Will the traditional media (newspapers, magazines, TV and Radio) eventually change?

Answer 1

Yes, the movie Minority Report had an excellent example of what newspapers and magazines will become in the future. See the part where Tom Crusie's character is traveling on the train with his new eyes. Newspaper publishers are feeling the pinch right now, investors have low confidence in them since their delivery method is so slow compared to the Internet.

Radio is in the midst of changing right now - they are pushing hard (heavily marketing) for you to go digital so that they can track your listening habits easier. They are having trouble "getting it" though, if they were smart they'd catch a clue and work on integration with cell phones instead of this digital radio crap. That industry is run by people who don't care about the future only short term profits.

TV won't change much for a while since those companies move so slow, they are still learning how to integrate the Internet into their programming. Tivo threw them for a loop so they are still trying to figure out how to make money off of reinventing how they advertise to you. They'll stumble around for while until they figure out the best way; they have the enough money to screw around for years without sweating the losses.

Answer 2

I'll keep this short and simple. They already are.

Newspapers are in the process of embracing the Internet. They still are trying to figure out a way to make money through it, but that probably will come through advertising sales. It's still the best source for local information, and it's a great way for out-of-towners to check up on news.

Magazines probably will continue to become more specialized. In my lifetime, the big general interest magazines like Life have gone away. Know many people who get TV Guide any more? But Ancestry magazine is doing OK.

Television has also become split into many different factions, thanks to cable and dishes. The only three network model doesn't apply any more. That's going to continue.

Radio changed in the 1980's when AM headed to news/talk/sports and FM kept the music. With satellite channels open, I'd bet the trend toward narrowcasting will only continue.

Answer 3

Should digital media mirror the traditional communications plan or complement it? Phrased another way, should we use interactive communications to breathe digital relevance into the overall plan, using the same targets, seasonality, and success measurements? Or should we use interactive media to fill the gaps where the traditional plan is weak (e.g., younger demos, at-work audiences, the infamous "missing men," etc.)?

As with many theoretical debates, there is no right or wrong answer. I'll reserve my opinion the end. First, let's examine some of the more common complementary uses of the medium.

Reaching the At-Work Audience

The Internet is almost unique in its ability to reach the at-work consumer (its only real competition is radio, which typically plays a "background" or ambient role). According to JupiterResearch (a Jupitermedia Corp. division), by 2009, 10 million U.S. adults and 8 million youths will access the Internet exclusively from outside the home. Meanwhile, 65 million adults and 26 million youths will access the Internet both at home and at work or school.

The at-work audience presents a number of benefits and challenges to marketers. On the plus side, at-work consumers are far more likely to access the Internet via a broadband connection. Compared to the general population, which is about 50 percent broadband-enabled at home, the at-work audience is about 79 percent broadband-enabled, according to JupiterResearch.

On the flip side, people at work are typically more time constrained and efficiency-focused than at-home consumers. That usually translates into poorer click-through results and weaker outcomes from a direct response standpoint. It's important to choose content and tactics that speak to a broadband, goal-oriented user if the at-work consumer is your target market.

The Missing Men

I cannot tell you how many times we've internally discussed the ability for the Internet to reach the young adult (especially male) target. Even if marketers aren't looking to reach this segment in traditional efforts, we find ourselves speaking about connecting with this elusive population digitally.

According to JupiterResearch, other than college and grad students overall, a higher percentage of young men ages 18-24 are online than any other demographic. Although the Internet reaches these consumers, finding commonalities across this diverse population is still difficult. JupiterResearch reports though more young men than older engage in entertainment (e.g., games, movies, music) online, the same isn't true for sports. Thirty-one percent regularly visit sports sites, fewer than men overall.

The Bottom Line

Though interactive/digital communications can play a complementary role to a traditional media effort, I don't necessarily think it should. As we speak with marketers measuring success before and after brand health studies, we caution them not to insert variables into the interactive program that don't exist in the traditional communications plan. This would introduce a new bias into a study.

If young adult males are a business target across all communications, use each delivery vehicle to deliver that audience. Don't just use the Internet to create new segments for your business that aren't addressed by other marketing and media efforts. That puts an unnecessary bias against your digital efforts and doesn't capitalize on the power of integrated communications.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Answer 4

I agree with wdx2bb, and can only add that television is already moving to find a way to "co-opt" the internet. We are seeing more network news programs directing viewers to web pages and blogs, and we are seeing bloggers showing up on news shows as "experts". We are also seeing programs like NEWS TO ME, which takes video either sent through the internet or posted on the internet from "regular viewers" and puts it on television.
To some degree the mainstream media still doesn't get it, in the sense that they want to pick and choose what goes from the internet into their broadcast stream. The idea is that if they don't put it on the air then it is not "legitimate" news. The fact is that the internet is much bigger than any one broadcast stream, so no matter what the mainstream broadcast media puts on its airwaves, the things they DON'T put on will still be there for people to find. We are already seeing the networks having trouble because questions are raised about stories which are misreported, or facts that are left out of stories, etc. This problem will only continue to grow for the networks until they find a way to blend with the internet rather than try to control it.