COVID-19 EXPOSES THE EDGE SOCIAL MEDIA HAS OVER TRADITIONAL MEDIA IN BOTH CONTENT CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION (Food for thought for media practitioners, communications and marketing strategists)

Having worked in the media for more than 4 years, I just can't shake off the love of the media I think may be it is because it is perpetually intertwined to an element of my current profession, Marketing, specifically advertising and communications as it is a tool used to communicate with customers and targeted audiences. As such I am so intrigued and fervently follow trends in digital media as much as I can because this now is the holy grail of media right now. Social media be pushing the frontier of the media industry in terms of content creation and distribution. A few weeks ago a DJ D-Nice threw a virtual dance party, playing music in his living room broadcast to the world via Instagram live, at some point 150000 people were logged in, last week, rappers Drake and Tory Lanes broke the record of most Instagram Live viewers with over 310 viewers logged in. Since the onset of the Corona Virus, with most countries instituting lock downs, complete or partial, most artists have been taking to twitter live and Instagram live to perform just interact with their fans, holding virtual interviews and so forth, attracting hundreds of viewers at a a time, sometimes simultaneously. Do you know what that means, those viewers would have otherwise been watching TV or listening to the radio, thus these traditional media somehow lost audiences here. Please don't tel me about multisnacking (The ability to consume content on multiple media platforms at once we all know digital media is more attractive because of the interactive nature where there is two way communication as opposed to the mainly one way communication in traditional media). o Traditional media may have figured out a way to use Facebook and twitter as well as the internet to distribute content however whoever is first to master the use social media in real time content creation and distribution will have an a edge, wake up and smell the coffee, follow where media money is going. Today, P Diddy, the hip hop super star and astute business man is hosting an Instagram Live "danceathon",playing music, hosting stars from across the world, including Burna Boy, Janae Monae, Burna Boy, Naomi Campbel, just to mention a few, interviewing them and challenging them to dances with him, his three sons, Quincy, Justin Christian and twin daughters D'Lila Star and Jessie James, to raise donations for his Team Love charity to raise funds to go towards helping fight COVID - 19 across the globe. At the moment, his broadcast is now almost clocking 100, 0000 viewers and he is just one of the stars going live on social media t right now. He has so far managed to raise US$ 4 million. These stars are the same sources of content that some if not most of these traditional media rely own. There is your new form of competition out there. This also goes for communication and marketing strategists. Right now Will Smith's Bel Air Athletics just adopted DJ D- Nice into its branding strategy on the back of his viral Dance Party which have now become a daily phenomenon and has gone as far as designing a DJ-Nice hoodie under the Brand's line,which he has been donning during his sessions. Michelle Obama enlisted the help of DJ Nice to hold a voter registration themed dance party on Instagram Live to encourage Americans to register to vote in the country's upcoming presidential elections. Diddy, started his Insytagram Video Danceathon session with sharig his screen with DJ Nice doing his session as well. Stay woke media, marketing and communications people, digital media is disrupting the media landscape and whoever and whatever is or dares to associate with it!!! It used to be argued that digital media was only appealing to audiences and viewers on the go however, with the almost global lock down, more people than ever before, are home but considerable numbers, especially where internet connectivity is reliable and generally affordable are still preferring to stay online and unfortunately, for traditional media this digital media seems unstoppable. In the picture, P Diddy talks to Supermodel, Naomi Campbel during his Instagram live session. I think we may need a scholarly paper on this one.

IT AINT THAT TIGHT

They may keep calling it a close race but I bet Obama will outclass Romney by much more votes than what everybody thinks. What we are seeing is just a different reaction to Obama as opposed to his maiden attempt at the polls. It's true that people are not as enthusiastic about Obama as they were four years ago, not because Romney is better than or promises to be better than Obama but because they regard Obama as a failure by his own yardstick which always happens with a star player everywhere when their performance is no longer measured against others among their elite but against their former selves and the results are mistakenly presented or interpreted as a measure of their performance in comparison to their counterparts! Everybody, even Romney himself knows that if he were to win this election, it will be one hell of an upset!

NEVER UNDERRATE

Other suckers before you tried it
It didn’t take them long to realize
I am not to be underrated, neither am I to be underestimated
By the time you look up, am way up ahead and you can’t overtake me
No, not even in your wildest or most colourful dreams
Don’t you look like you’ve seen a ghost, you better believe
It doesn’t matter if you had an early start
Coz unlike you, I am more than just street smart
I got brains, am intelligent
And you are nothing but a delinquent

BHARTI AIRTEL SHAKING THINGS UP?

By now almost every Jim and Jack, Martha and Mary (to atleast be gender sensitive), especially in the cradle of mankind, Africa, is aware of Bharti Airtel, otherwise known as Airtel, the Indian Telecommunications company now operating in 19 South Asia, Africa and Channel Islands, thanks to its many acquisitions of other telecommunications firms all over the place. On 08 June, 2010, Airtel, in the largest ever cross - border deal in an emerging market and largest ever telecom takeover by an Indian firm, bought the Kuwait-based Zain Telecom's businesses in 15 African countries.

Airtel, is the market leader in almost over 70% of the countries it is operating in Africa, with an average marketshare in each country of not less than 50%. In kenya however, Airtel’s marketshare at 10%, making it after Safaricom, which has a 78% market share. The other players in the Kenyan telecommunications market are Essar and Telekom Kenya which have a 6% market share each.

On 19th January, 2011, the world woke up to the news that Bharti Airtel had halved its voice call tariffs and cut the price of text messaging by 80% across all networks, in a bid to gain market leadership in Kenya’s 20 million mobile phone market. This is a replica of the low margin - volume game that Airtel pioneered in India. In a market penetration strategy of this kind, the billion dollar question is for how long can this be sustained. Well, the answer in this case is, “for as long as it takes Airtel to diluted the market share of Safaricom to a major extent.

This sure is one hell of a below – the – belt punch to Safaricom and the other players in the Kenyan Market. In a price war, it seems logical for competitors to follow suit to cut the prices as substantially as possible as to counter the competition, but if our fellas in Kenya are to do that, it will be akin to digging their own grave.

Airtel is the 5th largest mobile operators in the world interms of subscriber base. What this means that, following its substantial slashing of the tariffs, the Kenyan Unit of Airtel is sure to make losses, but the parent company will not feel the pinch that much, as it is likely to cover the loss with its profits in its other units. The only other company that can come close is Safaricom, because of Vodafone’s 40% stake in the company and Vodafone is the second largest mobile network provider in the world, but it is not the only one with interests in Safaricom. Vodafone can withstand losses due to tariff reductions in Safaricom, but what about its partner in the company, Telkom Kenya, where will revenues and profits to offset its losses in Safaricom going to come from?

another we need to know is that Airtel has managed to reduce its operating costs considerably and can easily transfer those low costs to its subscribers through tariff reductions for example. Airtel is the first mobile phone company in the world to outsource everything except marketing and sales and finance. Its network (base stations, microwave links, etc.) is maintained by Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei.,[5] business support by IBM and transmission towers by another company (Bharti Infratel Ltd. in India, which as the name suggests is linked to Bharti Airetel).[6] Airtel, because of its business strengths was even able to have Ericsson agreed for the first time, to being paid by the minute for installation and maintenance of their equipment rather than being paid up front.

Apparently, Bharti Airtel in Kenya is merely putting its global presence and business strength to use. However another question, and one which is of much interest to subscribers in the 15 countries Bharti Airtel is operating in Africa is; “Should they also expect Airtel to reduce tariffs in their countries just as it has done in, Kenya, besides before Kenya it had already done this in India?” Well, at first glance, the moment I heard the news, I thought that would be the case but upon critical analysis, I realized believing that would be living in a fool’s paradise.

Airtel is surely not obliged to cut tariffs in all the countries it is operating, because they will be no need at the moment to do so. I would not be surprised to learn that, Kenya is currently Airtel smallest market. So for example in Malawi, a Central African Country where Airtel is a 78% market share dominance, if at all there is to be a tariff slashing, it may not be to the extent Airtel has gone to in Kenya which is just as good news for Aitel’s competitors as it is bad news for subscribers in Malawi, and the other countries with similar competition factors in as fas as Airtel is concerned. However, we may all just have to keep our fingers crossed to know where Airtel is going to strike next with its tarriff cuts.

IT'S YOUR LIFE

Aint it funny? You got money, you xpect life to be all honey, You smart, You figure Shit aint like that.
Life stinks more than no other fart.
Everyday is a hustle. It's more than a gamble.
Life aint sour all the time, sometimes it do shine bright. Confusing Right? That's what makes it worth the bite.
Just these dickheads all up in you hair, posing like they care.
Where they be coming from? What do they know?

It's your shit, your life. I'ts your fight. You just tryinna survive.
Why the fuck they be telling you what to do.
Thinking they tool cool, they too hot, and you not.
Why the be like they got game and you so lame?
You came up all by yourself , without nobody's help.
You tryinna be hip, they all up in your shit, like, this aint cool, that aint good, That was'nt right. This mightta been tight.
Why the fuck? Makes you wanna holla: Life sucks!
But no it don't. You's always the one to make it hot.
Give it all you got. It be your spot.

Don't budge, take charge.
You get burned, you is the one to hurt.
You succeed, it's your glee.
They hurt, aint your business, neither should it be their succes.
It's all your shit. Do it the way you know it. It's your life, your smile.
It be your pain, you rain, your hurt.
Yours and nobody else's.
Don't give a shit, that's it.
It's your life, they don't like it, they gotta take a hike. They not getting it the first time.
Holla one more time. It's my life!
Still they don't figure, give'em the middle finger
Live it the way you pleease, take it easy,
It's your life, ya dig?

18 minutes ago ·

THE TIGER WOODS BRAND - WHO LOSES?

There have been, mixed reactions following the can of worms that opened on the philandering of one Tiger Woods. Comments demonstrating either condemnation or utter indifference to the whole debacle from his and golf fans in general, golf officials and of course his sponsors, the ones that were indirectly oiling the wheels of his lustful life

If it were up to some of them, especially the officials, they would have had him banned off any golf course in the universe for life, even the one in his own backyard, all for the unwanted, especially considering that golf is an elite sport, coupled with him being a role model? Just imagine the sport’s loss in the numerous sponsorship deals, tied to Tiger that were cancelled, taking into account the magnitude of the magnetic force he has always had in pulling in the backs within the golf circles.

And there are the so righteous male fans that, listening to them all you are left believing they would, at no point of their heartbeat, look at a female – with an attractive, voluptuously, curvy figure, with Pamela Anderson boobs, her cleavage exposed in the prevailing fashion, think anything beyond looking- but act like they are staring at an empty space, have been hitting him with an assortment of denunciation from all corners of the globe, branding him the ultimate disgrace to, not only the male, but the entire God’s creation. Just imagine having a string of more than 10 women claiming to have had canal knowledge of the first married - billion dollar sports person?
Add into that boiling pot, the female species, who won’t take any crap in defense of the one person who has irreparably miffed one of their own.
And there are the sponsors, who fear, the disdain of Tiger, raging the world over, may transfer to their multibillion dollar brands, have dissociated themselves from the shameless creature to the best of their capabilities.

There is no excuse, what Tiger did was beastly immoral. But it is indisputably a fact that it is because of Tiger Woods that the golf officials can now afford to be chauffeured in sleek limousines, the latest the market can offer. Is it not the excitement created out of the need to see how the now -disgraced Tiger would fair during a tournament or who his closest rival would be, and how close the rival would be, that these fans would not want to miss any golf tournament? How much has Tiger contributed for these firms to achieve their billion dollar brands? Tiger has not been raking in those millions as a gift, he has been working for that money.

Is it not apparent therefore that, through - out the Tiger Woods years, the relationships that have been there with all concerned parties have been mutually beneficial? Golf administrators, the sponsors, and Tiger himself have raked - billions and billions of dollars, the fans have had a roller coaster of fantastic golf - watching and following. If Tiger’s fall from disgrace, is to be permanent, how much and how long will it take for the world to create another, who will be able to move units for sponsors and golf, offer a highly compelling reason for one to be an ardent golf fan, or even in the most extreme end, attempt to be a golfer?

We may argue here that if Tiger does not recover from the knock, his irresponsible behaviuor has had on his bank account, he is going to be the biggest loser. He may lose more than anybody else, only because it is clear golf is the one thing he loves (of course not sex as it has been established that this was not a physical but more of a psychological issue – how far that much is true we do not know and neither do we give a heck) and possibly knows better. But monetary wise, he has made enough money already to cover a generation of his family, if David Beckham, can say that he has made enough money, to take care of his children, their children and grandchildren for generations, yet Tiger has made much more than one of football’s golden boys. All Tiger can do is start investing and spend carefully the bucks he has in the bank and he would be able to make even more than he will if the comeback tips in his favour.

If his career crambles, it is not only Tiger who stands to lose, neither can we convincingly argue that, he is the one to lose the most. How much is it going to cost relatively for the rest of the bunch to find a replacement for Tiger in all of their uses of him? Is it not apparent therefore, that since everybody is going to lose when Tiger loses his golf career, we could as well join hands and tactfully minimize the damage Tiger’s wayward ways can cause to his career, from which, it has so far been proven we are all reaping, other than playing the hollier than though game?. There is no need to think that this would be giving Tiger a blank cheque of impunity. One thing is for sure, this is a feat no one would want to repeat looking at what he has been through.

THE FACEBOOK TRICK - (WARNING! THIS APPLIES TO ALL SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES)

Married or involved, with a facebook or any social networking site - account; you get a friend request or an invitation in your account from a lusciously gorgeous member of the opposite sex, with a profile of almost everything that melts your whole being, in a member of the opposite sex that you may covet? She or he, appears to be an obviously, god-given answer to nearly all of your fantasies?

Odds are, this is a bogus account of someone very close to you, out to have fun or worse still, this is your suspicious partner determined to catch the lustful you (if you are a man) or promiscuous you (if you are a lady - check out societal gender bias at its best) with your pants down. Gotcha! Right?

Oh yes you may doubt this, wondering how on earth your partner would know about all your fantasies, the features you look for in members of the opposite sex you covet or are already hitting it with on the D.L., since you would not dare tell him/her - it would be utterly suicidal. Believe it or not, the time you have been together you have inadvertently or subconsciously been letting these secrets out to your partner. Like when your partner sees a member of your opposite sex and comments that they are eye-catching, and you differ with them, they press for reasons, you give them. There you are, exposing yourself to the last person on earth you normally would.

It does not matter how faithful or trustworthy you may be or may have proven to be, neither will it be of any substance, how trustful or unassuming they may be, your partner will be mentally noting all these vital keys to your other personalities that you always try to keep away from their prying minds.

But there is solace in the fact that, that can also be somebody interested in you and is trying to find a lot about, which of course is also disturbingly dreadful if you have a manifestly dark side you would not want him or her to know. Whichever way, watch out for the tricksters. So how can you know if the people asking you to be friends with them are not out to trick you? Check how long they have been on facebook. See if they have any facebook friends apart from you. Find out more about their friends. If you are the first person to be asked for friendship, watch out – how can one create a social networking site account and the first person they send a friend request or invitation to is someone who does not have the slightest idea of who, they, the sender are?

If the day they have sent you a friend request or invitation to join, is their first day on the site, yet you do not know or do not remember who they are, be wary. If they have a friend on the site with whom you know personally, find from your friend who this person is. Bet you, when you are checking out their friends, you will hit the jackpot in no time; they will have their closest friend, relation or workmate as a friend on the site. Eureka! You have beaten them hands down at their own game.

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You see all of you my philanering friends, not just because you choose a path differrent to the rest of us do I wish you bad, I love you the same. wouldn't wish there to be problems in your families, this is why when I know that you are cheating, I do not tell on you but woulfd rahter sit you down and talk to you about it, if you choose not to take I hid, i love you all the same. Why should I judge you? And do not think that I do not judge just because judgement is for the Father, but i do not know why you sleep around? Not all of you cheat on your spouses out of sheer selfishness, some of you have been driven down this dispicable path because of the same spouses, for some of you it is all purely a psychological problem that if you were as rich as Tiger Woods and the rest of them, you would have sought therapy to be brought back and ofcourse some of you all just plain selfish but how would I know how to clssify you? And some of you cheat in search for lessons so you can please your spouses better when you go back home, so I hear. My only plea, my unconditional love for your is no guarantee for you to continue on your lastful path, work to better yourselves. By the way, look out for a publication on this blog, about why people cheat on their spouses.