Textbooks for rent for the semester (i.e. a NetFlix for textbooks.)  What a simple, yet brilliant idea for the times!  And here’s why.

College textbooks (or any textbook for that matter) are outrageously expensive.  Last year we forked over nearly  $1,100 for my daughter’s college textbooks. At the time that seemed way out of whack to me and I attributed it to the specific cluster of science classes she was taking. But since then, I found some eye opening stats:

• textbook prices have nearly tripled since the late 80s; now they set students back an average of $900 per year, or 14% of annual tuition at an average public school (BusinessWeek, 10/20/08).
• the price of textbooks is rising at twice the rate of inflation.
• the College Board recommends that students budget up to $1,229 for books and supplies.
• it’s no cottage industry.  The textbook market is a  $5.5 billion market.

Like most industries, it’s under intense pressure to evolve.  Primarily because of those spiraling costs.  Hence, there are a lot of companies looking at innovation in the primary and secondary education textbook market well beyond just expanding the “used” book market.

There are lots of ideas being thrown around.  Technology being one of the them. There’s significant focus on digital textbooks as a promising way to lower costs and increase options for students, as well as open up the market to more competition.  They are already gaining a more prominent position in the textbooks marketplace.  Companies like CourseSmart, iChapters, Zinio, eCampus, CafeScribe and many others have sprung up.  Traditional publishers like McGraw-Hill and Taylor and Francis have gotten into the ebook game.  And of course Amazon and the Kindle are right in there.  In fact, three textbook publishers that collectively publish 60% of the country’s textbooks recently agreed to publish new Kindle DX versions of their books. At least six universities will be running Kindle pilot programs, wherein a number of students will be provided with the devices to see how students react.

Now I’m an eBook fan, but in my experience many eBooks cost damn near the same as their printed counterpart.  I did some research on textbooks and found that often that was the case with textbooks as well (although I’m sure some educational institutions arrange discounts).  Secondly, many of the eBook texts are purchased based on limited time use only (i.e. a semester).

These issues may be why California has gone even further…into digital open-source texts.  In June, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promoted his state’s recently announced initiative, which would see it adopt free, digital textbooks in time for the next school year.  Proponents of digital open-source texts tout the fact that when information and facts change, educators can make immediate adjustments.  Take Pluto for example.  It’s still listed in some textbooks as a planet.  And that won’t change until the next textbook comes out. Traditional print textbooks are usually approved by states on a six-year cycle.  But online, you can change the information immediately.

The concept of “open source”  textbooks varies from what most of us have commonly come to think of as an “open source” concept.   It doesn’t mean that you have a textbook created like Wikipedia via collaborative consensus.  Open source textbooks are textbooks distributed free digitally under an open license.  The key feature of an open license is that it permits users to make copies of the textbook and translate it into different formats.  So, open textbooks start as digital textbooks but can be printed in a variety of formats. In California, digital publishers submit their work for approval to California Learning Resource Network, which will then handles the evaluation process to determine if it meets the states’ standards.

Makes sense, right?  But do the publishers of all this text work for free?  How does this stuff get created if it isn’t via a model like Wikipedia?   Are publishers looking at…let me guess…ad supported models?  The more I read on this subject the more I realize there is a long way to go before there’s any real clarity on pragmatic solutions that work for everyone.

Which brings me back to why I wrote this post in the first place. It became a top of mind for me last week when considering textbook options for an integrated marketing class I’m going to teach as an adjunct again this fall at a local university.  The simple fact is that NO marketing textbook can possibly keep up with the fast pace of change in the industry, so last year I opted to use a previous version, then replaced sections or supplemented, where it was outdated, with explorations of current events, case studies and real life examples.   And that textbook cost the students 66% less than the brand new edition (which, by the way, was still outdated by the time it came off the press.)

I looked at eBooks for this year, but while I’m a fan, an eBook text isn’t as user friendly as you might think.  Think back to college when you were studying and all the sticky notes and highlighters you used to mark important sections/concepts so you could easily find them later.  eBooks just aren’t there yet to enable you to make good notes on them in relation to the content or to skim them quickly like you can a book.  So in looking at the options out there for this year, I stumbled across Chegg.com which is a company with a very simple solution for right now.  Books for rent.  Almost any book you want/need.  And from my research, the rental route was even cheaper than most used books.  Sure you can’t resell it. And you have to send it back at the end of the semester, but they make that pretty easy.  And given the astronomical pace of change in marketing, keeping a marketing textbook for future reference has little value.  Instead my intent is really more about getting the kids who want to go into the field to understand it requires lifelong learning, insatiably curious, being fearless of change and passionate for the craft.  The textbook is merely the context in which to put those teachings.

Sites like Chegg and Bookrenter are probably not the end-all-be-all-long-term solution for the textbook market (and I’d bet those company founders understand that and are preparing to evolve as the market does), but they are simple, no fuss, no muss solutions.  So they are great business models for today.

Several of us attended a lunch yesterday where the speaker talked about reality. That is, REALITY in relation to all the stories and not-necessarily-factual information that one can conjure up as the reasons why things are or are not the way they “should be.” If you cut out all the things you can’t verify as fact, a lot of stories we spend needless time on and stress out over become a lot less significant.

One thing I found particularly helpful was the segment where she talked talked about the one question we can all use to make a real difference: “How can I help?”

That’s all it comes down to. That’s what we all want to do for each other and our clients every day. Help. I might be able to help you with a strategic website plan. I can help you with some business insights. I certainly know someone who can help you with establishing a strong social media presence or someone who can design a killer logo, write amazing headlines, or put your ad in front of a highly relevant audience.

The key here is that I can help. I want to help. Either by doing it myself or by finding you the person or resource that can help. And I think that’s what we all want to do – we all want to help each other do the things we need to, and want to do. So why does it always seem more difficult than that?

What I’m really stressing here is the mindset of, “How can I help?” rather than telling you that “I can help” or just telling you that you should want to help people.

The next time you’re faced with a situation where your typical reaction might be, “OH MAN! That request should have come in 3 hours ago – there’s no way I should have to do this now!” think instead about how you can help. Resistance before action will only slow things down. Providing feedback afterward, however, can help influence future decisions.

Reality is reality. We can fight it, or we can help and do some positive things toward making reality a better place to be.

How can I help?

I’m an avid reader…like a 5-book-a-week reader.  And I’m a digital zealot. So I love my Sony e-book.   And my family likes that I no longer have books piled everywhere throughout the house.  I load it with a dozen books at a time and that gets me through a week (or two).  It’s almost always with me.  But the last two weeks it was good old paperbacks that prevailed.

Looking from the sand beach to the rock beach at Tahoe.

After less than an hour on the beach in Tahoe with my eBook I realized that it is simply not cut out for the beach.  Sand, water, kids and expensive digital devices just don’t mix.  That hour really stressed me out.  And that’s what I wanted to get away from.

I had to be cautious to make sure it didn’t get buried in the sand, lest I destroy it.  I had to make sure it didn’t get stepped on.  I couldn’t just lay it down on my towel and run out to the water to cool off for fear it would get stolen.  And I couldn’t just pick it up again until I dried off and wasn’t going to get it soaked.   And heaven forbid, what if I actually dropped it in the water…that’s a lot bigger problem than just a few soaked pages.

So, I stowed it away in my luggage and forked over the bucks for a few paperbacks … just for the peace of mind of being able to be thoughtlessly carefree in my vacation reading.

I’ve been closely watching the developments with eBooks, reading the speculation and plans regarding digital newspapers, magazines and other media and am not surprised about the continued growth in the category despite the economic downturn.  I was completely sold on my eBook and didn’t anticipate buying any more paper books.  But I have to admit I’ve rethought that.  I’ve discovered, there is still a place in my life for paper books.  And I don’t want some PDF file and a bunch of loose sheets on the beach.   I’d have them everywhere.

I don’t just read to glean information, I also read to relax and let my mind rest.  Yes, I read lots of things of value, but trash fiction is my Valium.  And I need my reading materials to work for me in whatever the situation.   So despite the cottage industries that have developed for eBook gear protection there is still a major hurdle for me to use a digital device in all situations.

Maybe they should talk to Negroponte (one laptop per child) and have the folks that designed the XO take a crack at it.  I bought one of those right after they launched a couple years ago and that little bugger seems indestructible.  Or maybe give Little Tykes  a crack at it.  If that stuff withstood my kids, it can handle anything.

So I was flipping through Ad Age and came across an article titles “Dear Fast Feeders, Please Keep Your Meat Away From the Ladies”.  Naturally I had to read on.

It really amazes me how sexualized the fast food industry has become over the years.  What happened to the good ole’ characters like Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar and Grimace?  Now B-list celebs are the main characters in barely there outfits on top of cars eating burgers.  I get the whole “play to your audience” strategy and buzz worthiness, but do we all really need to be subjected to this crap?  There is a difference between being edgy and being repulsive.

Burger King really takes the cake with their new ad running in Singapore (pictured here and wasn’t created by Crispin Porter).  It references the word “blow” and the wide open mouth of a lady with a seven inch sandwich in front of her.  What message is this exactly sending?  Pretty disgusting if you ask me.

Burger King isn’t the only offender in this sad display of marketing.  Carl’s Jr, Hardee’s and Quiznos all get thrown in the pot as well.  Paris Hilton, Padma Lakshmi, Audrina Patridge and many other women have shown skin all in an effort to sell more burgers and sandwiches for these huge corporations.

What is the psychology behind this anyway?  Do guys think they are going to get this “hot” girl if they eat at one of these fast food chains?  Do women see someone skinny like Paris Hilton eating a burger and think I could too?   Don’t get me wrong I am always up for some risqué ads but sometimes it’s a little too much.

Package goods have been hard hit in this recession.  Among brands hardest hit are Crest toothpaste, Hunt’s canned tomatoes, PineSol cleaners and Tylenol.

So why the decline?  Experts blame private labels and temporary price reductions.  “Temporary” price reductions are more likely to reduce brand loyality and encourage brand switching long term.  Also, many consumers who have traded down to store brands tend not to come back to the major brands.  Don’t get confused though, private labels are feeling the pinch as well.

So are any brands out there holding on to their loyalists?  The answer is yes.  Coca-Cola Classic, Folgers and Thomas’ English Muffins each kept more than 60% of their loyal consumers from 2007.  Many tout competitive product pricing and aggressive marketing efforts for their success.  All of these companies have kept a steady marketing presence through this recession staying top of mind with the consumer.

The package-goods industry is certainly becoming more competitive with private labels having a stronger presence.  I say let the battle rage on between the big guys and private labels and maybe we will all get a break.

We talk a bit around here about the new dialogue that happens between companies and their customers – and between the customers themselves. Things are definitely changing out there – and I don’t think anyone’s really debating that anymore. Participate or get out.

What I’m enjoying right now is the proliferation of the satirical online personality and the conversations these folks are starting. It’s really interesting that we have a public forum (the Internet) and multiple means of communication with an audience (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs to name a few) where one person can create content and deliver a message and in turn, build an audience. People are now not only commenting on current topics and events, but getting involved on a more personal level by creating a whole persona through which to potentially get a point across. Or at least be funny.

One of the most widely publicized examples of this is Barack Obama’s Teleprompter’s Blog. “Totus” the teleprompter offers up blog posts from the perspective of Obama’s teleprompter. Classic. (Well, maybe not yet – it’s only been a few months that this blog’s been up.)

Obama’s taken a lot of heat over his extensive use of the teleprompter. OK – so what. Whether you’re a fan of a president or not, pay attention to what is said and not how it’s said. That’s not my point. The interesting thing about this story is that someone out there decided to become Obama’s online personality of the teleprompter. Now that’s funny. And they’ve built an audience and received extensive coverage for doing so.

A Google search for “Barack Obama’s Teleprompter’s Blog” – the official name of the blog – done today returned about 36,800 results. That’s not too bad for a blog that’s been online since mid-March and isn’t making a blatant case for self-promotion or monetization. In addition, a Google link search reports that 3,060 pages link directly to the official teleprompter blog. Nice work, Totus. You’ve created original content on a regular basis, stayed true to your form, and generated a good following. That’s how to blog.

A little bit closer to home, and the impetus for making this blog post of my own, is a new satirical personality that is taking advantage of the local newspaper’s website redesign.

The Omaha World-Herald just launched their new website at Omaha.com this week. They’ve taken countless hits over the past several years due to issues with their previous site. It’s no surprise that their new site is getting blasted as well. I doubt they could have released anything short of a direct emulation of CNN.com or NYTimes.com without taking some flak.

Sure, there are some things I’d recommend doing differently. Again, however, that’s not the point of this post. I’m more interested in the conversation that’s now taking place over the new site launch. There aren’t many relevant search results available for “omaha.com redesign” yet – several point to articles that contain those terms or were part of the old Omaha.com website. (Unfortunately, none of the old Omaha.com URLs redirect to the new paths.)

The current chatter is more along the lines of people not liking the design, not liking the layout, and being generally displeased with the new site. OK. Everyone gets their opinion.

But the most interesting development for me is the Twitter account for @NewOmahaDotCom. Here we have another satirical personality that is acting as the “official” Twitter stream for the new Omaha.com. There’s currently a lot of chatter going on, with direct replies going out to all the commentors. The latest, “I’m tired… Spent the whole night resaving my JPGs. thought it might help with the so called ‘errors’” points to the user comments about images, browser crashes, and general problems with the site.

This is another good example of someone with an obvious concern or interest generating content – even if it’s just for laughs – that’s getting picked up within the local community and generating buzz.

Like we’ve said many times before – people are out there talking about you, your brand, and what you’re doing. You can participate in the conversation or not. But if you listen, you’ll have a lot of the answers that your customers are already telling you.

I wonder if NewOmahaDotCom and Totus are related…

I recently read an article in ID magazine about an inspiring building project on Oxford University’s campus. I wish more projectts were like this one.

A new art program for the Department of Biochemistry, Salt Bridges http://saltbridges.bioch.ox.ac.uk/, has been an important driver of providing a creative environment. Artist Nicky Hirst led the project, creating a large-scale design for the front of the building featuring a series of inkblots. SO COOL!

Front of Oxfords' Bio-Chem building

The digital artist Tim Head created works that explore the similarities between biomolecular research and digital visual art. Fine art photographer Peter Fraser documented the construction period of the building, while Annie Cattrell was commissioned to create a large-scale sculptural work for the atrium. All of these artists were commissioned, and some even had residencies, by Oxford for the Biochemistry department.

Peter Frasers' work

The transparent glass exterior of the building makes the laboratories with researchers at work visible from the outside. Colored glass fins all around the building cast changing patterns of light while solar cells on the roof provide a significant part of the building’s electricity. Not to mention the flock of pink and orange seagulls that inhabit the buildings’ atrium. There are collaborative areas in the building where the exchange of ideas between scientists is promoted.

Annie Cattrell's pink and orange seagulls

What I love about this entire project is the fact that Oxford not only embraced but celebrated visually what the work of the Bio-Chem department. It not only raises the morale of those who work within the facility, it also gets the general public intrigued, excited and compelled to learn and know more. A “tribe” is created without much effort when you make things that impact and change the redundancy of the urban landscape. I love how Oxford is doing this in the architecture but also pulling in visual artists to create aspects of Bio-Chem all over campus. They obviously wanted others to understand their passion and what they do, else why would they have gone through so much effort to communicate this visually across many various platforms?

Here is a comment from a blog that I found that I had to share. The writer/bio chemist actually visited the site: “I’ve got to be honest and say that the organic chemistry building at Oxford was fantastic. Massive shared write-up areas meant that groups actually shared coffee and ideas far more often than in the other departments that I’ve worked in. There was also a policy of sharing lab-space with other groups – meaning that you often *saw* the chemistry happening, which is pretty useful.”

‘The aim was not just to re-accommodate existing activities in this new building,’ says Denis O’Driscoll, Department Administrator. ‘Instead it is designed for innovation – we wanted to reduce the doorstep to discovery. It’s an aspirational building that will enable better science.’

See how powerful design and art can be?! It ain’t always just a pretty picture hanging on a wall…it can help reinforce and support a brand, and create a new depth of brand communication.

In this day and age of eco and green awareness…we have some interesting things going on. Farmers Markets are becoming more and more popular, doubling and tripling in size, organic sections of regular grocery stores are becoming the norm, and even though mega super-stores such as Whole Foods exist, there still seems to be a LOT of room for more of the same.

One of my favorite producers and dear friends, Alan Siegel of November Films: http://www.novemberfilms.com/, visited Omaha this week with an extremely gifted documentary filmmaker, Chris Taylor to unveil his new film called “Food Fight:” http://www.foodfightthedoc.com/ The viewing was sponsored by Alegent Healthcare and this was a true testament to how certain foods and food habits have affected our entire country in not so good ways. (diabetes, obesity, cancers, etc)

This is a brilliant film that I would strongly encourage everyone to see. It takes a look at how the American Agricultural food policies developed in the mid 20th century and how various food movements popped up (first starting in California and then spreading to place like Wisconsin, etc.) creating a “counter revolution against big agribusiness.” After WWII, there was a HUGE shift into convenience foods (dehydration, flash freezing, fast food, TV dinners, etc.) Twinkies were being sold as nourishing treats for growing children! Unreal! This movie is fascinating to say the least and you have no other option than to take action with your own food choices. This is more than just creating meal plans and making grocery lists. This is going to take a cultural shift in the way we think.

I am going out on a limb to say it is a life changing movie…it IS. Things you never thought were in your food. No more pink tasteless tomatoes! Fight for the quality of your food! We as a family are personally taking a pledge to CARE about where our food comes from. Buy Fresh, Buy Local is a group that you can contact, at least in the Omaha/NE metro area to find farm fresh whole/organic foods that are near you. http://buylocalnebraska.org/ and on a national level: http://foodroutes.org/

And lastly, you CAN taste a difference if you boil it down to just taste alone. Clean Plate is a whole food restaurant opening this August at the Empty Room: http://cleanplateomaha.wordpress.com/

Start a revolution with your food and your life!!

There’s no doubt that sometimes the ties that bind us together are somewhat odd.  While doing some project research tonight I stumbled upon a wiki (actually a series of them) I hadn’t seen before, but I’ll sure go back again, and may well become a contributor because I laughed out loud (in my kitchen…all alone…with my cat staring at me oddly).

Although I started my night on a business mission to gather data and insights to build a audience segment model,  I ended up sidetracked and entertained for a couple hours…and by all things, a wiki.  Most of the bazillions of wikis I’ve been on are either straightforward reference/knowledge repositories or the purview of subject zealots, gamers and whatnots.  But this one, the Uncyclopedia, calls itself the content-free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.  OK maybe it’s the purview of those who worship at the altar of the weird and wacky, but it titillates and offends indiscriminately on all conceivable subjects.  Kind of like the consumer generated and more wacked brother of The Onion.

Image Credit: RadicalX

Uncyclopedia is hosted by the Uncyclomedia Foundation, a non-profitable organization that also hosts a range of other projects like UnTunes, UnBooks, UnQuotable, UnDictionary each with it’s own take on the absurd and fun.

I was almost rolling on the floor when I stumbled upon this featured “picture of the day” at almost the same instant that horrible Mr T infomercial for FlavorWave came on the TV I always seem to have on at night to provide background white noise while I’m working.

While I may not have completed what I set out to accomplish tonight, even my meandering surfing did result in some interesting insights that may just give me a unique take on some aspects of the audience profile model I’ll eventually build.

As for the blue tomatoes…“California should be glad for having a fruit of a different color that nobody else has.”

Oh…and check out “Spoiled Children’s Fund” forms to help overprivileged children. Classic.

You missed out on something special if you weren’t able to attend the first Big Omaha conference last Friday.  Unlike many business, tech and web conferences I’ve attended over the years, this one left the hype, posturing and egos at the door.  Even with the stellar line up of big name presenters like Jason Fried, 37Signals (Basecamp), Gary Vaynerchuk, Wine Library TV, Micah Baldwin, Lijit Networks, Jeffrey Kalmikoff, Threadless and more,  it was an amazingly real, heartfelt and candid discussion about what it takes to start and sustain a business and to keep that drive and entrepreneurial spirit alive and well — complete with an exploration of success and failure.

Big Omaha from Mike Malone on Vimeo.

I walked away re-energized.  And not just by the speakers and the event (all of which were very well done due to the efforts of Jeff Slobotski, Silicon Prairie News and Dusty Davidson, Brightmix), but also because of the passion that I saw and felt among the 400+ attendees of the Big Omaha conference.  It was exciting to see so many creative thinkers united towards a creating a more exciting and progressive future right here in Omaha.  And it isn’t some City led effort to correct the misperceptions as a flyover state, the exciting vibe is coming from the community itself.  And that’s pretty cool!