This third post on The Future of Media Companies deals with Brand and Portfolio. Content and brand are the only two things that really matter when looking at the future of media companies.

1. The Future of Media Groups:
Brand
(part 3 of 4)
www.fernandosamaniego.com

2. Research Marketing Plays Key Role in the Transformation
(“our internal opinions matter very little here”, a corporate leader)
How do families consume content now? (in detail)
How do consumers use our media?
How do consumers use competing sources of news?
How do consumers communicate among them?
Which topics do they consume?
What is the power of our brands in each market?
Which content/format/time…was able to engage our readers lately?
Etcetera…
Thoroughly prepared questionnaires, broad samples...
(Technology will come handy, but only when basic answers are there)
www.fernandosamaniego.com

3. Research Marketing Plays Key Role in the Transformation
1. Research changes affecting your market. Adopt some:
Google & Facebook usage (we need a very precise understanding of their possibilities),
Tweeter, social media, open source soft, open architecture, advanced analytics (user
behavior and prediction), cloud computing, local bloggers, advertising networks,
augmented reality, location services, mobility, targeting, self service advertising, open
spaces at work…
Don’t fight changes. Adopt them (don’t fight the world, go with it)
2. Research changes affecting your customers:
• Their habits in connecting and mingling in bars, parties, happenings… (Connect)
• Their practices regarding live music, events, live reviews …(Live)
• Transparency, practical ecology… (Better citizenship)
• All-mobile, alerting, mapping, answers on the go… (Content mobility)
• Mixed ethnicity; desire to see the new & to be surprised… (Newness)
• Ageing, dieting, fitness, small families… (Life styles)
• Mobility in career, housing, tourism… (Personal mobility)
www.fernandosamaniego.com

4. Comments on Brand
Open up and
penetrate networks,
local sites, social
sites… visited by your
potential customers.
Think of them as your
network
Extend the Reach & Visibility of your Brand:
Be Obsessive About Distribution
Create widgets, apps
Repurpose, repackage
Associate
Accept external content
Use Social Media
Link, be linked
RSS feeds
Email services
Use all windows, all screens to be seen
www.fernandosamaniego.com

5. Be visible, be
there. If your
product is
good some
users will stay
Extend the Reach & Visibility of your Brand:
Be Obsessive About Search Engine Optimization
S.E.O. skills are a must for journalists, marketers
Structure products, pages for Google
Track number of links. Set goals.
Increase entry points. Set goals
.
www.fernandosamaniego.com

6. For a More Solid Brand, Push Users Up the Forrester Ladder
Higher engagement
& loyalty

7. The Future of Media Groups:
Some Notes on Portfolio
(part 3of 4)
www.fernandosamaniego.com

8. Portfolio of Some Papers
Simplified Portfolio of Some Newspapers:
Profitability
Potential
The “big ball’s” losses
in revenues and
audience cannot be
News
portal offset by a News Portal
Newspaper
Market
Penetration
www.fernandosamaniego.com

9. Portfolio: The Future will Look More Like This
AUDIENCE EVOLUTION AUDIENCE SOLUTION
Solution
A  CORE: maintain
consumers (increase if
Existing
Solution possible) consumers
B  + Project A
 + Project B
Newspaper
Solution  + Project C New
consumer
leaves for C Consumers
 + Project D
Solution
D
BY MAINTAINING MASS MEDIA POSITIONING:
…etc  More relevant to community
 More relevant to advertisers
PROBLEMS OPPORTUNITIES

10. Local Leader Could Perform Many Tasks (Portfolio)
“Provide me with any services or information needed to live/work here”
“In any platform/technology, when and how I want”
I want to I want to
share buy a car
I need opinion I need a
local Info dentist…
I want to Give me
contact coupons,
others discounts
I want to I need to
buy a buy
house locally
What can
I do I want a
today job
Tell me THE Local
latest Connector …etc
local news
www.fernandosamaniego.com

11. But What is the Role of News in this Strategy?
 Obviously, to maintain local core strengths:
“a good large staff of news/info gatherers with excellent knowledge of the
community along with commercial clout and good brand image”
 …and to facilitate access to new avenues of income:
PROJECT AUDIENCE FUNCTION
Traffic
News
Generator
Segmented
Other Traffic
Projects
Transaction
News portals as embryo creators of possible projects

12. Whatever You Do, Think Mobile
Mobile Users > Desktop, in 5 Years
Mobile Internet Growing Faster
than Desktop Internet Did
Morgan Stanley
Do we chart our monthly SMS?
Can users get news, classifieds…?
Have we a process for alerts from users?
…etc.
Morgan Stanley

13. We All Know it, But Let Me Insist: Video is Core for News
www.fernandosamaniego.com

14. Video and Mobile and also “Mobile Video”…
…Have to Be Part of Our Diet