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Coming Soon From Sling Media: Watch Cable TV From Your iPhone.

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.