Content ownership wars – the communications fallout
Professional communicators should be paying attention to the simmering content ownership battle between Rupert Murdoch and free online content providers. It could end up being the self-inflicted wound that kills traditional media.
If Murdoch is ultimately successful in cutting out free online media syndicators like Google, Microsoft and Ask.com, pundits predict an immediate 25% drop in overall readership. For professional communicators who base their media lists on hits and circulation, this kind of change could push once-venerable publications off the radar entirely.
In truth, the content wars will only accelerate the inevitable. Most communicators saw the writing on the wall years ago, and quickly readjusted their media lists to accommodate new media commentators who offered further reach and more influence than their stalwart daily counterparts.
Regardless of how the battle ends, the ensuing propaganda and inevitable fallout sends a number of clear messages to professional communicators:
Prioritize for accessibility: When building your media lists and outreach plans, factor in the accessibility of a publication as well as the reach and reputation. Consider conducting a media audit to understand who the real media players are in your market and what biases they may have.
Educate your executives: Remember that the world has changed quickly, and some of your senior executives may not agree that their faithful daily is on life support. Start the education process now by taking away their company-expensed subscriptions and replacing them with an online version.
Be the media: As the traditional sources of reliable information begin to fade, professional communicators have an opportunity to fill the void and provide the public with alternate sources of information. Be very careful, though, not to try to pass off marketing propaganda as hard news. The public can be quick to recognize and expose self-serving agendas.
Broaden your outreach: There may still be a place for the traditional desk-side briefing or media tour, but chances are your newest key influencer lives on a farm in rural Wisconsin or in a Bangladeshi apartment complex. Some innovative communicators are seeing a lot of success using social media sites and tools to conduct real-time ‘face-to-face’ briefings over the internet.
At the end of the day, Mr. Murdoch will soon realize that his real problem isn’t the free content providers at all. It’s that people simply don’t want to pay for their news anymore.
Content ownership wars – the communications fallout is one of our Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010. Next week we’ll look at issue #6: Taking Corporate Reputation off life support
