MAY 29, 2009

This week’s 5 Forces Summary touches on topics ranging from one of the deadliest diseases in the world - diabetes, a new office for the White House, unemployment issues in Spain, a new study that links liver disease to pollution, and a new technology that improves electronic publishing by adding computer-readable labels to content.

Enjoy your weekends!

• Globalization
  Diabetes and Asia via FitSugar
  A study in the Journal of American Medicine Association highlights how in Asia the age range of people affected by diabetes is significantly younger than the West. In western countries the disease affects people between the ages of 60 to 79 years, but in Asia the age range is 20 to 59 years.
• Innovation
  White House Creates Office Of Innovation via NPR
  The Obama administration has created the new post of White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.
• Im(migration)
  Immigration Policy a Casualty of Unemployment in Spain via World Politics Review
  The majority of those affected by layoffs in Spain are temporary and self-employed workers, 800,000 of whom lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2009. Many of these jobs losses involve immigrants and the construction sector. A contributing factor is Spain’s famously lenient immigration policy.
• Saturation
  Pollution may contribute to rise in liver disease via Reuters
  Pollutants may be contributing to a sharp increase in the number of cases of liver disease. As many as a third of U.S. adults showed signs of having liver disease not caused by normal triggers such as alcohol abuse and viral hepatitis.
• Personalization
  Semantic technology gains publishing foothold via CNET
  OpenCalais, a Thomson Reuters project to improve electronic publishing by adding computer-readable labels to content, has attracted the attention of several media publishing organizations, including CNET.

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MAY 15, 2009

Hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the 5 Forces Summary. Have a great weekend!

• Globalization
  Swine flu: the affected nations via The Guardian
  The Guardian maps the outbreak country by country
• Innovation
  Post Original Shredded Wheat Cereal Puts the ‘No’ in Innovation via Reuters
  In a time when many food products are being enhanced with “super ingredients” and altered to match the latest diet trends, one food brand is bucking marketing trends and embracing its “lack of innovation.”
• Im(migration)
  Hard times forcing many young adults back to the roost via Dallas News
  The recession has caused more children to “migrate” back home. According to 2008 census figures, 20 million people ages 18 to 34 live at home with their parents – 30 percent of that age group. Researchers for the Network on Transitions to Adulthood found that since the 1970s, the number of 20-somethings living with their parents has increased by 50 percent. Of those who moved out of the house by age 22, 16 percent returned home before they hit 35, the researchers found.
• Saturation
  Report: Electronic Gadgets Killing the Planet via Fox News
  Paris-based International Energy Agency estimates new electronic gadgets will triple their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours, the equivalent of today’s home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.
• Personalization
  TV Revisited: Hulu Soars In Streams, YouTube Commands Marketplace via MediaPost
  Hulu has grown nearly 500% this April versus a year ago to some 373 million streams per month, according to Nielsen Online. Still, Hulu has a long way to go, only pulling in 4% share of the online video marketplace — a distant second place. The biggest site continues to be YouTube with 5.5 billion streams, owning 58.1% of the marketplace. YouTube itself continues to grow — up 36% versus a year ago.

  Posted by Kristen Variola on May 15, 2009 at 6:12 PM
  in 5 Forces Summary, Globalization, Im(migration), Innovation, Personalization, Saturation

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MAY 7, 2009

Nothing beats feeling appreciated, and receiving a quick “thank you” is, more than often, all it takes. When I put a lot of thought into a gift for someone and don’t even receive a thank you for it later, I admit that I get very disappointed. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people that gives in order to receive - I don’t expect a handwritten note or a big production. But a simple “thanks” said aloud is all I’m really looking for. Knowing that someone liked what you gave - or at least appreciated the thoughtfulness - really makes me happy. Apparently many others feel the same way…

The people at smart USA — the car company that famously makes their cars so tiny you could fit two of them in a standard parking space– have recently experienced just how much people appreciate being thanked.

To reward those who had faith in the company early on, patiently waited for their cars to be produced, and bought vehicles, smart USA sent “Emergency Kits” to buyers. These kits each included a thank-you letter and three $5 gift cards to use at well-known coffee, gas, and book retailers. This cost the company a total of $492,440 because it sent kits to every purchaser of the 25,000 cars sold in 2008. The campaign has proven so effective, smart USA plans to keep it around. In addition, the company has chosen not do any traditional advertising.

The director of communications for smart USA, Ken Kettenbeil, thinks that mail has more power than any other media. Ken says, “We have received a lot of positive (consumer) e-mails forwarded from our dealers. We’re getting people thanking us for sending them a thank-you gift.”

With the economy as bad as it is and consumers changing their spending habits and being more selective in their purchases, the “little things” just may be make the difference. If you’re a company, reconsider investing the time (and money) into thanking your consumers for their loyalty. There’s something to the phrase: a little goes a long way.

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APRIL 10, 2009

Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Here are some recent articles that represent the 5 Forces – Globalization, Innovation, Im(migration), Saturation, and Personalization. See you back at Undercurrents on Monday!

• Globalization

Obama glides into old Europe with new U.S. image from The Christian Science Monitor

Globalization is often described in amoral terms, as if an interconnected world of trade and media is value-neutral. But Obama has been seeking to give moral content to the idea of globalization, saying that what is good for people in one nation is good for everyone.

• Innovation

Skype iPhone App Downloaded One Million Times In First Two Days from Boston.com

Since March 31, the Skype iPhone application reached a record of one million downloads and counting! (That translates to approximately 6 downloads per second, in case you were wondering.) The software allows consumers to hook up to alternative phone services, bypassing their cell carriers.

• Im(migration)

Ineligible Bachelors: Indian Men Living in U.S. Strike Out from The Wall Street Journal

Indian parents used to think it a plus to marry off their daughters to Indian men living in wealthier countries, including the U.S. and Britain. But as India has grown more affluent in recent years, the demand for overseas Indian grooms has been fading. While India’s economy is also slowing down, it is still growing, and layoffs aren’t as widespread as in the West.

• Saturation

Are You a Twit if You Don’t Want to Twitter? from MSNBC

Sociability fatigue is not just being felt by older folks who have lived most of their lives without the Web. As social networking grows, from stream-of-consciousness Twitter to buttoned-up LinkedIn, even some of the younger generation who’ve helped drive the growth of these sites could use a break.

• Personalization

Boomers Make Social Networks a Place of Their Own from USA Today

Social networking is fast becoming a staple for a growing number of adults as Web use surges. One-third of adult internet users have a profile on a social networking site, up from 8% in 2005, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

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MARCH 27, 2009

This installment of the 5 Forces Summary covers recent news from discussions on a new global reserve currency to a non-traditional way adoption seekers are finding potential birth moms. Let us know your thoughts on these articles in the comment section and as always check out past summaries here.

• Globalization
  UN Panel Welcomes Debate Over New Global Reserve Currency from The Wall Street Journal
  The head of a United Nations expert panel discussing solutions to the financial crisis on Thursday welcomed the debate over a new global reserve currency and said it would be best managed by a brand new institution.
• Innovation
  Adoption seekers using YouTube, Facebook to find birth moms from CNN
  In the past, adoption advertising, which is allowed in at least 34 states, traditionally relied on costly newspaper and radio advertising as well as brochures, fliers and business cards. In the digital era, these media no longer have the reach they once did.
• Im(migration)
  Hispanics one-fifth of K-12 students from USA Today
  States such as Arizona, California and Nevada are seeing an influx of Hispanics due to immigration and higher birth rates. In 2007, more than 40% of all students in K-12 were minorities — Hispanics, blacks, Asian-Americans and others. That’s double the percentage three decades ago.
• Saturation
  At SXSW, attendees confront Twitter saturation from CNET
  Many people experienced an over-saturation of tweets during South by Southwest, a conference and festival event for entertainment and media industry professionals. The massive number of tweets tagged #sxsw eroded the value that Twitter offered at SXSW 2007 and SXSW 2008 for finding friends and great parties.
• Personalization
  The Daily Me from The New York Times
  Trends show newspapers folding and people getting their news online. Nicholas D. Kristof worries that people are only getting the news they want, not the news they need. He hypothesises that we don’t truly want good information — but rather information that confirms our prejudices.

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MARCH 13, 2009

Read on for your bi-weekly dose of New Persuasion. Lots of interesting news this month, from new technology for targeted cable commercials to the announcement of Supermercado de Walmarts coming this summer.  Have a great weekend!

• Globalization
  Wal-Mart looks to Hispanic market  from The Financial Times
  The largest US retailer, Wal-Mart plans to open its first Hispanic-focused supermarkets this summer in Arizona and Texas. The pilot stores will be named Supermercado de Walmart. The retailer said that the stores were in “strongly Hispanic neighborhoods” and would feature a “new lay-out, signing and product assortment designed to make them even more relevant to local Hispanic customers”. The staff will also be bilingual.
• Innovation 
  What Made the Cellphone Revolution Possible from The Christian Science Monitor
  According to the GSM Association, the world now has 4 billion mobile phone connections. That number is up from just 100 million a decade ago, and most of that growth is in developing countries. The 4 billion number was reached with the help of governments opening up their markets to innovation and competition.
• Immigration
  Why Skilled Immigrants Are Leaving the U.S. from Businessweek.
  The United States is losing some of its most valuable workers in greater numbers due to “immigration limbo.”  Immigrants make up only 12% of the U.S. population, but have started 52% of Silicon Valley’s technology companies and contributed to more than 25% of our global patents. They make up 24% of the U.S. science and engineering workforce holding bachelor’s degrees and 47% of science and engineering workers who have PhDs.
• Saturation 
  Where the Neon Lights Are Bright—And Drivers Are No Longer Welcome from Newsweek
  Traffic is a constant problem in Manhattan. Mayor Bloomberg recently addressed the issue, saying,”The midtown traffic mess is one of those problems everyone always talks about. Well, we’re not just going to sit back—we’re going to try to do something about it.” His plan is to permanently bar traffic from large sections of Broadway. 
• Personalization
  Cable Companies Target Commercials to Audience from The New York Times
  Beginning with 500,000 homes in Brooklyn, the Bronx and some New Jersey areas, Cablevision will use its targeting technology to route ads to specific households based on data about income, ethnicity, gender and whether the homeowner has children or pets.

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FEBRUARY 27, 2009

Happy Friday, Undercurrents readers! It’s time again for the 5 Forces Summary. Check out these recent articles that highlight each of the 5 Forces of change. We’d love your thoughts on these articles. And, as always, past summaries can be found here.

Globalization
Job Losses Pose a Threat to Stability Worldwide from The New York Times
Worldwide job losses from the recession that started in the United States in December 2007 could hit a staggering 50 million by the end of 2009, according to the International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency. The slowdown has already claimed 3.6 million American jobs.

Innovation
The Fast Company 50 from Fast Company
Fast Company released its annual list of the world’s most innovative companies. #1 on the list this year is Team Obama. Other not-so-surprising picks include #15 Facebook (down from #3 in 2008) and #22 Zappos (new to the list).

Im(migration)
Paths to American Dream Converge in Immigration Court from The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles branch of Immigration Court has 26 immigration judges. On average, each judge hears more than 1,000 cases a year. In the case of Nuria Perez Alvarado, a Guatemalean born woman who immigrated to the United States in 1987, the education she received while living in the United States is what convinced the courts to let her stay.

Saturation
A Tale of 140 Characters, Plus the Ones in Congress from The Washington Post
In a speech to a joint session of Congress on February 24, President Barack Obama told America “we will rebuild, we will recover.” As he outlined his plans for economic recovery, members of Congress “whipped out their BlackBerrys and began sending text messages like high school kids bored in math class.”

Personalization
Future Foods Willl Cater to Personal Health from CNN
At an annual meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, experts said, “In the future, people should be able to tailor their diets and supplements to their particular biochemistry.” J. Bruce German, professor and food chemist at the University of California - Davis states that, ”In a consumer-driven food world, the industry would focus its goals on improving all aspects of the consumer’s health. People would receive dietary recommendations based on a very specific individualized health assessment, taking into account age, sex and medical history.”

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FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Welcome to the second installment of our 5 Forces Summary! The New Persuasion team has chosen the following five articles to highlight the forces that we believe are driving transformational shifts around the world.  In doing so, we hope to provide you with a better understanding of how we look at the world from a New Persuasion perspective. 

• Globalization
  A mighty wind: U.S. becomes top wind power producer from USA Today
  The U.S. is now the world leader in wind power, a title previously held by Germany. Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council supports the global use of wind power to send “a strong global signal from governments that they are serious about moving away from fossil fuel and protecting the climate.”
• Innovation
  Crossing the Atlantic in a pedal-powered submarine from Boing Boing Gadgets
  Machinist/inventor Ted Ciamillo created a prototypical blade, called the Lunocet, that essentially swims by itself. Why is this seemingly quirky innovation such a big deal? Because the Lunocet has the least disruptive environmental impact on the 30 foot surface of the ocean when used in a submarine.
• Im(migration)
  Who we are now from Newsweek
  According to the Pew Research Center, if current immigration trends continue, the U.S. population will rise from 296 million in 2005 to 438 million in 2050. 82 percent of the increase will be attributable to immigrants arriving after 2005 and to their descendants.
• Saturation
  Can the cellphone industry keep growing? from The New York Times
  Matt Richtel discusses the fate of the cellphone industry in the midst of the current economic times. “Cellphone sales are falling, manufacturers have announced thousands of layoffs and wireless carriers are finding it harder to acquire and keep customers.”
• Personalization
  Google now knows your heart rate from Mashable
  Google Health now has the capability to receive data from personal medical devices. You can have your data monitored remotely by your doctor, personal trainer, or nutritionist. Since your blood pressure, weight, and blood sugar level information would be uploaded online, will this turn into a privacy issue?

Note: In observation of Presidents’ Day this Monday, we’ll be taking the day off - check back for a new Undercurrents post on Tuesday. Have a great weekend!

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JANUARY 29, 2009

I am a big believer in second chances, which is why I was especially happy to read this article in the New York Times about the impact drug courts are having across the country. According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 70,000 offenders are in juvenile or adult drug courts at any given time nationwide, “the fastest-spreading innovation in criminal justice– giving arrested addicts a chance to avoid prison by agreeing to stringent oversight and addiction treatment.”

Offenders sent to drug courts represent a small fraction of addicted criminals, but these courts provide them with an opportunity to sign up for 9 to 18 months (or more) of extreme supervision by a judge, including group therapy, mandatory sobriety testing, and random drug testing. The intent of these drug courts is to emphasis true personal transformation. Many judges, like Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, feel that these programs serve as interventions that actually work. In fact, studies mentioned in the New York Times article have shown that drug courts have reduced repeated bad behavior by 8-10% nationally and as much as 26% in New York State alone. (Needless to say, NY taxpayers are thrilled.)  Quite a few addicts say they never could have done it on their own, and brag that “drug court saved my life.”

Many lawyers, however, have a completely different take on the situation. A number of them feel that defendants’ rights are infringed upon because of the need to acknowledge guilt (or agree to a plea bargain and sentence) in order to enter the court. This means an addict may go to drug court in order to avoid prison, but may also be trapped by a guilty plea if treatment fails and he/she is expelled from the program. Some critics also worry that drug courts will use up scarce treatment slots at the expense of other addicts who desperately need help.

Regardless of where you stand on this issue, one thing is for sure: the courts are recognizing that one size does not fit all, especially when it comes to drug treatment and sentencing. While it’s no secret that we’re used to having things personalized nowadays - our Facebook pages, our medicine, our bodies, our beds – personalized criminal sentencing is a particularly interesting new example.

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JANUARY 22, 2009

When I signed up for FiOS service back in November, I was thrilled, to say the least. I loved the internet speed and was overwhelmed with the deluge of TV channels. However, I recently noticed an error on my bill and have accepted that the honeymoon phase is most likely over.

While I value the service Verizon gives me, the customer service  leaves a lot to be desired. Every time I call Verizon, they always ask for my phone number, regardless of what I am calling about. I know that when I enter my Verizon Wireless phone number one of two will things happen: they either assume I want to talk about my cellular service and forward the call to Verizon Wireless, or they look at the “978″ area code and transfer me to the New England regional office.  The latter happened earlier today.

The first operator whom I spoke with was really confused that I could live in Arlington, VA with a “978″ number (Massachusetts). Why this was confusing in this day and age, I’m not sure, however, the representative proceeded to transfer me to five different representatives - each asked for my number, I might add - and all of them informed me that I was at the wrong place and forwarded my call. Every time I reached someone new I explained the situation to them, but it appeared to make no difference.

Frustration.

But then I had an idea.  I lied.  It’s unfortunate, but I simply told the next customer representative that I actually did not have a phone number. Without a phone number, the representative had to ask me for my Verizon Account number, and then we were able to address the issue quickly and with no other problems.

While I was fully satisfied with the “friendliness” of the representatives, I value my time, and I take issue with the process (or lack thereof) they use to organize calls and accounts. Like my personalized license plate, my phone number is a little piece of my identity- it says I’m from Massachusetts and I’m proud of it - and I’m not going to change my number to make Verizon a little bit easier to talk to.  It used to be that area codes identified the state/city/county of the caller; in today’s world, however, that function is outdated.  The FCC established phone number portability so consumers could keep their numbers without maintaining loyalty to a provider. The rise of VoIP phone service has also contributed to the death of the area code.

So, Verizon, if you’re listening: make a simple change - ask for the account number from now on, not the phone number!

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