Panelists Discuss Most Important Factors in Successful Media
Some of the biggest names in media and technology took to the USA Today | Gannett Stage Monday at IWNY. Speakers ranged from journalists to entrepreneurs to analysts, all with the knowledge of what makes media consumers tick, and what it takes for media ventures to compete in this ever-changing arena.
To get their messages out effectively, media outlets need to identify not only the audience they hope to target, but also its media consumption behaviors.
“We’re really excited about emerging markets because they touch two sweet spots, mobile and social,” said Stacy Martinet, chief marketing officer at Mashable.
Identifying how consumers utilize their mobile and social networks makes all the difference when standing out in the new media crowd.
This has been particularly important for USA Today, which has significantly revamped its approach to mobile storytelling. A major component is the ability for increased personalization, such as the addition of multiple tiers of alerts so users can decide what news is most important to them,
“We have to learn how to tell a story totally differently, said Larry Kramer, president and publisher at USA Today.
Marc DeBevoise, executive vice president and general manager of entertainment, sports and news at CBS Interactive, held similar views.
“It’s about creating experiences that serve each of those audiences,” he said.
This means different things for different people, depending on the individual’s preferences and the kind of media being used. For example, CBS Interactive aims to include a video with each article to give the media consumer multiple options.
Jonah Peretti, founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, acknowledged the site’s humbler beginnings, when the site was best known for all things funny and entertaining. But by experimenting with the traditional news model, Peretti helped to create an innovative platform.
People may have come to BuzzFeed in the past for the entertainment side of the website, but now readers can find long-form pieces, investigative journalism, and breaking news alongside the more lighthearted components.
It’s indicative of the current media landscape, Peretti said, with more freedom to mix up content. In the past, he explained, media outlets stuck to one kind of news, but the trend is moving toward blending.
“Media is becoming less about adjacency and it’s becoming more about each piece of content reaching its full potential,” he said. “Increasingly, people are used to one brand doing multiple things."
Now branded content, lists and hard news can exist among one another in harmony.
Opting for Quality Over Quantity
For as much as the role of technology in media was lauded, a common theme among the presenters was the emphasis on the value of quality content.
“Product and technology really are in equal partnership now with editorial,” said Patrick Yee, executive vice president of marketing & strategy at Refinery29. “The way we measure our success isn’t just how large our reach is.” At Refinery29, the company aims for “depth rather than breadth,” he said.
Many tech and media experts are cautious about how media is dispersed. At the VICE Sessions | The Future of Video News panel, panelists discussed creating media that both excites and informs media consumers. Jason Mojica, editor in chief of VICE News, discussed how content can be innovative and interesting, while still holding up to respectable journalistic standards.
“You don’t have to do something that’s a bland recitation of events,” Mojica said. But, “while the formats of journalism are changing across the board,” he stressed that content must be rooted in good journalism.
The take-home message was clear that quality will always win over flashiness. “The first and most important thing is credibility,” said Justine Simons, senior producer at The New York Times. “Once you’ve messed with that, it really doesn’t matter how hip it is.”
Building a Strong Platform
Media companies, especially startups, must be built on a steady platform, in both the literal and technological sense. It takes creative people will a solid understanding of new forms of technology for new media ventures to flourish.
“There’s a virtuous cycle in media business, that people who build a better platform end up with better talent,” Peretti said.
Creating an innovative platform isn’t easy, but Peretti sees real value in starting from scratch. It gives those involved the opportunity to better know and appreciate what is being created.
“It’s good to look for new emerging platforms that people laugh at and think aren’t that important,” he said. “Being interested in something when it’s small helps you have a deeper understanding and a unique approach before everybody is chasing it.”
Challenges abound for any new media platform, but Peretti gave the audience some promising words.
“Every big media company was once a startup,” he said.