Archive for the ‘opinions’ Category
Regional digital media sector comes of age
Monday, August 17th, 2009Being based 100 miles North of London - albeit on a very fast train line - and working principally with specialist media businesses and a range of SMEs in the Midlands, I’ve had two main frustrations in creating digital media and marketing strategies for regional clients. Firstly, the digital agency world is overwhelmingly London-centric, and secondly, there is a complete dearth of standard qualifications and accreditations for digital agencies, creating a minefield for regional small or medium businesses seeking reputable providers to implement their digital media and marketing strategy. So I was cheered to hear two pieces of news, that should help strengthen the regional digital agency sector, and safeguard regional clients. (more…)
Tags: accreditations, agency relationships, IAB, OneDigital, qualifications, Regional digital agencies
Posted in b2b, consumer, implementation, marketing, opinions
Thoughts from the Media Futures Conference 2009
Thursday, July 9th, 2009I took part in a panel discussion at the Media Futures Conference last week (#mfc09), organised by the multi-talented and well-connected Nico Macdonald. A wide range of media gurus from BBC, LBS, C4, ITV, PA, Techcrunch, Enders, Bloomberg and many more contributed their, often radical, ideas on the future of media: covering consumer behaviour, technology and funding models. There was a focus on broadcast entertainment and news, but the conclusions are applicable I believe to all media businesses and those who supply them or use them to reach key audiences. Here’s my take on the main themes: watch this blog for more thoughts as it all starts to sink in. (more…)
Tags: #mfc09, broadcast, convergent devices, media brands, media business models, media futures conference, media spaces, newspapers, Nico MacDonald, Penmaen Media, print, sushi oconsumer, TV
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, news, opinions
Can subscriptions save newspapers?
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009Everywhere you look, newspaper business models are in free-fall. The rapid decline in classified ads - especially recruitment, motors and property - has unhinged the old order where readers got reams of quality journalism at a low price, and organisations had a ready outlet for news releases and relevant advertising. (more…)
Tags: content, newspapers, paid-for content, subscriptions
Posted in business strategy, content, marketing, opinions
When can you charge for content
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009With the current decline in advertising continuing, many publishers have been re-examining where and how they can charge for online content. One extreme position is that of the Guardian, whose MD Tim Brooks has categorically said they will never charge for content.(see my recent blog on their web strategy). Other publishers, notably the FT, have tried to make a subscription model work. At the other end of the spectrum, many specialist publishers have long developed print subscriptions as a big revenue earner. Here are some ideas on how you can identify the areas where you can potentially charge for content: (more…)
Tags: archive, content, digests, games, paid-for content, product reviews, tuition
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content, opinions
Reinventing online content for publishers
Sunday, May 10th, 2009There’s been much debate in the last week on charging for content. Newspapers like the Guardian that were previously adamant that all their content should be free, are now thinking about charging for specific information to targeted groups, eg media guardian. The continued pressure on advertising revenue is forcing newspaper and magazine publishers to make dramatic cuts in editorial. I’ve been thinking about how publishers can reinvent the way they think about creating content, and restructure their editorial investment accordingly. See my earlier post on paid-for content for some extra tips. Here’s some radical ideas on inverting the traditional pyramid of editorial investment, with news as the broad base, and a small amount of added value content at the top: (more…)
Tags: calculators, comment, consumer, content, editorial, Guardian, Media Guardian, news, online tools, opinion, paid-for content, publishers, subscription
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content, opinions
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