Podcasting is NOT the new blogging. And… Will there ever be another Game Of Thrones-sized hit? Plus rants and raves about what happens when your Star Wars podcast attracts the attention of Luke Skywalker, himself. It’s episode 93 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading this by email, click here. Sample and subscribe to Medi

Today I’m proud to announce the latest podcast series written, created, and presented by yours truly in conjunction with the terrific team at Wondery. It’s “Inside Star Wars,” and the first two episodes are now available in all corners of the universe and wherever else podcasts can be found. My goal here was to remind us all why we fell in love with the franchise in the first place. If you or someone you know is or ever has been a fan of Star Wars, then this is the show for t

Disney and the future of TV. And… Has Apple poisoned Netflix? Plus rants and raves about the fallout of Dunkin’s decision to banish “Donuts” from its name and the phenomenon of “niche-ification.” It’s episode 92 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading this by email, click here. Sample and subscribe to Media Unplugged at App

Prediction: Big media will have its hands full with Netflix. And… Spotify and Gimlet and Anchor, oh my! Plus, rants and raves on “grit” and pop up service apps like Recharge (hotel-by-the-minute), Popup (ephemeral coffee shops), and Breather (on-demand private workspaces). It’s episode 91 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re rea

Overpriced shoes? A Hail Mary “Payless.” And… Will malls look more like…towns? Plus, rants and raves on Youtube “Superwoman” Lilly Singh, Capital One Cafe’s, and personalized celebrity videos from Cameo.com It’s episode 89 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading this by email, click here for the audio. Sample and subscribe

Today I’m proud to announce something new: A new division of my company, Mark Ramsey Media. For many years we have served the research needs of all broadcasters everywhere. That will not change. Christian broadcasters, however, are a special subset with special needs and – in many cases – a business model driven by fans, not by ratings. Over time, my company has become the leading strategic research firm for Christian radio. So now we’re doubling down with a new division buil

Can Netflix become HBO before HBO becomes Netflix? And… Can Radio survive without passion? Plus, rants and raves on Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” the demise of SEARS, and more. It’s episode 88 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading this by email, click here for the audio. Sample and subscribe to Media Unplugged a

Photo by Jan Střecha on Unsplash How to blow up podcasting. And… 9 ways to innovate journalism – and media – online. Plus, rants and raves about Oscar’s new “Popular Film” category, the niche luxury brand of (wait for it) dental floss, and how 3 minutes of a podcast can generate tons of publicity for all the wrong reasons. It’s episode 86 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly tr

Disney’s mistakes are costing Star Wars. And… Facebook is losing its cool among teens. Plus, rants and raves about what’s wrong with online reviews, the Onion’s desperate attacks on Facebook as their traffic sinks, and more It’s episode 85 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading this by email, click here for the audio. Samp

As of this writing Inside JAWS is at #2 on Apple Podcasts. #1 in the TV/Film category. Cue proof of performance… So what are the lessons from this (beyond the notion that everybody is listening to Inside JAWS so you should, too)? There are many but I’ll boil down a few: Do great work that you can be enormously proud of Collaborate with peerless, talented collaborators (thank you, Jeff Schmidt) Align with a network that cares about the content as much as you do and knows how t

Are smartphones killing websites? And… Facebook is losing its cool among teens. Plus, rants and raves about IHOP (or is it IHOB?), the “Truth Initiative,” and more. It’s episode 84 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading this by email, click here for the audio. Sample and subscribe to Media Unplugged at iTunes. Or do the sa

Well, not “too smart” per se, but too well educated. And not “too well educated” per se, but so educated they are out of step with the rest of America, or as I like to call them/us: Regular people. Here’s the colorful proof, based on Census data and Edison Research data: Yep. 41% of Americans are graced with a High School education or less. Only 12% have Graduate degrees. Compare that to the regular Podcast listener. Only 15% H.S. or less. 30% have Graduate degrees – almost 6

Do influencers really influence anything? And… Adidas unfriends Facebook. Maybe your brand should, too. Plus, rants and raves about the Earth-shattering consequences of Best Buy’s new logo, a newspaper’s wet-look ad that looks too real, and Google’s new AI that’s almost too human. It’s episode 83 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if yo

So the FCC is contemplating the relaxation of radio ownership rules. Some broadcasters want to own more stations under one roof in order to compete with more platforms attacking radio from the fringes. Central to this issue is what radio “is” now. In order to regulate something you need to know what it is and what it isn’t, right? Here’s a fact: Radio is not an industry of towers. It’s an industry of content and listeners and advertisers. Spotify, Pandora, and podcast platfor

Photo by Marian Chinciusan on Unsplash The end of authenticity. And… Will Amazon finally make TV’s smart AND friendly? Plus rants and raves about Ford halting production of most sedans, the phenomenon of micro-merchandising, and how Sherwin-Williams is using augmented reality. It’s episode 82 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re

It’s informed speculation at this point, but the story goes like this: By the end of this month, Spotify is expected to make some hardware announcements, and there’s a good chance that one of those announcements will be designed to bring the platform closer to more cars. Obviously anybody with a smartphone and bluetooth can conceivably use Spotify in their cars, but the platform is notoriously laborious – indeed, that’s the whole point of Spotify: Getting exactly what you wan

Photo by Wayne Low on Unsplash The strategy behind Amazon’s Prime Video. And… MoviePass and the magic power of data. Plus rants and raves about Jesus Christ Superstar, the Star Wars theme park, and the new book “The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies.” It’s episode 81 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if you’re reading thi

Well the ratings are in, and the revival of the classic sitcom Roseanne is a huge hit: The first two episodes of Roseanne, a full hour at the top of the ABC lineup, won the night by both adults 18-49 and total viewers. The show averaged a 5.1 rating in the key demo and 18.1 million viewers, rising from the first half hour to the next. The first number alone is enough to make Roseanne the highest-rated regularly scheduled scripted show of the last few seasons, since Empire at

By now you’re probably familiar with the recently announced initiative from FOX that will reduce commercial content to just two minutes per hour by 2020. This comes as audiences are spending less time on network TV and more time on OTT (over the top) platforms like Amazon and Netflix. While in some cases younger demographics have opted away from traditional TV altogether, the greatest problem is the reduced time spent viewing on traditional TV, particularly among younger demo

Creating your own podcast: A big waste of time? And… NBC/Universal cuts primetime ads by 20% – should you? Plus, rants and raves about Tuxe – the fashion company that has turned its products into services – and Ring’s impressive acquisition by Amazon after being rejected by the Shark Tank crew. It’s episode 80 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button be