Category: branding

We won’t get fooled again? Oh, yes, we will get fooled again.*

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. – The Who

TheWho-SuperBowlAs the modern-day version of the Who wrapped up their 12-minute halftime set during Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday — as Pete Townsend windmilled his way through the final power chords of “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” the Who’s greatest and most significant power ballad — my thoughts turned to the relevance of that song, nearly 40 years after its release. It’s a song about hope and disillusion, the realities of politics, of selling and marketing, and is full of insight into the human condition.

In many ways, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was the precursor to the punk movement, for it lashed out — more eloquently than punk — against the powers that be and, like the best punk songs, seethed with rage but did not resolve the questions it raised, and simply flamed out magnificently. (If you’re unfamiliar with this song or need a refresher, I suggest you watch this video of Pete Townsend’s solo acoustic performance.)

Anyway, thinking about that tune led me to ponder the state of the things we love, or think we love, in our world, and how we cheer for the upstarts and sing praises when they triumph.

That is, until they fall into the same patterns of their predecessors.

Some of this arises from pure hubris. The upstart wins, then gets cocky, then complacent, and then the upstart new boss is no different than the old boss. Other times, it seems, the upstart simply cannot shake the system.

Here are three examples of what I’m talking about:

Meet the new Toyota, same as the old GM. Oh, how we loved to slam General Motors for the shoddy quality of its cars. And oh, how Toyota basked in the reputation it built for great quality. But now, Toyota, which usurped GM’s position as the world’s top auto manufacturer just a year ago, has reputation problems of its own. Toyota has just announced a recall of 400,000 hybrid vehicles, including the hybrid from its luxury Lexus line. The green halo around the company has slipped, and thousands of customers who bought into the company’s line about reliability and environmental concern are not happy about the situation, or Toyota’s ham-handed approach to damage control.

Meet the new Google, same as the old Microsoft. Remember when everybody loved Google? Remember how everybody used to make fun of Microsoft, Yahoo and those other search engine also-rans that kept trying to compete with Google in the search engine niche? Well, now Google is planning to announce new Gmail features that the company hopes will compete with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. So, Google, which built a niche and a reputation for search, is now broadening its reach and trying to compete in the social media arena. Just as Microsoft was late to the search game, so it seems Google has been slow getting into a social media arena that is rapidly changing. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes.

Meet the new Obama, same as the old Carter. No, I’m not an Obama hater. I voted for him, and I fully support him. But should anyone be surprised that he’s caught up in the gridlock of D.C. politics? Should we be amazed that there is opposition to the president’s ambitious and far-reaching agenda? He’s dealing with a Congress full of Eisenhower Republicans (and that’s the majority — i.e., the Democrats) and divisive right-wingers. But we expect far too much from the POTUS. As I wrote here the day after Obama’s victory, “[T]he future of our nation does not rest on Obama’s shoulders. It rests on ours. Those of us in the business of higher education play an important role in our nation’s future. In my lifetime, it’s never been more critical. The higher education system in the United States is still a beacon for the world. In the next four years, my hope is that our nation will invest in rebuilding our schools, rebuilding our roads, bridges and buildings, and creating a green economy that can thrive and be the leader for the rest of the world. But that job is not up to the politicians alone. It’s up to all of us. Let’s do our part.”

And so, my friends, let’s smile and grin at the change all around us, pick up our guitars and play, just like yesterday, and then get on our knees and pray, we don’t get fooled again.

Of course, we know we will get fooled again.

* Headline idea stolen and adapted from a chapter title of Dan Kennedy’s book, Rock On: An Office Power Ballad.

Friday Five: turkeys of the year

Have you ever said something and then immediately wish you could take it back? But you can’t. It’s too late; the words are out there, the deed is done, and there’s nothing you can do about it except hope no one noticed.

But people notice. An awkward silence ensues and perhaps someone politely changes the subject to get you off the hook.

If you blog, though, sometimes you throw stuff out that you wish you could take back. Maybe you posted in haste, wrote about a topic you weren’t well-informed about, or made some obvious error in fact that exposed you for the rube, ignoramus or insensitive jerk that you really are.

These are the “turkey” posts — the ones you should have thought twice about before hitting the “publish” button. But if you’re like me, all too often you hit “publish” and then think about what you should have said or written.

So for today’s Friday Five, in honor of the holiday just passed, I bring you five blog posts that were my “turkeys” of 2009. I own these. Nobody’s fault but mine. But, in my defense, let me state for the record that I was young, I was naive, I was stupid. I’m very sorry.

To the turkeys:

  1. Feb. 4, 2009 – My post of a YouTube video of a Snuggie parody that included the phrase WTF offended at least one reader who took the time to write me an email about it. I probably should have posted that the video was NSFW. But I stand by my original statement that I thought the parody would make a great Super Bowl ad.
  2. Feb. 24, 2009 – In a post titled Mapping the online world, I linked to a fictional geographical map of social media sites that I found on another blog. The map was posted on that other blog just a day earlier. But as I cleverly observed in my post, it “look[ed] like something drawn circa 2005.” Turns out, the map actually was ancient (in Internet time, anyway), as Kyle James and Liz Allen both pointed out in the comments.
  3. April 3, 2009 – I posted my picks for best albums of 2009, first quarter, and I’m embarrassed to see that I included Rusted Root’s digital-only release, Stereo Rodeo. I guess I was still infatuated with the fact that one of my once-favorite bands was attempting a comeback. But the newness of that release wore off quickly. I doubt I’ve listened to it since June. Oops.
  4. June 5, 2009 – I posted a whiny, self-righteous open letter to eMusic, complaining about the online music service’s new pricing structure and their sellout agreement to carry Sony’s back catalog. Guess what? I’m still a member of eMusic, paying more for less, and I’ve even purchased some tunes from the Sony back catalog. So, who’s the sellout?
  5. July 29, 2009 – I posted about the University of Waterloo’s rebranding campaign and dramatic logo makeover (Brave new logo [in a brave new world]), and applauded them for taking such a bold stance. Now it turns out the university has not adopted the new look. smh

Happy Black Friday to those of you who are doing your part to bolster our consumer-driven economy. And happy Buy Nothing Day for those who choose to opt out of the consumption frenzy.