coverage matters
But narrative matters more… The NY Times looks at coverage of the Clinton and Obama campaigns over the past week and wonders did the media strategies deliver… based on the result yesterday, you’d have to say yes… Some of the highlights:
- Mr. Obama was the subject of 69 percent of all campaign stories last week, from Feb. 25 to March 2, while Mrs. Clinton was the subject of 58 percent of election stories, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Mr. Obama generated the highest amount of coverage in one week than any other candidate at any point so far this year.
- While Mr. Obama dominated the coverage, the amount of news devoted to the campaign actually decreased over the last week, accounting for 38 percent of all stories.
- Then “Saturday Night Live” thrust itself into the vacuum, graphically portraying a media swooning over Mr. Obama and badgering Mrs. Clinton.
- Senator Barack Obama addressed the issue of press bias today, saying he believed that reporters had been influenced by the Clinton campaign’s flood of complaints about media bias over the last week.
Better to be in combat mode that let the media define your current malaise seems to be one of the key messages here.
“With the Clinton media narrative focused on her being a candidate firmly in combat mode, she enjoyed a respite from recent coverage that had focused on her post-Super Tuesday losing streak and her campaign’s strategic shortcomings,” Mr. Rosenstiel said.
THe new media
Is it the old media? Steve points to a recent study and makes this observation:
Three data points from the joint IAB/Booz Allen Hamilton study are particularly noteworthy:
- By 2010, 53% of media companies surveyed expect to do more business directly with marketers. The majority of marketers (52%) feel the same about publishers
- Only 27% of marketers expect to be doing more business with agencies two years from now
- Today nearly every media company (91%) offers some kind of “agency-like” services. This includes former untouchables like idea generation (88%) and creative development (79%)
Steve goes on to say:
The image of media companies as lumbering dinosaurs lingering toward extinction in a world of infinite content is downright wrong. They are more in sync with consumers than any other contingency in the marketing ecosystem. Their entire DNA is digital.
Really, I haven’t seen a scrap of evidence that this is the case. But I do agree that traditional agencies face a real challenge.
and your computer most looks like a…
- magazine
- tv
TV right? And so the stupid movement begins its attack on vlogs and Internet video in the workplace… The Wall Street Journal reports that a growing number of companies are thinking about blocking online videos in the workplace — blaming productivity loss and bandwidth (a garbage argument created by the technologically weak). Here are the benefits as I see it:
- Getting employees to use the likes of YouTube is a great first step to actually getting them into your properties on YouTube
- Video is the future – when faced with a choice, employees would rather watch than read… so get them to love watching
- They come to understand the implications of this new platform. Anyone can be a producer – and hopefully they will
- More controversially, its just fun. Happy employees are productive employees.
- It plugs them into the culture, sub culture and conversation you so desperately want to be part of
Finally, like you really have a choice…
Back Into blogging…
Been a bit busy lately… As a result I’ve spent more time Twittering than blogging… It’s so easy to switch from fully fledged narrative to conversational soundbites. Before you know you it you are into the flow of the Tweets.
I’m not sure this results in anything more thoughtful and interesting. It is a great way to connect with others though.
… Now to find something to write about…
