Daniel Burrus' Strategic Insights Blog

We’re Watching More TV Shows…Just Not on the Television

Watch Tv On Your ComputerI recently read an article in the New York Times titled “Youths Are Watching, but Less Often on TV.” In it, the author wrote, “Television is still America’s number one pastime, with an average of 4 hours and 39 minutes consumed by every person a day.”

But if you look at the demographics of who is watching and how they’re doing so, you start to see an interesting picture. While people over age 35 are watching more television, those in the 25-34 age bracket are watching less, and the viewing habits of those in the 12-17 age bracket dip even more.

But this is not to say that these demographics aren’t watching TV shows; they’re just not watching them on television. Rather, they’re streaming their favorite shows and movies directly to their laptops, tablets, and smart phones.

Your Visible Future

Your Visible FutureMy IdeaConnection Interview with Vern Burkhardt

“One thing you can know for sure about the future: in any battle with the past, the future always wins” Flash Foresight, page 170

[Vern's note: Technology forecaster and business strategist Daniel Burrus is offering IdeaConnection readers a free, no obligations 6-month subscription to Technotrends Newsletter, now in its 28th year of publication and read by leaders worldwide. To take advantage of this offer go to this Technotrends site dedicated to IdeaConnection readers.]

Why Apple is the Next Big Investment Opportunity

Why Apple is the Next Big Investment OpportunitySo many people are focused on Facebook’s upcoming IPO that they’re missing another investment opportunity that’s staring them right in the face: Apple.

Why Apple? Apple is about to launch their iPad 3. Plus, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the iPhone 5 will be coming this year, as well as a new Apple TV that’s been upgraded, a Macbook Pro that’s based on their wildly popular Macbook Air, and a new Macbook Air that will have a significant update in its processing power. And even though Apple’s stock just passed the $500-a-share price, which might seem lofty, that number will grow even higher as the new products are launched. How can I be so sure? Well, let’s look at a few key things.

Is Today’s Smart Technology Watching You?

Most people agree that our technology is getting smarter, but you may not realize just how smart. For example, let’s take in-store surveillance cameras. In the past, the video quality of those cameras was poor. Most of us can remember watching the nightly news and seeing blurry footage of a robbery and not being able to make anything out.

Today we have two things taking place that alleviate that scenario.

1) We have software that can clean up the video footage so we can see the detail.
2) We have inexpensive cameras that can replace those old, bigger cameras, and that can give us full 1080P HD video resolution at a low cost.

Now you might be thinking, “So, what? That just means the police will be able to better identify who was robbing a store.”

The Growing Power of Women in Business

The Growing Power of Women in BusinessIt used to be that the business landscape was a man’s world. Times have certainly changed! Today, women are wielding more and more power on both sides of the business transaction. First, let’s look at some facts from the consumer side. In family purchases that involve two adults (a woman and a man) women make:

  • 94% of the purchase decision on home furnishings
  • 92% of the purchase decision on family vacations
  • 91% of the purchase decision on home purchases
  • 80% of the purchase decision on healthcare
  • 60% of the purchase decision on family cars
  • 51% of the purchase decision on consumer electronics

Will Facebook’s IPO Change Social Media?

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Facebook’s IPO may well be the biggest and most hyped IPO ever… and for good reason. Many people would have liked to have bought Google or Apple when they first went public, but they didn’t and are now kicking themselves for it. Unfortunately, you can’t go back and undo the past.

With Facebook’s rapid growth and social media dominance, all the people who regret not making those two moves in the past are going to want to buy Facebook. Additionally, all the people who are excited about social media and see it as a key part of the future are going to want to own part of Facebook too.

Realize, though, that when Facebook or any company goes public, the game automatically changes. Now the company has to be looking at quarterly earnings, managing short-term profitability, and deciding how they can generate new revenue—all things they didn’t have to do before they went public. For Facebook, this means an increasing focus on revenue generation through advertising and other means.

How to Save the Manufacturing Sector

Manufacturing SectorLike most industries, the manufacturing sector is transforming rapidly. Because of recent technological advances and globalization, U.S. manufacturing is facing intense international competition, increasing market volatility and complexity, a declining workforce, and a host of other challenges. Yet we know that in order to have a strong economy, we need a strong manufacturing base. So what’s the answer?

Today’s manufacturers must transform along with the rest of the world by adopting six advanced Next Generation Manufacturing principles. They are:

Technology-Driven Trends for 2012

information technologyNo matter what industry you’re in, your company can’t survive without technology. And these days, even non-technical employees know that technology goes way beyond desktop computers and networks. From smart phones and tablet computers to mobile apps and cloud-based technology, there’s a plethora of technological advancements to not only keep track of, but also to profit from. To stay competitive, your organization needs to anticipate the future technology trends that are shaping your business and then develop innovative ways to implement them in your organization.

Now that 2012 is well underway, be ready for the following 20 technology-driven trends to continue to create both disruption and opportunity in the business world. But rather than just react to them, be pre-active to future known events and plan how your company will profit from them now. That’s the only way you’ll gain competitive advantage in the coming years.

Polaroid – Too Little, and Still Too Late

PolaroidPolaroid—the company that has been teetering on the brink of extinction for a while now—recently came out with a new digital camera powered by Android. I think that’s a good move, but they’re a little late to the game in doing it.

If you remember those old Polaroid cameras, they were all about instant photography and photo sharing. You’d take the picture and it would print out from the camera, right on the spot, and you could share it with a friend.

But somehow, Polaroid missed the shift to digital and stayed with their analog model way too long. That’s why most people don’t own anything by Polaroid anymore.

The Biggest Lesson from the Consumer Electronics Show 2012

CES

We are definitely in the communication age.

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show took place January 10-13, and it helped reinforce the continuation of a hard trend that has been growing for a while now. Back in 1993 I predicted that we’d soon be shifting from the information age to the communication age. Informing is one-way, it’s static, and it doesn’t always cause action. Communicating is two-way, it’s dynamic, it’s engaging, and it causes action.

One way to tell which age we’re in is to look at our devices. Years ago we had things like the Apple Newton and the Palm. They were basic organizers with a calendar and address book—information age devices. At the time I commented, “When that thing becomes a phone, we’ll be entering the communication age.” Today we have that plus so much more.