Lincoln Is A Movie You Must See

Lincoln Is Sure To Win An Oscar

Steven Spielberg has made some great movies in his career, which now spans nearly four decades, but he has outdone himself with Lincoln. This film ranks up there with his best work -- E.T., Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler’s List.

There are many challenges to bringing an iconic figure to the big screen. For one, we know how the story ends. Many books and movies have covered Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and the freeing of blacks from slavery. But Spielberg managed to pull off a whopper. Part of it was his great direction, and part was getting excellent acting performances from Sally Field and Daniel Day Lewis (See There Will Be Blood, Gangs of New York, My Left Foot), as well as rich supportive roles from the likes of Tommy Lee Jones and a cast of recognizable faces. But the biggest reason the movie is a rich success is that it has such fascinating material to play with.

I left the sold-out theater in Manhattan in tears, along with many others. What impressed me was how Lincoln was depicted, the human side. This man had to face so much upheaval in his life and presidency. While in office he lost a son, his wife nearly cracked up, the country fought a bitter civil war, and he pushed through a constitutional amendment that freed the slaves. But it all came at such a heavy price and ultimately cost him his life. He spouted wisdom and stories to anyone who would listen and came off more like a preacher than a politician. He seemed kindhearted and visionary, but he wasn’t beyond doing what was practical and necessary, even if it meant twisting the words and intention of laws -- and legislators’ arms.

I cannot imagine what any national leader goes through to keep a country moving forward but it is clear that Lincoln faced challenges that few presidents have had to deal with, both politically and personally. Even if you are convinced you know everything about Lincoln, I urge you to see this movie. It may move you to cry, to cheer, to jeer, but it will move you for sure. 

Great movies tell stories in ways that make viewers think about them long after they have left the theater. This one will stay with me for some time to come.

Does Election Show Power Of Media & Marketing?

If you think about it, the recently concluded election put a few marketing truths to the test.

For instance, the idea that money can buy you influence and power only worked for one side when it came to the battle for the White House. Each side spent over a billion dollars to wrestle control of the government. Apparently it wasn't enough. Things stayed virtually unchanged. Obama remained in the Oval Office, the Democrats retained the Senate and Republicans kept the House of Representatives.

Another growing assumption is that all you need to win over voters or customers is to market to them online. However, perhaps because the electorate is so diverse, no one media seemed to dominate, though one may argue that TV got a huge share of the advertising budget from the parties and candidates.

Marketing a mediocre product can sell that product better than a good product would sell without a marketing budget. This seems to be generally true, but again, when it comes to the voters, some voted contrary to the blitz of media ads coming at them because their ideology or beliefs were stronger than any 30-second attack ad.

Polls can be wrong. It turns out they were fairly accurate in predicting things but the media likes to dramatize the election the way weathermen like to hype an upcoming storm. The race was seemingly close in the popular vote and in certain battleground states, but the electoral college landslide leaves a different impression.

Certainly one thing authors and publishers can conclude from election politics: the news media likes controversy, winners and losers, new ideas, familiar personalities, and making predictions. Pitch them ideas and story angles that play into their mindset -- not just about politics, but anything. And if that doesn't work, tell them you have a story idea about 2016. They cannot wait to get started covering the next election

Amazing Photography Book On Boxing

New  Sports Illustrated Book, At The Fights, Opens Eyes To World Of Boxing Like No Other

It is one thing to have one career as a world-renowned specialist, but it is quite rare to become world-renowned in a second career, in a totally different field. One of my clients did just that - -and to stunning results.

For 23 years Howard Schatz was an internationally respected retina specialist, researcher, medical textbook writer, and Clinical Professor at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco.  In 1995 he left San Francisco for New York to pursue a career in photography. And what a career it has been. He is releasing his 19^thbook, AT THE FIGHTS (si.com/atthefights) in a week, and it has already been featured in Sports Illustrated and Time.  This Sunday, November 11, his work will be featured on the cover of the NYT Sunday Magazine as well as to illustrate the cover story.

Since he left medicine he has become  recognized as one of the most accomplished, prolific, and award-winning photographers of the past 17 years.  His photographs have appeared in countless publications. Vanity Fair ,ESPN Magazine and others have published his work regularly. He has done covers forNewsweek, Sports Illustrated, New York Magazine, Time, and US News & World Report.. His work has also appeared in GQ, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Forbes, Elle, and “O” The Oprah Magazine.  He has photographed many prominent individuals, including: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Jane Lynch,  Michael Douglas, Pierce Brosnan, Ricky Gervais, Sissy Spacek, Robin Williams, Pele, David Beckham, Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, Muhammed Ali, Alonzo Mourning, Serena Williams, George Steinbrenner, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. His commercial clients include Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Nike, SONY, Mercedes-Benz, Escada, Virgin Records, and McDonalds among dozens of others.

His newest book features the people important to boxing today, depicting the culture of the sport and its business, including over 70 champion boxers -- current, recent and legendary. This evocative book is a visual triumph that features:

• The insightful words and stunning images of modern-day gladiators, in the ring and in Schatz’s studio, including Manny Pacquiao, Andre Ward, Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Tim Bradley and Vladimir Klitschko.
• Unique portraits of the most respected and well-known trainers, judges, referees, promoters and managers, physicians, commissioners/presidents, writers and blow-by-blow ringside commentators.
• Insightful commentary from 50+ boxing experts, culled from interviews totaling 500,000 words.
• Unique studio portraits of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson.
• Portraits and interviews with recently deceased legendary ring writer Bert Sugar and legendary champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier.
• Dynamic ringside action shots from recent championship bouts.
• 400 unique photographs that were culled from over 150,000 images.
• The unique body art of many of the fighters and the messages scripted on their skin.
• A stroboscopic shot that captures the speed and incredible footwork of middleweight Sergio Martinez in a single frame.
• A 7-foot long gatefold featuring scores of modern-day champions.

For more information, please consult  www.Howard.Schatz.com

New Sinatra Book Provides Insights On The Iconic Crooner

Walter Winchell, a wildly popular and influential 20^th century newspaper and radio gossip commentator, once wrote: “The closest person to Frank Sinatra is Tony Consiglio.”  Tony’s full account of his relationship with the iconic crooner has never been revealed – until now. 

The publishing of Sinatra and Me: The Very Good Years (Tantor Media, November 13, 2012, trade paperback, $19.95, ISBN: 9780988349421), is based on dozens of hours of interviews over the span of eight years (concluding with Tony’s death in 2008) with Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Franz Douskey. This oral history captures an era that has fascinated generations of fans.

Sinatra and Me, which features dozens of never-before-published photos of Sinatra, Consiglio, and many bold-faced names, details a period of time that spans from the 1930’s into the 1970’s. It is an inside account of the prime years of one of America’s greatest icons. The legendary entertainer is best known for a six-decade career in music, film, television and radio. This book takes an up-close and personal look into the exciting world of a man who was adored by the American public but who fiercely valued privacy.

Though Ol’ Blue Eyes died 14 years ago (he would have been 97 this December 12), his influence on American culture resonates today. Many stories have been written over the years about alleged mob ties and philandering, but this book offers for the first time an account from someone so close to him during more than three decades.

Readers will learn:

·         What was myth and what was true about the man who has sold over 150 million albums and won 11 Grammy Awards.

·         What type of person Sinatra was behind closed doors.

·         How Sinatra launched his career after getting kicked out of high school – and the real story of how he broke away from the Tommy Dorsey band to go solo.

·         Of Sinatra’s relationships with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, John F. Kennedy, Ava Gardner, Lou Gehrig, Grace Kelly, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and dozens of leading singers, actors, athletes and politicians.

·         Why Sinatra feared being alone, yet shunned the public’s spotlight.

·         How Sinatra handled life on the road, including when his popularity dropped and career stalled.

·         What went on in the Kennedy White House.

·         Why Tony thought mafia boss Sam Giancana helped elect JFK, that Sam was hired by the CIA to kill Fidel Castro, and that Sam wanted to get rid of Bobby Kennedy.

·         Tony sets the record straight about rumors Sinatra scored cocaine for JFK or that he didn’t have his uncle put a gun to Tommy Dorsey’s head, and that Sinatra really loved Mia Farrow but she wouldn’t give up her career for him.

·         How Consiglio went from being a bat boy for the New York Giants to be Sinatra’s closest ally.

Consiglio was nicknamed “The Clam” by Sinatra because Consiglio never spoke to reporters about the famous singer.  Consiglio was one of Sinatra’s closest friends for decades.  Consiglio knew Sinatra when Sinatra was a struggling singer in New Jersey in the 1930’s, through his “Bobby-Soxer” mega-star days of the 1940’s, during the lean years when “The Voice” was struggling with a crumbling singing and acting career in the early 1950’s.  Consiglio was there when Sinatra’s star rose again, first winning an Academy Award for his role in From Here to Eternity in 1953 and recording several classic albums that returned Sinatra to the top of the charts in the late 1950’s. 

Consiglio was also there during the Kennedy years, when Sinatra was a close friend of JFK.  Consiglio rubbed elbows with Washington and Hollywood elite at the Kennedy inauguration in 1961 and at the JFK funeral in November 1963.  Through it all, he never spoke about what he saw and what he knew. Now, for the first time in print, an intimate look at Frank Sinatra, from a man who knew him better than anyone.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. Tantor, the publisher of Sinatra and Me, is a client of my employer, Media Connect. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.

No Clear Way To See Survival Of Printed Content

I was at the eye doctor the other day for an annual checkup that turned out to be my bi-annual exam, and while in the waiting room the receptionist walked by and randomly said aloud: “I wonder what would happen if we just got rid of all these magazines?” pointing to the rack of about a dozen different titles.  “I mean, everything is digital, right?”

And that’s how it begins.  Someone makes a seemingly innocent comment, unsolicited and suddenly a decision is made.  One by one, households, businesses, and medical offices are making cost-cutting measures and the thing that gets put on the chopping block is publications.

Everyone is walking around with an iPad, Smartphone, or laptop.  They are either doing work, socializing, reading free content, shopping, or buying digital materials -- movies, music, books, mags, and newspapers.  Print is dying, sadly. The question now is not whether print will survive, but when it will cease to print.  The next question is, once it’s all digital, will a publication still retain its circulation and remain profitable, given the reduced ad revenue and increased advertising, and reading options?

At one point it was thought that print and digital could co-exist, but they can’t.  The cost of print increase over time, as does postage. And as reader preferences move towards digital, the justification for print weakens.

On the other hand, printed books still make sense to me, and certain types of books need to be in print such as coffee table photography books.  I think printed books should begin to include advertising in them.  This could help publishers defer costs and price books competitively.

But for now and the near future, we will continue to see a contraction in the purchase of printed content.  And don’t be surprised if your local doctor no longer offers you reading material.  He or she may instead offer you an electrical outlet to plug in your device of choice.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.

Epic Marketing WIN: Byzantium Security

I recently got back from a trip to New York City. On Wall Street, I saw a pretty bold backlit ad on a Newsstand. I took a picture of it since it captured my attention. The resulting experience was one of the most dynamic and engaging marketing campaigns that I have ever encountered. Sorry, but if you are looking for an Epic Marketing Fail, you won't find one in this post...

EPIC MARKETING WIN

We're Not for Everyone. Just the 1% that Matters.

With so much going on in New York City it takes a lot to stand out, and yet, the simplicity and bold nature of the copy on the above display ad cut through the noise. It was amplified by the die-hard occupy Wall Street protesters taking up space just a block away.

The ad's location on Wall Street makes it seem like it's targeted at 'the 1%' for some kind of security service. I was intrigued, I wanted to know more. I forgot about it until I got home and uploaded my pictures to iPhoto. Naturally, I went to the website. On the homepage there is an embedded video:

Byzantium Security Website

It's an ad for 'Byzantium Security'. It's very well done and talks about the value that Byzantium Security can bring to the world's elite. Okay, now I am even more intrigued. Who are these guys? Who uses them? Does Jason Bourne work here? I want to know more...

The second and only other call-to-action on the site is to complete a series of tests to see if you have what it takes to be a security operative at Byzantium Security. I've always wondered how I would do on one of these...

Define 'normal'.

What follows is a series of 5 psychological tests. After every stage it offers up a personal & tailored results based on your selections. My curiousity lead me to find that they actually worked with a cognitive psychologist to produce the tests (more on that later...).

Each stage of the tests prompts you to share your results on your social networks, making the campaign extremely viral. But don't be mistaken, its not the fact that the social media buttons are present that makes it sharable, its the experience and content that makes you want to share it.

I got 99 problems but social ain't 1.

At the VERY end of all of these tests, you discover that this has nothing to do with 'Byzantium Security' at all, in fact, it is ALL for a new Cinemax show called 'Hunted'.

This absolutely blew me away. The lengths they went to build this campaign are unbelievable. The amount of time spent developing the psychological testing, the fake website for the security company and the video that was shot with the show's lead actress, Melissa George, must have been a massive effort. But the payoff was all worth it.

The thing that does it for me is their non-traditional approach. It's an approach that produces a memorable experience along the way and that is the result of all of the above elements working together seamlessly.

WHY THIS CAMPAIGN IS AN EPIC MARKETING WIN

1. Create an experience.
   Many marketers struggle with getting their audience to share their content. This campaign created an experience that was simply too awesome not to tell other people about it.
2. Keep it simple
   The display ad didn't have any distractions. There weren't unnecessary images or QR codes, just what you need.
3. Bold
   The copy on the ad was bold and timely. The whole 1% thing has been a huge topic of conversation and controversy, especially on Wall Street where the ad was found.
4. Intrigue
   Although the topic of assassins and CIA operatives is intriguing in itself, the marketers created a desire to figure out what Byzantium Security was all about.
5. Different
   You can only make a movie/TV trailer is so many different ways. This was a truly different and unique way to promote a TV show that is much higher impact and memorable than any 30 second trailer could ever be.
6. 1 call-to-action
   From the display ad to the website, to the interactive psychological testing, a fairly complex campaign comes off with apparent simplicity. It's absolutely critical to make it as easy as possible for your prospects to take that next step to get them to do what you ultimately want them to.
7. Escape hatches
   If someone wants to abandon the test at any point (not sure why you would, but I tried just to see what would happen) they show their final call-to-action, which is the trailer for the movie.
8. Social
   Creating a social campaign is so much more than having the icons on your email/website or landing page. It all starts with creating an experience that compel people to want to share it.

If you haven't already, go to www.byzantiumsecurity.com and check it out for yourself. I don't want to ruin the end of the testing, but if your results are anything like mine, it's truly mind-blowing. Once you have, make sure to share your experience on the ever growing list of comments on their Storify feed. Slow-clap for Campfire for putting this together.

This is for you, Campfire.

Finally, remember, as a wise man once told me, 'Dont treat your audience like they are working for you, treat them like you are working for them'.

Unsubscribe Page Fail

It's the marketer's final frontier. The last place you want your prospects to show up is on your unsubscribe page, but depending on how you approach it you might just have one more shot at keeping them in your database. On the other hand, like we'll see in today's epic marketing fail, you can also turn an unsubscriber into an active detractor of your brand.

THE EPIC MARKETING FAIL
My telecommunications provider occasionally sends me emails that I never signed up for. They provide no real value and as a result, I decided to [try] to opt out.

Here is their unsubscribe page:

The unsubscribe page.

So I can't just click a button to unsubscribe? You are going to make me go through great lengths to get off a mailing list I never subscribed to. OK. I am determined to get off this thing. Let me enter in all my information and my 'Home Phone Number'.

Do you want my Passport and Driver's Licence numbers too?

So my phone number didn't work. Well, this is getting frustrating. Let me dig up my account number from an old bill... yep, so that doesn't didn't work either. So I go back to the email, to write them to ask to take me off their mailing list, and then I get this email in return:

"Hello, we don't like to listen to our customers".

Yeahhhh. So after several unsuccessful attempts, I am still receiving these emails, and every time I get one it is a reminder that it's time to change service providers.

THE UN-FAILURE

Most of the time, marketers are trying to increase the conversion rate of their landing pages. The unsubscribe page is one major exception to that rule [despite it usually being the highest converting page you have - talk about irony...]

BUT, there is hope. Kind of like when you think your sports team is down for the count, someone puts the team on their back and throws up a Hail Mary to completely turns things around.

One amazing example of this that I recently ran into was the Groupon unsubscribe page. When you visit the page, you see this:

Groupon Unsubscribe Page

By pushing the little button (great call-to-action btw) this video plays:

This is definitely an example of how marketing has the potential to be awesome. Marketers just need to have the courage to go outside of the norm and do something different. I'll bet a bunch of people watched that Groupon video and decided to give the newsletter another chance.

Moral of the story/post: make it easy for people to unsubscribe, but try and give them one compelling/interesting/different/awesome reason why they shouldn't.

And someone please get Derrick a doctor... and a raise!