November 22, 2005

Today's Bicycle

I'm intrigued with a small 19th century tricycle I saw recently. Well, I want to buy it, because it's such a beautiful patina-rich object. But also because, in my youth, a bicycle was a symbol of independence.

For today's children, the symbol of independence is the Internet.

Apparently, by their seventh birthday, most U.S. kids will have talked on a cell phonne, played a computer game and mastered a TV-on-demand device like TiVo. By 13, they will have gone through several software editions of instant messaging, frequented online chat rooms, and downloaded their first illegal song from BitTorrent.

Today's 'bicycle' catalyzes a generation of short-attention-span children who are constantly multi-tasking.

The speed and precision with which we must engage their minds with our messages is awesome.

No wonder then....

Fox Broadcasting introduced 5-second spots for AOL at the end of commercial blocks in "Prison Break" the other night.

And no wonder then....

Interactive ad revenues jumped 34% in the third quarter vs. last year. Spending for the quarter topped $3.1 billion, up from $2.3 billion last year.

With independence comes opportunity!

Bye Bye Miss American Pie

I had lunch over at the College and walked back to the Business School campus in time for a 1:20 class. I walked into the classroom and immediately noticed Bob Koh's eyes reddened from crying. I looked around. Others seemed similarly stunned. What could possibly turn these future 'captains of industry' into such lost lambs? It was November 22nd. Twenty-two years ago. The day the music died.