Exploring the Future of Publishing

by Admin on January 20, 2010

“Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport!
The thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat!
The human drama of athletic competition!
This is ABC’s Wide World of Sports!“

When it came to sports, I grew up with Jim McKay and ABC’s Wide World of Sports.   The stories, the action, different cultures and the world it brought into my living room through our small color Zenith TV.   ??When not picking up a game of street hockey, neighborhood football down at the old park or summer little league, sports came into my life through the television.   I was never drawn into listening to classic announcer Johnny Most calling a Celtics game on the radio – or reading the Sports section of the Boston Globe or even read one article in Sports Illustrated.  To me, sports was hands on and a visual media to be experienced – not via print or radio.

Traditional print content producers are starting to realize this as well.  Some are a little too late to the game, not evolving quickly enough, but others are embracing development of different digital channels and content formats to reach a wider audience.   Providing different choices for choice audiences to experience and immerse themselves in great content through different media options.

This is why I love the recent Time Inc. vision of the future magazine using a tablet device.  If you can’t view the video below, you can also check it out on YouTube.

It seems that every major magazine publisher has an idea of how their magazines should look on the upcoming tablet of newspaper salvation.  The demo showcases interactivity, video, and several different ways of browsing through the content.

Outside of the disturbingly inhuman looking, slow moving hand that flips through the pages – I find myself for the first time wanting to immerse myself within Sports Illustrated content.  In time, I may find myself loving the style of writing that they’ve been recognized for and get to know some of the sub-brands within SI which would encourage me to spend more time with their journalists and reporters and pick up an issue (read: more money for Sports Illustrated).

When the content is great, it lives to be freed.   And with the variety of creative ways content can be developed, engaged and distributed through digital and social channels, the future of great publishing could be and should bright.    The new generation of eBook readers showcased at CES earlier this month is another step in the right direction - creating a virtual newsstand in your hand.

The Future of Publishing Should Localize, Specialize and Socialize

Consumer and B2B magazines may have been on the ropes this year, but custom content had a record-setting 2009.

According to a Custom Publishing Council study, more than $1.8 million was spent on branded content this year per company surveyed. Of that budget, print still ruled, garnering 51% of the spend, with Internet content accounting for 27%.  Another 22% went to developing audio and video assets on a company’s behalf.  The share of marketing budgets going to custom media was at 32% in 2009, the highest share ever, beating the previous bar set at 27% in 2007.

Customize your voice, promote your niche, and engage more personally with great content while adding local relevancy.   And of course – provide multiple choice, creative, rich content and multiple media formats for a growing customer base to rejuvenate brands and grow an audience, revenues and business.

What are your thoughts?

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2010 – The Year of Earned Media Through Engagement

by Admin on January 11, 2010

Forrester Research recently published a post about defining Paid, Owned and Earned Media and helping to categorize the types of media communicators utilize today. 


forresterresearch.gifPaid Media is the old school traditional advertising / sponsorship model for print, broadcast, radio or online.  This model of media is still driving most marketing budgets & programs today.

Owned Media is content and material created and produced by a Company or organization where they drive and control the messaging and distribution channels – be it videos, ebooks, case studies, customer testimonials, podcasts to be promoted through blogs, website, newsletter or branded social networks.

Earned Media used to be recognized as that third bucket dominated by traditional public relations & perhaps analyst relations programs.   The past few years it has expanded to encompass User Generated Content, Word of Mouth and the ever-misunderstood Viral Marketing Programs. 

So, this begs the question of where do you focus on producing content that puts the heart, interests and needs of your customer first and you earn you way in?

2010 may be the year of earned media and customer attention where reviews, mentions of your brand with linkbacks and online conversations drive greater SEO and more cost effective sales, channels leads and drives cross-company collaboration.  But there is much more that can be added to Paid and Owned media to greatly expand the value of the committed marketing and communications funds and channel building to spur an ever dramatic increase in Earned Media.    We’re seeing it more and more often – major ad buys are showcasing where to find them online.  Better yet, we’re seeing ad buys pointing customer attention to where they can join the conversation with them – be it a website, Facebook or Twitter.

Owned media is rapidly moving beyond the static brochure-ware on the web.  Instead it is being viewed and created as a catalyst and fuel for conversation and yes, ultimately – Engagement.  Here in lies the greatest untapped communications, sales and business growth opportunities.   Content has always been King but it’s important to remember that it became King for it fueled what was essentially more important – Engagement.

So as we move into 2010 find more ways to not only increase your earned media content but to also instill an active listening, monitoring, content producing, community building and sharing strategy that supports the needs of your marketing, industry and customers.  Execute this strategy properly and you will instill excitement, interest, and conversations.  That level of engagement when executed upon effectively will not only help grow your business but accelerate your earned media effectiveness 10 fold – within the next year.

What’s your take on Paid, Owned and Earned Media?  Do you agree that 2010 will be the year of earned media through engagement?

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A World of Firsts

August 14, 2009

There are those special firsts in life where we learn more about ourselves in one day by leaping head on into uncharted territory – than we’ll ever realize doing what we’ve become comfortable with.
I learn a lot about life from my son – and strive to embrace new adventures and opportunities with as much uninhibited [...]

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Storytellers Wanted –

July 2, 2009

Where has the magic and Free Prize Inside – dig to the bottom of the box passion gone from marketing & products today?   Outside of Apple – I see very few companies that instill the type of passion we all once held as children – to run to the mailbox or wait in line [...]

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Breakfast of Champions – Social Media Over Easy

June 17, 2009

It was this time last year that I starting working with Bryan Person to organize Boston’s Social Media Breakfast gatherings as he prepared for his new life in Austin, Tx.   It’s been an interesting, wondrous ride and real pleasure & education to connect with so many amazing people in the New England area who’ve come out [...]

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Rockin’ the Boat – SMB Boston 13

May 26, 2009

On a gorgeous Tuesday spring morning in Boston, the city’s social media community gathered at PUMA City on the waterfront to hear from speakers who are “rocking the boat” in their work .
Video: Bob Collins puts a wrap on SMB13
As the breakfast wound down, I asked SMB Boston organizer Bob Collins for his thoughts on [...]

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