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Samsung TVs with Google TV sound like more of the same
Samsung is currently in late stage talks to bring Google TV to its new line of televisions. The pairing has me wondering, why? Since its initial release and general lack of hype since then, Google TV...
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Netflix, please stay away from cable
It seems that Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, is quietly in talks with cable companies in a possible attempt to add the Netflix service as an add-on to cable. The move, which would give Netflix greater...
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No brand winner in Viacom/DirecTV debacle
During an almost two-week long blackout, millions of DirecTV customers were unable to watch about a dozen popular Viacom channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. The stand-off between...
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Major changes are coming to the video game industry
Over the past month, two pieces of news have caught my attention. The first was Sony’s purchase of Gaikai, a cloud-based video game site that allows big-named game titles to be played through an...
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With the Olympics, NBC earned gold. Without it, struggling for bronze.
I was hooked on this summer’s Olympics. Despite my body’s need for sleep, I was up until midnight most nights, soaking in as many events as possible. There is something exceptional at the core of the...
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House of Cards is a definitive step, but Netflix has much more work to do
Netflix is close, but not there yet. Back in 2011 the king of streaming video outbid both HBO and Showtime to claim the series House Of Cards, which aired last week. The show is a gritty and well-cast...
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Cable TV’s time is running out
Many of us would love to get rid of our cable TV provider. The cost is out-of-whack high and – with the availability of digital and mobile television – cable is fast becoming irrelevant. A Belkin and...
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What will television look like in the future?
The talk in our office lately has centered on how the streaming video industry will eventually shake out. Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and many others are already available. Also in the mix are iTunes and...
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Times are changing for Netflix
It looks like “House of Cards” has paid off for Netflix. The streaming service added 2 million subscribers with that ground-breaking political series that stars Kevin Spacey. Quite a leap from the...
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HBO has come a long way
What does HBO mean to you? No doubt, it has very different permissions than it did in 1972 when the brand was founded. Think back to how far the cable channel has come from being branded Home Box...
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ESPN 3D forgot the brand
A lot of companies get what is most important about its brand wrong. They lead with features and assume that consumers will rationally see and choose based on these data points. The problem is that the...
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Chromecast is another sign of cable TV’s demise
If you read up on Google, odds are you’ve seen the news about Chomecast. I did and cable TV had better watch out. Chromecast is the cheaper brother of Apple TV. For a mere $35, it’s yours to keep. All...
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A brand man’s emotional reflections on the life of Nelson Mandela
The news wires and tweets are alive with words to express the appreciation of the life of Nelson Mandela. I never met the man. The closest I ever came to him was when I was working on South Africa...
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Why that SpaghettiO’s tweet drew so much ire
Often, we lament that companies fail to steal market share because they think inside-out instead of outside-in. They promote what they think is important to them, not what is important to those they...
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Amazon Drones won’t be the first
When I first heard of Jeff Bezos’ lofty plan to add drones to Amazon’s delivery service, I flinched. The whole drone delivery idea isn’t anything new. About a year back, Domino’s toyed with the idea of...
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In a sea of uniformity, farmersonly.com is different
I was in my family room recently watching a basketball game when I got a text from my wife saying, “Forgive me, but I have to check out farmersonly.com.” In a matter of a minute, I got another text...
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Idaho potatoes: Yes, a state can have meaning
Can a state be a brand? Of course it can. Anything can be a brand if it has coveted meaning. Consider Idaho potatoes. For whatever reason, we associate that state with the best potatoes in the land,...
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Spotify steps over iTunes Radio and Pandora
The streaming radio music provider, Spotify, has just one-upped the competition in a major way. This week, Spotify CEO Daniel Elk announced that it would begin offering unlimited streaming of all its...
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Coming soon: Amazon’s Pantry
Amazon seems to be all the rage these days. Its founder, Jeff Bezos, pronounced on 60 Minutes that it would be delivering product by drones in the near future. (We are doubtful.) During this holiday...
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Predictions for 2014
Tom Cruise walks through a shopping mall in 2002’s Minority Report where his identity is at risk by personal, interactive advertising as he walks through each store. The movie is takes place in 2054,...
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