Why
would two giants in their industry merge?
Random House and Penguin recently merged to form the world’s largest
book publisher. Now, two leading
advertising agencies are combining to form the world’s largest ad powerhouse.
Publicis
of Paris and Omnicom of New York just displaced previous No. 1 agency, WPP of
London. The two companies have a
combined stock capitalization of $30 billion.
Last year, Publicis grew revenue by 14% and Omnicom grew by 2.5%.
The two firms represent some of the biggest brands, including Pepsi, Visa, AT&T, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. It seems there’s a huge conflict of interest when Coke and Pepsi are under one umbrella.
The
newly crowned behemoth already consists of large networks of iconic ad
agencies, including Saatchi and Saatchi, TBWA, BBDO, Leo Burnett and DDB.
Whenever
big industry leaders merge one wonders if more mergers are to come. The answer is “yes.”
The
news media, advertising, book publishing, public relations, and marketing firms
tend to have mergers and takeovers whenever:
·
The
economy slows down
·
The
economy is about to take off
·
Technology
or some other industry change drives deals
·
The
landscape changes (others then follow to compete)
Does
it mean anything to the consumer? Well,
whenever there’s less competition, prices rise and innovation declines. Price increases in ad agency fees get passed
on to the consumers. On the other hand, it means an opportunity may
soon open up for smaller firms to do what big ones can’t or choose not to do.
But could you imagine Facebook merging with LinkedIn or Google and Microsoft? That has happened with publishing and advertising. I expect more mergers, perhaps within industries and across them. Not only might two more big publishers merge together, but you might then see that newly formed unit team up to buy an ad agency or a media outlet.
Eventually,
Mr. Potter (from It’s a Wonderful Life) or Mr. Burns (from the Simpsons) will
own it all.
Interview
With Author Emily Liebert
What type of books do you
write? I write Commercial Women's
Fiction. My first book, Facebook Fairytales, was narrative non-fiction. You Knew Me When is my debut novel and my next novel after that will
come out in September 2014. I just finished writing the first draft!
What is your newest book
about? My debut novel, You Knew Me When, is a
story about the bonds of love and friendship—how they can be severed and
mended. It's about finding your place and your way in the world and making sure
your priorities are on track. The main character Katherine Hill left her small New England hometown in pursuit of a
dream. Twelve years later, she’s a high-powered cosmetics executive in
Manhattan and a much glossier version of her former self, unrecognizable to her
family and old friends. Her former best friend, Laney Marten, always swore
she’d never get “stuck” in Manchester, Vermont. She felt she was destined to
live out her glamorous big city dreams. Instead, she wound up a young wife and
a mother. That was when Katherine ran out. Over a decade passes
and Katherine receives word of an inheritance from former neighbor Luella
Hancock. She reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind.
Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney and her former
love, Grant. Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling
Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their longstanding
grudges. Through this, they come to understand that, while life took them in
different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still
bind them. Together, the two women will discover that sometimes the only way to
move forward is to go back.
What inspired you to write
it? I’ve always been interested in
female friendships and how bonds can be severed and mended over time. When I
was younger, I had a best friend who promptly dumped me as soon as I started
dating my first serious boyfriend. We reconnected years later, but it was never
the same.
What is the writing process
like for you? I have a
routine. When I’m in working mode, I usually write for about four hours a
day—in the morning and early afternoon. The rest of my working time is spent on
publicity, partnerships, conference calls and all of the other things (outside
of writing) that go with publishing a book! If I get a lot of writing done Monday-Thursday, sometimes I’ll give myself Friday off from writing to give my brain time to “think.” The
words don't flow easily all the time, but you have to push yourself. Some of my
best ideas are conceived in the shower or when I wake up in the middle of the
night!
What
did you do before you became an author? I've
always been in the journalism industry in one way or another. My first job was
as an assistant to an Executive Producer at ABC News. After that, I was the
Editor-in-Chief of The WAG Magazine
for five years—it's a luxury lifestyle magazine covering Westchester and
Fairfield Counties. Then I freelanced for a number of years, writing travel,
fashion, beauty, and celebrity profiles for national magazines. After that I
edited Kerry Kennedy's New York
Times bestseller Being
Catholic Now. And then I wrote my first book.
How does it feel to be a
published author? It feels very gratifying. I've worked hard to get
where I am. I had a lot of doors slammed in my face. But you have to keep
kicking them in. It's also a nice feeling to be employed as an author during
what many perceive to be a challenging time for the publishing industry.
Any advice for struggling
writers? Write
what you're passionate about. Write every day; it helps you develop a rhythm.
Push yourself. Develop a thick skin. We've ALL been rejected (many times!).
Where do you see book
publishing heading? I like to believe that people will always read
books, whether it's a hard copy or via an electronic device. It's certainly
become more challenging for authors to sell books to publishing houses,
especially now with the merging of Penguin and Random House. Still, I think the
good books and talented authors will inevitably rise to the top!
For more information, please see: http://www.emilyliebert.com
Potential
Resources For Funding Your Writing?
Aspen
Institute Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program
Center
for Effective Philanthropy
Charity
Navigator
CharityVillage.com
(general resource for the Canadian nonprofit sector)
Giving
Global
Global
Giving
Grantmakers
for Effective Organizations
Grantmakers
Without Borders
GrantSmart.org
The
Philanthropic Initiative
Venture
Philanthropy Guide (venture philanthropy landscape in the US and Canada)
Book excerpt from: All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert
Fulghum
“I
believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge; that myth is more potent
than history; that dreams are more powerful than facts; that hope always
triumphs over experience; that laughter is the only cure for grief; and I
believe that love is stronger than death.”
“Share
everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things
that aren’t yours. Say you’re sorry when
you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good
for you. Live a balanced life – learn
some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work
every day some. Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and
stick together. Be aware of wonder.”
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013
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