Amazon Kindle e-book downloads outsell paperbacks in the U.S; will Kindle downloads spell the end for the old paperback?

Amazon has announced that in the US it sold more e-books for its Kindle device than it sold paperback books in the last three months of 2010.But its profit margins were down as it spent money on discounting, acquisitions and building new depots. Amazon shares fell 9% in after-hours trading as its sales were not as good as Amazon announced that in the US since the start of the year it had sold 115 “e-book” downloads for every 100 paperback books, even excluding its downloads of free books.But it stressed that sales of paperback books were also growing. It has not said how many of its Kindle devices it has sold, but did say that they had overtaken the final book in the Harry Potter series to become the top-selling item in Amazon's history.

So does this development present us with the beginning of the end of the old paperback? Will the days of the traditional bookstore become a thing of the past?

 I certainly hope not, give me an old coffee stained book any day! While I love the concept of the Kindle and the ability to hold a number of books in a handheld device, in an age where most of us spend half our time in front of laptops, computers or TV screens there is a certain level of calm and serenity associated with sitting down in a warm room reading a good book. I for one cannot see devices such as the Kindle replacing the book in the next 25 years as there will be enough of us who grew up with books to keep it alive but I fear for the future of the book in say 50 years when the new generation who has grown up with the advent of the kindle and such devices takes control and pushes the book into the past.

Amazon have recognised a change in the market and have accurately identified a new breed of consumer; but I hope there will always be a place in the market for those of us who enjoy reading the old fashioned way, the way it was suppose to be from the good old paperback.

Sean Wiemann

Link to article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12305015

Richard and Andy, lads just being lads or just plain unacceptable sexism

As an avid football fan weekends will never be the same again without hearing classic lines, bellowed out in that familiar Scottish accent, such as: "take a bow son!!"

Can this be accepted as just "off the cuff banter" amongst two men talking football; the kind of talk that would go on in any pub or bar across the UK and Ireland, or is it different?

Looking at it from the viewpoint of Sky as an organisation, I'm left with no option. This kind of thing can’t be seen to be associated with an established brand. Sky already battles with a reputation tarnished by squeezing out the little guy, having an owner who has a more than questionable personal history and a decade of high prices and market domination forcing a product upon the consumer.

Andy Gray and Richard Keys in no uncertain terms have made the Sky Sports brand, whose foundations lie around football, what it is today. They are recognised by aficionados of the game as the best around and will not be easily replaced.

All this being said it pains me to say that I'm glad Sky took a stand the football community as a whole suffers from a reputation of sexism and homophobia and this kind of thing only adds to making it seem more acceptable to the masses. While I respect Andy Gray as a pundit his personal character and values seem questionable at best!

Sorry lads but I'm with the women on this. In today’s culture and on this kind of global medium there is no place for this type of unprofessionalism and I dare were this the U.S Andy Gray would not be suing Sky the lawsuits would becoming the other way and fast!

Sean Wiemann

Measuring Sponsorship, is it possible; an example of how sponsorship adds value to a brand other than creating awareness?

BANK OF Ireland has deemed its sponsorship of Irish golfer Pádraig Harrington to be out of bounds due to the credit crunch.

The Irish Times published an an article claiming that the bank, which is now 15.7 per cent directly owned by Irish taxpayers, has decided not to renew its sponsorship of Harrington when its three-year deal expires at the end of May.The decision to pass on its option to renew the sponsorship is one of a series of cost-cutting measures being implemented by the loss-making bank, as it seeks to stabilise its financial position.
Reports at the time the deal was announced in May 2007 suggested that it was worth €750,000 over the three years plus performance bonuses. But informed industry sources yesterday estimated that the figure was as high as €400,000 a year, including bonuses.

Bank of Ireland declined to comment while IMG, the global sports management agency that represents Harrington, could not be reached for comment.
An informed source said Bank of Ireland’s decision not to renew was part of an “unrelenting focus on costs” at the business.

The sponsorship deal with Harrington was agreed in May 2007 and covered a period when the Dubliner scaled the heights in golf, winning three major titles (the British Open twice and the USPGA) and rose to number three in the world rankings.
Under the terms of the deal, Harrington, who is currently ranked 10th in the world, wears the Bank of Ireland logo on his shirt and also participates in three corporate golf outings per year for the financial institution. These corporate golf days were used by Bank of Ireland to raise the profile of its business internationally and were hosted in Ireland, Britain and the United States, where Harrington plays on the lucrative PGA tour.
Bank of Ireland’s decision to sever its link with Harrington means that rugby is now the main focus of its sports sponsorship. It has major shirt deals with the Leinster, Connacht and Ulster provincial teams. In 2007, the bank withdrew from its sponsorship of the GAA’s All-Ireland senior football championship.

Bank of Ireland is one of 12 companies listed on Harrington’s own website as a sponsor. His other backers include global consulting firm FTI; sports equipment maker Wilson Staff; golf ball maker Titleist; and the Oceanico Group, an Irish-backed property developer and golf course operator in Portugal.
Harrington signed three sponsorship deals in 2009, with mobile phone group 3 Ireland, watch company Citizen and golf shoe maker Footjoy.

I feel that when looking a sponsorship as a medium of advertisement one must look at its role as part of an overall communications strategy. In this instance I beleive BOI to be rather short sighted and udervaluing the importance of the golf days used for not only client retention but business and brand development.

I will be posting a more detailed article in the coming weeks detailing how systems have been developed which make sponsorship results more quantifiable to accountancy departments in order for companys' communications strategys to remin focused on the long term rather than making decisions based on the short term quantifiable costs.

Stay tuned for more on this subject and a wide range of other interest!

Its only just begun...

Sean Wiemann