# The F Rant > The official website of Constantine Frantzeskos ## Posts - [Free trade is music to my ears](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/free-trade-is-music-to-my-ears/): The fear and loathing which has poured from the creative industries about the upcoming Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US is an ill-informed and... - [The Dinosaurs of the Recorded Music Industry Must Evolve or Perish](https://www.thefrant.com/2003/innovation-technology/the-music-industry-must-evolve-or-die/): There was a time when music companies objected to the playing of music on the radio. Instead of seeing early radio technology as a positive... - [Monopoly's Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMMOG)](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/innovation-technology/monopolys-massive-multiplayer-online-game-mmmog/): How adland is cutting Big Media out of the future: a great piece from Wired on the Tribal DDB / Monopoly City Streets Massive Multiplayer... - [Banner ads attached to flies - utterly remarkable](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/marketing/banner-ads-attached-to-flies-utterly-remarkable/): These kooky Germans attached banner ads to flies, and set them free in the giant Frankfurt convention centre. It’s brilliant, and very worthy of notice... - [Who needs a TV network when you've got UStream](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/marketing/who-needs-a-tv-network-when-youve-got-ustream-mjs-red-carpet-gets-1-8m-viewers/): Ustream is a live streaming service, where anyone can stream footage, video, audio and archival footage live on the web to potentially millions of people.... - [Apple's T-shirt Box Photo](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/marketing/cx-ux-design/apples-t-shirt-box-photo/): This is what makes Apple Apple. Even the boxes that hold call centre employee t-shirts have been designed with the single sense of purpose, that... - [Fear of failure, fear of apples](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/digital-strategy/fear-of-failure-fear-of-apples/): How sick are we of telling another website what our name and details are? How sick are we of remembering our various passwords? How sick... - [Kiss my RSS - An Explanation of RSS](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/innovation-technology/kiss-my-rss-an-explanation-of-rss/): Why don’t more people use RSS? Let’s start at the beginning, with an answer to the question: “What is RSS?” The best way to describe it... - [Twit-hype - Half of Twitter have never Tweeted!](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/trends-insights-future/twit-hype-half-of-twitter-have-never-tweeted/): This from Marketing Charts: Half of Twitter Has Never Tweeted. So… 60% of people on Twitter abandon it after the first month. And now we find... - [The holy trinity of 21st Century communications - marketing, technology and design](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/digital-strategy/the-holy-trinity-of-21st-century-communications-marketing-technology-and-design/): Watching this video of Coca-Cola’s new interactive vending machine, Anthony J Phillips, the Global Marketing Manager of Coca-Cola, talks about the “fantastic partnership between marketing,... - [Google Squared - Definitely Not for Nerds](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/digital-strategy/google-squared-definitely-not-for-nerds/): Google has released a fantastic new search option called Google Squared – it structures unstructured data, puts it in a table, and makes compiling lists... - [Seth Godin on: Luxury vs. premium](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/trends-insights-future/seth-godin-on-luxury-vs-premium/): Seth Godin asks – what’s the difference between luxury vs premium? He argues in essence, Luxury is an extravagant price on a less than extravagant... - [SmartCompany: Me on Twitter's churn and burn](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/innovation-technology/smartcompany-me-on-twitters-churn-and-burn/): I’m is quoted in this Patrick Stafford piece in SmartCompany. It’s about Twitter’s appalling churn rate of over 60%. Some of the reasons why Twitter’s retention... - [The social media space has come down with swine flu](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/marketing/the-social-media-space-has-come-down-with-swine-flu/): Swine flu is dominating Google search. For the past two days (in the US at least), discussions around “swine flu”, “pig flu” and other such... - [Happy 10th Birthday Cluetrain!](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/trends-insights-future/happy-10th-birthday-cluetrain/): The Cluetrain Manifesto is a book that inspired many of us, giving us a framework that allowed our passion for the digital space to become... - [Dominos Going to Fall](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/digital-strategy/dominos-going-to-fall/): Dominos Pizza has been embarrassed by a scandal where some employees of the business made a video that showed them doing some pretty disgusting things... - [Managing reputations online - QantasSucksWorld.com](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/marketing/managing-reputations-online-qantassucksworldcom/): Another example of a consumer based corporate abuse site, http://qantassucksworld.com, celebrates it’s first anniversary this week. The site describes itself as “the Qantas News website by... - [Online searches are getting longer (8+ words)](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/marketing/online-searches-are-getting-longer-8-words/): People are using Google instead of portals and one stop shops – we know that. Search is the gateway to content. Even Rupert Murdoch this... - [Twitter is for old people](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/innovation-technology/twitter-is-for-old-people/): According to Nielsen, Twitter is most popular with 35-49 year olds, with teens barely rating on the Twitter popularity scale: Twitter Doesn’t Smell Like Teen Spirit... - [Anatomy of a social media disaster](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/digital-strategy/anatomy-of-a-social-media-disaster/): Two recent campaigns by Australian organisations have caused a debate over trust in social media campaigns. Tourism Queensland (TQ) recently launched a campaign with a... - [What ever happened to Webrings?](https://www.thefrant.com/2008/marketing/cx-ux-design/what-ever-happened-to-webrings/): In the olden days of the early-mid 90s, websites on like topics were linked via webrings; links / arrows on the bottom of the page... - [A trusted digital travel advisor](https://www.thefrant.com/2008/digital-strategy/a-trusted-digital-travel-advisor/): I recently returned from a very relaxing three week holiday in Greece and Italy. The groups that provided services and tours concluded the experiences with a... - [Google might be making us stupid](https://www.thefrant.com/2008/innovation-technology/my-brain-feels-funny/): A great piece on how Google, and changing media consumption habits are changing the way we think – literally. Is Google Making Us Stupid? - [Bill Leak on Bill Henson](https://www.thefrant.com/2008/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/bill-leak-on-bill-henson/): Two great cartoons from Bill Leak in The Australian over the past two days on the Bill Henson saga: Monday 26 May Saturday 24 May - [Fred Stauder - "A hero to small business"](https://www.thefrant.com/2008/politics-and-policy/fred-stauder-a-hero-to-small-business/): Today marks 20 years since the Supreme Court of Victoria awarded the Dollar Sweets Company damages in the fight against the thugs, bullies and standover... - [Increasing energy prices good for some companies?](https://www.thefrant.com/2008/business-economics-startups/increasing-energy-prices-good-for-some-companies/): How can BHP expand production at Olympic Dam without a new source of power? Can Australia really increase production volumes in its minerals and metals... - [HOT or NOT: A judgemental person's delight](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/hot-or-not-a-judgemental-persons-delight/): HOT or NOT is one of the most interesting sites I’ve seen in ages. My good friend RGM at Me and Us alerted me to... - [Respect, tolerance and liberalism AKA No straights at The Peel](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/respect-tolerance-and-liberalism-aka-no-straights-at-the-peel/): Our friend Andrew Norton has started a fascinating conversation about respect vs tolerance, framed within the context of The Peel refusing to allow straights and... - [I WANT AN APPLE TV!](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/i-want-an-apple-tv/): Apple TVs are SO COOL! Now they’ll be able to stream YouTube straight to your TV. And soon enough, Joost and other online video services.... - [Travelling along nicely, thank you](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/travelling-along-nicely-thank-you/): In a mini little aside on this post from Russell Davies’ fantastic blog, he talks about helping others out to “save our souls”. Interesting. Have... - [Alfred Chandler - GONE](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/business-economics-startups/alfred-chandler-gone/): Alfred Chandler, the man who almost singlehandedly invented the field of study in Business Management, has passed away. In the past few months, we have... - [Joost - a brand new way to watch TV shows online](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/boost-joost/): I’ve been spending a lot of time on Joost lately; I got a Beta invite. And I can’t get enough. I reckon it’s the greatest... - [Why do I blog?](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/why-do-i-blog/): 1. Because I enjoy the discipline of observing & writing. 2. Because I enjoy a rant (even if it’s to very few people) about issues... - [I hate voicemail: Here's four tips on handling voicemail](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/i-hate-voicemail-heres-four-tips-on-handling-voicemail/): At the moment… is voicemail messages. I’ve hated them for a while without realising it, but I’m increasingly annoyed with them. If you don’t answer,... - [Really cool site](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/cx-ux-design/really-cool-site/): Click onto this low-fi site, by Miranda July. It’s really cool. - [Twit](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/twit/): Twitter is the reality TV of the web. Short, bite sized bursts of thought, with no narration, to be consumed instantaneously. I’m thinking it might... - [Alan Morris loses his Mojo](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/alan-morris-loses-his-mojo/): One of the most influential people in the history of Australian advertising and popular culture, Alan Morris, has died of cancer. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1WMGOdDhAQ] Morris, half of... - [EMI and Apple](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/emi-and-apple/): It’s fantastic to see EMI and Apple strike a revolutionary agreement which frees up EMI’s content, removing DRM on music for use on any machine,... - [Blogging Code of Conduct?](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/blogging-code-of-conduct/): …would be a silly idea. The internet has always been an open place, the product of its users. A code of conduct is a waste... - [WiFi Radio](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/wifi-radio/): Now I wouldn’t assume that it’s not too hard for someone to make a bloody WiFi alarm clock radio? For years, I’ve been thinking that... - [Two Reasons why people say no to your idea - from Seth Godin](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/2-reasons-from-seth/): The two reasons people say no to your idea Variation on a theme: “It can’t be done” – with no logical reason why it can’t... - [Pipes by Yahoo!](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/pipes-by-yahoo/): I’ll put this really simply. I think Yahoo! Pipes is one of the most revolutionary applications of the internet since the world wide web was invented... - [Typography](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/typography/): Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, was trained in typography. As was Tony Martin, Australia’s best comedian / radio host / film maker / film... - [School Ties](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/business-economics-startups/school-ties/): Driving through the leafy suburban streets of Balwyn a few weeks ago, I was struck by the number of real estate boards outside homes which... - [Borders is in trouble. Not good.](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/borders-is-in-trouble-not-good/): The Australian arm of the fantastic chain of bookstores, Borders, is being put up for sale by its US parent company. The US company is... - [A corporate competitor for YouTube](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/a-corporate-competitor-for-youtube/): From NewsCorp and NBC Universal. So interesting how this new venture will go, especially when you consider News Corp and Google are in bed in... - [No bread for (red)](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/business-economics-startups/no-bread-for-red/): Have I mentioned this before? They’ve tried to diffuse it with this. Lame rebuttal. (red) is like many other major charities – a rort, a... - [Conservatory Hotel - Sydney: Do not stay there](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/conservatory-hotel-sydney/): It’s patently clear. Do not stay at the Observatory Hotel in Sydney unless you want news of your most intimate moments splashed all over the... - [More front than Myer](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/more-front-than-myer/): There is talk that Myer is selling its Londsale Street real estate and will be shifting out of the building. It will retain the Bourke... - [Monetising Quality](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/digital-strategy/monetising-quality/): …So the challenges, I guess, are to get good at predicting ‘great’ before the market takes action, and to be clear with yourself and your... - [Don't read this post](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/dont-read-this-post/): But feel free to analyse it. - [Five reasons why Second Life is shit](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/five-reasons-why-second-life-is-shit/): 1. There’s no point to it. World of Warcraft and other online games and spaces have a point – make friends, complete quests, shoot people,... - [The new AFL site is utterly dreadful](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/cx-ux-design/dreadful-afl-site-3/): The new AFL site has just come online. Sorry, the BETA site, from the little sign they’ve got on the top, has gone online. Unlike... - [Westpac have created the worst bank ad of all time](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/westpac-have-created-the-worst-bank-ad-of-all-time/): There’s an ad on TV (or at least it was on TV) which is absolutely infuriating and appaling. It shows emotive footage of pollution, small... - ["Another Budget Airline?"](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/business-economics-startups/another-budget-airline/): There is talk low cost carrier Tiger Air, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Ryanair, will be coming to Australia soon. The Age has... - [Jobs's Volte Face on Music?](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/jobss-volte-face-on-music/): Steve Jobs, guru extraordinaire of Apple Computer, has published a very interesting essay on the Apple website entitled “Thoughts on Music”. It describes how he... - [Eat Your Greens - The truth behind "fair trade" and "ethically sourced" goods.](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/eat-your-greens/): Although I’m only about two months late in reporting it, The Economist has done it again with a wonderful piece on buying “Fairtrade”, “ethically sourced”... - [U2's business practices](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/u2s-business-practices/): For many, many years we have admired U2’s business practices. This band has succeeded in not only writing and recording multi-million selling albums and lucrative... - [Mass Debate Online](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/mass-debate-online/): If you love a bit of a verbal stoush, check out ConvinceMe.net. I haven’t tried it yet but I like the idea of it. Not... - ["Participation is the new consumption" - from Trendwatching.com](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/participation-is-the-new-consumption-from-trendwatching-com/): participation is the new consumption I LOVE IT. Consumption has consumed itself. Nothing is original. Affluence has become affluenza. The only thing which is original... - [EMI = Every Mistake Imaginable](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/emi-every-mistake-imaginable/): The past few weeks have been somewhat tumultuous in the music industry, with the departure of two of the music industry’s best regarded executives, David... - [Traditional media are n00b5 - gaming is a PHENOMENON](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/traditional-media-are-n00b5-gaming-is-a-phenomenon/): WOW Burning Crusade is out. it’s very, very big. this is bigger than any film release of this year. The traditional media is slow to... - [Toy Stores are really wonderful places - for an adult](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/toy-stores/): The joy of walking into a toy store as a kid. Is there anything in adult life that approximates that pure open horizon, unlimited ecstasy... - ['Welcome to 2007'](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/innovation-technology/welcome-to-2007/): Big things are afoot in Cupertino, California – the HQ of Apple Computer. Mac Rumors reports some very interesting possible new releases on January 9... - [Lamenting over the Aussie car industry is a Beep Beep Beat Up](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/marketing/beep-beep-beat-up/): In a front page article in The Age, Bridie Smith has lamented the collapse of the local car industry, where sales are down over 20%.... - [Signatures and other email etiquette](https://www.thefrant.com/2007/trends-insights-future/signatures/): How do you read email signatures? Is “Thanks and regards” your preferred poison when a simple “thanks” will do? Or is it a “Yours Sincerely”... - [Blogging with Bill](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/marketing/blogging-with-bill/): Microsoft founder Bill Gates sat with the elite of tech-bloggers last week. There are some great reports from the event, but mostly this quote from... - [Worldmapper](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/innovation-technology/worldmapper/): I’ve come across this brilliant little web application, Worldmapper: The world as you’ve never seen it before. This map shows world energy fuel exports It... - [Great Marketing from the Collingwood Football Club](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/marketing/great-marketing-from-the-collingwood-football-club/): In the words of Dale Carnegie, “Remember that a person’s name is to them the sweetest and most important sound in any language”. So what... - [Cop That!](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/business-economics-startups/cop-that/): It’s amazing. The soaring price of copper has led to organised theft of copper wire and materials from instrastructure such as tram lines and electricity... - [JJJ - The Secret Station](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/marketing/jjj-the-secret-station/): JJJ thought they’d “do a MySpace” and exclusively promote a Jet concert on the banks of the Yarra at the last minute. The concert was... - [VALE MILTON FRIEDMAN](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/business-economics-startups/vale-milton-friedman/): One of the greatest thinkers, revolutionaries, philosophers, leaders and liberal evangelists this world has known, Milton Friedman, has died at the age of 94. The... - [Lying Zune: How to use data from research groups to create a misleading headline](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/marketing/lying-zune-how-to-use-data-from-research-groups-to-create-a-misleading-headline/): Microsoft were more than happy to release some stats a few days ago talking about how 58% of iPod owners said they would consider a... - [How to be Interesting](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/trends-insights-future/how-to-be-interesting/): This is most likely the most interesting blog post I’ve seen in a long time, russell davies: how to be interesting I would have added... - [Drowning in the BogPond](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/innovation-technology/drowning-in-the-bogpond/): Telstra’s ISP division, BigPond, has just released its ADSL 2+ service, which is priced at over double the most competitive market ADSL 2+ offering. Incredibly,... - [Strategy vs Tactics](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/digital-strategy/strategy-vs-tactics/): In the worlds I inhabit, I am noticing an increasing lack of attention being paid to strategy. Whether it be in business, or in politics,... - [The ATO is planning on taxing gold farmers?!](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/trends-insights-future/tax-online/): Virtual world: tax man cometh – BizTech – Technology – theage.com.au The Australian Tax Office is with it… In another sign that the virtual worlds... - [Wired's lesson: "Let everything happen and measure it"](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/trends-insights-future/wired-for-sound/): The Editor of Wired, Chris Anderson, has come out with this very interesting perspective, echoing what I was saying earlier in the week: He described... - [The Gold Rush - Virtual goods and virtual wealth](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/business-economics-startups/the-gold-rush-virtual-goods-and-virtual-wealth/): There are huge changes in the relationship between the online and real worlds (the real world being referred to in cyberspace and in this piece... - [What if the every band in the world could record one album only?](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/trends-insights-future/what-if-the-every-band-in-the-world-could-record-one-album-only/): I was reading one of Russell Davies’ excellent blog posts when I found this great, great thought. What if every band ever was only able... - [A fantastic World Cup Ad by Coca-Cola](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/marketing/a-fantastic-world-cup-ad-by-coca-cola/): [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDBG9VEHuK8] Well done to Coke on producing this ad, so good… So on brand. - [My piece for Crikey on French talent woes at the FIFA World Cup 2006](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/media-appearances-and-editorial/my-piece-for-crikey-on-french-talent-woes-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2006/): I had the great pleasure of attending Switzerland vs France at the Gootleib Daimler Stadion in downtown Stuttgart. What a wonderful atmosphere. The World Cup... - [Live Internet Hunting and the "Internet of Things"](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/innovation-technology/live-internet-hunting-and-the-internet-of-things/): The internet is really a pretty amazing thing. Back in the late 80s when most of my contemporaries were asking their older brothers and sisters... - [The Economist got it wrong on the reasons for John Howard's success as Prime Minister](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/politics-and-policy/the-economist-got-it-wrong-on-the-reasons-for-john-howards-success-as-prime-minister/): I’ve just read a very poorly reasoned article about John Howard’s 10 years as PM in this weeks The Economist. I felt compelled to write... - [Why Globalisation Works - Martin Wolf](https://www.thefrant.com/2006/business-economics-startups/why-globalisation-works-martin-wolf/): In “Why Globalisation Works”, Martin Wolf, an editor of The Financial Times, has written a magnificent book which works to dissect globalisation, explaining the benefits... - [A Bright Future Fund](https://www.thefrant.com/2005/politics-and-policy/a-bright-future-fund/): Peter Costello – take a bow! In securing Melbourne as the headquarters of the Future Fund, the $140 Billion Investment Fund to be set up... - [Finally, iTunes is in Australia](https://www.thefrant.com/2005/marketing/finally-itunes-is-in-australia/): I love it, iTunes Music Store has arrived in Australia! It’s great that the best and pretty much only decent digital music shop has been... - [Introducing Microcredit](https://www.thefrant.com/2005/business-economics-startups/introducing-microcredit/): It is the International Year of Microcredit? Microcredit is such a cool concept. A means to empower those who are poor and unable to assist... - [Water into a leaky bucket = An empty bucket](https://www.thefrant.com/2005/politics-and-policy/water-into-a-leaky-bucket-an-empty-bucket/): A very interesting article in the English Version of DER SPIEGEL, the respected German Newspaper. It is with Kenyan Economist James Shikwati, who PLEADS with... - [Talk to Me! I LOVE VOIP. I worry about Telstra.](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/innovation-technology/talk-to-me-i-love-voip-i-worry-about-telstra/): Voice over IP is the coolest thing since the invention of the telephone. It will grow far quicker than the net. It will be far... - [KaZaA vs the world - digital downloads vs legal eagles](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/innovation-technology/kazaa-vs-the-world-digital-downloads-vs-legal-eagles/): Sharman Networks, the owners of the KaZaA P2P file-sharing software, has been sued by a collection of record companies in a civil case in Australian... - [Welcome to the New Economy Part Two: CDs are dead](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/marketing/welcome-to-the-new-economy-part-two-cds-are-dead/): The CD is dead. When will the record companies wake up and smell the coffee? In one of my earlier posts I spoke of how... - [Welcome to the New Economy Part One: Halo](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/marketing/welcome-to-the-new-economy-part-one/): The sequel to one of the greatest games ever released, Halo, has been released to the public. On the evening of September 8th, hordes of... - [15 Years of Freedom: The Fall of the Berlin Wall](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/politics-and-policy/15-years-of-freedom-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/): Today marks the 15 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The greatest symbol of oppression and truma of the socialist years stood... - [Straight Talking on Gay Marriage](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/politics-and-policy/straight-talking-on-gay-marriage/): One of the stories which has received little coverage in the aftermath of George Bush’s re-election has been the vote in seven US states to... - [I bet you any money George Bush wins...](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/politics-and-policy/i-bet-you-any-money-george-bush-wins/): Check out this price/volume graph from online betting firm Betfair. I just bet $8 at $2.50 return and caught the edge of the Republican rocket,... - [US Virtual Tally Room](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/politics-and-policy/us-virtual-tally-room/): America. The land of the markets. Capitalism. Freedom. The Government doesn’t organise a very good Virtual Tally Room like the AEC does, they let the... - [Shock and Awe - John Peel OBE 1939-2004](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/shock-and-awe-john-peel-obe-1939-2004/): Legendary figure of the worldwide music industry, Mr John Peel OBE has died suddenly while on holidays on South America. John Peel has been a... - [Rupert's Heart](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/business-economics-startups/ruperts-heart/): A great little article which discusses the tradition and family that is News Corp in the context of the last AGM to be held in... - [A New Medium?](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/innovation-technology/a-new-medium/): Robbie Williams released his Greatest Hits album on Monday, which was released on a multimedia card (MMC) format for the first time. Is it the... - [A thought about the modular economy](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/trends-insights-future/the-modular-economy/): I had a thought about the “modular economy”. Look at the entertainment industry, where large groups of totally outsourced skills come together to work on... - [Aussie Hip Hop - The True School](https://www.thefrant.com/2004/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/aussie-hip-hop-the-true-school/): American Hip Hip is lost. The birth of Hip Hop, the expression of ultimate aspiration against all odds, has been perverted by the new school,... - [Strategy will likely become the most important skill in the AI future (says the strategist).](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/strategy-will-likely-become-the-most-important-skill-in-the-ai-future-says-the-strategist/): Right now, most people are talking about AI like it’s a very smart and enthusiastic intern, when in fact it's a completely new form of intelligence. - [I'm proud to announce the return of: Ansett](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/digital-strategy/im-proud-to-announce-the-return-of-ansett/): I've brought back one of the most beloved brands in Australian travel - Ansett - [AI Executive Workshops - Build AI Skills Across Your Organisation](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/ai-executive-workshops-build-ai-skills-across-your-organisation/): I'm running AI Executive Workshops for boards and leaders. Build AI literacy and strategy across your organisation. Limited availability – book today. - [In the Media: The crucial area where Australia is falling behind in the AI race](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/in-the-media-the-crucial-are-where-australia-is-falling-behind-in-the-ai-race/): We need “AI factories” that can run advanced artificial intelligence models to transform raw data into valuable predictions, analysis, automation, drug discoveries and more. - [If Australia Can’t Power AI, We Will Lose Our Minds](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/if-australia-cant-power-ai-we-will-lose-our-minds/): Australia risks becoming a digital client state. If we can’t power AI at home, the thinking will happen offshore - under rules we don’t control. - [Rediscovering HyperCard: The Web Before the Web](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/rediscovering-hypercard-the-web-before-the-web/): Sometimes the future arrives early, long before the world knows what to do with it. This is the story of HyperCard, Apple’s web before the web. - [My Submission to the Aussie Examination into R&D: "Gold Beats Us All: Why Australia’s Economy Is Failing the Future"](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/my-submission-to-the-aussie-examination-into-rd-gold-beats-us-all-why-australias-economy-is-failing-the-future/): Australia rewards comfort over courage, homes & holes over invention & ideas. Australia has built a capital market that punishes risk, favours rent-seeking, and treats innovation like a hobby. I've written a submission to the Commonwealth Government that seeks to remedy this. - [Max Martin’s Songwriting & Production Mastery: A Deep Analysis](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/max-martins-songwriting-production-mastery-a-deep-analysis/): I think Max Martin is the greatest songwriter in the world. I got OpenAI's Deep Research Tool to analyse what makes him so great, and write a "how-to" guide for others to write and produce hit songs like Max Martin. - [Trump’s Deal-Making Playbook: The Art of the Ambit Claim](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/trends-insights-future/trumps-deal-making-playbook-the-art-of-the-ambit-claim/): Donald Trump's negotiation tactics defy convention. From outrageous demands to strategic chaos, he demonstrates a familiar pattern of behaviours. This is his playbook in 2024–25. - [Help Your Future Self – And Work Smarter Every Day](https://www.thefrant.com/2025/innovation-technology/help-your-future-self-and-work-smarter-every-day/): Discover how small, practical improvements in daily tasks can boost efficiency, set the stage for AI and automation, and simplify future work challenges. - [Introducing Aussie Nuclear](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/business-economics-startups/introducing-aussie-nuclear/): Australia stands at a pivotal moment in its energy journey. Recent surveys indicate a growing openness to nuclear energy, with over 60% of Australians expressing support for its inclusion in our energy mix. Introducing Aussie Nuclear, an initiative/proposition I’ve developed to explore the potential of advanced nuclear technologies to drive cheap, safe and reliable energy to every Australian household and business. I’m excited about new nuclear generators, such as Generation IV reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), in Australia. These innovations promise cost-effective, safe, and reliable power, aligning with our nation’s energy needs. Why consider nuclear energy? • Cost-Effective Power: Modern... - [A Simple, Comprehensive Guide to Taking Control of Your Kids’ Online Activities on Apple Devices](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/innovation-technology/a-simple-comprehensive-guide-to-taking-control-of-your-kids-online-activities-on-apple-devices/): Learn how to protect your kids online without government intervention, ensuring their safety and privacy while fostering independence and responsibility. - [In the Media: Social Media Bans Don’t Trust Parents to Raise Their Kids](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/trends-insights-future/in-the-media-social-media-bans-dont-trust-parents-to-raise-their-kids/): I wrote a piece for the AFR: While I believe kids shouldn’t be on most social media until 16, Government’s interference is wrong. - [In The Media: Why I still believe in a new golden age for the Middle East](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/media-appearances-and-editorial/in-the-media-why-i-still-believe-in-a-new-golden-age-for-the-middle-east/): An opinion piece I wrote in the Australian Financial Review - [Don't Be a Brand-Hunting Hirer: The Fallacy of Logo-Driven Recruitment](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/business-economics-startups/dont-be-a-brand-hunting-hirer-the-fallacy-of-logo-driven-recruitment/): Not every song the Beatles wrote was a hit, and not every person who’s passed through the doors of a prestigious firm is a top-tier asset. - [Closer to the Couch: The Megatrend Shifting Entire Industries](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/digital-strategy/closer-to-the-couch-the-megatrend-shifting-entire-industries/): “Closer to the Couch" is a trend transforming industries by making products and services more accessible at home, from entertainment to healthcare and retail. - [Marketing and Digital Experiment Guide: A Simple, Step-by-Step Framework for Success](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/digital-strategy/marketing-and-digital-experiment-guide-a-simple-step-by-step-framework-for-success/): The best way to improve your marketing and digital tactics is through testing and learning. Here's a guide for designing and running experiments to improve marketing, brand, customer experience and product. - [Is This Taylor Swift’s Biggest Risk Yet? 'The Tortured Poet's Department' Review](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/is-this-taylor-swifts-biggest-risk-yet-the-tortured-poets-department-review/): This review of "The Tortured Poet's Department" reveals how its introspective turn might redefine Tay's career, drawing parallels to historical empires at the brink of decline. - [(Sir Lewis) Hamilton: The Musical](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/innovation-technology/chatgpt-sir-lewis-hamilton-the-musical/): Using ChatGPT, I wrote a musical called "Hamilton" based on Lewis Hamilton's shock shift to Ferrari. - [From UX to AIX: How AI will help us seamlessly connect our lives](https://www.thefrant.com/2024/innovation-technology/from-ux-to-aix-how-ai-will-help-us-seamlessly-connect-our-lives/): Explore the transformative world of Artificial Intelligence Experience (AIX), which promises to improve user experience - but businesses have to get on board. - [Economissed: The Santa Dilemma](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/economissed/economissed-the-santa-dilemma/): "Is Santa Real?" is a common, delicate question parents face, signaling a child's growth. It's a moment to shift from myth to teaching values of generosity, kindness, and the joy of giving. Handling this query thoughtfully shapes a child's understanding of trust and preserves the magic of childhood wonder. - [I've started a new series: Economissed](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/economissed/ive-started-a-new-series-economissed/): I've embarked upon "Economissed," a novel project marrying AI's prowess with my own insights, styled after a leading economics newspaper. - [Representation vs Delegateship: An Emerging Problem in Corporate Governance](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/politics-and-policy/representation-vs-delegateship-an-emerging-problem-in-corporate-governance/): There's a tug-of-war between representation and delegateship in corporate governance. This new trend may jeopardise board effectiveness and integrity. - [The shopper agents are coming: are we ready for B2A?](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/digital-strategy/the-shopper-bots-are-coming-are-we-ready-for-b2a/): A transformation is about to take place in how we browse, compare, and purchase products. It's the rise of autonomous shopping agents; AI-powered bots that act on behalf of human consumers, helping them shop across various retailers and providers. - [The Art and Science of Presentations: 18 Tips and Tricks for Engaging and Persuasive Speaking](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/business-economics-startups/mastering-the-art-of-presentations-18-tips-and-tricks-for-engaging-and-persuasive-speaking/): Learn valuable tips on delivering engaging presentations and speeches. Using lessons from behavioural psychology, politics, theatre and business, here are 18 of my best tips. - [Ensuring Future Viability: The Need for Minimum Future Features in Connected Products](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/innovation-technology/ensuring-future-viability-the-need-for-minimum-future-features-in-connected-products/): The challenge of obsolescence looms over connected products. A minimum future feature set could ensure their core functionalities endure. - [In Defence of Capitalism: Nurturing Innovation, Prosperity, Sustainability and Freedom](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/politics-and-policy/in-defence-of-capitalism-nurturing-innovation-prosperity-sustainability-and-freedom/): Capitalism is crucial for societal progress. It's a driver of innovation, freedom and wealth for all. Don't let radical anti-capitalist voices overshadow the universal benefits. - [The Future of Film: AI's Reel Revolution](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/innovation-technology/ai-reel-revolution/): AI's role in Hollywood is evolving. From AI screenwriters to AI twins to personalised films, technology is reshaping the future of film and entertainment - [Smartphones are ruining "The Moment"](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/trends-insights-future/smartphone-impact-sporting-events-music-concerts/): Our desire to document experiences at sporting events and music concerts is destroying the experience - [ChatGPT vs. Advertising Hubris: Linkedin Lament](https://www.thefrant.com/2023/innovation-technology/chatgpt-vs-advertising-hubris-linkedin-lament/): AI is here to stay. Advertising professionals who publicly mock AI are essentially crafting their own public epitaphs. - [Designing Persuasive Customer Experience: From Aristotle to AI](https://www.thefrant.com/2022/marketing/cx-ux-design/designing-persuasive-customer-experience-from-aristotle-to-ai/): Discover how Aristotle's principles and AI can enhance customer experience design for a more persuasive approach in this era of digital transformation. - [In the Media: I was Interviewed on the Digital Transformation & Leadership Podcast with Danny Levy](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/marketing/cx-ux-design/in-the-media-i-was-interviewed-on-the-digital-transformation-leadership-podcast-with-danny-levy/): I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Digital Transformation & Leadership podcast. Here's a summary of it. - [RIP Michael Gudinski](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/rip-michael-gudinski/): Gudinski was more than a music industry leader, he was a magnet for Melbourne and a force of nature. - [In the Media: Facebook vs the Australian Media and Government](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/innovation-technology/in-the-media-facebook-vs-the-australian-media-government/): I had a great chat with Ahron Young from Ticker television just after the news broke that Facebook had banned news publishers from sharing their content on the platform - [When your world shinks, go big](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/innovation-technology/when-your-world-shinks-go-big/): The businesses that have done well have been responsive to change had a mindset that valued adaptability and versatility - [In the Media: The Informer on Facebook vs the Media/Government, Clubhouse, and more](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/innovation-technology/in-the-media-the-informer-on-facebook-vs-the-media-government-clubhouse-and-more/): I had a great chat with legendary TV journalist and newscaster George Donikian from The Informer about the Facebook news media dispute. - [Australian news publishers vs Facebook/Google](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/innovation-technology/australian-news-publishers-vs-facebook-google/): Journalism is vital to a thriving and healthy society. However, print media management have failed to provide an appropriate business model to monetise quality journalism. - [The new FlyBuys ad is amazing, and it's a reminder of how advertising has lost its way](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/marketing/the-new-flybuys-ad-is-amazing-and-its-a-reminder-of-how-advertising-has-lost-its-way/): There are some talented people in the industry. And when I see an ad like this, I think… Why can’t it be this good all of the time? - [From concierge commerce to visual search: Three digital trend predictions for 2021](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/innovation-technology/from-concierge-commerce-to-visual-search-three-digital-trend-predictions-for-2021/): My top three digital trends to watch in business in 2021 - [Our lousy shot at quarantine](https://www.thefrant.com/2021/media-appearances-and-editorial/our-lousy-shot-at-quarantine/): We've held the world's best tennis players prisoner with sub-standard food and experience - it is a complete failure of imagination. - [Black Friday Do’s and Don’ts for Business and Consumers](https://www.thefrant.com/2020/trends-insights-future/black-friday-dos-and-donts-for-business-and-consumers/): Some advice on what retailers (and consumers) should do to make the most of the growing Black Friday sales season - [Fantastic news from LaunchVic](https://www.thefrant.com/2020/innovation-technology/fantastic-news-from-launchvic/): Victoria will be the home of the only startup fund of funds in Australia. Israel's startup nation was boosted by Yozma. NZ has NZVIF. Now Australia has the Victorian Startup Capital Fund. - [The Ultimate Guide to Outsmarting Google’s 2021 Algorithm Changes: Google’s new Core Web Vitals](https://www.thefrant.com/2020/marketing/cx-ux-design/the-ultimate-guide-to-outsmarting-googles-2021-algorithm-changes-googles-new-core-web-vitals/): Optimise your site for Google's Core Web Vitals before they are launched in 2021 - [Guest Post: The Expert Dilemma](https://www.thefrant.com/2020/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/guest-post-the-expert-dilemma/): Andrew Danos is an Australian businessman currently living in Israel. He has an MBA from Kellogg Business School and is a former adviser to The Hon. Kelly O’Dwyer MP. He is also the Honorary President of the Israel Paralympic Team. He has contributed this excellent thought piece to The F Rant. A move away from logic As the world gets ever smaller, problems that were once isolated geographically are now becoming global threats at record pace. Prior to international travel, it is possible that the Covid-19 virus may have never left the confines on China.  Also in a bygone era,... - [Why are all US Presidential campaigns asking you to text?](https://www.thefrant.com/2020/marketing/why-are-all-us-presidential-campaigns-asking-you-to-text/): Mobile is looking like the key campaign channel in the 2020 Presidential election campaign. - [The most valuable part of Tiffany is the colour blue. LVMH paid $US16bn for it.](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/marketing/the-most-valuable-part-of-tiffany-is-the-colour-blue-lvmh-paid-us16bn-for-it/): When LVMH bought Tiffany, LVMH's CEO Bernard Arnault was particularly interested in Tiffany's distinctive blue packaging. - [Delusional "brand purpose" is destroying businesses](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/trends-insights-future/delusional-brand-purpose-is-destroying-businesses/): There’s a new scourge harming jobs and business. It’s a form of addiction. Not Opium addiction, but OPM addiction. - [In the Media: Jerusalem Post](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/media-appearances-and-editorial/in-the-media-jerusalem-post/): We randomly had drinks on a balmy Jerusalem evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara and their guests: the former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen. Here's how it happened. - [Private health insurers should innovate, instead of rent-seek](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/innovation-technology/private-health-insurers-should-innovate-instead-of-rent-seek/): PHI should be the central concierge that gathers data in order to better diagnose or prevent health issues. - [This is one of the very best pages on the internet: Everyday social experiments with unpredicted outcomes](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/trends-insights-future/culture-entertainment-music-books-movies/this-is-one-of-the-very-best-pages-on-the-internet-everyday-social-experiments-with-unpredicted-outcomes/): So many fantastic examples of: biases, logical fallacies, behavioural psychology, heuristical biases, and behavioural economic theories turned upside down. Source: What is the most bizarre small social experiment you’ve conducted, concluding with a result which was extremely contradictory and opposite to what you originally believed would occur? – Quora - [How to spot a good marketer? Through their definition of competition.](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/digital-strategy/how-to-spot-a-good-marketer-through-their-definition-of-competition/): Late one afternoon, I was sitting with group of executives from a large sports team with a global profile. In their slick office, they’d gathered to discuss their marketing strategy for the year ahead, when a senior marketing executive said: “We don’t need to worry about advertising for the moment. It’s not like our fans are suddenly going to buy tickets to attend our rival’s games.” For some, this rationale seemed sensible; a few nodded. However most frowned, and a few interjected. The senior marketing executive had presented a narrow view of competition that could only result in long-term damage to... - [WeWork is a house of cards. It's a fundamentally weak business model.](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/digital-strategy/wework-is-a-house-of-cards-its-a-fundamentally-weak-business-model/): For years I've been astonished by the valuations attached to WeWork, which is a very fragile business with a very fragile business model - [A Reading Room of the future](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/innovation-technology/a-reading-room-of-the-future/): What if we had the option of enhancing our reading space? Imagine a personal reading room where the environment changed, enhancing and exaggerating the experience of reading? Reading on Apple Books or a Kindle, during a tense moment in the book subtle atmos emerges from your smart speaker. As the protagonist approaches a tense moment, your connected thermostat turns to 15 degrees at high fan speed, literally chilling you as you read. As you turn the page and read the words, eye tracking notices you have read a key phrase, a tense moment that requires full concentration. At that moment,... - ["Turn the comments off". Bunnings uses Facebook only as an advertising platform - AND IT'S BRILLIANT](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/trends-insights-future/turn-the-comments-off-bunnings-only-uses-facebook-as-an-advertising-platform-and-its-brilliant/): Bunnings uses it's Facebook Page only as an advertising platform. Nothing more. No posts. No comments. No waste. - [The way AOC argues environmental policy is really brilliant](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/politics-and-policy/the-way-aoc-argues-environmental-policy-is-really-brilliant/): I’m not a fan of AOC. I think she’s a tremendously destructive policy maker, with a truly poor grasp on evidence, theory and practical application of policy. And her politics is so statist as to be bordering on dictatorial. She destroyed the Amazon for NY bid. Her failed Green New Deal is a harmful, stupid and expensive joke. Her brand of homespun socialist medicine is straight out of the poverty-stricken ghettos of Venezuela. But – her framing of the environmental debate in this passage is really good. Watch: What she very effectively does is something I’ve long argued: She frames... - [One home for all of my news, please](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/marketing/cx-ux-design/one-home-for-all-of-my-news-please/): All you can eat news services with a subscription or micropayments model is really fantastic. - [Shoes of Prey - another example of why influencer marketing is a surefire way to go broke](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/marketing/shoes-of-prey-another-example-of-why-influencer-marketing-is-a-surefire-way-to-go-broke/): Influencer marketing is a low reach marketing tactic that appeals to a small number of frequent / highest users of the brand, but does not sufficiently grow the number of buyers / customers. - [Transformation: Ferrari is worth more as a luxury brand than as an automotive brand.](https://www.thefrant.com/2019/innovation-technology/transformation-ferrari-is-worth-more-as-a-luxury-brand-than-as-an-automotive-brand/): This is so interesting – how do you increase the value of a company? By increasing profits? Or by increasing the perceived value (not necessarily size) of profits. Ferrari are trying to transform themselves into a luxury fashion brand, rather than an automotive brand, and thereby increase their P/E ratio. Camilleri, who took over from the late Sergio Marchionne in July, seeks to boost Ferrari’s appeal in a quest to catch up with the trading multiples of luxury goods companies like Hermes International. The luxury retailer trades at 23 times expected earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for 2020,... - [There's a huge difference between what offends and what affects](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/trends-insights-future/theres-a-huge-difference-between-what-offends-and-what-affects/): As Kellyanne Conway wisely said of Trump, he knows the difference between what offends and what affects. This is the key to his brilliant tactics. Do something that affects, and distract by doing something that offends, something generally irrelevant of little or no consequence that gets his critics all riled up, barking away on Twitter, making memes, wearing pussy hats, totally missing the real story. This morning, he fired the Attorney General, and then hours later, banned CNN’s Chief White House correspondent. What’s everyone barking about? Acosta from CNN having his credentials revoked. On the scale of things, no big... - [Apple News on OSX Mojave - the future of news and publishing?](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/innovation-technology/apple-news-on-osx-mojave-the-future-of-news-and-publishing/): Apple News desktop app is very good. It automatically finds newspaper and magazine subscriptions and imports them into the app. The “Evening Digest” is excellent. It’s a mix of things I’d traditionally read and a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t; great curation. I’m looking forward to seeing whether the curation of news pieces is based on AI, human curation, or popularity with others. Given Silicon Valley has traditionally struggled with News curation and generation, I’m keen to see how Apple fares in potentially being a gateway for credible news. Apple has hired Laura Kern, previously of the New York Times... - [Here's how to check if your Facebook data was shared with Cambridge Analytica](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/digital-strategy/heres-how-to-check-if-your-facebook-data-was-shared-with-cambridge-analytica/): Facebook has provided a link where you can check if you (or your friends) shared your Facebook data with Cambridge Analytica. Apparently, mine has not. Interestingly, one of the biggest misconceptions over the Cambridge Analytica scandal is that there was some sort of “leak” of data from Facebook. This couldn’t be further from the truth. What occured is that Cambridge Analytica created a Facebook app – thisisyourdigitallife – that asked people questions where they willingly handed over their data (after providing informed consent). Pre-2015, these people also gave consent for this third-party app to see what their Facebook friends were... - [What does my Facebook data say about me - and how do I access it?](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/digital-strategy/what-does-my-facebook-data-say-about-me-and-how-do-i-access-it/): Here's how you can find out how much Facebook and Google know about you - [I’m in B&Ts “Meet the Futurists” – marketing trends & predictions](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/digital-strategy/im-in-bts-meet-the-futurists-marketing-trends-predictions/): B&T has come out with a new feature, “Meet The Futurists”. They asked me and a number of fellow marketing and advertising leaders what our views (predictions) were about marketing trends. My answers covered: the media industry, digital marketing, the advertising industry, blockchain, marketing science (Ehrenberg), lean startup principles in marketing, artificial intelligence and plenty of other areas. Here’s the piece on marketing trends / futures (click the image to download the PDF): Here is the full interview: What’s your one BIG FUTURE prediction for media in the coming years? Media will go from a people heavy industry to a... - [Mumbrella advertising review: Qantas (great), CUB (OK), Black Hawk (half-baked) and nab (forgettable)](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/marketing/mumbrella-advertising-review-qantas-great-cub-ok-black-hawk-half-baked-and-nab-forgettable/): Mumbrella asked me to review a series of current Aussie ad campaigns. Here’s what I said: 1. Qantas → was bringing the iconic “I still call Australia Home” anthem the right thing to do? Is Qantas advertising becoming stale? In your view was this an effective way of creating an inflight video? Why/why not? Qantas ads have been truly awful for a long time, from the baffling work of Droga5 to the more recent blandness peddled by the late Neil Lawrence / Monkeys in the “Feels Like Home” campaign (I’d suggest travel advertisements that inspire people to travel in a... - [Unboxing of the new Apple HomePod](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/innovation-technology/unboxing-of-the-new-apple-homepod/): We just received our Apple Homepod at PENSO Melbourne – ahead of the rest of the world. I’ve pivoted to video (for this one post). - [The Subscription Economy expands: BMW to Charge $80 Annual Fee for Apple CarPlay](https://www.thefrant.com/2018/innovation-technology/the-subscription-economy-expands-bmw-to-charge-80-annual-fee-for-apple-carplay/): More on the Subscription Economy. This time, the automotive industry. We’re used to paying a monthly fee for roadside assistance. We’re used to paying a monthly fee for car insurance. We’re used to paying a monthly fee for the financing of the vehicle. But now BMW charging a monthly fee to access hitherto free radio and maps? Given Apple doesn’t charge carmakers for CarPlay, this seems a bit rich. It may well be that BMW wants to push their own second-rate operating system, iDrive, so is punishing people who would otherwise prefer Apple’s excellent CarPlay. I can’t see this going... - [When Growth Stalls: How to Boost Growth in Large Organisations](https://www.thefrant.com/2017/digital-strategy/when-growth-stalls-how-to-boost-growth-in-large-organisations/): The push to start new businesses continues. In Q1 2017, the number of seed and angel deals increased by 1.4 per cent compared to Q1 2016. While small businesses are the heart and soul of jobs growth, it’s just as important that established businesses focus on growing – less startup, more scaleup; less entrepreneur, more intrapreneur. So how can large organisations grow? To sustain growth, there must be a continuous pipeline of growth initiatives that represent new sources of profit for your brand. What distinguishes companies that carry on growing is their ability to create these new initiatives along short,... - [15 Reasons Why Donald Trump Won - A Marketeer's View](https://www.thefrant.com/2016/trends-insights-future/15-reasons-why-donald-trump-won-a-marketeers-view/): Donald Trump’s election is a stark reminder of some basic marketing principles around consumers, content and channels. Two flawed but distinctive political products came to market, and Trump triumphed. Here’s my take on win: 1. Politics and politicians has/have such little credibility that people crave outsiders. 2. People crave leadership, and when there is none (across the West), strength will fill the void. 3. Looking at four pillars of political success, Trump v Clinton: Policy Vision — Flawed, but clear vs coherent but ever-changing political positions Passion — Unquestionably passionate vs distant & calculating Delivery — Successful businessman, future delivery TBC vs Solid track record — but only in politics Humanity — Identified clearly... - [A Selfie Will Soon Replace Your Password](https://www.thefrant.com/2016/digital-strategy/a-selfie-will-soon-replace-your-password/): The need for online security is more important than ever. Online payment fraud is on the rise, and life is becoming increasingly reliant on the cloud. From online banking to ordering takeout, we risk compromising our details daily. Yet, as the concern about online security grows, businesses always find new ways to prevent hackers from stealing data. MasterCard leads the way in the fight for the security of customer data. Soon, MasterCard customers will be to replace their passwords with a ‘selfie’ and fingerprint, allowing them to verify their identity and ensure secure online payments. If the trend catches on, traditional passwords... - [Why marketers should cut social media budgets](https://www.thefrant.com/2016/digital-strategy/why-marketers-should-cut-social-media-budgets/): All too often, brands invest millions of dollars into social media for the wrong reasons. Paid advertising is a more effective way to acquire new customers than investing time and money into a social media presence. The key to marketing success is to reach as many category buyers as possible. Your users need to be aware of your brand. It’s a relatively simple concept. If someone thinks of your brand at the point of purchase, it increases the likelihood of a sale. So why do brands still invest so much into their social media presence? According to The Journal of Advertising... - [I Sea: Awards are not the purpose of advertising](https://www.thefrant.com/2016/digital-strategy/i-sea-awards-are-not-the-purpose-of-advertising/): I worked in the music industry for many years, with many globally renowned artists, songwriters, composers, producers and musicians, from Max Martin to Mutt Lange to David Hirschfelder. These creative titans always only ever had one measure of success: ‘How many units did we sell?’. To them awards were largely an irrelevance. Advertising seems to work the opposite way. Many people claim to be creative – not to sell, but to win awards. Awards are not the purpose of advertising. The only role of advertising agencies is to reduce price elasticity of demand for their clients products and services through... - [The Five Faces of Social Media](https://www.thefrant.com/2016/trends-insights-future/the-five-faces-of-social-media/): Very often, I will be in a discussion with a client where they espouse the virtues of social media. They’ll suggest that social media is simply about people “liking” their brand. I tend to bristle at the idea that social media has a single face – a single purpose. Especially when that purpose is as a relatively unproductive subscription-based profile better know as a Facebook Page, Snapchat ID or an Instagram profile. The best way to look at social media is via the “best fit” purposes by which we might use various social media channels, of which there are five.... - [How Facebook Reactions will change social media](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/trends-insights-future/facebook-reactions-will-change-social-media/): Facebook has confirmed it’s now testing a new Reactions feature in Ireland and Spain which may be soon rolled out worldwide. Essentially the Reactions feature is similar to the traditional ‘Like’ button but it provides users with a spectrum of emotional responses. The new addition will allow users to Like, Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad or Angry a post. Users will be able to click one of the Reactions located in the same position as the current ‘Like’ button. The Reactions are symbolised by an emoticon which reflects a particular mood. This change allows users to express themselves beyond just... - [Why McDonald’s was right to snub Burger King](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/marketing/mcdonalds-snubs-burger-king-marketing/): Ambush is a key tactic in war and McDonald’s executives have had to endure an ambush of a bizarre nature. Burger King’s attempt to create a unified “McWhopper” in order to raise awareness of the ‘Peace One Day’ charity were met with an entirely predictable reaction; media outlets all over the world covered it and the emotional echo-chambers of social media have worked themselves into a frenzy of excitement.. Despite this relatively positive reaction, McDonald’s has chosen not to participate. In an open letter… Dear Burger King, Inspiration for a good cause… great idea. We love the intention but think... - [McDonald’s new unbranded campaigns are actually very distinctive](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/digital-strategy/mcdonalds-new-unbranded-campaigns-are-actually-very-distinctive/): McDonald’s recently released a series of advertisements which are completely stripped of any branding, yet the brand is still instantly recognisable. The ads show a close up of the food but have no text, logo, or mention of McDonald’s. McDonald’s is known to focus on food in its advertisements which, over time, has built strong mental connections between the food and the brand. This means that it can be recognised by its food alone. This is similar to what Nike has done with the iconic Swoosh. Nike consistently used the Swoosh in every piece of brand communications over a long... - [2015 Super Bowl ad review: PART 2](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/marketing/2015-super-bowl-ads-dont-waste-your-money-part-2/): As I wrote two weeks ago, unbranded ads are a waste of time and money. TSN just released the results from its analysis of the 2015 Super Bowl ad campaigns, which highlighted that the unbranded ads added no value to the brand. The research found that Budweiser’s ‘Lost Puppy’ ad had a 26% share of ad mentions online, however, “it achieved a poor score on personal relevance, thus failing to translate into memory – and ultimately value – for the brand”.  The article mentions that the product only features at the end of the ad and is barely noticeable. Budweiser wasted their media budget and missed out on an... - [IBM Watson API: Artificial intelligence as a Service](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/innovation-technology/ibm-watson-api-artificial-intelligence-as-a-service/): In the past supercomputing was only accessible to large corporations who could afford to fork out tens of millions of dollars to set them up. However, with the rapid advancement of technology, computing has become much more affordable and accessible. Nowadays you don’t have to spend millions of dollars to access some of the world’s most powerful computer systems. In fact IBM is offering some of their Watson services to developers for free during the beta period. Watson is an artificially intelligent system designed by IBM to process information in a more natural and human like manner. Watson continues to get... - [Facebook’s new call-to-action button](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/marketing/cx-ux-design/facebooks-new-call-to-action-button/): Facebook has just released a new call-to-action button for company pages. The call to action button sits on the right hand side of a page’s cover photo and will take users directly to your app or website. The button can read either Book Now, Contact Us, Use App, Play Game, Shop Now, Sign Up or Watch Video. This means it will be beneficial to all types of businesses, for example a retailer could have a Shop Now button, a bank could have a Use App button, and a hotel could have a Book Now button. You can also choose a different destination for iOS and... - [2015 Super Bowl Ad Review. #WasteOfMoney](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/marketing/2015-super-bowl-ad-review-waste-of-money/): The NFL Super Bowl is the world’s most sought after advertising space, however, is it really worth the money? In 2015 over 114 million people watched the Super Bowl making it the most viewed program on television in America. A 30 second ad spot during the Super Bowl costs around $4M or roughly $35 per thousand impressions. There are no surprises that advertising during the Super Bowl is comparatively expensive, but is it really worth it? The 2015 Super Bowl saw the likes of Budweiser, Nationwide, Microsoft, Mophie, Dove, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz flaunt their most impressive creativity. Unfortunately for these... - [Three things we can learn from Apple’s $US18 billion net profit](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/marketing/three-things-we-can-learn-from-apples-us18-billion-net-profit/): Apple recently reported a record profit for the past financial quarter. The $US18 billion net profit is the largest quarterly profit to be posted by any company ever. Apple has gone from strength to strength, so what can we learn from one of the most successful companies in the world? We can learn three important things from Apple to ensure success, prosperity, and growth for brands around the world. The three keys to brand growth are: 1) Good product Apple is a market leader when it comes to product innovation, improvements, and updates. They are not known for being the... - [Why your brand should be as famous as Kim Kardashian’s bum.](https://www.thefrant.com/2015/digital-strategy/why-your-brand-should-be-as-famous-as-kim-kardashians-bum/): Everyone knows who Kim Kardashian is, unless of course you have been living under a very very large rock. Kim Kardashian is…. well famous for being famous. Most brands have far more value than Kim Kardashian, so why is she more famous? Every brand should strive towards being famous, and it’s possible, but we might have to take a few lessons from Kim. How do I make my brand famous?… Kim Kardashian is famous because she has very distinctive and memorable brand assets that she promotes incessantly. Kim Kardashian is defined by her consistent pout, overt cleavage, the alliteration in... - [Take Bart's advice - Don’t sell your soul... to the discount devil](https://www.thefrant.com/2014/digital-strategy/take-bart-simpsons-advice-dont-sell-your-soul-to-the-discount-devil/): In the mid 90’s Bart Simpson sold his soul to Millhouse for a mere $5. After a series of calamities he realised that life isn’t the same without a soul. Fast forward twenty years and it appears that brands haven’t learnt a thing from the world’s favourite animated bad boy. Walk into any supermarket and you’ll be slapped across the face with an array of specials, markdowns and 2 for 1 deals, but does selling your brand’s soul to make a quick buck really pay off? As a shopper who can resist a bargain? As a brand, however, does it... - [Oh dear, I'm up against it here: "People with Easier to Pronounce Names Promote Truthiness of Claims"](https://www.thefrant.com/2014/trends-insights-future/oh-dear-im-up-against-it-here-people-with-easier-to-pronounce-names-promote-truthiness-of-claims/): A new academic paper has suggested that the longer / harder to pronounce a person’s name, the less “truthiness” they are perceived to have: subjects to evaluate people’s names on a positive dimension, and extended that work by asking subjects to rate those names on negative dimensions. Then we addressed a novel theoretical issue by asking subjects to read that same list of names, and judge the truth of claims attributed to them. Across all experiments, easily pronounced names trumped difficult names. Moreover, the effect of pronounceability produced truthiness for claims attributed to those names Source: People with Easier to... - [Location based gaming - is this the next game changer?](https://www.thefrant.com/2014/innovation-technology/location-based-gaming-is-this-the-next-game-changer/): Location based games, such as Geocaching, are gaining worldwide popularity. Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt that’s becoming a huge craze all over the world. Geocaching is an app which uses a phones GPS to direct players to the specific co-ordinates of a hidden geocache (a container filled with a logbook and items to trade). There are over 2.5 million active geocaches worldwide and 6 million people loving every find. How could this work in marketing? Location based games could open up a whole new way of engaging with consumers. Creating your own branded location based game could help to... - [The Power of Search Keywords: Shift your Marketing Strategy from Hashtags to Consumer Intent](https://www.thefrant.com/2014/digital-strategy/the-power-of-search-keywords-shift-your-marketing-strategy-from-hashtags-to-consumer-intent/): Don't go chasing social media likes or hashtag mentions. Answer people's questions and intercept their category interest to your brand. - [PENSO has launched with coverage in The Australian](https://www.thefrant.com/2014/media-appearances-and-editorial/weve-launched-with-coverage-in-the-australian/): After out-learning, out-working and out-delivering for our clients for some time now, I’ve officially launched my new venture, PENSO, with this piece in The Australian. Michael Bodey, the Australian’s Media and Entertainment Writer, has outlined the big issue in advertising that we have solved: “Not every business problem has its solution in the creative department”. PENSO grows businesses. We extract an intimate understanding of our clients at a corporate, business, operational and executional level, and solve their problems by changing behaviour with memorable creative across channels. In essence, we do strategy, creative and digital, all underpinned by marketing science. Read more here: Agency... - [People hate losing control (of videos) because they don't expect to](https://www.thefrant.com/2013/marketing/cx-ux-design/people-hate-losing-control-of-videos/): Yes, of course people hate those ugly video pre-rolls that appear before video content on YouTube or other video publisher sites. Video pre-rolls are totally annoying – almost as annoying as page takeovers that completely interrupt / destroy the user experience, because we have no control over them. Let’s consider the context of an interruptive 30 second pre-roll.  We’ve sat through highly interruptive videos in the form of traditional TVCs for years, and despite benefit of using those times to run off and put the kettle on or using ad breaks as a toilet break, they’ve not been particularly good... - [To subscribe, or not to subscribe?](https://www.thefrant.com/2013/digital-strategy/to-subscribe-or-not-to-subscribe/): The late Frank Thring once voiced a radio ad for Melbourne’s famous radio station, Triple R, dragging out his vowels and consonants in a very “Thring-esque” manner: “Subscriiiiiiiiiibe to 3 Triple Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr or dieeeeee a mis-er-able deathhhhh!”. So many companies want us to subscribe to their services, but what’s in it for us anymore? The advantages for companies can be broken down into three major elements. Firstly, they have revenue certainty over the subscription period. Most subscription services are based on a minimum time frame, six months, twelve months, two years at a fixed cost per month. Secondly, they understand... - [The Viral Plague - Why "viral" videos are a waste of time and money](https://www.thefrant.com/2013/digital-strategy/viral-videos-waste/): The Virus of Viral A new, virulent plague has afflicted communications agencies and marketing departments all over the world; one that’s based on the flimsy notion that consumers can’t wait to latch onto branded content and share it with their friends. In fact, there seems to be a prevailing thought that some sort of “consumer sharing pipeline” exists, all of them eagerly awaiting for their weekly dose of “Old Spice”. Do people really sit around on a Friday afternoon, scouring the interwebz, looking for a corporate video to fulfil their obligations and scratch the “viral” itch for the week? Realistically,... - [20 x 12 - 20 Trends for communicators in 2012](https://www.thefrant.com/2012/innovation-technology/20-x-12-20-trends-for-communicators-in-2012/): I’ve compiled a list of 20 trends for communicators for the next 12 months.  Enjoy! 1. True Digital Communications What many people in our industry call “digital” is just online communications. Truly “Digital” operations occur across three layers: Hardware, Software and Online. Most agencies and companies have played with Online (Social , Facebook, online communications and content, ads and so on), dabbled in Software (software as a service, apps, calculators, tools and games) and have left Hardware to their staff hobbyists, if at all. We’re going to see some truly digital operations in the marketing and communications space, led by... - [The Age / SMH: How social media are changing advertising](https://www.thefrant.com/2011/digital-strategy/the-age-smh-piece-on-how-social-media-are-changing-marketing-communications/): I am quoted towards the end of the piece: How Facebook and Twitter are changing the face of advertising. I said “Fair dinkum” in the Australian national media. That’s a win. …Here’s the similar Sydney Morning Herald version. - [Me + Campaign Asia + Social Gaming](https://www.thefrant.com/2011/innovation-technology/campaign-asia-social-gaming/): I have been quoted in a new piece in Campaign Asia Magazine on Social Gaming.  Here’s a link to the piece: Campaign Asia April 11 Social Gaming My full response for Campaign Asia: Q: What has been the impact of social gaming on the general gaming landscape? Gaming was always seen by people as anti-social, but social gaming has destroyed that myth. Social gaming – whether games specifically based on social networking sites (Such as FarmVille and CityVille), Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (such as World of Warcraft or Everquest) or Console Networking games (such as Call of duty: Black... - [The Ugly State of the Recorded Music Industry](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/digital-strategy/the-ugly-state-of-the-recorded-music-industry/): Awards nights are about telling stories and creating stories. The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards currently do neither. The night should change – make them the “music industry” awards: Including soundtracks, best use of music in games, best gigs, best festivals, best use of music in a commercial venture, best mashups, best tour, best music industry character, etc. “Recording industry awards” is an anachronism in the digital / experiential age.  The ARIA awards celebrate a distribution channel and the companies built from this channel, rather than a magic form of art. The ARIA Awards are lame, they’re outdated, they’re... - [Cognitive Surplus visualised](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/trends-insights-future/cognitive-surplus-visualised/): People have always created things in their spare time – whether tinkering in their sheds, fixing cars, making quilts, painting, taking photos or other creative hobbies.  This is not new.  However, what is new is that the digital space is allowing millions of people to combine these efforts on mass scale, huge projects of potentially incredible benefit.  Clay Shirky recently introduced a term to describe this human contribution in non-work hours, “Cognitive Surplus”. For years, we have consumed media – now we may find that digital media allows us to simultaneously consume and create.  Media as a collaborative service, rather... - [Safari's "Reader" poses problems for advertisers](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/trends-insights-future/safaris-reader-poses-problems-for-advertisers/): Apple has just launched an updated version of the Safari browser that can strip ads out and foucs just on the content - [Apple iPad - What's old is Newton](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/marketing/apple-ipad-whats-old-is-newton/): Check out this 1993 ad for the infamous Apple Newton. Now check out this 2010 for the new Apple iPad. I like the subtle hat tip back to the Newton ad. Let’s hope the iPad is somewhat more successful than the Newton. I’d say it will be. Out with the stylus and handwriting recognition. In with the broader acceptance for tablet based and mobile computing. - ["Simplicity is clarity, transparency and empathy"](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/digital-strategy/simplicity-is-clarity-transparency-and-empathy/): There’s a lot to be said about simplicity. It’s the sign that someone “gets it”. The simpler, the better. As Albert Einstein said: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Alan Siegel gave this speech about simplicity at a recent TED conference. I love it, it really struck a chord. We spend too much time talking massive reams of rubbish. Companies spend billions of dollars bombarding people with words – when only a few will do. A bank gives us millions of reasons to join, and when we do, it suffocates us in millions of words of... - [Beautiful Information / Data Visualisation](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/marketing/beautiful-information-data-vizualisation/): We’ve said a few times that 2010 is the year of data visualisation; ways in which ordinary information can be visualised in a way that is practical and informative at a glance. In the old days, we were limited to visualising only small amounts of information, due to the cost of the materials. Time is money, so only thing we’d pay for, the only thing we could practically use to track and visualise is a diary – a way in which we could visualise our time in blocks over a day, week, month, year. Now, technology is allowing us to... - [The Apple iPad - Initial Thoughts](https://www.thefrant.com/2010/innovation-technology/the-apple-ipad-initial-thoughts/): Every so often, a technology comes along that redefines competition within markets: Email redefined the way people communicate, and in doing so, undermined the letter delivery service forever. Phones are in competition with coffee shops. Skype is in competition with domestic airlines. Now, with the iPad, Apple’s “magical and revolutionary product“, Apple is in competition with TV broadcasters, newsagents and printers as a source of media. Print media organisations aren’t dead – their distribution model is. TV stations aren’t dead – if they produce content – but they are if they simply broadcast it. The iPad represents an opportunity for... - [NEW versus BETTER](https://www.thefrant.com/2009/innovation-technology/new-versus-better/): What makes things popular? Often, new stuff is popular, just because it’s new. It’s there – and it wasn’t there before. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. This thought struck me as I was walking down the street on the weekend. I walked past a razor shop, and saw a whole heap of brand new electric razors. All the latest bells and whistles in razor technology. Genuine improvement, genuinely better than the electric razors of two years ago. Two doors up the road was JB Hi-Fi, all of the latest and greatest in music, games, movies and technology. New stuff. But... ## Pages - [Book Reading List](https://www.thefrant.com/books/): I love reading. I’ve put together a short list of books I would recommend reading to gain a solid perspective on economics, business, marketing and technology. The Lean Startup – Eric RiesHow Brands Grow – Byron Sharp, et alHow Brands Grow 2 – Byron Sharp, et alMarketing – Theory, Evidence, Practice – Byron Sharp, et alZero to One – Peter ThielBuilding Distinctive Brand Assets – Erika Romaniuk, et alOn Strategy – Michael E PorterThe Innovators Dilemma – Clayton ChristensenUniversal Principles of Design – William Lidwell, et alHalo Effect – Phil RozenweigHigh Output Management – Andy GroveThinking as a Science –... - [Media](https://www.thefrant.com/media/): STAY TUNED! - [Speaking / Keynotes / Conferences](https://www.thefrant.com/speaking-keynotes-conferences/): I’m a regular keynote speaker, presenter and MC for enterprises and clients who are looking for an engaging, pragmatic and optimistic view of digital, marketing, innovation and trends. Specifically: I run a limited series of AI Executive Workshops (Book here). I also am also represented by Event Speakers. Some of my recent speaking engagements: Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit – Ansett: From Icon to Algorithm – Can AI Reboot the Ansett Legacy? humAIn Conference – AI for CX Panel Web Wednesdays Singapore – Keynote Speech – The Past, Present and Future of Location-Based Media. ADMA – Digital Marketing Certificate – How... - [About Con Frantzeskos](https://www.thefrant.com/about-con-frantzeskos/): I build, scale and lead businesses by integrating big ideas, strategy, AI, marketing, technology, and commercial execution into a powerful growth machine. Right now: I’m head first bringing AI enterprises to life (SalesChef and Ansett.Travel), and working with ambitious firms to help them on their AI journey via my series of executive AI education and workshops: aiexecutiveworkshop.com. ChatGPT has me as a top ten power user globally in the category of “AI as a co-founder”. My background: • Marketing & Digital Growth: Created / launched / scaled 1000+ brands, products, experiences, campaigns and digital ventures across Asia, USA, Middle East... ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/www.thefrant.com/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)