You Sleep When You Die
you sleep when you die...and other unpopular thoughts from retail marketing leader, Jordan Zimmerman
Aaron Sorkin gave America a reality check last month with the release of the critically acclaimed HBO drama The Newsroom. A clip from the show, which Sorkin wrote and produced, got more than two million hits on YouTube in a little over three weeks… In it, a news anchor (played by the actor Jeff Daniels) is taking part in a panel discussion when he’s asked, “Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?” His answer: “It’s not the greatest country in the world.”
Whether they show up in movies, TV, or any other medium, advertising messages that are placed thoughtlessly defeat their own purpose. If they show no evidence of being part of any coherent brand strategy or if they’re just jammed into places they obviously don’t belong, they do more harm than good. If a message causes consumers to laugh at (not with) your brand, guess what? You’ve got a problem.
Wallace stepped on some toes. His career proves that if you go through life trying to make everyone like you – both personally and professionally — you won’t achieve all you are capable of achieving. Here’s a little advice: You are always going to have a choice: to think of what the other guy wants to hear, or do what you know is right. Forget about what people want you to tell them. Do what you know is right. What I loved most about Mike Wallace was that he believed in a kind of old school reporting that we’ve lost sight of now: reporting with a conscience. His best stories followed a simple “good guys versus bad guys” format, but Wallace himself was one of the good guys. He will be missed.
This is not just about writing checks, but about personally working hand and hand with a local school and local officials… Together, we are making a huge difference for the students.
I believe the prosecution was shamefully manipulated by a ratings-hungry press. As a result, it brought a case to trial that was too damn weak to win a conviction.
 |