Month: February 2018

California is taking a technological leap of faith. It is now allowing self-driving cars to go on the roads without an attendant behind the wheel. This could be a PR/Marketing triumph or a disaster. It depends whether the autonomous autos negotiate the roads without accidents or other run-ins.  The engineering companies, such as Waymo, have been working toward this day for years. They are eager to start sending vehicles on the road by themselves. One unknown in all this is the sentiment of the passengers. Will they be tempted to seize the wheel if they get nervous? Can they sit quietly in the passenger seat and let the car proceed as it wishes? The issue is not so much the automated vehicle but drivers around it who weave in and out and cut off others then panic stop. Humans are the problem, not machines.

Telephone equipment suppliers are on the verge of a massive roll-out of 5G cellular systems, which will deliver data faster than ever to phones.  One CEO is estimating 5 billion 5G subscriptions worldwide by 2023. It is not too early for marketers and PR practitioners to begin to strategize how to use the increased speed to advantage. It might take some creative thinking but those who arrive first with the most effective ways to use content will be the winners. One thought is that it will be useful for individual targeting. A person passing by a retailer’s store will receive an instant message to drop in for special savings. This can be done now but it will be faster with 5G. It will take time to create services that can take advantage of faster speeds. There is no profit in waiting.

The US Citizen and Immigration Service has changed its mission statement. It has eliminated reference to immigrants being customers and it now stresses protection of America. Words matter. It is clear that the agency has pushed the immigrant to the background while focusing on security. There wasn’t anything wrong with the old mission statement other than it was too long, as the present one is as well. Making immigrants secondary to security and preservation of American values implies that migrants infect rather than build our society. Nothing could be further from the truth. One hopes that once Trump is out of office and nativist leanings are reined in that the Service can return to its original spirit and recognize once again a nation of immigrants.

There is an old saying, “The best defense is a good offense.”  The National Rifle Association apparently believes it and is striking back hard at gun control advocates. Wayne LaPierre, the face of the NRA, delivered a forceful speech in defense of the Second Amendment and the right to own guns. He trotted out the old trope, “The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” He called for hardening schools by arming guards and teachers. He gave not an inch. There is a feeling, however, that this time might be different. Even the President is calling for outlawing Bump Stocks, which turn a semi-automatic into a machine gun. At least four governors have agreed to work together to increase control over flows of weapons to their states. If the Federal Government will do nothing, states might have to move for themselves. Expert opinion believes it will be a long, slow slog to gain a more effective grip on stopping arms reaching mass murderers, and the NRA  isn’t about to help.

A politician must feel comfortable about his re-election to speak before a hostile audience. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida endured a town hall during which he was booed and lectured by angry participants. It was a PR disaster for him, especially since he upheld his support for the National Rifle Association and would not agree to a ban on assault weapons. Time will tell if it erodes his support in Florida. One wonders why a pol would willingly go into the pit at a time of heightened emotions and furious anger. If he thought he would gain from doing so, his judgment is suspect. If he was there out of concern for the public, then sticking to his positions showed he wasn’t listening. Either way, he lost the audience and probably many observers as well. The Democrats need a credible candidate in Florida for Senator, and Rubio could see his political career at an end.

Kentucky Fried Chicken has run out of chicken in the UK. It has had to close 2/3 of its 900 restaurants in the country because of the shortage.  The chain is making light of it but the situation is serious. There is no faster way to lose customers for the long-term. Once they get out of the habit of going to a KFC because it isn’t open, they won’t come back easily. The real question for the company is how the logistics failure occurred.  It is more than a simple mistake. Somehow their suppliers weren’t communicating to the company.  KFC will fix the gaffe but the ongoing problem is what needs to be addressed. It shouldn’t happen again for any reason.

Not Invented Here is a frequent slam used by entities facing unpleasant competition. They cannot take seriously a product or service, which they did not discover and develop. NASA is facing the NIH syndrome with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. Rather than welcoming the new propulsion system, NASA is doubling down on its Space Launch System, which will cost more to build and fire off than SpaceX’s machine. It seems the agency is living in the past and unable to accept that a commercial entity has beaten it to the finish line with a better and cheaper product. The Falcon Heavy will now go about its business of launching satellites and retrieving boosters for reconditioning and reuse. Meanwhile, Boeing, which is building the SLS, has much to prove that its giant candle will actually be better than the Falcon Heavy, which is here and working today.  SpaceX has won the PR war and NASA is scrambling to catch up.

The NRA is once again defending ownership of guns while relatives prepare to bury 17 murdered students and teachers. An unanswered question is: “Can we learn from other countries what to do?”  Notably, Australia. The Land Down Under banned rapid fire firearms in 1996 after a fatal mass shooting in Tasmania. It hasn’t had a fatal mass shooting in which five or more people have died since then. There is no good reason for semi-automatic weapons in the hands of civilians. They fire with each pull of the trigger without needing to reload because they have a magazine of bullets. Even though they are the most popular long gun sold in America, they deserve to be banned as Australia has done. One can remain secure, have fun on a rifle range and still hunt with breech-loading weapons. The NRA’s publicity has gone too far for too long.

If you are Huawei, how do you persuade the US government to use your telecommunications equipment?  The FBI, NSA and CIA have all cautioned Americans not to use its phones because of a chance of espionage. Huawei is successful throughout the world but not in America because of security fears. It has tried time and again to rebut charges that the Chinese government can use its equipment for intelligence gathering. So far, nothing has worked. The company is in a PR black hole from which it seemingly cannot get out. Persuasion for Huawei starts with the government. If it can’t convince the intelligence agencies that it does not work for the Chinese government, then there is no place else to go. America’s cellular companies aren’t about to work with it and risk the wrath of the Feds. It’s a tough position to be in and one for which there are few answers.

If there is one tech leader who knows about corporate hubris, it is Bill Gates. Microsoft battled with the Federal Government for years over its monopolistic approach to marketing. That is why his warning to the tech community should be taken seriously. He sees companies on direct paths to regulation if they don’t control themselves. He tells companies they have to cooperate with the government more than they are doing.   He cautions that tech leaders should not hold to their views over that of the Feds. Gates skated around the Free Speech argument some companies are making. Regulators will transgress the First Amendment when they feel justified to do so, and tech giants should resist when that happens, but otherwise, Gates words should be taken to heart in Silicon Valley.