, the editor and lexicographer for the New Oxford American Dictionary, speaks at Google about 10 things she wishes people knew about the dictionary. It's about 54 minutes long, and well worth watching.
Posted by PJ at 01:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackFebruary 09, 2007
It Was Only a Matter of Time...
(Cross-posted from HedgeStop.com)
In one of the highest profile innovative marketing schemes to go astray, blinking, electronic advertisements in Boston for Aqua Teen Hunger Force were thought to be explosive devices. Roads and subway trains were closed down, the bomb squad was called out in force, and merchants are claiming losses more and more each day.
The Cartoon Network might have thought they were finding a cute way to get market share, but for most Bostonians, the advertisements seemed to be saying something quite different:
Today, two weeks after the incident, the general manager and executive vice president of the Cartoon Network has resigned in an internal memo to staff, and the parent company, Turner Broadcasting, is paying Boston nearly $2 million to cover costs related to the scare.
In his memo to staff, Jim Samples wrote that, ''It's my hope that my decision allows us to put this chapter behind us and get back to our mission of delivering unrivaled original animated entertainment for consumers of all ages,''
He said he regretted what had happened and felt ''compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch.''
This is a prime example of a Type 1 error in innovation, when a company fails because of an action it took, as opposed to failing because it didn't take action at all (a Type 2 error).
(Eric Mankin at Babson's Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship research center, has a good overview of Type 1 and Type 2 errors, framed around television and movies. Check it out here.)
This situation is also a prime example of why you should be humble and contrite in the face of failure, and not arrogant and argumentative. As CNN reported on 01 February 2007:
Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens were released on $2,500 bail, said Mike Rich, their attorney. The next pretrial hearing is scheduled for March 7.
Both men were cooperative with authorities, and neither has a previous criminal record in Massachusetts, Grossman said.
At a news conference after the hearing, Stevens and Berdovsky stepped to the microphones and said they were taking questions only about 1970s hairstyles.
When a reporter accused them of not taking the situation seriously, Stevens responded, "We're taking it very seriously." Asked another question about the case, Stevens reiterated they were answering questions only about hair and accused the reporter of not taking him and Berdovsky seriously.
Reporters did not relent and as they continued, Berdovsky disregarded their queries, saying, "That's not a hair question. I'm sorry."
Their attorney said the two were putting on a "performance," and noted that he had told them not to discuss the case.
That could have been handled better. Would it have solved the problem? Would Jim Samples still have a job, and Turner still have $2m? I don't know. But when you innovate--in marketing, in product development, in sales or service--you risk failure. And people are always more accepting of someone who says "I tried, I failed, I'm sorry" rather than appearing like they are trying to skirt admitting failure.
Posted by PJ at 05:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackFebruary 02, 2007
Never Forget - 1-31-07
