The Chaos Scenario

by Bob Garfield

What happens when the old world order collapses and the Brave New World is unprepared to replace it − as an ad medium, as a news source, as a political soapbox, a channel for new episodes of 'Lost?' Welcome to The Chaos Scenario.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2009

Reviews

[Elizabeth Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I reserved this book at the library because I heard an interview with Bob Garfield about it. I was particularly interested in his insight that what we're witnessing today is the end of the mass-market which has dominated media since literacy began rising in the 19th century. Sounds simple, I know, but it's a pretty profound insight and one that a lot of people haven't figured out. A nice factoid that captures the fracturing market: in the 1950s, the top-rated show on network television was "I Love Lucy," with better than 60 percent of homes tuning in, while in the 2000s, the top-rated show on network television was "American Idol," with about 14 percent of homes tuning in. As a writer of novels and news -- both genres that are emphatically NOT flourishing today -- I was very interested in Garfield's analysis and wanted to learn more about news and publishing. However, the book didn't have a lot more to say on those topics. And the frequent errors in the text, which appears not to have been copy-edited OR proofread -- was a real annoyance. Kudos to Garfield for bringing out the book himself when the usual suspects in published passed on his project, but thumbs down for failing to take the time or make the effort or spend the money -- whichever reason is the right one -- to produce a book free of the kind of errors I expect (and can forgive) of college freshman in their first comp course.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Garfield puts a humorous spin in describing how the digital age is changing the way marketers speak to their audiences. "The days of Madison Ave. dictating messages to the masses are all but over," he says. In what he calls the art and science of Listenomics, Garfield says that in order for businesses to survive and thrive in the digital world, they need to create and sustain dialogue with all of their stakeholders, including total strangers, for the purpose of research, product development, customer relationships, corporate image, and transactions themselves. In other words, listening to, rather than talking at audiences is what this book is all about. Bonus chapter about his experience with Comcast!

[Sean Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

It's not often I'm enamored with the thinking of someone in this space. So much about Media is just a copy and paste of other people's ideas.

I stumbled across Bob Garfield because of mentions about his book by Clay Shirky (whom I adore.)

This book is actually hysterically funny. Bob writes with the wit and fire of a true journalist but has spent four years truly investigating and watching media empires crumble and fall. Love this.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books that predict the end of one's profession are always a fun read. I'm trying not to be obsolete so I picked this up and was hoping for more than just Ad Age ad critic and NPR's On the Media host Bob Garfield's collection of columns pieced together with no real flow. But the doom and gloom about the current media structure and how it's in a major meltdown got me thinking.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good analysis of the change wave hitting the media and advertising industries - and in turn, the rest of society. Garfield's key insight is that it's now more important for these industries to _listen_ to their audiences than to broadcast information to them, and to hold a responsive, open conversation. They've been given the tools; they won't succeed financially unless they use them effectively.

[Simon Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not finished yet but this book is a lively reminder that alongside the various industries (e.g. music) known to be disrupted by the Internet, there is a department in every company that is faced with upheaval - the marketing division.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting case studies for those interested in the future of marketing or journalism. The writing is a bit dramatic but the content is top-notch.

[Jeffrey]

"The viral campaign he calls Thirteen Days of Chaos is what hooked me. I then download the sample via Kindle. Then I bought. Similar stories of the Post-Advertising Age is what the book is full of."

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always interested to read books that predict the demise of the industry in which I work!

[Chris]

Wanted to like this but it felt like a first or second draft. Needed a good editor, book designer, and copyeditor.

[John Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the articles and then bought the book when it was published. Great read with good humor.

[Mary Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

p. 64 - hav to return ILL and wait for library copy to come in.

[Karel Baloun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read and deeply insightful. This is my writing style, much more effectively executed.