Next Steps

Well it is almost time to go home on the east coast, so this will be brief.

What are the next steps? How do media companies maintain relevance as the industry changes so quickly?

I don't know how we do that. But one thing is for sure, we have to keep our eyes on the horizon and stay ahead of the curve. Ignore these changes and we will be left behind.

When was the last time anyone under 30 picked up a newspaper for more than 5 minutes?

The earlier newspapers realized the opportunites of on-line publishing, the quicker they embraced the medium and its new users. Some television stations jumped on-line early too. They offered more information than a :45 news clip could provide, and gave their audience what they wanted, when they wanted it.

So do we continue to do one thing and one thing well?
Do we explore new media and try to adapt them to our core business?
Do we cut costs and consolodate to simply do what we do more efficiently?
Do we follow our core audience and try to reach them with multiple touch points?

I gotta think a little more on this one. How about you?

The Media Business

Well it is only 11:00am and I have already read about more than a half-dozen things that will continue to change the media business.

Spots 'n' Dots reports on TV on cell phones that will be out soon. Disney is putting Disney and ESPN branded content on Sprint. Cable networks such as MSNBC, FOX Sports and the Weather Channel will be available on Cingular and Qualcomm may be able to deliver two dozen high-quality channels.

Add to that Cingular's announcement that it will carry a new Billboard Mobile service offering music samples, games, concert info and more. And if that were not enough on your phone, how about some of the top games from Electronic Arts! And here comes MTV that says it will create content expressly for cellphones.

Does anyone actually talk on their phone any more? No wonder the phone is the one device most people can't live without!

But that is just how the phone will impact the media business. How about Interactive? According to IAB, Internet advertising is up 26% first half of '05 vs. first half of '04. Rich media (audio/video/interactivity) is up that same 26% to $463 million, Search keeps pace with a 27% increase as well. With budgets getting smaller and Internet on the rise, that money is coming out of someone elses pocket.

The new "Chief Digital Officer" at GM Planworks may be able to tell you whose pocket it will be coming out of. The automotive category is down for spot TV, and with that kind of title on a senior management team, I can see where that money might be headed.

And finally, here is another change in the pipeline. If you missed the premiere of UPN's Everybody Hates Chris, no need to wait for the network to run the repeat. Just go to Google and watch it there. AOL and Yahoo have done this recently with WB shows. It's practically Video On Demand, it is Viral, it is water cooler talk and it has no commercials! Yikes!

To those of us who grew up watching the same channel all night becuase we didn't want to get off the couch to turn the dial and adjust the rabbit ears, some of this is seems to still be fantasy. Maxwell Smart's (RIP) shoe phone and Dick Tracy's video watch were the stuff of creative immaginations. But to today's adapters and tomorrow's consumers, this is nothing new.

New content, new media and most importantly, new audiences will continue to affect the way marketers can get their message to their target audience. We in the business need to adopt and adapt to stay in business.

Now get out there and watch your phone!

Time to get started

Here is my first entry on Just Another Day...

I'll keep this blog to express my views on music, current events and entertainment. I will hone my writing skills and even post some of my writings here first.

I'll keep it thoughtful and open and hope it contributes something of value to those who find it.

I encourage any feedback look forward to some dialogue as time goes by.

More to come.

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