Gourmet Folds: Time to Ditch PR for Custom Content?
October 5th, 2009 | Published in PR 2.0, Social Media, Travel
Gourmet magazine has folded. Foodies, let’s all release a collective howl of mourning. Conde Nast’s flagship culinary publication will cease publication after 70-odd years and nearly 1000 issues.
In a year that has seen the demise of dozens of high-profile publication, Conde Nast’s latest announcement (which, in addition to Gourmet includes the closure of Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride) is just one more wake up call for the lifestyle and leisure industry. The investment in media relations (where ROI was always iffy, at best) is daily becoming more difficult to justify. Will the marketing teams at hotels, DMAs and other travel properties continue to pour big $$$ into securing visibility in an ever-diminishing pool of print pubs? Or will they see the golden opportunity at hand to bypass the old third-party system and begin creating their own custom content that engages, entertains and informs?
Media relations is no longer a stand-alone practice. I know that’s going to be bad news for a number of practitioners and agencies that have built businesses on the basis of their “relationships with key A-list media.” But the fact is, there is no A-list media anymore. The A-listers are now bloggers and freelancers. And their former glossy homes are at the bottom of recycling bins. News outlets are still an important piece of a marketing strategy. But media coverage should be a travel brand’s introduction to audiences, the spark that ignites a campaign aimed at starting conversations, building b2c relationships, and acquiring “fans” or brand evangelists–not an ongoing strategy for attracting eyeballs and making sales.
To learn more about the creating custom content that increases visibility and sales conversions, call 213-985-1011 or email info@mccuecommunications.com.
