Thursday, June 16, 2016

A Perspective on Media: Today and Tomorrow



 
During the week of June 7, 2016 I had the pleasure attending a conference along with other Public Affairs Officers from a major non-profit organization. We had a number of highly experienced and insightful speakers. I’ve tried to capture the highlights of their comments here for you.

Media Today
·      Audiences are disloyal and disaggregated.
·      Competition


Current Best Practice Tips and Interesting Facts
·      Videos are a growing part of the media landscape. Keep them under 2 ½ minutes with 60 seconds a reasonable general target.
·      Defend, but don’t extend negative stories. Don’t give negative stories any exposure than necessary/minimal direct rebuttal.
o   Insure that all defenders are on the same messages.
·      National US media now target the 8th grade reading level.
·      Making the call to the media is better than getting the call from them.
o   Note however:
o   Be George Clooney not a Kardashian.
§  George Clooney picks his media spots, a Kardashian or one of their body parts seems to be everywhere all the time.
·      Saturday radio from 7 AM through 1 PM is the equivalent to midday/weekdays in terms of rating.
·      Stories are essentially about Characters (People) who overcome obstacles to achieve a worthy outcome.
·      Key angles for attractive stories:
o   Conflict
o   Authenticity
o   Perspective – become a resource
·      Characteristics of desirable stories:
o   You can’t Google them.
o   They put the selected medium ahead of their competition.
o   It’s new, not the same as previous items.
o   Bears in mind that each approver (Exec Producer, News Director, etc.) has their own agenda and biases.
·      Stories resonate when:
o   They have an emotional connection – compelling personal stories.
o   Impact the audience
o   Viewer Benefit
o   Empower the viewer
o   Don’t waste the viewer’s time.
o   Put a face on the data
·      Use digital platforms for videos – e.g. FaceBook
·      Types of Today’s Media
o   P          Paid Media
o   E          Earned Media
o   S          Shared Media
o   O         Owned Media


The Future of Media
·      The future of media is immersive and visual. The NY Times cardboard viewer is a preview of what is to come. People want to engage more of their senses to be a part of the action rather than just a viewer.

Photo Source: http://www.toublanc.info/newsboy/newsboy-clip-art-public-domain



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