Over the past year I was introduced to Jane Fonda and have become known as her "tech guy" (a funny term she referred to me as on NBC's Today Show). In truth, I am a part of a trio that included my blogging wife, who gave a 71-year-old Jane Fonda a really great rationale at our first breakfast together as
to why she should be using social media and by the end her lightbulb turned on.
That relationship continues today and I'm proud to say that Jane has not only
become one of our agency's first clients when we opened for business but also a
great friend and mentor to me and my family.
As the architect of her overall digital strategy, I helped her get her blog JaneFonda.com up, and counsel her
on a daily basis on how to engage and grow her following through tools like Twitter,
Ning, and Facebook.
A few months ago we worked with Gina Bianchini
and her team at Ning to start "Fonda Folks" a community of "Fonda-nistas" who commune
online (and offline) from all over the world mainly inspired by Jane's life,
works, activism and writings. I have even convinced Jane to do live "twitter
commentary" of both the Academy Awards and the Tony Awards, the latter of which
was done sitting in her actual seat where she was a Tony nominee for her role
in 33 Variations.
Honestly, I'm not going to say she was totally on board in
the beginning but each initiative brings a new learning for the both of us and I
love that she is a willing student of my out of the box thinking and zany ideas
around how to use social media. In the end, because of social media, this is
the first time in her career she has been able to drive traditional media
versus being driven by media. Most of the quotes, commentary about Jane
recently have emanated from her blogs or tweets. For any celebrity this is
amazing, but especially for Jane.
In our first meeting Jane admitted that though she had
actually been to the Google HQ for a meeting, she had actually only used the search engine two
times before we met. Now she is researching for her forthcoming book on aging
and fairly confidently breezing along to gather information from many
different online sources. All of this of course done with the help of an Apple
Macbook that I convinced her to switch to from that dreaded "other thing" (Author
is an admitted Mac-Snob). She also
has a real "tech guy" who is tutoring her on the transition to MacLife.
When we look at the numbers of older adults using social
media it is not shocking that the Facebook Fan followers are so reactive. The
latest numbers show that the fastest growing group on Facebook is 55- to 65-year-old
females and that Grandparents have officially replaced high school students. The
numbers also explain her lively Ning community where Ning boasts 15% of their
users are +50. Likewise, recent reports are that teens are NOT using Twitter
(an obvious one) and a more shocking stat that Twitter has 18% users over 50.
Our relationship and our management of online "conversations"
around all things Jane Fonda has inspired a new passion for our agency around
the role Social Media can play for the aging adult. As a self-proclaimed "digital
evangelist" I actually relish the "tough cookies" and the majority of my "sermons"
lead to conversion. In addition to Jane Fonda I have led several older adults
to look at social media as something other than "that thing" the young people
are doing but rather a tool that opens up new channels of communication and
connectedness. Sites like Ning offer a great DIY approach to a great online family
reunion/gathering tool and can oftentimes serve as an entry point for those
new to social media. For example, the administrator of a Ning community (or "Town
Mayor" as I call it), an older person can take a birds eye view and witness how
their own family members use the site to share photos, information, video, and thus
connect on all new levels.
Another place where we're seeing great engagement, conversation
and growth is in our Facebook group. This loyal group of
"Fonda-nistas" is very active and many times carry segments of her blog posts
into entire new streams of micro-conversations. Jane often writes very deep,
thought provoking blog posts and Facebook is where the after-glow conversations
take shape and really begin to create sub-communities based on her content. This
summer I had an amazing opportunity to spend a week in New Mexico with my
family on Jane's 3,000 acre ranch. After riding her horses, ATV's and fishing
by day, I spent time in the evenings with Jane showing her the activity around
her newly formed digital "tribe" and her lightbulb went off again and again. Since
that conversation she is a much more active participant in those "post-blog"
conversations in Facebook and a much better listener of the online
conversations around her brand and subjects that matter to her.
This is why I'm officially nominating my student and client
Jane Fonda for "The Quick Study" social media student of the year. Because of
her legendary status, commitment to social causes and global appeal, I would
argue that she is a fine candidate as any as the "Official Face" of this new
aging adult consumer who ironically has probably started a Facebook page in the
time it took me to write this article. After reading this I hope you
second my vote!
James Andrews is a managing partner at Everywhere specializing in the creation of social media strategies, online communications, and Web content production. Everywhere is a strategic communication agency that focuses in helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online space to build better connections with their audiences. Its clients include Delta, Jane Fonda, Jermaine Dupri, Sanaa Lathan, and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Before launching everywhere, Andrews was VP, Ketchum Digital and worked on social media brand strategy work for Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Wendy's, and Newell Rubbermaid. Andrews has been working in the area of interactive/new media and non-traditional marketing for 15 years holding senior titles at Columbia Records, Ecko Unlimited, and Isobar/Carat. His experience with brands such as Current TV, Sprite, Vibe Magazine, and Proctor & Gamble places him in a unique category of executives that understand the convergence of both new media, content and digital lifestyle. James blogs at FastCompany.com as an Expert Blogger. He also maintains a blog at www.thekeyinfluencer.com where he covers the "business of pop culture" via news and interviews that span technology, new media, music business and youth/urban culture. Andrews is also a regular contributor to CNN, as an expert in social media. Additionally, James serves as a consultant on social media to a few celebrities and icons including Hill Harper (CSI), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Sanaa Lathan, Macy Gray, and Jane Fonda. James Andrews attended UCLA, grew up in Silicon Valley, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. He is an active speaker globally and is frequently quoted on the subjects of digital media, entertainment and innovative branding/marketing approaches.
A lot has
been said about radio 3.0 and TV 3.0, but what does it all mean?
Some like my friend Jeff Pulver are calling this period of convergence Now Media (Old Media + New Media = NOW Media). Essentially the fusion of both old media and new media and thus the creation of a new media channel.
What does
the experience of watching TV, listening to the radio, and movie-going look like
when you add social media and mobile? How will producers, writers, programmers and even the creative community adjust to meet and satiate an
appetite that says "I want it now, I want it here, I want it on my terms and I
want to be able to tell my friends how good this show/movie/program is?"
Last year my new friends at Networked Insights released a study "Measuring The Social" that proves some interesting trends. For decades, we've relied on Nielsen ratings to judge the popularity of television shows. The Networked
Insights research compared the Top 10 Nielsen shows to the Networked Insights
list of Top 10 shows with social interactions (reading, rating, sharing,
linking and inviting). The findings were incredibly insightful. Half of the Top
shows with social interactions do not appear on the Top 10 Nielsen list. The show Criminal Minds (Family Plug: Criminal Minds co-stars this author's cousin Shemar Moore) does not appear on Nielsen Top
10 list but is the second highest rated on Networked Insights list.
"You have a generation that grew up in an industrial age mass productions, large institutions, standardizations....Now you have a new generation that does not respond to that structure . It's built on demassification, individualism, and customization. Television at its core, is designed to push content to the masses, and is not designed for telling stories and disseminating information...at least not like net" ("Is TV Driving Social Media's Success"...Michael Hackmer)
I contend
that the most popular shows are not those with the most viewers, but rather the shows
that create the most conversations online. These are the shows that advertisers should be crawling all over. New and unique ways to engage consumers. For example, when I watch the show "24" I'm chatting about the show on Twitter and Facebook with thousands of other fans. On weekends, I have been appearing on CNN as an on-air expert providing social media commentary on the weekly news stories and use an alternative channel strategy. While shooting my CNN segment via Skype, I simultaneously use another camera to stream live via my own branded channel on Ustream. When my segment is finished on CNN, I often stay on for 2 hours engaging my audience in a deeper discussion around the stories I just discussed. Recent coverage of Professor Gates' arrest and conversations in my alternative channel led to creation of a Twitter Hashtag (#TRIA-Talking Race In America), Facebook Group, and conversation that is still happening today. Why do I take this approach? Because the content has created a conversation that I want to encourage and expand the life of and social media offers that like nothing else. So the question is how do you produce media for a
multi-minding, multi-screen audience? Or rather the question should be posed, how do
you produce television when the advertisers begin to truly start valuing and pay for
social interactions?
The product manufacturers clearly understand that their consumer is using their product with a laptop or mobile device on their lap. Vizio will release a line of TVs with Twitter and Facebook built in. IBM is seeking a patent for a remote control that would control your Facebook, Twitter and blogging experience. The remote control would allow users to "autoblog" whatever they're watching at the time. Not to be outdone both Comcast and TimeWarner along with Verizon and TimeWarner are both launching concepts called TV Everywhere. Like so many companies, the cable/Internet duos are trying to take their content to the laptop but the problem is they don't know what to do with
it when it gets there. The solutions for the back channel are not as simple as replicating the same TV content on my laptop. In fact on second thought I don't want Comcast to bring my TV content to my laptop because I'm using my laptop for Facebook/Twitter, to research and connect with my friends. Besides I'd rather watch my shows on my HDTV. The success of Hulu has created an envious halo effect, however many cable operators and networks fail to see that the best shows are those creating conversations and thus that should be their primary goal for the audience experience.
The opportunity for TV/Film to be driving and facilitating conversations has never been greater. As the U.S. Ad spending is taking a tumble the networks and studios have no choice but to be creative to meet the new demands of advertisers who are consistently looking for new models of engagement. Hopefully this will result in greater usages of social media tools in a new era of "socially networked" content.
James Andrews is a managing partner at Everywhere specializing in the creation of social media strategies, online communications, and Web content production. Everywhere is a strategic communication agency that focuses in helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online space to build better connections with their audiences. Its clients include Delta, Jane Fonda, Jermaine Dupri, Sanaa Lathan, and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Before launching everywhere, Andrews was VP, Ketchum Digital and worked on social media brand strategy work for Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Wendy's, and Newell Rubbermaid. Andrews has been working in the area of interactive/new media and non-traditional marketing for 15 years holding senior titles at Columbia Records, Ecko Unlimited, and Isobar/Carat. His experience with brands such as Current TV, Sprite, Vibe Magazine, and Proctor & Gamble places him in a unique category of executives that understand the convergence of both new media, content and digital lifestyle. James blogs at FastCompany.com as an Expert Blogger. He also maintains a blog at www.thekeyinfluencer.com where he covers the "business of pop culture" via news and interviews that span technology, new media, music business and youth/urban culture. Andrews is also a regular contributor to CNN, as an expert in social media. Additionally, James serves as a consultant on social media to a few celebrities and icons including Hill Harper (CSI), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Sanaa Lathan, Macy Gray, and Jane Fonda. James Andrews attended UCLA, grew up in Silicon Valley, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. He is an active speaker globally and is frequently quoted on the subjects of digital media, entertainment and innovative branding/marketing approaches.
One of the most redeeming qualities of the social media landscape revolves around the unique ability microblogging (eg. Twitter, Facebook status updates, Blog comments) offers in the creation of "Thought Viruses." Everyone knows you can't really "create" a "thought virus" however there are people in the social Web who gracefully dance the waltz of maven and connector into what I call "Thought DJ's." These individuals are the uber-talented social media curators who skillfully bring the proper mix of humor, wit, intelligence and interesting "tinyurls" and create an environment of heavily anticipated tweets. Much like an influential music DJ who "breaks" and "discovers" new music today's "Thought DJ" delivers news, information, insights and even concepts to us with a freshness that is reminiscent of the day we used to buy 45's at the local record store. Their ability to be on the cutting edge of information combined with their innovative point of view make their daily tweets a must read.
As a former record label executive I have an enormous music appetite and when I travel I've been known to find and go listen to the most unique rare DJ in a particular city. My preferences for DJ's tend to skew around the rare and extremely knowledgeable music curators whose musical set takes me on journey (see Rich Medina, DJ Spinna, Gilles Peterson, King Britt, MAW, Sake1, Qool DJ Marv, DJ Jazzy Jeff). Many of the Twitter users I admire and follow are similar to the DJ's I love and admire. They bring something that makes my life better, challenge what I have read that day and cause me to anticipate more from them. I depend on them to find the good stuff and wait with baited breath on what they will tweet next.
Contrary to what most people think, the most powerful twitter users in the space aren't those with the greatest number of followers but those who are consistently retweeted. The "thought DJ" generally takes the time to carefully funnel good information to their network. They have thought about what they tweet and how it will be received by their flock. These are the types of people that you want to follow because they bring value to your twitter profile. In our consulting practice we are constantly asked about Twitter from those not yet using. Their main complaint is that they do not see the value of following other people. To that I generally encourage them to find "thought DJ's" who will make their experience far more interesting.
So I bring to you 11 interesting "Thought DJ's" who make my life a little better just by following. You will notice that many do not have a million followers yet I deem them equally as influential and important as today's popular twitter names.
Ahmir Thompson (@questlove)-Drummer for Grammy Award winning band The Roots. The Roots are the in-house band for Jimmy Fallon Show. His tweets are intelligent, smart, and his name dropping is purposeful and not annoying.
The Jenntafur (@2Serenity)-A trained lawyer from D.C. who is a very thoughtful "Re-tweeter" and a wealth of information on a wide variety of subjects.
Sarma Melngailis (@sarma)-Founder of Pure Food and Wine & OneLuckyDuck.com. Former Wall Street finance whiz turned culinary and raw food Goddess. She is very smart and witty, very few dull moments.
Fred Wilson (@fredwilson)-VC & Principal of Union Square Ventures. Blogs about the social media space with passion with a dash of music. Want to know the pulse of the latest social technologies then follow Fred.
Stuart McDonald (@stumcdnld)-Stuart McDonald keeps it real and usually has me in stitches with his humor. He calls himself an "enlightened white boy" and the world is a better place because of it.
Harry Allen (@harryallen)-Harry is the "media assassin" for those of you who are hip hop historians and know Public Enemy. Harry Allen covers race, politics and hip hop and is a fantastic "retweeter"of good information.
Derrick "D-Nice" Jones (@DJdnice)-Another pivotal member of hip hop history who has embraced digital and social media. Today DJ D-Nice is a one of the sought after celebrity and corporate event DJ's. He also has an amazing photography skill that he shares through Twitpics.
Larry Chiang (@larrychiang)-Larry is the author of the blog, "What They Didn't Teach You At Stanford Business School" and blogs for BusinessWeek with the same focus. I first met him at a conference where he aggressively approached me and said "@Me right now dude!" I have been enjoying his tweets ever since and have really enjoyed his humor + business commentary.
Dana Lewis (@danamlewis)-Dana is currently a senior at Univ. of Alabama but don't let the babyface fool you, she is the creator of one of the most engaging conversations on health care and social media #HCSM.
Corvida Raven (@corvida)- Founder of Shegeeks.net and she calls herself the "Oprah of the Web" When I'm looking for what is next on the Web and/or iphone she's my first stop. In her early twenties I call her "the future."
Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77)-An active twitter user who has pioneered my new favorite Friday activity #vivaviernes which is the latino "Follow Friday."
Read more of James Andrews' blog or follow him on Twitter
James Andrews is a managing partner at Everywhere specializing in the creation of social media strategies, online communications, and Web content production. Everywhere is a strategic communication agency that focuses in helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online space to build better connections with their audiences. Its clients include Delta, Jane Fonda, Jermaine Dupri, Sanaa Lathan, and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Before launching everywhere, Andrews was VP, Ketchum Digital and worked on social media brand strategy work for Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Wendy's, and Newell Rubbermaid. Andrews has been working in the area of interactive/new media and non-traditional marketing for 15 years holding senior titles at Columbia Records, Ecko Unlimited, and Isobar/Carat. His experience with brands such as Current TV, Sprite, Vibe Magazine, and Proctor & Gamble places him in a unique category of executives that understand the convergence of both new media, content and digital lifestyle. James blogs at FastCompany.com as an Expert Blogger. He also maintains a blog at www.thekeyinfluencer.com where he covers the "business of pop culture" via news and interviews that span technology, new media, music business and youth/urban culture. Andrews is also a regular contributor to CNN, as an expert in social media. Additionally, James serves as a consultant on social media to a few celebrities and icons including Hill Harper (CSI), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Sanaa Lathan, Macy Gray, and Jane Fonda. James Andrews attended UCLA, grew up in Silicon Valley, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. He is an active speaker globally and is frequently quoted on the subjects of digital media, entertainment and innovative branding/marketing approaches.
I really cherish my talks with DJ Jazzy Jeff. As a "prophet" of the music business whom I have tons of respect for, I have spent several hours over the last few years with my friend and business colleague Jeff Townes aka "DJ Jazzy Jeff" discussing the fate of the record business. Me, a digital entertainment geek and he both student and key influencer of global pop culture who happens to DJ weekly in Tokyo, London, Prague, Toronto to Decatur in any given month. This of course supports his intense "drug habit" called Sneaker Collecting which has been well documented.Most know Jeff from his role as equal partner in the hip hop group DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, or for some of you "new jacks" as the guy who Uncle Phill is always throwing out of the door on the hit comedy series, "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." I have gotten to know him as a wise "industry sage" who is often found holding court about the ins-outs of the entertainment business in his kitchen making his famous waffles.
As a globetrotter Jazzy Jeff has first hand knowledge of what is happening around the world with the music business, evolving distribution shifts and consumers who love quality music. Around 7 years ago Jeff came home from a month long run of Asia and called me to say, "It's over for the record business" after walking by a street vendor who had rows and rows of MP3 discs for sale of any artist you could imagine. Jeff said of this experience, "When I saw my Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince entire collection for $5, I knew it was over."
Jeff has since been on a terror over the last 5 years building his brand around DJing, Podcasting and the release of underground Hip Hop's most talked about album series The Magnificent. As a result of his commitment to understanding the digital space his revenues from being a DJ have seen a dramatic increase now that he practically gives his music away for free and focuses on "super-serving" his customer with an "experience" vs just selling plastic discs. (Sounds very Long Tail right?) He is the first to say, "Music should be free, the experience is what you should be paying for." Clearly brands like Scion, Heineken, and Anheuser Busch have recognized the aura of DJ Jazzy Jeff as they have all at one point partnered with him on tours.
Those of us lucky enough to be in DJ Jazzy Jeff's sphere of influence in 1998 were treated to a CD that he personally delivered to us (Jeff pressed up 3000 cd's for his closest friends); something he called "a little something to clean the house to." This was commonplace in the late 90's as his homemade CD's by unsigned artists his production company A Touch of Jazz were producing in his Philadelphia studio were "must haves" for those of us who subscribed to being on top of "good music." Some of the artists that we got to hear before anyone else included such talent as Musiq Soulchild, Floetry, Eric Roberson, and Raheem Devaughn all of whom today drive the last hope we have for good soul music.
In 98' Jeff was working with a talented spoken word artist named Jill Scott and "blessed us" with a CD we passed around that had everyone on my 26th floor of 550 Madison Avenue, Columbia Records office saying, "James, who is this Jill Scott chick you keep playing?" As a a devout Jazzy Jeff/ATOJ evangelist, I played the metal out of that CD, and as an executive at Columbia, I passed it along to everyone I worked with including the guy who emptied my office trash. One of the people I handed it to was an A&R guy at Columbia in hopes we would consider signing her to a record deal. He passed on her (In the words of Red Foxx, "big dummy") and handed it to Hidden Beach founder Steve Mckeever and the rest is history for Jill's career. Jill's album titled "Who Is Jill Scott" was released in 2000 and she was nominated for a Grammy. The power of a viral brand; The power of giving away your music for free. Ol' Jeff Townes has always been ahead of his time. Jeff this week's article in Businessweek, "The Big Record Labels' Not-So-Big Future" is for our talks over cheese steaks and Gremlins in Philly. We called this one buddy, it's all coming back full circle!
Over the past year I was introduced to Jane Fonda and have become known as her "tech guy" (a funny term she referred to me as on NBC's Today Show). In truth, I am a part of a trio that included my blogging wife, who gave a 71-year-old Jane Fonda a really great rationale at our first breakfast together as
to why she should be using social media and by the end her lightbulb turned on.
That relationship continues today and I'm proud to say that Jane has not only
become one of our agency's first clients when we opened for business but also a
great friend and mentor to me and my family.
Honestly, I'm not going to say she was totally on board in
the beginning but each initiative brings a new learning for the both of us and I
love that she is a willing student of my out of the box thinking and zany ideas
around how to use social media. In the end, because of social media, this is
the first time in her career she has been able to drive traditional media
versus being driven by media. Most of the quotes, commentary about Jane
recently have emanated from her blogs or tweets. For any celebrity this is
amazing, but especially for Jane.
Our relationship and our management of online "conversations"
around all things Jane Fonda has inspired a new passion for our agency around
the role Social Media can play for the aging adult. As a self-proclaimed "digital
evangelist" I actually relish the "tough cookies" and the majority of my "sermons"
lead to conversion. In addition to Jane Fonda I have led several older adults
to look at social media as something other than "that thing" the young people
are doing but rather a tool that opens up new channels of communication and
connectedness. Sites like Ning offer a great DIY approach to a great online family
reunion/gathering tool and can oftentimes serve as an entry point for those
new to social media. For example, the administrator of a Ning community (or "Town
Mayor" as I call it), an older person can take a birds eye view and witness how
their own family members use the site to share photos, information, video, and thus
connect on all new levels.
This is why I'm officially nominating my student and client
Jane Fonda for "The Quick Study" social media student of the year. Because of
her legendary status, commitment to social causes and global appeal, I would
argue that she is a fine candidate as any as the "Official Face" of this new
aging adult consumer who ironically has probably started a Facebook page in the
time it took me to write this article. After reading this I hope you
second my vote!
James Andrews is a managing partner at Everywhere specializing in the creation of social media strategies, online communications, and Web content production. Everywhere is a strategic communication agency that focuses in helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online space to build better connections with their audiences. Its clients include Delta, Jane Fonda, Jermaine Dupri, Sanaa Lathan, and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Before launching everywhere, Andrews was VP, Ketchum Digital and worked on social media brand strategy work for Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Wendy's, and Newell Rubbermaid. Andrews has been working in the area of interactive/new media and non-traditional marketing for 15 years holding senior titles at Columbia Records, Ecko Unlimited, and Isobar/Carat. His experience with brands such as Current TV, Sprite, Vibe Magazine, and Proctor & Gamble places him in a unique category of executives that understand the convergence of both new media, content and digital lifestyle. James blogs at FastCompany.com as an Expert Blogger. He also maintains a blog at www.thekeyinfluencer.com where he covers the "business of pop culture" via news and interviews that span technology, new media, music business and youth/urban culture. Andrews is also a regular contributor to CNN, as an expert in social media. Additionally, James serves as a consultant on social media to a few celebrities and icons including Hill Harper (CSI), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Sanaa Lathan, Macy Gray, and Jane Fonda. James Andrews attended UCLA, grew up in Silicon Valley, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. He is an active speaker globally and is frequently quoted on the subjects of digital media, entertainment and innovative branding/marketing approaches.
One of the most redeeming qualities of the social media landscape revolves around the unique ability microblogging (eg. Twitter, Facebook status updates, Blog comments) offers in the creation of "Thought Viruses." Everyone knows you can't really "create" a "thought virus" however there are people in the social Web who gracefully dance the waltz of maven and connector into what I call "Thought DJ's." These individuals are the uber-talented social media curators who skillfully bring the proper mix of humor, wit, intelligence and interesting "tinyurls" and create an environment of heavily anticipated tweets. Much like an influential music DJ who "breaks" and "discovers" new music today's "Thought DJ" delivers news, information, insights and even concepts to us with a freshness that is reminiscent of the day we used to buy 45's at the local record store. Their ability to be on the cutting edge of information combined with their innovative point of view make their daily tweets a must read.
