A Look At Looking Back...and Forward

I OFFER RUMINATIONS ON THE ANNUAL PUSH BY PR PEOPLE, EDITORS AND SOME RELUCTANT REPORTERS TO COBBLE TOGETHER SOME SORT OF PACKAGED NOSTALGIA ABOUT THE OUTGOING YEAR.

OH YES….FROM SENTIMENTAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT MOMENTS TO WISTFUL WALKS ALONG MANUFACTURING’S MEMORY LANE TO UNFORGETTABLE HIGH-POINTS IN INSURANCE UNDERWRITING AND ACME’S OF AI-AGITA, YEAR END STORY PITCHES COME IN FASTER THAN KEVIN MCCARTHY’S HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP.

THEY’RE COMING EARLIER AND EARLIER TOO. JUST AS YOU START TO SEE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS IN STORES IN THE SPRING AND CHRISTMAS STUFF LONG BEFORE LABOR DAY, YEAR-END STORY PITCHES ARE STARTING TO COME IN WHILE I’M STILL PICKING MY KID’S TRICK OR TREAT CANDY CORN OUT OF MY MOLARS.

AT THAT POINT THE NEW YEAR IS AS FAR FROM MY THOUGHTS AS WHAT’S NEXT FOR JAMES CORDEN.

LOOK, I’VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE THE BEATLES WERE STILL THE BEATLES SO I’M NOT NAIIVE AS TO WHY YEAR ENDERS EXIST.

PR FOLKS NEED TO FIND A WAY TO WIN SOME COVERAGE FOR THEIR CLIENTS WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE ANY ACTUAL NEWS TO PROMOTE AND EDITORS NEED TO FILL SPACE AND AIR TIME DURING THE HOLIDAY PERIOD WHEN THE NEWS LOAD IS TYPICALLY LIGHT. FAIR ENOUGH. WE DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET PAID.

THE QUESTION FOR ME IS WHAT’S ACTUALLY WORTH LOOKING BACK AT? NOW I COVER AUTOS AND MOBILITY SO THAT’S WHERE MOST OF THE PITCHES I RECEIVE FALL, BUT I ALSO GET SOME THAT COME FROM AN ALGORITHM GONE TERRIBLY WRONG….SAY A LOOK BACK AT WHAT WAS HOT IN ’23 IN SANDALS.

EVEN IF I COVERED FASHION, WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT? I CAN SEE THE LEAD NOW, “FROM BIRKENSTOCKS TO CROCS AMERICA’S FASCINATION WITH WALKING IN FOOTWEAR PRONE TO PICKING UP PEBBLES REACHED NEW LEVELS OF POPULARITY IN 2023 AS SALES OF SOCKS PLUMMENTED WHILE VISITS TO URGENT CARE FOR PODIATRIC PUNCTURE WOUNDS SKYROCKETED.” HMM…MAYBE THAT’S NOT SO BAD…

WHILE I DO RECEIVE SOME LEGIT YEAR-END PITCHES RELATED TO MY BEAT ON THINGS LIKE OVERALL AUTO SALES, POPULARITY OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES, I GET SOME ON SUBJECTS ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO LOOKING BACK ON.

I RECEIVED ONE TODAY ON HOTTEST TOYS OF 2023. I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE JUST THE OTHER DAY I WAS SAD TO READ THAT LEADING TOYMAKER HASBRO WAS SLASHING ITS HEADCOUNT BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN’T BUYING TOYS BECAUSE THEIR KIDS HAVE THEIR EYEBALLS AND BRAINS FRIED ON SMARTPHONE AND COMPUTER SCREENS. HEY….THEY’RE MISSING OUT ON THE WONDERS OF CLUE, RISK AND PARK AND SHOP, LET ALONE THE 750 BILLION VERSIONS OF MONOPOLY. I BET THOSE KIDS DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO THROW DICE AND NEVER PLAYED A GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD. SAD.

ANYWAY, IF THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON WHAT COULD THE HOTTEST TOYS OF 2023 BE? GUESS WHAT? THE PITCH RELATED TO WHAT THEY CALLED CYBER-SAFE DIGITAL TOYS. WHA? SOUNDS LIKE A BULLSHIT NAME FOR SOMETHING WITH SCREENS, THEREFORE NOT ACTUAL TOYS.

SO MAYBE THAT ONE’S NOT WORTH A LOOK BACK BUT A LOOK AHEAD AT HOW THE RISING USE OF UM, DIGITAL TOYS, IS LEADING TO A SPIKE IN FRIED RETINAS.

I DO RECEIVE SOME YEAR ENDER PITCHES RELATED TO TRENDS IN INSURANCE. ESPECIALLY AUTO INSURANCE. DEPENDING ON THE DATA WAXING NOSTALGIAC ABOUT RISING PREMIUMS AND FENDER-BENDERS COULD BE BOTH EYE-OPENING OR EYE-CLOSING. I’D LOOK AT IT AS AN EDITORIAL LIABILITY.

HOW OFTEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR DO YOU WISH SOME PUBLICATION WOULD JUST DO THE RIGHT THING AND PROVIDE A RECAP OF SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS? YES, SOFTWARE IS THE BRAINS OF ALMOST EVERYTHING TODAY, MAKING INNOVATIONS AND ADVANCES EXTREMELY TIMELY STORIES.

THE ISSUE IS SELLING SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO AN EDITOR. IN A PREVIOUS EPISODE I SPOKE ABOUT HOW MY EDITOR REJECTS OUT OF HAND, ALMOST EVERY STORY PITCH RELATED TO A “CLOUD SOLUTION.” UNFORTUNATELY THE PHRASE “SOFTWARE SOLUTION” OFTEN RECEIVES THE SAME REACTION SO IT’S ALL IN HOW YOU PACKAGE AND SELL IT. I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I CAN HEAR THE WORD, “PASS!” BEFORE MY EDITOR WOULD READ THE SECOND LINE OF A PITCH FOR A SOFTWARE SOLUTION YEAR ENDER.

A REALLY POPULAR SUBJECT ON MY BEAT IS A LOOK BACK AT AUTO SALES. THEY JUST SPROUT LIKE KUDZU. YEAH, JANUARY SUCKED, SALES REBOUNDED IN THE SPRING, OCTOBER WASN’T BAD AND THE YEAR IS ENDING STRONG BECAUSE OF DISCOUNTING TO BOOST FINAL NUMBERS. THERE. I JUST WROTE EVERY AUTO SALES YEAR ENDER. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANNA KNOW? OH YEAH..WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT YEAR?

YES! THE FLIP SIDE OF THE YEAR ENDER, THE YEAR AHEAD! I LOVE THIS ONE BECAUSE ANALYSTS GET TO SPEW EVERYTHING FROM EDUCATED GUESSES TO PURE BULLSHIT BECAUSE YOU CAN’T LOSE. YOU AND YOUR COMPANY GET CITED IN A NEWS STORY AND YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO BE RIGHT BECAUSE BY THE TIME YEAR-ENDERS ARE WRITTEN NO ONE GOES BACK TO SEE IF THE SHIT IN THE YEAR-AHEADS WAS ON TARGET!

BY NOW YOU’RE THINKING, SO WHAT’S HE DO? OK…I’VE WRITTEN MY SHARE OF BOTH YEAR-ENDERS AND LOOK-AHEADS BUT NOW THAT I’M A SEMI-RETIRED FREELANCER I HAVE MUCH MORE FREEDOM TO DO THINGS MY WAY.

REPORTING TRENDS IS A LEGITIMATE AND IMPORTANT SERVICE TO READERS AND LISTENERS. TRENDS GIVE PEOPLE TANGIBLE CONTEXT AS TO WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHY IN A CERTAIN AREA.

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF HARD DATA AND INFORMED ANALYSIS BY EXPERTS, IT’S THEN POSSIBLE TO INTERPOLATE WHERE TRENDS THAT PERCOLATED IN THE CURRENT YEAR ARE HEADED IN THE FUTURE.

THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION IS VALUABLE TO AN AUDIENCE LOOKING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND A CERTAIN CONDITION AND IN MANY CASES, HELP THEM MAKE IMPORTANT LIFE OR BUSINESS DECISIONS.

THAT’S WHY I WOULD SUGGEST SKIPPING THE HACKNEYED AND LAZY FORMAT OF SIMPLE YEAR-ENDERS OR YEAR-AHEADS THAT AMOUNT TO LITTLE MORE THAN LISTS WITH NO CONTEXT OR PERSPECTIVE IN FAVOR OF STORIES THAT USE THAT INFORMATION AS A FOUNDATION FOR MORE MEATIER AND ENGAGING TAKES THAT BETTER SERVE THE AUDIENCE.

SO, WITH APOLOGIES TO SOME 18TH CENTURY SCOTSMAN, I OFFER THIS SIMPLE VERSE….

LET YEAR END STORIES BE FORGOT

AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND

LOOKING BACK CAN TWIST YOUR NECK

AND WRITING THEM’S A GRIND…

LET’S LOOK AHEAD INSTEAD MY DEAR

LET’S RAISE OUR FUTURE SIGHTS

PREDICTIONS ARE LOW-HANGING FRUIT

AND THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE RIGHT.

Happy Holidays everyone no matter which direction you're looking!