austynallison

Archive for the ‘Digital’ Category

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Why the Huffington Post is like a mullet

In Digital, Journalism, Media on February 10, 2011 at 12:26 am

This, below, from The New Yorker,  from 2008. It’s a nice description. I wonder whether AOL will keep the business-up-front-party-behind strategy going now it’s bought HuffPo.

 

The Huffington Post’s editorial processes are based on what Peretti has named the “mullet strategy.” (“Business up front, party in the back” is how his trend-spotting site BuzzFeed glosses it.) “User-generated content is all the rage, but most of it totally sucks,” Peretti says. The mullet strategy invites users to “argue and vent on the secondary pages, but professional editors keep the front page looking sharp. The mullet strategy is here to stay, because the best way for Web companies to increase traffic is to let users have control, but the best way to sell advertising is a slick, pretty front page where corporate sponsors can admire their brands.”

via Arianna Huffington and the death of newspapers : The New Yorker.

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Jimmy does media

In Advertising, Digital, Marketing, Media, Public relations on January 7, 2011 at 10:53 pm

When Jimmy joins a new school and spots the girl of his dreams, he develops a communications strategy to get her. We’ve all been there. Haven’t we?

This is a guest post by my brother, Joe, a digital media planner in Edinburgh (but willing to travel. Tell me if you want to hire him – I’ll make him give me a cut).

Jimmy had just joined a new school, and as he was being shown around on his first day, he saw the most beautiful girl ever across the school grounds. She was also being shown round, and he couldn’t believe his luck; his future girlfriend had joined the same school on the same day.

After his first morning of lessons Jimmy was sitting at lunch when the girl came in and sat down just a few tables away. So infatuated was Jimmy that he decided that she must be his, and proceeded to develop an integrated communications strategy to get her. Read the rest of this entry »

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Can Forbes help brands do the write thing?

In Advertising, Digital, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Public relations on December 10, 2010 at 12:53 am

If Forbes is letting bloggers pay to write under its name, should we embrace this and let brands learn to engage rather than preach and plug?

I managed to run 10km today. But that’s beside the point. Except that it was on the way back from this run that I was listening to an Ad Age podcast that talked about how Forbes is selling its name to bloggers (you can read the article the podcast was discussing here). Read the rest of this entry »

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The Connect answer

In Advertising, Communicate, Digital, Dubai, Marketing, Media, Opinion, Published journalism on November 29, 2010 at 6:43 pm

The company that sells space on MSN Arabia and Facebook tells us why online media needs representation

Originally published in Communicate, July 2010

Recently, Communicate met up with Mohamed El Sayed, general manager of MSN Arabia, and Mohamed El Mehairy, managing director of digital media representation company Connect Ads. Both men were in Dubai for a Microsoft Summit, where the Microsoft Network (MSN) sells itself to potential advertisers. Communicate hoped they could explain some aspects of the MSN-Connect Ads business model. Read the rest of this entry »

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A question of trust

In Communicate, Digital, Dubai, Journalism, Media, Opinion on November 28, 2010 at 8:26 pm

With more sources of news, “Who do I believe?” is becoming “How much do I believe them?”

Originally published in Communicate, July 2010

What media can you trust? The question came up when Dubai’s Shelter hosted a round-table discussion entitled, “Journalism 2.0.” It marked the launch of SAE Institute’s diploma in digital journalism. The debate pitted old journalism against new journalism. Read the rest of this entry »

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Fox’s cunning plans

In Advertising, Communicate, Digital, Interview, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Published journalism, Television on November 24, 2010 at 7:47 pm

David Haslingden, Fox International Channel’s president and CEO, tells Communicate about his network’s ambition for the region

Originally published in Communicate, May 2010

In March, broadcast company Fox International Channels (FIC) announced a tie-up with Abu Dhabi media hub twofour54 on three projects (see regional news, Communicate, April 2010). As well as moving operations for some of its locally targeted satellite channels from Hong Kong to the UAE, the News Corporation subsidiary is opening a Middle East headquarters for its online advertising business Dot Fox, and a branch of its NHNZ production house, both in twofour54.

President and CEO of FIC David Haslingden was in town for the recent Abu Dhabi Media Summit, and Communicate sat down with him to find out more about the new initiatives, FIC’s new-found love for the UAE capital, and the network’s wider plans for the region. Read the rest of this entry »

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Revolutionary read

In Communicate, Digital, Dubai, Journalism, Media, Published journalism, Q&A on November 24, 2010 at 7:39 pm

The Guardian’s head of client sales says the Internet is turning digital on its head. But which publisher has the right formula to capitalize on that?

Originally published in Communicate, May 2010

Mark Finney, head of client sales at UK publishing house Guardian News and Media (GNM), spoke about “digital revolutions” at the recent Dubai Lynx. The Internet is changing the way we consume print, and publishers around the world are trying out different revenue models. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is preparing to charge for access to online content across all his News Corp titles, but the Guardian’s online presence is remaining resolutely paywall-free.
The newspaper’s print circulation is currently around 400,000, and falling, as is the case with virtually all print dailies around the world. But Guardian.co.uk boasts 36 million readers internationally, including 12 million in the UK. Finney won’t reveal GNM’s turnover from its print titles, but says the digital side of the business makes around £25 million per year. We asked him about the changing business of print. Read the rest of this entry »