IF THE UNITED NATIONS needs a cultural czar, Oprah Winfrey would outdo the dullest diplomat or politician . . . In surely a turning point in global pop culture, Oprah hosted a show Monday from her Chicago studio on "the most famous people in the world:" Popular Chinese talk show host Chen Lu Yu, who was inspired by Oprah . . . India’s glamorous Bollywood couple, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai . . . and Argentinean polo player Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras,also known for his Ralph Lauren ads . . . The talk was light and fluffy, but the show was almost radical in concept for a U.S. mainstream broadcast, aside from the Olympics (and maybe NBC's Heroes) . . . It'll be interesting to see if Oprah's ratings rose for the show, given the backlash against globalization and free trade during the recession . . . Oprah’s world-view producers also gave Westerners glimpses of celebrities from German actor Til Schweiger in Quentin Tarantino'sInglourious Basterdsto Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji of Nollywood,Nigeria’s booming film industry . . . Oprah promised to visit Beijing and appear on Chen's show . . . For Western viewers, performers were described as “the Tom Cruise of Japan” or “the Julia Roberts of Africa” . . . If the world keeps tilting, it won't be long before Oprah is known as “the Chen Lu Yu of America.”
STANFORD, California, U.S.A. -- Most of the students, bicyclists and joggers at Stanford University didn't recognize him. But tech watchers and Chinese students knew that Robin Li (Li Yanhong), co-founder of Baidu.com and an entrepreneurial legend in Asia and Silicon Valley, was visiting the campus Wednesday afternoon. Several hundred filled a lecture hall at the William Hewlett Teaching Center to hear Li talk about Baidu's rise as the search engine dynasty of China. Afterwards, fanboys and young women surrounded the Internet king, snapping photos and squealing with glee. They were like devotees ofApple's Steve Jobs and super-investor Warren Buffett. Li smiled and listened patiently. The man must need security guards in Beijing and Shanghai.
Peering into Baidu's future, Li touted "box computing" -- integrating all of a user's online applications such as Yahoo! Finance, Facebook and Twitter, into one convenient Web page or "magic box." He said Baidu's "Post Bar" search offering for topics, rather than key words, makes up 10% of Baidu's traffic. Topics and questions that drew laughs from the crowd: "Where can I find a girlfriend in Beijing?" "How do I fix my hacked PC?" "What kind of college is good for a frail, introverted guy like myself?" Li also said Baidu has high hopes for the next generation of search on its Aladdin platform, which prowls the vast hidden Web and databases for info not found in simple searches. And like any politician or Western CEO, Li dodged answering a question on allegations that Baidu blocks controversial search subjects in China.
On Baidu's initial public offering in 2005: "It was great for us and many Baidu employees and investors. It was a very miserable thing for me, because when I decided to take the company public, I was only prepared to deliver financial results that matched the price of $27 or maybe a little higher. I was really shocked to see the price (go) to $122 the first day. That means I needed to deliver real results that matched expectations much, much higher than what I had prepared (for)."
On his early decision to change Baidu from a Web portal to a search-engine company: "Many people thought search was a done deal . . . Everyone had figured it out in terms of technology and products. But we thought we could do a better job. We resisted all kinds of temptations to become a portal (and) developing all kinds of things that could make in the short-term. We really focused on (the long-term promise) of Chinese search . . . When you decide to become a front-end, consumer-oriented service, you need to be significantly better than your competition . . . I'm really glad I took that risk."
On why U.S. Internet companies missed China's online market: "During the 1990s, the Chinese market was very very small, and nobody paid attention to it. But during the past decade, with the Internet coming to China . . . the market changed very quickly, very dramatically. American companies did not realize it . . . The second reason (is that) Chinese people are really enterprising, really hardworking (and) the Internet space in China has become very very competitive. The third reason is that . . . young companies do not plan for very long-term; sometimes they are not patient enough. They lose a lot of money, and five years later, they say 'Okay,I give up.' That happened to a lot of American Internet companies."
On Baidu growing globally: "Our approach is to do each market one by one, and design products according to the specific needs of that market. Right now, we're not ready to get into the U.S. or English search market. We understand Silicon Valley is the center of innovation, and we are willing to look at new technologies. But we do not believe in having separate research teams at separate locations. I think the efficiency does not justify the cost."
While the big dogs of the G-20 roll into Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to woof and sniff each other, the grunts and gearheads in the trenches are doing the hard work of creating technology and products for the masses. Political and biz leaders get the glory and talk-show guest shots. But let's not forget the visionaries in think tanks, research labs and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who sweat in anonymity, and who bear the true risk of the growth economy. They build the world, so our leaders can trot in later to commoditize their ideas and claim credit. All hail the innovators, the unsung heroes of the global economy.
To wit, check out an ongoing forum on tech, global markets and culture by Canada's International Development Research Centre and Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.Here's a post on the conferenceby Ethan Zuckerman (below left),co-founder of the Global Voices international blogging site and a Harvard research fellow at the Berkman Center. He and writer/photographer Jennifer Brea are live-blogging the event and highlighting overseas trends. This one addresses the digital divide and the democratization of the Net: the 90,000 "LAN houses," or cybercafes, that are revolutionizing social and political debate and education in Brazil. In a paper on LAN houses (below), Ronaldo Lemos, director of the Center for Technology and Societyat the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) School of Law in Rio de Janeiro, and Paula Martini write that there's a huge demand for the cybercafes, especially in poor areas. One large favela, or slum, in Brazil has 130 LAN houses filled with people using the Web and play online games for 40 cents to $1.50 an hour. Readings below, including the White House's recent report on innovation, which echos several recent reports from the private sector and academia:
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. -- Recession be damned, bluechip companies keep pouring billions of bucks into expansion, new investments, new global markets. The idea: When the global economy inevitably booms again, they'll be better positioned to hit the ground running. The smart business juggernauts like Walt Disneyalso remember to thank their customers -- especially the 2 billion who've passed through Disney theme park gates over the past 50 years.
Disney the company was created in 1923, and they've got the happy drill down. At the D23 Expo ("The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience") last week at the Anaheim Convention Center, Disney displayed its marketing might and strategic chops, showing why the company will still be around when Mickey and Minnie are doddering on canes. Even this reporter, who recalls high-school grad night at Disneyland in another lifetime, cracked a few smiles. Thousands of diehard Disney fans milled around exhibition booths and enjoyed sneak peeks of The Princess and the Frog and other films. They cheered wildly for stars like John Travolta, Johnny Depp, Robin Williams, Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) and the Wizards of Waverly Place TV show cast. They also heard Disney CEO Robert Iger(above left) and other executives sing the praises of Disney's offerings. "It's your passion for Disney that keeps the magic alive," Iger said, according to BusinessWeek.
In news of moderate growth that should make long-term shareholders happy, Disney will double the size of FantasyLand in Walt Disney World by 2012 and create interactive attractions with Disney princesses, Tinkerbell and Dumbo. Global travelers will embark on 19 new trips and two new state-of-the-art cruise ships heavier than an aircraft carrier. What's more, Disney Parks will open a glistening mega-resort on Oahu, Hawaii, in two years and continue to expand Hong Kong Disneyland, among other expansion plans. "Storytelling is the DNA of Disney dreams," said Jay Rasulo (right, photo courtesy of Disney, unveiling new 3D "Star Tours" attraction), chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and head of global growth strategy for Disney's theme parks and vacation sites. "We're always exploring new ways to tell stories and in new places."
The same goes for Disney's retail stores. Jim Fielding(below left), president of Disney Stores Worldwide, vowed that Disney shops -- enduring rough cycles since the first store opened in Glendale, California, U.S.A. in 1987 -- would give consumers high quality and that old Disney magic. Some 191 million people a year visit the 700-plus Disney outlets around the world, and Disney may add permanent stores in Scotland, England, Italy, Canada and other countries. Many are "popp-in" (as in Mary Poppins) stores, or temporary two-year shops used to test the real-estate and consumer markets in various cities. Disney hopes to copy the success of its European retail outlets and revive its mature U.S. stores. The stores will show off new designs, new employee's costumes and other features to entice kids and to get parents to swipe their credit cards. "We're not building stores, we're building destinations and experiences," Fielding told a theater of Disney fans. "We want to give you a reason to come to the malls in which Disney stores are located."
Disney, McDonald's, Walmart and other iconic U.S. multinationals have been the target of anti-globalization critics for years. But the companies are still standing -- like cross-border trade, foreign currencies, the sun and the moon. Disney's earnings and stock price have slowly and steadily risen over the past generation (it's stock-market value is $50 billion-plus), and that's unlikely to change. Like it or not, Disney is a master of media and entertainment, a merchant of memories. It's a landmark of the global economy, and pleased consumers of all hues have let their wallets do the talking for many a season. Two billion Disney customers and a global wave of kids can't all be wrong.
How do you say "bragging rights" in Swiss German? In the World Economic Forum'sGlobal Competitiveness Report 2009-2010 released Tuesday, the mighty U.S.A. economy dropped to No. 2, powerhouse Japan languished at No. 8, while tiny Switzerland and other European economies dominate the Top 10. (This is based on the World Economic Forum's subjective annual survey of global executives.) The U.S.A. has still got the best rappers, baseball teams and Web startups, though, don't we? Don't we?
