McCue Marketing Communications

The Internet: Voice of the people? Or new channel for same old publishing power plays?

Two conflicting perspectives crossed my desk this morning regarding the impact the Internet has had on publishing models. Newsweek’s Daniel Lyons reports that “what’s happening is that tech companies keep herding consumers into digital corrals, then anointing themselves gatekeepers. Not surprisingly, the techies scoop up most of the spoils.” Conversely, Barry Diller states in a paidcontent.org discussion about the old media conglomerates that “the internet busted that all apart and dispersed that power everywhere.”

So, which is it? Is the Internet the voice of the people, or a frontierland for new-style media barons?

Scan Lyon’s piece in Newsweek and it’s impossible to deny that big, tech-savvy companies like Amazon and Apple have gotten hold of the keys to the city. But we’re still better off than we were–especially us folks in the public relations business. Unfortunately, (well, actually it’s pretty fortunate for my business!) most public relations agencies are still struggling to make the old model work and lamenting the fact that all their old media contacts are no longer on staff–or that old go-to publication itself went out of business.

Wake up, PR pros! Getting your messages out efficiently and effectively is now easier than ever! But it’s not enough to wine and dine journalists and forward news clips to your clients. We now have to be writers, publishers and designers in our own right. And we have to demonstrate that all of these words and pretty pictures actually help our clients achieve their objectives in concrete, measurable ways.

• No more complaining that the journalist missed your message. Now you write it–and make sure you’re getting it right.
• No more worrying that your client will get cut from the piece. You find creative and meaningful ways to make your client’s messages newsworthy.
• No more wondering if anyone actually read the article. Measure traffic. Track comments. Follow the links. Push it to your audiences through social media.

Human nature being what it is, I’m sure the big guys will keep finding ways to get bigger and the little guys will have to keep finding ways to make their voices heard. But while we still have the freedom, we in the business of professional communications should stop lamenting and complaining and embrace this opportunity to become the masters of our own content–never forgetting that we now have the responsiblity to keep it fresh, interesting and relevant to the people we expect to read it.