How the Times of India moved from silent observer to opinion mobiliser
15 February 2012 · by Rahul Kansal
Conventionally, newspapers have seen themselves as objective reporters of news and, at most, presenters of opinion — albeit in a separate section of the newspaper earmarked for this purpose. They have generally shied away from actively participating in the events that shape news. The caution is justified, because objectivity and balance are cornerstones of a newspaper's role as society's conscience keeper.
But it's possible for newspapers to play a far larger role in the life of their readers, without losing their carefully built values of balance and fair-mindedness. It's possible — indeed desirable, to my mind — for newspapers to grow from being mere presenters of opinion to mobilisers of opinion toward important and socially desirable goals that resonate with their readers.
Around the world, people are increasingly losing faith in their political leadership. The reasons could be many — from a general disillusionment caused by the ongoing economic crisis to specific anger caused by corruption, oppression, or abuse of civil rights. The Internet has further fomented this disillusionment by allowing a better flow of information and freer exchange of ideas. Newspapers have, by and large, been content to report the emerging dynamics between people and the state, rather than take part in actively steering the conversation.
At The Times of India, we feel newspapers can play a strong role in filling the leadership vacuum. In the absence of credible public leaders and a reliable state machinery, we have a natural opportunity to step in and take up causes important to readers. We have tested this belief for ourselves over a four- to five-year journey, which began with our taking up city-level causes — from a fund-raising campaign seeking the redevelopment of Kolkata's central park to petitioning the Prime Minister for a better fiscal deal for Mumbai (in the wake of a series of mishaps, including a flood), to campaigning for better public transport in Bangalore.
Interactive marketing requires different culture and practices
02 February 2012 · by Scott Stines
With 35 cents of every ad dollar projected to be spent on interactive marketing by 2016, (Forrester Research, U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast 2011 to 2016), newspapers must quickly change their culture, capabilities, and practices if they are to maintain and grow local ad share. Can the newspaper business, focused for decades on one-way, mass audience delivery, successfully transition to two-way, niche, and one-to-one, permission-based audience delivery? What kind of culture and capabilities are required to capture a share of future interactive marketing budgets, and what barriers to change and success do newspapers face?
Sandy MacLeod, Vice President for Consumer Marketing and Strategy with the Toronto Star, pointed out in his recent Ideas Magazine article, (First step to culture change is setting strategic direction), that “(o)rganizational culture is an interesting beast, and one that is not easy to tame.” Newspaper organisations around the world are dealing with their respective “beasts” (organisational cultures), as they attempt to successfully transition — and transform — their businesses so they not only survive, but thrive in the future.
Faced with the realisation that there are “no more costs to cut” in the print organisation, several newspaper organisations are pursuing “digital first” business strategies, creating new organisations that focus on acquiring digital revenue at a pace that will offset print revenue declines and generate overall business revenue growth. Adam Burnham, Senior Vice President for Local Digital Sales with Digital First Media, shared in his recent post on the INMA Innovative Advertising Solutions blog, (Mapping out the crossover point for digital vs. print), that “(if) print continues to decline at a rate of say 10%, digital growth needs to be in the triple digits to cover that loss.”
Turning trust into action: engaging your readers to help the community
22 January 2012 · by Anne Wong
We often talk about engaging the community — creating unique events, connecting with them through social media, encouraging dialogue and participation, reflecting their passions, grievances, beliefs, and news.
But with our power to connect and engages comes the responsibility to drive action to support the community issues we report on.
News articles on tragedies and social injustices often elicit the strongest emotions. How often have we read a sad story and wished we could do something to help?
Well, here's the beauty of being in newspaper marketing. We can.
With the right structures in place, we can respond immediately to tragic news issues reported by our editorial, enable, and encourage action from our readers with our marketing, help the needy, and in doing so, boost our brand empathy and trust.
... [more]Media companies must keep up with breakneck pace of change in 2012
10 January 2012 · by Joe Talcott
This is the time for New Year predictions, and I'm keen to make mine. Three hundred years ago, making a prediction about the near future would have been pretty easy. If asked, “What do you see for next year?” you could safely predict next year would be very, very much like this year. Not so today.
And so, my first prediction: The pace of change will increase.
“We shall never again see change move at such a slow pace.” That was the sobering statement that concluded a presentation on the future at last year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. For those of us who have been dealing with the most extraordinary changes in our businesses, it is a prediction that generates a fair amount of trepidation. Yet, it is a prediction that will surely be proved true.
My second prediction: Successful media companies will embrace the change.
You've heard that “two heads are better than one.” So imagine the power of 2 billion brains. The Internet connects us. As of March 2011, more than 2 billion people were connected to the Internet and, as a result, to each other. It is this “connected collective” that is powering the massive rate of change we are experiencing. In the past, scientists worked in isolation (alone or in small teams). Having made a discovery, they published their work so their peers could review it and substantiate or refute it. Today that process is massively compressed. Scientists are now able to collaborate in ways previously unimaginable, in real time. And so are writers, educators, inventors, technologists, investors, students, musicians, governments, revolutionaries, and marketers. As more and more people connect, the results of those collaborations will come faster and faster.
... [more]Practical planning in times of economic crisis
22 December 2011 · by Herman Verwimp
Too much optimism can kill.
In times of economic crisis, your marketing and sales departments need several competencies: speed, flexibility, realism and persistence.
What we learned from earlier crises is that those companies that react fast and creatively can best control the damage. Those who react (even a bit) too slowly will lose money and market share. Most media company boards will only accept a budget that is better than last year's. They call it, most years, a budget with “ambition.” Well, this year it's time to change that behavior.
Who on earth is able to make a budget for the whole year 2012? Not one government, not one company, and surely not a company that is dependent on income from advertising. I would call a budget with growth in income next year a “lie,” a “dream,” or a “bad piece of work.” For those who are in an income-growth position, I invite you to speak at the next INMA conferences, and to speak with the INMA staff for an in-depth interview. I'm afraid we will only meet a handful of people.
... [more]How can newspapers re-capture advertising share?
16 December 2011 · by Scott Stines
Changes in consumer news consumption already have led to significant changes in how and where advertisers invest their marketing budgets.
Traditional media’s share of ad spending continues to decline as advertisers shift their budgets to more efficient media channels. By 2016, interactive marketing (social media, e-mail marketing, display ads, mobile marketing, and search marketing) is projected to account for 35% of total ad spending in the United States, or roughly the amount advertisers will spend on TV advertising this year (Forrester Research, U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2011 to 2016).
How can newspapers re-capture advertising share and compete for interactive marketing budgets? What are the keys to future success?
... [more]Tasteline.com: stretching your brand and becoming more relevant to your customers
06 December 2011 · by Hilde Torvanger
For more than 10 years Tasteline.com has helped the Swedish people with recipes and inspiration when it comes to food and food experiences. Their vision has been to be the complete food site for inspiration for food, beverages and health. “Christmas delights, how to make your own dumplings, the menu of the week, how to make a tasteful dinner in 15 minutes” et cetera are all typical content of the Web site.
Tasteline.com is a strong brand in Sweden and they realised that there was a great potential for brand extensions into related businesses. The retail food industry in Sweden has yearly revenue of approximately SEK 300 billion, and is definitely the biggest category. At the same time, e-commerce was growing, and food had by far the fastest growth. Obviously there was a promising opportunity there.
They chose to develop and launch a home delivery service of food called “Tasteline Matkasse.” This means Tasteline Food Box. The food box consists of food and recipes for five dinners for four people. It is a subscription offer, and the food box is delivered every second week.
By doing this they not only connected even better with the consumer and hence could strengthen the brand, but they also took control of a larger part of the value chain. And they could fulfill their vision in a broader perspective.
... [more]Think digital-only and stop being dragged down by the past
30 November 2011 · by Anne Wong
The first day of the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Asia event in Hong Kong left me both elated and challenged. Thinking digital-only is like saying “stop being dragged down by the past — look only at the possibilities ahead.”
Presentations ranged from those exuding confidence to those admitting to uncertainty and experimentation. Enterprising outfits shared successful social media campaigns and new multi-media storytelling tools, while a conversion specialist from Google Analytics shared an amusing and informative look at the treasure trove of data that exists on in Google’s free insights and data analysis pages.
There was also a shared realisation that the future of news boils down to great journalism, a committed focus on the consumer, wholesale and rapid internal operational and culture change, and adopting, adapting to, and leveraging new technology without the fear of failure.
The news consumer has changed; that’s why our world has changed. One speaker warned about how unforgiving our audiences have become. “If they don’t like what they see on the landing page, they’ll just go away and never come back.” The same speaker also reassured us that it’s OK to keep iterating until you get it right. Technology has spawned a new generation of low-tolerance customers spoiled with immense choice, and a large number of competitors with low barriers to entry.
... [more]Making room for creativity when busy is your enemy
21 November 2011 · by Joe Talcott
A short time ago I read a piece by Australian GQ Editor Nick Smith. He lamented the fact that many people are answering “busy” when asked “How are you?”
He imagined a situation at a trendy party (which GQ editors often attend):
Me: Hi, how are you?
Them: Soooo busy.
Me: Oh really? Then why are you here?
Them: Oh, I thought I’d just pop in for a few.
Me: So you can’t be that busy then?
Them: I ... I beg your pardon?
Me: So you’re not really busy then.
Them: What do you mean?
Me: You’re at a party. Why would you say you were busy?
Them: Well ...
Me: Well what? If you were soooo busy, you wouldn’t be here.
Them: F#*k off.
I, too, have noticed that people have been using “busy” to answer the question “How are you?” instead of “fine,” “OK,” or “Great. And you?”
... [more]Putting social media in perspective
18 November 2011 · by Scott Stines
Non-stop news coverage of social media — specifically Facebook — has captured marketer’s attention — whether inside or outside of the news-media industry. Extensive coverage of Facebook’s audience and revenue growth has served to accelerate the adoption of a sound ‘social media strategy’ by some and motivated others to pursue short-term tactics for fear of being left behind.
Is Facebook — and social media — truly, as one industry commentator recently claimed, ‘the most disruptive of the many powerful forces to rock traditional media since the Internet’ or is the non-stop news coverage producing a loud and constant buzz that is inhibiting our ability to put social media — and Facebook — in perspective?
There seems to be no end to news coverage about Facebook. In the past 60 days I’ve learned that because of Facebook the Internet has become a smaller place; consumers are spending less time surfing the Web while they spend more time on Facebook — or other social media sites. Another story reveals that nearly a third of those 18 to 24 years old use Facebook to catch up on news. And on the heels of that story another reveals that US$7 of every US$10 spent on social network advertising is spent with Facebook.
... [more]
