Wednesday, May 31, 2006

An Open Letter to Mark Cuban

Have you ever heard that people are natural-born producers? It’s true. We either produce results…or we produce excuses.

I read recently where Mark Cuban copped to being a whiner. Claimed that his “whining” led him to form (what became) broadcast.com, to buying the Dallas Mavericks and to starting HDNet (see his “I’m a whiner” post on www.blogmaverick.com dated 5/10/06). There’s a difference between whining and making excuses. As Cuban points out in his post, whining can be constructive if it inspires you to fill a void, make a change or capitalize on opportunity.

Recently I read more Cuban bellyaching about being forced to pay a kings ransom to promote his movies and HDNet in print periodicals. In fact, he issued a challenge to print media to either be proactive or be forced to be reactive.

HAH! I normally like Mark Cuban. I admire his accomplishments, even beyond that tho, I admire his passion.

What are the two things that successful entrepreneurs all have in common? First they all have a blistering passion for their business. Second, they have the money to overcome their mistakes.

Cuban’s made his share of mistakes. Just ask him. Everyone does. He may be in the midst of making a huge one right now.

I have been known to whine about things as well. Last Summer I found myself whining about the fact that there was no daily sports periodical that provided in-depth coverage of every game, every day. Closest thing to that was the old “The National.” That’s why I started XXL NATIONAL Sports Daily.

XXL NATIONAL is a superstore of sports information. When we officially launch on June 19th we will be the “Home Depot,” the “Staples,” the “Toys ‘R Us” of sports publications. People will read XXL NATIONAL because they will know that the information that they need and want is in there. Our intent is not to give the competition a run for their money, we’re out to eliminate it by design.

We are pioneering a new trail of media. In this world, you are either a pioneer, or a settler. If you are a settler, then you will have to settle for the exorbitant prices of advertising in traditional media and settle for hoping that your advertisement does not get lost in the clutter.

Cuban is settling. He says that he is looking for the best way to promote his movies and HDNet. Went on to say that they are experimenting with EVERY POSSIBLE option.

HAH!

Generally, the goal of a branding campaign is to expose the consumer to the exact same message at least three times a week, consistently…week in and week out. As a daily sports publication, XXL NATIONAL provides an ideal vehicle for achieving branding success.

Sports fans are rabid. Our publication provides opportunities for companies like HDNet to reach our readers multiple times daily via section sponsorships. True, as a start-up company, our readership numbers are not where more mature publications are. But here is where opportunity lies.

Are ya listening Mark? Is it better to reach 100% of the audience and convince them 10% of the way? Or reach 10% of the audience and reach them 100% of the way?

The key to success in advertising is to deeply impress whoever you reach and then count on them to champion your cause to their circle of influence. Traditional print media charges you thru the nose because of their “reach” but you can’t be effective unless you also reach that audience frequently. THAT costs money.

So Mark, if you are truly looking for the best ways to promote movies and HDNet and you are experimenting with every option possible, then it’s time for you to step up and put your creative whining to use.

XXL NATIONAL is your Holy Grail of promotion. PDF publishing will be huge. It’s already accepted for business publishing. We can embed movie trailers directly into our PDF as well as provide links in your advertising which will allow readers to click-thru to the website of your choice to purchase movie tickets directly.

Teaching people to download a PDF won’t be overly challenging. Gen Y has grown up downloading music and podcasts. With the viral marketing program that we are about to launch, critical mass is not far off.

Mark Cuban is such a lightning rod, that attaching the “Cuban” brand to XXL NATIONAL would provide all the kindling fire that we need. It’s a classic Reeses Peanut Butter Cup moment, “hey Mark, you got your ‘celeb’ mixed in with our trail blazing media platform.”

To quote Cuban, “Be proactive or reactive.” If you wait for traditional media to “create programs that (are)… DEMONSTRATIVELY more cost effective and impactful,” you’re going to be waiting a VERY long time. Don’t hold your breath on that one buddy.

Do you really want to hit traditional print media where it hurts? Forget about giving them a run for their money, join our crusade to eliminate them altogether. XXL NATIONAL has created an unbelievably cost-effective alternative for you.

I hear ya whining about the price of advertising, the question is…”are ya gonna produce results (as you traditionally have) or are ya just gonna create excuses?”

2 Comments:

At 9:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know what, Mark Cuban sucks and so does the Dallas Mavericks. Mark is just another computer geek with money trying to relate to athletes and those that follow them.

What sport did Mark play in highshcool and Girls field hockey doesn't count.

Go Miami!!!!!!

 
At 12:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dallas will take the series in seven. Shaq is a sissy. Mark Cuban will be caught up in the hoopla for a while but after that if he gets too se this blog maybe he will figure out he's missing the boat of this one an needs to get on or get used to seeing the ass end of the boat.

 

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