Ryan Seacrest: Millennial Gatekeeper?

Things seemed simpler in college. They were night and day, black and white, yes and oh please no.

To wit, one of my early journalism classes, in which we learned about what's called the "gatekeeping" role of journalists. I don't know what they call it now or if it's even being mentioned on university campuses anymore, but the concept is this: Journalists (here broadly defined as anyone whose vocation requires them to gather or report the news) decide what goes on the air, in the paper, on the Web, etc. And, they decide what does not. They were the gates through which information passed that empowered people to make decisions to plan their day, their week, their lives. It was an awesome power and responsibility the gravity of which made the meager pay worth the trouble.

(And yes, I know social media changed all that. But put that aside for a moment.)

So if you're an old school journalist, I imagine your eyebrow was furrowed last week when news leaked that Ryan Seacrest - best known for his role on American Idol, the show that foisted this guy on the American public - was in talks with NBC to become the host of the Today Show, ostensibly to replace Matt Lauer.

I've actually grown to respect Lauer. I know many in my circles who would decry a perceived liberal bias on his part, but over the years he's become someone I've come to trust, someone who executes his profession with aplomb. Lauer exudes a certain credibility when I see him interviewing the day's newsmakers. And well, he should. Lauer's credentials are indeed what you'd expect for someone in his role.

Seacrest is what he is - from what I understand, one of the hardest working men in Hollywood. And while a strong work ethic is laudable, it tends to carry a big asterisk when the fruits of the labor are rotten to the core. For his part, Seacrest's credentials are also what you'd expect for someone moving and shaking in Beverly Hills.

Which is to say, the idea of Seacrest as a respectable journalistic figure is...well, do I even need to finish that thought? Imagine this picture, only the guy on the left is asking the global influencer on the right whether he thought Randy was too hard on the semi-finalists.

I still have enough faith in the folks at The Rock to believe they haven't overlooked the dire lack of journalistic chops in this instance. Which only begs the question: Why Seacrest? It's really anyone's guess, but you can probably assume it has something to do with wooing a younger viewer. It usually does.

If that's the case, it may be that NBC is correct in its targeting. But their strategy is flawed. Leveraging Seacrest's entertainment background is the wrong play to attract long-term viewership to the show. While it's true the younger set is probably trending away from Today, they're not doing so because there isn't enough fluff. They're doing so because social media has empowered them to become their own gatekeepers. The citizenry now decides what information is relevant and what is not, and behaves accordingly. And shows like Today, Good Morning America, and all the rest are left chasing their audience.

It's a trend the evidence of which we've seen for several years now. The Iranian elections in 2009 may have been the first and best example, though there are likely others that preceded it. Assuming the millennial is a scatter-brained, deep-as-a-frisbee airhead is a naive presupposition that can quickly make you irrelevant. They care about the happenings of the world; they just learn about them in a way that can slip through Nielsen's cracks.

To be sure, it's still possible a Ryan Seacrest-hosted Today Show would enjoy at least a temporary bump in viewership. But it's worth pointing out that the industry has been wrong about this kind of thing before.

If it's serious about Seacrest in Lauer's current role, NBC should launch a full-on marketing/PR blitz to establish some modicum of credibility for him. Maybe even send him to j-school. I hear things are pretty cut-and-dry there.

I come to bury the QR code, not to praise it

There are several topics on which I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong when I say Peyton Manning has played his last effective game as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. I don't want to be right about South Bend drivers and roundabouts. I hope I'm way off in my fear that Justin Bieber will record the new opening number for Monday Night Football.

Image

To that list of "hopefully I'm wrong," add this: QR codes are currently a waste of time for marketers. If we're not careful, we'll turn off the public to them before we figure out how they should actually be used.

QR codes have always struck me as a solution in search of a problem. But that hasn't mattered to legions of dutiful marketers, eager to show their savvy by exploiting the next whiz-bang gadget. In far too many cases, though, marketers have been so caught up with whether they could use QR codes, they forgot to ask themselves if they should use them.

Technology and Education Gap: The two biggest hurdles to widespread audience utilization of QR codes is the stubborn facts that relatively few people know how to use them, and if they do, the darn things just don't work all that often. Or at least not conveniently. Most people have to download an app for their phones to read QR codes. Say you have an app that actually works (I went through several on my Blackberry and Android that didn't) - you'll still need to take the time to open that app, try to position your phone's camera to take a picture, and hope that the QR has scanned correctly. After that process, you can finally access the content the QR creator intended. But that's another problem.

Lack of Original Content: I can't tell you how much it bugs me when a QR code simply links to a website. Especially one that is not built for mobile. (Yes, they do exist.) A QR code must link to content that is only useful for consumption on a mobile device. Your website almost always doesn't qualify. And given the acumen young people in particular have for texting, you are probably further ahead simply listing your URL, if that is your target audience.

The Future is Dim: Speaking of young people - if these nifty QR thingies are supposed to be the wave of the future, shouldn't the future be using them...now? I found this study of college students' experiences with QR to be enlightening. Among the key findings:

81% of students owned a smartphone

80% of students had previously seen a QR code

21% of students successfully scanned our QR code example.

75% of students said they are “Not Likely” to scan a QR code in the future.

Poke holes in the methodology of the study if you like, but it's rather difficult to square a 60 percentage point gap in the number of students who owned a smartphone and those who could actually scan a code.

C'mon, Really?: Another complication for QR code use - use along highways.

Do the advertisers even consider the amount of time it might take for someone to find their QR reader on their phone, line up the code, and successfully scan it? Likely not, because I can guarantee it's longer than the person will be in front of this billboard if they're driving. This appears to be a clear example of some marketers who thought they were being cutting edge, but instead have wasted valuable outdoor space. Not to mention it's just plain dangerous.

Obviously, there are some great examples of original QR code thinking. This is pretty cool. So is this. My employer puts them on business cards to allow people to scan our contact information right onto their phone. That seems to make some sense, too.

Which means there is still a chance I could be wrong about QR codes. And I hope so, because I'm always a fan of truly effective ways to give valuable content to an audience. But until we see a whole lot more in the way of unique thinking (with technology that actually works) and less in the way of pure marketing self-indulgence, I'm not inclined to hold my breath.

What do you think? Will QR codes ever gain mainstream (usability) status? Or will they always be the marketers' plaything?

3 keys to turning marketing into storytelling

What I remember most about the holidays is storytelling. My uncles are masters of the art, and at family get-togethers they would regale us with tales of small-town Michigan with just the right touches of embellishment. And I’ll bet many families experience the same at their holiday gatherings.

I find it ironic, then, that the art of storytelling seems to be lost this time of year. Black Friday through Christmas Eve is the time most advertisers go for the hard sell, with marketing efforts focused on deep discounts or outlandish (or positively scary) attempts to gain customers’ attention, and their wallets by extension. It seems each week we’re called to “the greatest sale of the season,” and at times it feels like the strategy behind the ads can be summed up in two words: shout louder.

The presence of all this noise is what makes this ad from the UK retailer John Lewis so striking.

The spot is impactful not just because of the subtlety of its approach, but because of its storytelling power. In that way, it should remind marketers that the best campaigns – no matter the time of year – don’t just roll out the discounted price or even an explanation of benefits. The best marketing tells a story.

Here are three things the John Lewis spot reminds us about telling a great narrative, as it applies to marketing:

1) Choose a hero. Every story needs to have someone with whom the audience can relate. The more your audience can see themselves in the hero, the more impact the ad will have. But also remember the hero is someone who reflects the best in who the audience wants to be. In the John Lewis spot, we all can relate to the suspense waiting for Christmas morning, and we would all love to have the heart of the child who can’t wait to give his parents a gift.

2) Remember the story formula. Every story has at least three parts: exposition where the hero is introduced, a body in which the plot and conflict develop, and a climax where the conflict is resolved. In marketing, this is a chance to bring your audience into the story first, remind them of a problem they face, and resolve the problem with your product. The John Lewis spot introduces us to the boy, shows the conflict of the painstaking days waiting for Christmas, then the climax on Christmas morning.

3) Don’t forget the twist. Clearly, the John Lewis spot is memorable because of the surprise that the child was anticipating giving a gift, not receiving one. Stories just aren’t any fun – and aren’t remembered – when we correctly predict the outcome. While the other components listed above could be fairly scientific, this portion of storytelling is purely an art form. Here’s your chance to find out what it is that is surprising about your product or brand – your true differentiator – and weave it into the story of your marketing.

Failing to tell a resonating story will leave your marketing lifeless, or worse, forgotten. The discount announcements have their place, but they aren’t likely to be remembered after the sale is over. For memorable, sustainable impressions on your audience (or your family), nothing beats a good story.