Title: Changing Media Trends and what they mean to you: One editors view
1Changing Media Trends and what they mean to
youOne editors view
- Jane Wooldridge
- The Miami Herald
- October 2008
2The tipping point?
- Many magazines are shrinking
- Newspaper travel section and/or dedicated
editors are diminishing - Websites abound
- Social-networking sites continue to gain
- Upscale publications are likely to gain ground
- Regional emphasis is becoming stronger
- Mobile devices will become more important
3Why now?
- Advances in technology
- Growing influence of younger generation
- Economic downturn
4So, what are key trends?
- Travelers are returning to trusted voices
- Digital is only part of the answer
- Newspapers are down but not out
- Not all new media are created equal
- Social media are here to stay
- Social media cant be controlled but it can be
managed - Multimedia presentations will become increasingly
important - Mobile devices will become even more important
- Think high, low and close-to-home
5TMI Too Much Information!
- So many (websites, magazines, TV channels), so
little time - Even the multi-tasking generation is subject to
overload - This is resulting in a return to trusted voices,
such as authoritative editorial publications and
travel agents
6Digital is the future
- 108 million North Americans (about 73 percent of
the population) use the Internet today 105 in
the U.S. alone are counted as active surfers - The global total is about 1.4 billion
- The global total will increase by 44 percent
between 2007-2012
7BUTdigital media are only part of the answer
- 154 million Americans read a Sunday newspaper in
print - 187 million Americans read magazines in print
- Consumers use online and print media differently
8Despite the obituaries, newspapers are not dead
- More people read the Sunday Miami Herald in print
each week than watch American Idol each week - Newspapers remain a or the dominant media company
in most markets - In 2007, more than 60 million unique viewers
visited newspaper websites each month - In McClatchy markets, newspaper print circulation
and websites together offer more than 50 percent
penetration - More than 5 million unique visitors came to the
Miami Heralds website in September
9Web traffic at magazine websites is also growing
- 70.7 million unique monthly visitors went to
magazine websites during the first quarter of 2008
10Not all new media are created equal
- 175-million-plus sites on the Web
- News and the offbeat often dominate traffic
- Among travelers, the importance of blogs has
dropped in the past year (Yankelovich) - Popular online doesnt always equal widespread
acceptance remember Snakes on a Plane?
11Most popular U.S. sites (Alexa.com)
- Google.com
- Yahoo.com
- YouTube.com
- Facebook.com
- Windows Live (live.com)
- Microsoft Network (msn.com)
- Wikipedia.org
- Ebay.com
- AOL.com
- Craiglist.org
- Blogger.com
12Most popular blogs (Technorati)
- The Huffington Post
- Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide
- TechCrunch
- Engadget
- Boing Boing
- Lifehacker
- Ars Technica
- Daily Kos State of the Nation
- The Official Google Blog
- Free Travel Blog to Share Your Tips
(Travelpod.com)
13Top 5 Digg Stories / past year
- Diggs April Fools Day Joke 31,803 diggs
- Digg this if you are sick of Scientologists
burying articles 25,698 diggs - Heath Ledger dies 22,472 diggs
- George Carlin has died 19,793 diggs
- Ninja cat comes closer while not moving 18,308
diggs
14Top Travel websites by traffic (Hitwise,
September 08)
- MapQuest
- Google maps
- Yahoo! Maps
- Expedia
- Southwest Airlines
- Travelocity
- Orbitz
- Yahoo! Travel
- Priceline
- Cheap Tickets
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- TripAdvisor
- Local Live
- Hotwire
- Kayak
- CheapoAir.com
- Hotels.com
- Northwest Airlines
- United Airlines
15Social Networking is here to stay
- YouTube ranks No. 3 among all U.S. websites by
traffic - Facebook ranks No. 4 among all U.S. websites by
traffic - TripAdvisor ranks No. 13 among top travel
websites - According to the Yankelovich Travel Monitor,
friends and neighbors are the most trusted source
for travel recommendations (8 in 10 surveyed.) 25
percent are confident of what they read on
TripAdvisor)
16Social networking cant be controlled but it
can be managed
- Know what is being said about you
- Address it on the website where it is posted
- Encourage reviews from happy guests
- Explain on your own website how you are
addressing concerns - Create a Facebook group and use it to promote
specials - Host your own blog but keep it real
- TSA blog
- John Healds cruise blog
- VisitFlorida blog
17Multi media is increasingly important
- YouTube, you got it
- Ritz Carlton short film
- Magazines and newspapers are adding video stories
daily (but no, they arent really paying for it.) - Doug Lanskys souvenir slideshow
- Survive a bear attack
- Travels with Jane
18Dont ignore mobile devices
- 256 million in the U.S. subscribe to wireless
phone service - China has 540 million users India has slight
more than the U.S. - Abacus International estimates 1.5 billion cell
users in the Asia-Pacific region
19Its all about the economy
- Checked your 401K lately? The Dow has dropped
more than 40 percent in the past year. - Despite this, experts predict that the luxury
category will rebound quickly.
20So what does this mean to me?1. Think high and
low
- Luxury or budget, value is the key.
- Deals, packages and cost-wise strategies get
editors attentionbut be ready to explain the
value. - Fixed-cost vacations cruises, all-inclusive
experiences and packages find favor with
consumers and editors. - Travelers likely will be making plans last
minute look for ways to promote last-minute
deals in stories and on websites. - Unless it has a value hook, save green for
upscale publications
212. Think regional
- Travelers likely will stay closer to home.
Whether youre a writer or a PR professional,
your best hits are going to come from regional
media.
223. Think short
- The trend toward short vacations will grow even
stronger
234. Focus on other best bets
- Niche travelers are driven by passion and
passion often outweighs economic sensibility
24Know that editors are more short-handed than ever
before
- Give them story ideas that are fully developed
and involve sources beyond your own. - Be sure information about packages and deals is
complete and includes pricing. - Be accurate. Fact-check everythingtwice.
25Do I need a website?
- Yes. Yes. And yes. (And that includes
journalists.) - www.douglansky.com
- www.timshisler.com
- www.elliott.org
- www.janewooldridge.com
-
26Do I need a blog?
- If youre looking to make money, maybe not.
- If you want to brand yourself and/or serve a
niche market, maybe yes. - BUTif you start a blog, you must feed, bathe and
clean it.
27Do I need to be multi-media?
- If youre a travel supplier (or represent one),
you can get additional exposure if you have high
quality B-roll and audio clips. - If youre a journalist, its not essentialbut it
may be soon.
28Where can I find out more?
- Forrester Research www.forrester.com
- Jupiter Research www.jupiterresearch.com
- PhocusWright www.phocuswright.com
- Hitwise www.hitwise.com
- Yankelovich Travel Monitor www.ypartnership.com,
www.yankelovich.com - TIA www.tia.org
- Multimedia www.timshisler.com
- This presentation www.janewooldridge.com