Captain Obvious

Do you remember the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin? It is an old fairy tale about a musician who was hired to rid the town of rats by charming them with his flute playing. But, when the townsfolk refused to pay him as they had promised, he exacted his revenge by leading all the town’s children away as well. Is Taylor Swift a modern-day Pied Piper? I suggest we take a closer look at Swifties: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swifties

Outside of this group, it seems that most Americans don’t have the appetite for and interest in seriously paying attention to anything. We seem to be a sea of mindless and braindead citizens following whatever grabs our limited attention? The movie Idiocracy is on point. Our culture is so riddled with soundbites and frenetic messaging scientists now claim our attention span has dropped from about 2-3 minutes 50 years ago to something less than 8 seconds. Watch how short modern commercials are compared to when you were young.

I personally believe the lengthy exposure of screen time with its toxic soup of videogames, social media, and AI generated personalized content addicts us and capturing our eyeballs and is a part of why today’s children and young adults have higher incidents of ADHD and other difficulties. I grew up without TV since it hadn’t been invented yet. I had a radio and could read books. Of course attention spans then were longer and necessary.  Against this backdrop, I suggest you look carefully at the behaviors of Taylor Swift concert goers. The following extended video summary of her recent tour is chilling:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/12/05/taylor-swift-eras-tour-reporter-personal-journey/76711565007/

If you watched even a small part of the video segment, and you are a conservative older person you probably will say it reminds you of the Beetles Tour or Elvis Presley. Yes, in some ways that’s true, but the size of the crowds and the range of audience demographics should be a wake-up call to anyone in modern marketing. Plus, the way Taylor Swift creates community experiences is a Harvard Case Study in modern social interactions.

If you just watched the referenced video and shrugged your shoulders in disgust, you are vulnerable to those who know what has happened and why. If you can’t figure it out, hire the ones that have … or you are toast in this new world. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it is your key to success in how others are redefining brand identity, awareness, and loyalty. Her fans are fanatics. She has not merely upped the game … she has reinvented it.

Here is an article summarizing how fans felt about her 3.5 hour concert: https://wapo.st/4fi6dRq The formula she used to connect with such a wide-ranging audience not only delivered the experience of a lifetime, but it also moves these same individuals to be in an ongoing relationship to her.

Look at the financial impact of this. It is not just about her ticket sales that have redefined the online ticket selling business because of its intensity. Look at the impact on the local economy in the chart below summarizes. She generates about ten times more than the prices of her tickets … which are also incredibly high … bordering on the absurd:

If you are hungry for more economic impacts, take a look at this article in the WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/economy/taylor-swift-fan-economic-impact-eras-tour-revenue-a9c00005?st=E1Wonm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

It is so easy to just dismiss this young lady or to chalk this up to an otherwise bored modern youth element. No … there is something profound going on here. Her fans know the words of her songs and sing along during the 3+ hour concert. Their antics actually create seismic impacts!  When I started my engineering career we studied the Tacoma Narrows Bridge failure. Could a new rating for safety now include a Taylor Swift Concert rating?

So, if you don’t know what’s been happening and why … you may soon be “paying the Piper!”

The recent cold-blooded killing of a health services company president has triggered a response that should send chills up your spine … but for way too many Americans it hasn’t. In fact, it has spawned social media stardom to the culprit and a level of support and praise that harkens to the days of Hitler in the early 1900s about acceptability of killing Jews.

When people become so conditioned to accepting hate towards anyone or anything that they condone murder, I must wonder where we are going. Read this:
https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/insurance-executives-murder-sparks-online-praise-hate-rcna183017

As you carefully read the article, you will see an underlying digital technique driven with AI algorithms that foster anything that will garner attention, even by promoting hate. So, we have social media platform technologies that are harvesting and promoting ideas that tear society apart from within. Social media and especially AI are polarizing and intensifying what would otherwise be fringe points of view.

My previous blogs have highlighted the deterioration in our social fabric where doing the right thing is increasingly going out of style. Gaslighting is so common on far-left ideologies that even mainstream American called it into question as evidenced with this most recent national election. So, there is hope that America is waking up.

But the attitudes toward the not yet tried and convicted suspect in this recent murder tells me we are in an incredibly dangerous place. How can we openly voice such hate? Where has our respect for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness gone? What is worse here, is as I talk to those who feel this way they have no remorse about their hate!

Please step back and compare this article to what you are seeing around the world in what we like to call radical hate groups such as Hamas and others? We say we reject hate speech and phrases like “death to Israel” yet this NBC article points out we harbor hate at the same levels. Notice that no one in the article points out this is all hate speech!

Yes, you can say this is in response to wrongs by the healthcare company … but … killing a person just because you disagree with their business dealings crosses an ethical and moral line that I thought was not acceptable in this country. Perhaps not. I would hope that our politicians pass laws against AI that condones and/or promotes hate speech.  And, should you think I am exaggerating, please take a careful read of this: https://wapo.st/4g7vyPd

Hate speech is not acceptable within our freedoms of speech.

The recent pardon of Hunter Biden along with the media’s forgetfulness of what we learned on his laptop are truly frightening. Doesn’t everyone remember the details that proved both father and son were doing illegal international dealings?  Could it be that by President Biden pardoning his son he was attempting to avoid that he himself would be charged at some future time for those dealings?  Why hasn’t anyone pointed this out as the blinding flash of the obvious?  Yet, that laptop seems to have been forgotten by the press. This also is especially hard to stomach given Biden’s repeated insistence he would not pardon his son if convicted.

Biden’s sweeping pardon recommendation goes so far beyond the customary presidential pardons.  You would think this would strike an immediate rage in the press.  This complicity makes me truly wonder whether the press have any ethical backbone. It is refreshing to see some Democrats breaking rank, and even some in the media are crying foul. But most of the press are still confirming my prior blog’s criticism by gaslighting the American public. They have gaslit for decades now, but Americans have learned to see it.  But now it is just getting ridiculous.  The consequent loss in public confidence and trust is tragic.

Some bleeding-heart liberals will quote the biblical stories Jesus told about mercy and forgiveness.  Anyone teaching Sunday School struggles to explain Christ’s repeated illustrations of how mercy and reconciliation trump equity and what we define as justice. Whether it is the laborer who is hired at the last hour or the prodigal son, many Christians will cry out (if they feel they are safe in doing so) “that’s not fair!” How can someone who just works one hour be paid the same amount as the person who worked eight? It is not fair, but the story is not about that at all. It is about the redemption of people, not being fair. After all, from God’s perspective, the person who is redeemed at the last minute is still that, lest they boast.  I don’t see parallels to this in the POTUS actions.

Explaining these stories requires a much deeper understanding of the concept of redemption vs. the simpler concept of justice. Jesus was emphasizing the end state that restores the person and the situation to harmony in the eyes of God. Jews refer to this state in their word shalom and the act of getting to it in the word chesed … which translates to unmerited favor. That is, the person doesn’t deserve it. This is not about fairness. The best illustration of these Jewish ideas is in Micah 6:8 answering the question of what the Lord expects of us: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

But, Joel, the word justly is right there in plain sight, and it is not justly correct to pay the laborer who only worked that one hour the same! Let’s take a closer look at the word justly.  In Micah 6:8, the Hebrew word for just is mishpat. Tim Keller from Uncuffed says “mishpat’s most basic meaning is to treat people equitably. It means acquitting or punishing every person on the merits of the case, regardless of race or social status.

Anyone who does the same wrong should be given the same penalty. But it means more than just the punishment of wrongdoing. It also means giving people their rights. Mishpat is giving people what they are due, whether punishment or protection or care. So, this term is to put the actions alongside the concept of mercy, obviously implying God is the final judge of the outcome.

We can clearly see the injustice in America’s past with native Americans, blacks, Jews and others. We repeatedly state this is the land where everyone has the same inalienable rights: The right to enjoy and defend one’s life and liberties, the right to acquire, possess, and protect property, the right to seek one’s safety, health, and happiness in lawful ways.  The details are important: We have freedom of speech, to worship or not, the right to travel anywhere in our borders, the right to self-defense, and the right to privacy.

Inalienable rights are different from legal rights, which can be removed by the government under certain circumstances, most notably the offense of crimes against another citizen. Yet here we deal with the concept of mercy and the pardoning of criminals by a president. The pardon by President Biden is illegal and unfair. It sets a precedent that will haunt us all for decades if it is allowed to persist.

Will any religious leaders weigh in here? Will the politicians use this as an excuse to use the pardon for almost everything they want to hide in the future? How is that justice and mercy for the average American?

It makes me wonder … no it doesn’t really. The phrase that now comes to my mind is “I smell gas!” You eggheads already know the rotten egg smell in natural gas is added intentionally by gas companies to allow people to easily detect gas leaks, as natural gas itself is odorless.  Otherwise, their homes and businesses would blow up.

So, by analogy, gaslighting is getting pretty stinky. That stink should be a warning we are in real danger.  As the old phrase goes: “There is clearly something rotten in Denmark!”

I graduated college during the year that the most beautiful car ever created was introduced: the Jaguar XKE. It was a sensuous display of mechanical beauty and defined the color British racing green along with the intoxicating smell of tan leather seats and interior trim.

The car looked like it was sculpted in a wind tunnel, adorned with gauges and a stick shift that dignified that style of driving. It was not about how fast the car could go, but how good it could look even standing still. There was a reason it would be displayed in the Gugenheim Museum of Modern Art as the definition of automotive art.

Yes, the ignition was twitchy and unreliable, and you really needed a fulltime mechanic in your family if you owned one. Yes, you could get a hard top or even the 2+2 configuration to tote your small kids in the back seats. But, no … there was no other car on the road that defined the ultimate in raw sensuality … if a car can be defined that way.

Over the years, I have hoped that Jaguar would bring that car back along with modern technologies to make it reliable. I know there are electric versions of that XKE but I am not eager to hand out over $300,000 for one. Back when I graduated from college you could buy an XKE for about 2/3rd the starting salary of an engineer … about $5,000.

Today’s Jaguar line is good looking, and somewhat distinct. I do understand that modern brand management leaders are looking to find a differentiation, much like BMW did with their slogan “the ultimate driving experience” or Lexus’ “relentless pursuit of perfection.”

Somehow, in some dark room, a group of individuals crafted this for Jaguar:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jaguar-rebrand-is-pink-diverse-and-doesnt-feature-any-cars-904d2d12?st=LTNAQs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

I can promise you they didn’t test this message against mainstream America. Perhaps they have identified their key demographic is somehow excited about this progressive abstract idea. It reminds me of the way the Infiniti car brand was introduced … without any pictures of cars. Here are those ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_a3fZVo12M Notice at least that the ads talked about it being a car. That ad didn’t work well then and doesn’t work now. People are visual. More so today than even then.

Cars are not commodities. They represent diverse perspectives, so yes, there are many brands that can be defined. Some will be utilitarian or even funky like the VW Beetle. Others will align with aspirations and personalities like the Corvette vs. the Mustang vs. the Dodge Charger, etc. Brand loyalties exist within each of these and make sense.

The rebranding ad from Jaguar just doesn’t do anything good, and it may be their ruination. As you watch the ad in the link below, look at the comment section below it to see the public’s reaction and compare that to Jaguar management:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLtFIrqhfng&t=1s

Here are just a few of the 29,000 comments when I watched the ad:

“Jaguar’s pronouns are Was/Were.” “As someone involved in the field of marketing and also from a consumer perspective this is one of the most embarrassing ads to study.” “This rebranding is going to be studied in marketing classes in colleges around the world for the next 50 years on how to instantly drive a prestigious brand directly into a wall at full speed.”

And, here are a few more:

“My Jag just lost 90% of its value.” “Who did this? The Paris Olympics opening ceremony creative team?” “102 Years Old Company… …Destroyed in 30 seconds.” “Jaguar is officially dead, they’ve been dying for like the last 10 years this just the nail in the coffin.” “This will go down as one of the worst marketing decisions in history.”

Now, some … a very few … have suggested this rebrand video was deliberately done to get Jaguar the attention to its new electric fleet with its edgy look.  I hope for their sake they are right, but the timing of a woke approach right after one of the most dramatic election rebukes of these woke ideas seems deadly to me.  

Stay tuned … we will see very shortly, won’t we?  I personally believe everyone associated with this at Jaguar is about to be fired.  Media outlets around the world are having a field day, all with utter condemnation.  

I find that comforting.  However, I really would like to see these new car designs.  Hopefully, the damage done by this ad will not destroy the market for them.

How honest are we with ourselves about how we feel or think? My father was loyal to the Ford car brand … to the point he could not buy a General Motors car even if it was better or cheaper. When I bought a Pontiac Firebird as I graduated from college he bristled with disagreement, and I still remember when he took it for a spin and then dismissed it as a toy. I admire any company that can create that kind of loyalty.

My wife and I now feel the same about the Lexus car brand, having bought the first LS400 to come onshore and having bought new models about every 10-15 years since then. However, we would freely buy another car brand if we liked it better … but we don’t.  We just looked at every alternative once again.

In like manner, people seem to become brand loyal to their political parties as well. I respect that as well, and as I have conversations about political points of view, I find it fascinating to see how people positively interpret things that most everyone else knows are wrong.

After all, everyone knew President Biden’s mental and physical acuity was falling rapidly, but it was only after that debate that the painful truth needed to be faced. Once again, I understand and admire loyalty, but in this case our country was at risk. Yet, everyone within the party ranks insisted President Biden was fully capable.  Similarly, look at the 538 polls about Vice President Harris’s approval rating at the top of this blog.  The sharp uptick occurred when she was designated as the Democratic candidate for POTUS.  What changed?  Was it bias or brand loyalty that kicked in?

Whether it was the word salad or her irritating witch-like cackle, most Americans simply found her unfavorable … that is, until she was the candidate for the highest office in the land. Then, miraculously as if she had become a different person, somehow, she arose from the dead.

What changed? Think about it! No … really … please think about it. Nothing changed. But, now Democrats had to show their brand loyalty … they didn’t have a choice. She never got a single vote in the primary. Nobody wanted her as POTUS, but now she was their choice.  So, when polled, her favorability rose sharply.

I watched this and thought it was remarkable. The Emperor’s New Clothes story was playing out in real time, and nobody seemed to be reporting on it. The Australian media were having a field day mocking our political process, but the American media was so loyal to the Democratic Party and the leftwing policies they were espousing, they ignored it all.  Others are now pointing this out.

Now, after the landslide rebuke of it all, let’s see if anyone learns anything.
This all reminds me of the person I met in New York City snapping his fingers at the entrance to the subway station. I stopped to ask why he was snapping his fingers incessantly and he told me it was because it kept the tigers away. When I reminded him that there were no tigers on the loose in New York City he remarked: “See … it works like a charm!” So, those of you who are brand loyal to the Democratic Party … look at this:

Do you see a pattern here? Do you still want to focus on a person, or are you willing to focus on what you say you believe?  Then, when essentially everyone who is not brand loyal rebukes your ideas, are you willing to learn from it?

Dialogue and discussion are truly needed.  The media has a great deal to learn.  I am seeing some of them press the restart button.  Let’s hope for more.