Fringe Media
by York on Nov.19, 2008, under Branding, Business, Essay / Articles, Technology, Web
Apocalyptic rock formations at McKinney Park, Austin TX
A few moments ago, I responded to a twitter post . It triggered a bunch of thoughts that have been floating around my noggin recently. As I watched the Christian Science Monitor shift to an all web platform and newspaper and magazine readership plummet to the earth like Narcissus I realized that the tipping point has long past. We are experiencing a brand new shift in media as print, the oldest bastion of human communication is pushed to the edge as it officially becomes fringe media.
Video killed the radio star but radio never really killed the print star. And the internet never really killed the TV star (slowly but not yet). As bandwidth and net speed has increased we are seeing that we humans really love the moving picture, regardless of the platform and a book of faces. See the NY Times new video section, watch Lady Gaga achieve a record in social media. Yes, the death of the print medium has long been ballyhooed but where do we go from here? What do we do with this fact?
Fringe media does not mean it is worthless media. The prices for NYT cover proclaiming Barack Obama president got into 3 figures on ebay. There is still a need for permanency that will not go away. The sound of pages flicking, the smell of the paper and of course scrap-booking articles, etc, etc. There are others that plainly will never give up picking up the morning paper at the news stand or from their front door. So…first, know your target audience. I mean, REALLY know them. What platforms are they using, where are they going first thing in the morning. Which media do they trust and use that. Use your imagination to mesh the digital and analog worlds in new and creative ways.
Even if you think your product or service does not match that medium, get your self on it…NOW!
Fringe media (radio, and print) will always have a place, always. BUT, it has to be integrated into your marketing mix with Teutonic accuracy. If you can’t measure it, do . not . do . it !
The media magnates that do not recognize the gravity of the shift to the web and social media will be left with their pants down in front of a panel of congressmen asking them why didn’t you recognize what was going on, why did you wait so long to do something. Universities, Colleges, Government agencies, Churches and organizations of all stripes, but especially small business owners cannot afford millions or even thousands, or in many cases hundreds of dollars to go down the drain on one mailer or one ad. Business 2.0 is dynamic, organic. It blogs with a purpose, listens to twitter feeds with Obamian ears, engages on Youtube with MTV-esque creativity and keeps attention with a steady stream of Facebook updates. Then, tagging and measuring it all till thy kingdom come!
If you are not doing this, your days are numbered. Blasting an e-newsletter to 200 thousand people is no longer enough. Sending hundreds of 2011 calenders out to your clients will no longer cut it.
That’s the easy way out.
You must engage the masses or your entity will be relegated to the fringe….It’s as simple as that.
November 19th, 2008 on 12:36 pm
It’s amazing how the methods of communication are evolving.
November 19th, 2008 on 12:43 pm
“listens to twitter feeds with Obamian ears”
I like the article. I like the quote as well. This article should be in a newspaper!:)
November 19th, 2008 on 2:18 pm
Marketing science at its best! Wonderful food for thought and great suggestions for taking action.
November 19th, 2008 on 2:18 pm
The wide spread of this type of media is gainning tracsion for some time now. The use of it has surmount in recent months. Mr Barack campagin has use it very effective to creat awareness in building support. I have seen excellent result, using it to promote http://www.demetricemorrison.com.
November 19th, 2008 on 3:44 pm
Onwards and outwards. Communications keeps getting simultaneously broader yet more targeted.
Thanks for an interesting read.
November 19th, 2008 on 6:29 pm
Knowing your audience is a sound business principle, as sound as, putting yourself where your customers are. I however take issue with: don’t do it if it can’t be measured.
We are in the throws of a global financial crisis which has triggered a phenomenon I refer to as the Marketing Pearl Harbor Effect. Much like after that infamous day in 1941 when the American population was “shocked” into a new way of thinking. Pearl Harbor worked out to our benefit, but I’m not sure this round of shocks is having a positive effect. Clients seemed to be stunned and not acting in a manner where the time tested approaches can be counted on. I believe we’re experiencing the beginning of a type of psychological fallout that is skewing the numbers causing us to get mixed signals from the people we knew.
Respectfully, I suggest when developing a marketing campaign it would be wise to not only know your audience, but be presumptuous and tell them what they need. Like a loved one in distress, we should be willing and able to suggest the medicine knowing they can’t help themselves. In some cases their survival might depended on it. Your audience might be shell shocked, reeling from the trauma of ever escalating financial losses from layouts, losing clients, cancellation of government contracts and so on. Start thinking in terms of telling customers what to buy, or what’s in their own best interest, because they might not be able make the most reasonable decisions in the near term.
I know this sounds controversial, but if we’ve transitioned out of the “hard selling” and into the “buy because I trust you” marketing paradigm, it seems reasonable. I’ll be giving it a try during my meeting with a client tomorrow. My intention is to “tell” them what to do – ever so respectfully.
http://www.twitter.com/agapeonline
November 19th, 2008 on 6:47 pm
That is a strong retort. Very well put! I agree with you. Let me play devil’s advocate for a few nanoseconds. Not all marketers are in the enviable position where the client *really* trusts them. Trust is a resource more scarce than gold in these times. I do hope though that the clients will take the medicine. Because it’s quite bitter. Why? When your competition is retreating, now is the time to go after the spoils. So offer them the red AND the blue pill, just make sure they take the red :)
November 19th, 2008 on 7:13 pm
Lol – ok Morpheus! Here’s the rub. Many marketers don’t yet understand the true nature and therefore awesome potential of using the social networks for marketing. Take Twitter for instance. I believe the goal should be to develop a following based on intuitive trust, informed by professionalism, integrity, competence and consistency, whereby when the marketer puts forth an offering, his followers to whom the offer is a beneficial, will ask how many do you have?
November 19th, 2008 on 9:32 pm
That my friend is a great point. Dare I say, can twitter help to usher in…. “Honest Marketing” ? Whole Foods does an incredible job I think. They are a great example to follow.
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