Le Blog
Rebrander-In-Chief?
My esteemed onetime partner in FOX research crime Melva Goffney Benoit passed along this eye-opener as mine attempted to fight off a full day of migraines as they struggled to open today. Like moi, she’s seen more than her share of both good and bad brand research, and we’re both experienced and nuanced enough to
What’s More Valuable To You? The Water Or The Pipe?
We’ve all got a little extra time on our hands this holiday weekend, enough to actually give the question we asked above a bit of thought. Because it’s not all that cut-and-dry to answer and, from my experience, there’s little that qualifies as a wrong answer, so long as YOU have a justification for thinking
Can Pods Save America?
I had almost forgotten how much I missed the wit and banter of late night television hosts, not that the term “late night” is really all that applicable any more. When they were in production, like the majority of those who collectively still watch the Jimmys (Kimmel and Fallon), Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Seth
If Someone Else Builds A Better Mousetrap, You Shouldn’t Be A Rat
In worlds where the fates of thousands and the destination of millions of dollars rides on the accuracy of results from a smattering of votes, it’s almost understandable that there are countless examples of people complaining about outcomes. Lord knows we’ve seen it in politics–lately, especially. We’ve also seen it in media since–well, pretty much
Appealing To Even Higher Authorities
TO: KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FR: STEVE LEBLANG, MEDIA CONSULTANT RE: A CRISIS IN YOUR HOMETOWN Dear Madame Vice President: Forgive if you can my boldness and directness, but considering a day doesn’t go by when you or one of your colleagues sends me several e-mails asking for my money to
Perhaps It’s Time To Think Like A Monk, Not An Executive
This has been a seminal summer for the world of streaming content. The platforms that have enabled the “peak TV” world have been under intense pressure, mostly by Wall Street, to do better, and the reality is that the best they have been able to do is to cut costs and bodies and, where possible,
I (Still) Have A Dream
I’m hardly an expert on the current or even the historic state of equal rights, but I have been around enough to know how important and impactful an action that took place 60 years ago today was. As THE GUARDIAN’s David Smith recalled: The original March on Washington took place on 28 August 1963, a hundred years
Cue The Horns?
It’s not been the best of summers for a lot of us, but far worse if you were a nonagenarian legend. Tony Bennett last month, and, yesterday, Bob Barker passed away in what could only be described as amidst a most ironic set of circumstances. 100 days short of his 100th birthday. “as close as
It’s Not Me, It’s You
When FX was building its first batch of successful shows (and, in hindsight, the foundation of what eventually led to both the explosion of “peak TV” and the streaming business that has metaticized it), we were constantly looking for ways to articulate exactly how much of an impact they had made on viewers, who to