A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to interview computer scientist David Gelernter from Yale University for a documentary on the translation of the Bible into English.  A brilliant thinker, I saw that the Wall Street Journal did a recent story on his answer to the 2013 annual question of Edge.org, “What should we be worried about?�  In today’s digital and disrupted age, his answer is worth reading – especially if you’re a writer, filmmaker, speaker, or other professional communicator:

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Looking back at the whole story now that the renegade BP oil well in the Gulf is officially capped, is like watching a cautionary tale about handling a PR crisis. As a CNN money reporter stated in May:  “Oil giant BP has a marketing slogan dubbed “Beyond Petroleum.” If only that were true. That ad campaign has to rank up there with Toyota’s “Moving Forward” motto as the most unintentionally hilarious of the year.”  The spill is bad enough.  But what makes is much worse is the response from the oil company leadership.  Here’s a basic chronology:

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According to a study released in November by the journal “Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts,” movies with sexual content perform worse at the box office than films with little or none of that type of content. Analyzing 914 films released between 2001 and 2005 researchers discovered that explicit sex and nudity actually hurt a film’s performance - on average, gross sales were 31% less. As the article abstract indicates: “Although it is commonly assumed that “sex sells” in mainstream cinema, recent research indicates a far more ambiguous relation between strong sexual content and financial performance.

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Next, we saw saw the porn industry’s power through DVD technology. Variety magazine reported 2 years ago that just as the porn industry re-shaped the internet, it made the change to DVD’s move much faster. With the adult video industry releasing 10,000 new titles per year, its major distributors moved quickly toward DVD-only duplication.

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Regardless where you fall on the gay marriage debate, a look at the media strategy the leadership of that community has used is fascinating. Anyone who doesn’t believe that strategy works in the media, need look no farther than the massive shift the gay community has made on network television. Today, the advances in the courthouse haven’t been nearly as successful as the advances in the media. On Feb. 16, the classic daytime drama “All My Children” portrayed popular character Erica Kane (played for 39 years by actress Susan Lucci), as she joyfully watched her TV daughter marry another woman. It was a full soap opera / over-the-top lavish ceremony that ended with the brides kissing. As Megan Basham reported in World Magazine: “While same-sex weddings on television are hardly new (a lesbian ceremony featured heavily in a Friends episode from 1996, for example), the real-life drama surrounding legal challenges to California’s recently passed constitutional amendment against homosexual marriages has made the milestone all the more significant. By tying the episode to Proposition 8, those associated with All My Children have reaffirmed the perception that the entertainment industry is of a single mind on the issue.”

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While President Obama and his mainstream media followers continue to bombard us with negative news and dire reports about the financial situation in America, I’ve been somewhat surprised at just how little we’re hearing about success stories.  As Ben Stein said a few weeks ago on CBS This Morning, the financial industry is built on confidence.  People invest when they’re confident of the market.  So where are the financial cheerleaders?  Why isn’t the president or the media reporting on the many success stories that are happening in the middle of this recession, and encouraging the nation?

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For a week now, newspapers have been filled with stories about insurance giant AIG wanting to pay out millions of dollars in bonuses to their top performing executives. Everyone’s upset — and rightly so — since taxpayers have bailed out the company and kept it alive. But what’s the answer? After all, bonuses are a good thing. It never hurts to give your best performers incentives for doing well — and the unit that got AIG in trouble was a relatively small division.

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I find it interesting (and somewhat sad) that pastors and evangelists have exaggerated so much for so long, that people have actually created a term for it:  “evangelistically speaking.�  When Christian leaders – the people who should be the most honest – have such a history of exaggeration that we generate a special term for it, that’s not something to be especially proud.  I’ve seen it many times.  I’ve seen religious events with audiences in the hundreds, but the leader reported later that “thousands attended.�   Others where thousands showed up, but he described it later as “tens of thousands.�  If you’re speaking the truth you don’t have to exaggerate.

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I had my first Facebook stalker last month.  He wasn’t really a threat, just a really overanxious person desperate to talk to me.  Although I didn’t know him personally, I accepted him as a “friend� on Facebook some time ago.  Later, he apparently tried to contact me through the instant message feature, but I didn’t respond.  (Heck – I’m just figuring this thing out.)  So frustrated, he called my office  demanding to get through to me.  He told my staff that he was a friend of mine and that I would want to talk to him.  He also mentioned that he was a “genius.�  Fortunately, my team has had plenty of experience with self-proclaimed geniuses, so they didn’t let him through.  That unleashed a few rather ugly tirades to me through the Facebook instant messaging.  (Why do some people think ripping someone makes them want to be your friend?).  So the bottom line is that I finally “un-friended� him.

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Technology continues to bring strange and not so desirable things into our lives.  I’m talking about “sexting” the new rage of sending explicit photos via cell phone to friends. I was in Miami recently and listened to a statewide public service radio campaign attempting to discourage young women from posting suggestive or explicitly sexual photos on their websites or sending them from phones. The spot made clear that once it’s posted, the photos can easily be copied, redistributed and viewed by pedophiles, stalkers, the leering neighbor next door, or perhaps most embarrassing of all, their parents.  In 2008 the Associated Press reported that prosecutors have begun using photos posted on social networking sites to embarrass and damage the reputation of defendants in the courtroom.  More proof that technology isn’t values-neutral.

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I’m not one to jump on the “Christianity is under attack� bandwagon. However, there’s no question that Christianity is the target of far more legal action in this country that any other religion and people are far more sensitive to mentioning “Jesus� than Buddha, Mohammed, or other religious figures. (Which is a significant reason in my thinking that there’s actually something to this Christianity business). But in looking through the media recently and noticing that the voices against Christianity seem to be growing – and getting more hostile - I spent part of the holidays wondering what would happen if the pendulum swung just enough to shift the majority’s thinking? What if the majority decided that Christians are the problem in this country and we need to do something about it?And it’s not just my wild imagination. A poll by the Anti-Defamation League at the end of last year indicates 64 percent of Americans say religion in America is under attack.

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According to a new study by Duke University, religious congregations in the United States are growing significantly more diverse. So the critics that used to harp that “Church is the most segregated hour in America” need to find something else to complain about.

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From The Los Angeles Times: Scott Eckern, the Sacramento theater director whose political donation in support of California’s Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage turned into a lightning rod in the debate over gay rights, resigned Wednesday, saying he wanted to protect the California Musical Theatre, his artistic home since 1984, from further controversy. Word of Eckern’s $1,000 donation — publicly reported under state elections law — spread rapidly on the Internet last week, and Eckern drew criticism from some prominent stage artists, including Tony Award-winning composer Marc Shaiman (”Hairspray”) and Jeff Whitty, the “Avenue Q” librettist.

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At the risk of upsetting some conservatives, let me tell you why I believe McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin was a poor choice.  Although she did motivate and excite the party base, it was only a momentary blip rather than a long term movement.  It was just too obvious that McCain picked her not because of her expertise and leadership, but because he was trying to court Hillary’s female voters.  It was a strategic and desperate risk, and people saw it for the pandering it really was.

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There’s no question that the political shift that’s happening in the country will have a powerful impact on the religious and non-profit community. While a significant number of Christians voted for Obama, the majority of the major churches and ministries in the country lean toward the conservative Right when it comes to politics. If you happen to be a Democrat, then you’re probably thrilled with the new possibilities. Certainly social services, the poor, and government programs will see some new approaches and ideas. Although a number of my friends on the Left are pro-life, they voted for Obama based on the idea that his programs for the poor will impact the abortion rate by changing the circumstances for those most likely to get abortions. Since the Republican approach hasn’t really moved that dial in a significant way, they’re eager to see if another strategy works.

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That has certainly opened to door to lawsuits like the one in Michigan. After all, if we can’t dissent from believing same-sex marriage is not in the culture’s best interest, then what do we do with all those pesky religious beliefs and the preachers who teach that stuff? We’ve got to get rid of those as well. Will the gulags not be far behind?

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When a product, person, or organization has to enter a particularly hostile or challenging market, they essentially have three choices: 1) Stay true to who or what you are, 2) Change who you are, or 3) Change how you’re perceived. It doesn’t matter if it’s product sales, non-profit work, or politics, perception matters, and in a media driven culture, how you’re perceived is just as important as who you are.In looking at politics, this applies to the campaign for “Change” by Barack Obama.  He has the exact same choices in this presidential campaign – Stay true to who he is, change who he is, or change how he’s perceived. The policy information indicates he’s a liberal. According to the National Journal, he’s rated the most liberal person in the Senate in 2007. The reasons for that assessment seem to be sound:

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I’ve written recently about what I believe to be a deliberate strategy by Barack Obama to use words to inspire and motivate his audiences rather than actually offer specific steps for actual change. That’s not a “for or against Obama” comment. It’s a comment on strategy. I say this, because it’s not that different from a lot of pastors out there today. They don’t really know the Bible that well, and have become motivational speakers more that actual teachers and pastors. In my book, “Branding Faith” I talk about the fact that when I visit many pastor’s offices today, I notice that the bookshelves that used to be filled with books on theology, doctrine, and church history, have now been replaced by the latest bestsellers on motivation and marketing.I get that same feeling from Obama. He seems to be well spoken, and does a really great job of inspiring audiences. But up to now, he hasn’t really laid out too much in the way of specific steps for HOW he’s going to make this vague sense of “change” happen. Recently, in the Wall Street Journal, columnist Peggy Noonan echoed the same sentiment. She writes:

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I’ve been writing in my online blog at philcooke.com about Mike Huckabee’s media strategy during his campaign for president. He was a self-admitted long shot from the beginning, and I think it would be instructive to see what’s kept him in the race so long – particularly since he came out of nowhere. Certainly – as his fans have repeated on my blog and elsewhere - the keys from their perspective are his honesty, authenticity, commitment to life, leadership, and his spiritual perspective. All that would be true, but it’s not the whole story. His candidacy is a excellent lesson for any underdog, and from the perspective of a media consultant, there are some other significant reasons he’s kept in the running for so long:

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At this point in the race, I’m fascinated with Mike Huckabee’s refusal to quit the race. No one really expects him to win, and at this point, we have to ask how well his continued campaigning is serving the Republican Party. Regardless of your position as a Democrat or Republican, this is an interesting media “perception” issue. For instance, on the positive side, Huckabee’s position is that his voice continues to be heard, and the differences in the candidates need to be clear. I assume he wants certain issues to continue to be discussed. He considers himself the dark horse – the come from behind guy. But with no real chance of winning, he also has the potential to be seen as the “driven by ego, not policy guy.” Plus, every day the fight continues is one less day for the Republicans to pull together as a solid force for the general election. While Democrats are punching it out between Hillary and Obama, the Republicans could be solidifying a message that would potentially expand their voting base. It will be interesting to see how the public views Mike’s strategy and if it backfires.

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Here are some thoughts worth considering on how to lead an organization or team in the new digital media world. The most important aspect of the digital world is that’s not top-down. Traditional media is top-down – meaning, one program is sent out through radio or TV and if you miss it, it’s over. It’s a one way street. But digital media is about two way communication. The key concept to remember is that the digital media world is about personalization, and it’s interactive. Today we can download or TIVO programs when we want it, where we want it, and how we want it. It’s multi-directional. Leadership has to make that same transition.

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Churches are dropping worship services left and right.  Growing up as a preacher’s kid in South of the fifties and sixties, I was in church every time the door was open – Sunday morning Sunday School and worship services, Sunday night prayer service, Wednesday night Bible study, Thursday night choir practice.  And that doesn’t include youth activities, Church camp, or Vacation Bible School.  I knew the inside of our church better than I knew my own home.  But today, most churches and religious organizations have dropped the Sunday night service, many have eliminated the Wednesday night Bible study.  And Sunday School?  That was replaced years ago with “Children’s Church,” so families would only have to spend an hour at church on Sundays.

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1. Hollywood hates people of faith. The fact is, Hollywood – and most of the mainstream media is ignorant of all things “religious.” Most of the media leaders in this country are simply not people of any faith background, so while it may appear they dislike issues of faith, the truth is they just don’t get it. In fact, the majority of people I’ve encountered at high levels of influence in the industry are very interested when we discuss spiritual issues and have no problem at all with my faith.

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The Kaiser Family Foundation recently revealed the results of a remarkable study that indicated children aged zero to six spend an average of two hours a day using electronic media—the same amount of time they average playing outside. The shocking results are that two hours a day is actually more than three times the amount (thirty-nine minutes) they spend reading or being read to, according to the study.

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One of the most disturbing campaign arguments from the recent mid-term election was the idea that we need to set aside the debates on same-sex marriage, abortion, or other values based issues for the more pressing concerns of the war in Iraq, or the economy.  We heard it over and over during the campaign, as if a discussion based on values was of little importance during these difficult times.

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What can we do in the religious community?  Here are some suggestions:

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As Christmas approaches, it’s not hard to remember the “culture war” that was generated over the “Christmas” versus “holiday” greetings last year. In an increasingly secularized culture, some on the extreme left shudder with any mention of faith in the public square. But in all fairness, the right made the issue into a weapon as well – particularly when it came to fundraising.

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The words “prayer” and “Hollywood” aren’t often seen in the same sentence, but prayer for Hollywood’s leaders will be very much on the minds of attendees of the upcoming Annual National Media Prayer Breakfast in Los Angeles, California this fall. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, joining celebrities, top producers, directors and decision-makers to pray for the 700 most powerful and influential media professionals in the world.

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The Los Angeles Times recently reported on cell phone use in Korea that revealed remarkable information about where our digital culture may be heading. They discovered Korean teenagers make up to 90 cell phone calls a day, and social scientists are now beginning to correlate high cell use with rising rates of depression. For some time, I’ve noticed that many young people value their digital life as much (if not more) than their real life. A friend of my daughter sent 2,500 text messages last month, (that’s more than 84 per day).

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I love movies, but recently, I’ve discovered movies are getting more scary. Not because of horror, but the overall slide toward coarse language, vulgarity, and sexuality – even in movies marketed as “family” films. The current movie rating system began in 1968 and called for four rating categories:

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