Senators Propose Banning Teens From Social Media Without Parental Consent

• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, Yesterday

A new bipartisan Senate bill would require social media platforms to verify users' ages, prohibit teens under 18 from using social media without parental consent, and completely ban children under 13 from social media.

The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, unveiled Wednesday by Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), and Katie Britt (R-Alabama) also would prohibit social media platforms from using algorithms -- defined as fully or partially automated systems -- to recommend material to teens.

The measure defines social media platforms as companies that allow users to create accounts to post or distribute media, with exemptions for a broad range of companies -- including online news sites, gaming platforms, and online retail marketplaces.

The bill comes as an increasing number of states are attempting to regulate teens' use of social media.

This year, Utah and Arkansas passed bills that ban minors under 18 from using most large social media platforms without parental consent. The bill in Arkansas also explicitly requires social media platforms to verify users' ages.

A California law that was passed last year directs online companies to prioritize teens' best interests and well-being, and restricts online companies from collecting a wide range of data from teens.

The California law is currently facing a challenge by the tech industry organization NetChoice, and the Utah and Arkansas bills are expected to be challenged in court.

NetChoice on Wednesday criticized the proposed federal bill.

“If enacted, this would require massive, widespread data collection and retention, undermining Americans’ privacy and security,” NetChoice general counsel Carl Szabo stated.

Advocacy groups Common Sense Media, Fairplay, and The Center for Digital Democracy also expressed concerns about the bill.

Those organizations, which advocate for children, said they support a ban on algorithmic recommendations to teens, but oppose other provisions, including ones banning teens from social media without parental consent.

“By requiring parental consent before a teen can use a social media platform, vulnerable minors, including LGBTQ+ kids and kids who live in unsupportive households, may be cut off from access to needed resources and community,” the three groups said in a joint statement.

They added that the age verification provisions “introduce troubling implications for the privacy of all users.”

The Supreme Court has previously said that teens have First Amendment rights, including the right to access information. In one notable ruling, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 in 2011 to strike down a California law that banned the sale of violent video games to minors, without parental consent.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who authored the opinion in that case, wrote that the government doesn't have a “free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed.

He added that basic free speech principles “do not vary when a new and different medium for communication appears.”

Courts have also ruled in the past that age verification laws online unconstitutionally infringe on people's right to access information anonymously.

 

AI Rising: Should Sales Leaders be Updating Their Resumes?

By

 Ariel Hitron

 -

April 25, 2023

B2B sales are changing radically. With increasing focus on methodologies like SPIN, sales interactions have shifted to a more structured format. At the same time, AI-powered sales operations automation tools are moving mainstream. Once there’s a closed-loop formula for the sales process, and automated tools in place to support it, the role salespeople play over the next decade will inevitably evolve.

The question is how deep will the AI-fueled change to sales reach? And, more importantly, should sales leaders start thinking about updating their resumes?

The Next Sales Employee of the Month: Wally or Wall-E

The short answer is no. Barring an unlikely technological singularity, for example, where AI develops true self-awareness and goes full Terminator on human society – AI will not be taking over any time soon.

In the foreseeable future, however, AI will continue to vanquish humans at chess and Go. It will create incredible original works of art and music. It will generate ever-more lifelike deep fakes. And it will even get so good at emulating human empathy that AI-powered companions will enjoy ever-wider adoption.

Yet the key word here is “emulating.” Because despite the most radical projections, along with questionable claims that AI self-awareness has already been achieved – it is unlikely that AI will develop actual empathy and actual curiosity. And it is these traits that facilitate the trust relationship that we in the business trenches know to be the basis of effective sales.

That said, digital emulation of human interaction will improve to a point where it will be increasingly difficult to tell the difference. This trend is already driving proposed legislation to dictate how organizations should use AI ethically to facilitate the “ecosystem of trust” that drives commerce.

And yes, the accelerated adoption of AI-powered sales solutions will undoubtedly whittle down the human element required for sales funnel management. But how far can this go?

What Can Be Automated?

Technology is already pushing the boundaries of what can be automated in the sales domain. Essentially, everything that’s transactional and repeatable can conceivably be accomplished by technology. If it can be broken down into consistent roles and actions, it can be automated. Here are some examples.

Sales Readiness – In the movie “The Matrix,” Neo learned kung fu in 10 seconds. We are not there yet, but AI helps accelerate learning and readiness so the process is done in hours rather than months. Sales reps can be empowered by AI to quickly master selling new products within new markets and adapt instantly to changing environments.

Pre-Sales – Pre-sales teams use automated web crawlers to gather competitor and market data, then apply AI-powered tools that analyze and predict total addressable market, revenue potential per prospect, and more. This helps sales organizations better forecast market trends, update quotas accordingly, and even systemize sales call plans. AI also helps pre-sales automatically detect the root causes of bottlenecks in the sales process, as well as generating call lists and instructing salespeople when to call which customers with which messages.

Lead Generation and SDR – For prospecting and lead generation, marketing and sales teams are already automating conversations with intelligent virtual assistants that communicate autonomously with leads and customers. AI-powered bots engage with incoming leads, respond to initial inquiries and (importantly) qualify leads at scale in real-time. When qualified leads are ready to talk to sales, the solutions automatically book a meeting or demo.

Sales Admin – Sales administration teams use AI and NLP-based tools to speed RFP response time – automatically analyzing and exporting pricing schemes, as well as accelerating discount or rebate management. Billing workflows are also streamlined with AI-based account receivables and payments management systems for invoice generation and processing.

Sales Interactions – AI is enabling salespeople to come into the picture deeper into the sales cycle. They’re better prepared to speak to prospects and can leverage powerful data-driven insights during interactions themselves. For example, AI-powered tools provide customer intent data based on past history, and on-screen response suggestions to issues raised during calls. AI-driven software can also offer real-time analysis of facial micro-expressions, to help direct salespeople away from potential landmines during calls.

Post-Sales and Sales Operations – After the sale, AI-powered tools automate analysis of customer feedback and behavior. This helps call centers improve customer satisfaction and lower Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR), while raising First Call Resolution (FCR) – freeing up valuable call center resources and lowering costs. AI tools are also used to identify customers with a high probability of churn and automatically generate retention offers.

What Can’t be Automated?

Simply put, people. Humanity cannot yet be automated.

AI is not yet sincerely empathetic. AI is not yet genuinely curious. In a business context, AI is not yet able to uncover needs the buyer doesn’t even know he or she has yet. It’s not able to help prospects think creatively beyond their immediate needs – something that any good salesperson does intuitively.

Yet most importantly, AI is not yet able to forge and maintain real trust. And this is why AI will not be supplanting sales leaders or sales teams in the near future. What AI will be doing, however, is using AI-powered solutions to lay the foundations of trust, and streamline the process of maintaining trust that is key to augmenting revenues and ensuring repeat sales.

AI will ultimately narrow the sales funnel – conducting many of the tasks at the top and bottom of the funnel that are currently done by humans, while leaving crucial trust-building and negotiations in the hands of experienced human sales teams.

 

How To Use Storytelling to Create Impactful Commercials.

• Apr 21, 2023 Updated Apr 25, 2023
 

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The art of storytelling is one of the original forms of communication, relaying vital information and history long before man put pencil to paper. That art form continues today in the 21st century and can be a valuable and powerful tool for marketers.

“What we learned about life came from stories sitting around the campfire,” Jeffrey Hedquist, President & Creative Director, Hedquist Productions explained to attendees at a Sip-and-Speak session at the recent NAB Show in Las Vegas. “So, our DNA is built for those stories… If you want to reach somebody [in a commercial spot], tell the story. Because facts then become sticky and they remember. If you’re not doing that, you’re wasting your time.”

The session, “Storytell to Sell! Secrets to Skyrocket TSL and Sell More Spots,” was moderated by Josh Miely, Director, Member Experience, National Association of Broadcasters, and was recorded for “The NAB Podcast,” which he hosts and is approaching its 200th episode.

“Today we are going to be talking particularly about storytelling on the radio,” Miely explained to attendees.

During the fast-paced half-hour session, Valerie Geller, President of Geller Media International, said, “The minute a human being says ‘what happens next’ … you own them as a listener or as a member of the audience… stories are the crack cocaine of human interaction.”

Translating storytelling to the audio industry can be done with testimonials and by using the audience itself. “You'll find that customers of companies will say things that no copywriter could write,” Hedquist explained. “It has so much more credibility, people want to hear from their peers, they want to hear from their tribe… we used to say that radio is not theater of the mind, radio is theater of the gut. It presents a visual response.”

Geller believes it’s about “creating content that people want to listen to.” She continued, “The trick of the game is to make it feel like [the audience] is hearing it from a friend.”

Hedquist believes a way to become a great writer, specifically for radio is by doing improv, where you learn to “yes, and.” This comes in handy when a client presents you with a challenge. “They’re trying to sell a prostate center, but they want to do it with a jingle… So, what you do is say yes… and then your mind will come up with ideas.”

Storytelling is not only relegated to just commercial messages. It also comes into play for radio sellers who are meeting with clients.

“The most important question that you can ask a client is, ‘What is the emotional problem, this product or service solves?’” Hedquist advises.

Geller added, “Sometimes if you can show a client some of the downsides, it can be really helpful.” Be honest and truthful, she advised. “That's the core of real communication. Listeners, and clients, don’t respond to fake.” Hedquist agreed, adding, “People want to hear something that's real. And it doesn't have to be perfect.” The key, he says, is “authenticity and believability.”

In closing, Hedquist implored to “learn how to tell stories… ask the unusual questions.”

“For me, the most important thing to impart is when you are working to engage audiences, whether they're people who are going to give you money to buy commercials, or whether it's just the audience that we're making a bid for their time and attention through the content that we are providing, is what’s in it for them,” Geller said. – Jay Gleason

NASBA Survey Shows What Americans Would Lose Without AM Radio In Vehicles.

• Apr 27, 2023 Updated 37 min ago
 

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As Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Volvo, Tesla and other automakers plan to eliminate AM radio in certain vehicles, AM radio listeners to more than 4,000 stations risk losing access to breaking news, weather alerts, farm reports, favorite music, and informative talk programs. Even with the FCC’s AM Modernization efforts that have added FM translators for many AMs, many stations do not have an FM counterpart and do not stream their community-focused signals over the internet. These are among the findings from an April survey of more than 1,000 AM radio stations from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Fielded by the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA), the survey was conducted in response to the growing trend of automakers removing AM receivers from electric vehicles. The issue isn’t confined to just EVs. Ford has said it will remove AM from “most new and updated models.”

Level Of Concern

How concerned are AM broadcasters? Eight in ten survey respondents put their level of concern at 10 out of 10 when it comes to AM being eliminated in the car.

“The findings show what we expected – AM radio across America is a diverse mix of music and talk and a vital link for millions of listeners,” said Dewey Bruce, President of NASBA and the Montana Broadcasters Association.

The goal of the AM station survey was three-fold, Bruce explains. "First, we wanted to confirm AM radio’s diverse landscape of formats, languages, and ownership. Second, we wanted to quantify AM radio’s crucial part in the nation’s Emergency Alert System. And third, we wanted feedback that will guide our state association response going forward.”

While the common perception is that only talk radio thrives on AM, Bruce says the survey found that 40% of respondents air music formats that range from classic country and oldies to Spanish regional Mexican and inspirational gospel.

In response to a request from Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) to the heads of 20 major car brands to detail their plans for AM radio in their vehicles, several automakers suggested that even with AM radio excised from the dash, drivers would still be able to access AM radio programming through streaming audio or FM translators. The survey found that’s not entirely true. While upwards of 70% of responding stations can be found on FM translators, hundreds of stations are without a home on FM. Extrapolating that percentage to the 4,475 licensed AM stations in the U.S., NASBA says 1,300 AM stations could be left in the dark.

And of the roughly 725 stations that indicated they did have an FM translator, less than 20% have an FM signal coverage area that is equal to or greater than its AM counterpart.

Says NASBA, “Removing AM radio from automobiles would result in giant swaths of the United States at risk of not receiving critical emergency communications from federal, state, or local governments.”

Low Streaming Penetration, High EAS Coverage

Moreover, the survey found that more than half of AM stations do not currently have a standalone mobile app and 40% are not currently found on radio aggregator apps. “For many AM operators working diligently to keep their over-the-air signal on the air, providing the local news, music, entertainment, and emergency information that their communities rely upon, the expense of streaming their station and paying additional royalties is simply not realistic,” NASBA says.

Almost all survey respondents (99%) indicated they participate in the Emergency Alert System (EAS). According to FEMA, Primary Entry Point or PEP stations – designated distribution stations for EAS messages that are mostly on the AM dial – can reach 90% of the U.S. population in the event of an emergency. “That coverage is significantly reduced if AM can no longer be found in automobiles, “ NASBA says.

The heads of 10 state broadcaster associations have formed a Dashboard Subcommittee within NASBA to slow or stop the removal of AM radio from the dashboard. The subcommittee is working with member stations, the National Association of Broadcasters, and proponents of AM radio around the country.

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Getting 'Butts in Seats' - In Movie Theaters

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Morning-morning quarterbacking might offer up how absurd it was that Universal Studios' "Super Mario Bros. Movie" was intended exclusively or otherwise for a streaming platform.

It has scored nearly $900 million at the theatrical box office globally. That's around the net loss of most premium streamers per year from legacy media companies' platforms -- Peacock, Paramount+, whatever.

Remember when streaming exclusively was a thing? Its heyday was just after WarnerMedia's new HBO Max launched in May 2020, which then had a plan to stream -- exclusively -- mostly everything that was intended to go theatrically. (Yes, this was partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed theaters).

Back to "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" -- it now has the best result for Universal Studios for an animated movie -- and third-best domestically overall ever behind “Jurassic World” and “ET.”

All this confirms publicly a major reversal of what Warner Bros. Discovery has been trying to do recently, for the better part of a year or so: It now looks to monetize all content -- TV, movies and otherwise -- outside of HBO Max, soon to be re-launched as just Max.

Some of the initial Warner Bros. TV/movie library, which was placed exclusively on HBO Max, has now been sold to other parties under license deals.

Putting theatrically intended movies exclusively onto streaming doesn't even get headlines -- only for some “movies-made-for-TV” quality content.

Movie studios -- while they are seeing traditional moviegoers steadily returning to the big screen -- still haven’t gotten to their usual number of “butts in seats” (A movie marketer's sometimes key phrase).

Still, proponents of streaming might say all these early efforts -- from WarnerMedia -- did in fact help pull in and sustain subscribers.

Perhaps some research should track -- if possible -- what happens to those theatrical moviegoing subscribers? Are they really back in theaters? On the sidelines? 

Some might say the theatrical moviegoing audience is more segmented than ever before.

While the young crowd still loves the out-of-home experience, the older in-theater movie customers realize they could stay at home with their big screens and seemingly endless choice of movies and TV shows.

This is especially true of those big action adventure/fantasy/animated movies for those young audiences. Movie studios would say “Mario” still pulled in older consumers -- as part of succeeding in getting their target “four” quadrant audience.

But if premium streaming marketing is to be believed, big-time movie and TV content can be available -- almost always, and as soon as possible -- on CTV.

So maybe -- for the time being -- home is where the movie heart is.

 

U.S. Ad Index Falls For 9th Consecutive Month in March

• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, 7 hours ago

The U.S. Ad Market Tracker fell for the ninth consecutive month in March, signaling a continuing weakening of demand from the nation's biggest national advertisers and agencies.

The tracker, a composite monthly index of actual ad spending from the major agency holding companies and independents that pool their data through Standard Media Index, indicates that at least that portion of the U.S. ad economy appears to be in recession.

In fact, the top 10 ad categories in the composite fell at a greater rate (-8.6%) than all other categories (-7.9%) in March.

Much of this year's ad-spending erosion compares with strong growth for year-ago periods.

Digital continues to increase its share (62% in March) relative to non-digital media.

 

Initiative's Bosetti: This Could Be the Year We Shift from Linear to Finding Audiences Where They Are

• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, 5 hours ago

The 2023-24 upfront marketplace will be the most bifurcated yet in terms of the shift from linear TV to audience-buying, and it will likely be the one that passes an inflection point, Initiative Chief Partnerships Officer Maureen Bosetti said during a discussion of top agency media buyers at MediaPost's Outfront Forum Wednesday morning in New York City.

While many clients will continue to buy the upfront with a traditional linear programming mindset -- especially targeting big event programming like the Olympics, NBC's "SNL 50" anniversary event, etc. -- enough technology has come into place where advertisers and agencies can now simply buy reach wherever their audiences are, regardless of what programming they are watching, she explained.

"There's big events coming and then the rest of it is, 'I just want to extend my reach and find my audiences,'" she said, adding: "I think you're going to see a shift into 'Hey, how do I just find my audience wherever they are.' I feel like this could be the year we see a much bigger shift in that direction."

Bosetti echoed a theme expressed by other Outfont Forum panelists that upfront buying increasingly is shifting away from conventional programming slates and more toward a notion that audiences are self-defining what their premium viewing environments are, and leveraging data and technology to reach them increasingly will be the direction of the upfront's future.