Live~NRGY

The old paradigm paper & ink model has been so successful due to heavy investments in time, money & energy for the last 100 + years by so many people that getting rid of it is an exercise in frustration. It’s success in so many forms where newspapers, magazines, flyers and so on has truly transformed modern society in so many ways.

If the argument that logically moving to an Online Digital model with advertisers resisting, then look no further than all the past great companies with untold advertisers who have failed regardless. A business model that costs more & more each and everyday becomes a drag on the bottom line and ultimately people who are employed directly or indirectly.

Advertisers who resist in my opinion are still from the old schools who want something tangible in their hands and want to see something with their own eyes. While I am the first to admit that moving to a Digital Model has it’s drawbacks, change is here despite our best efforts to hang on to the past. The beauty of Calligraphy lost upon our 24/7/365 days a year hectic lives when a keyboard or computer can transcribe and correct our very words with such ease and speed.

Now for the crux of the matter – money ! Seems to me that re-inventing the wheel is twice the work. If newspapers are working on a working financial model, then in my humble opinion they should look no further than 2 at least successful industries in the midst of transformation.

1. Music industry – gone are the days of the old 45 singles, and 33 albums. Mp3 music is here to stay and then maybe change again in whatever format the digital world will continue to change.

2. Apple iTunes – They have solidly convinced and brought out a sustainable financial model for the moment that has bridged the divide between the old and the new. As a bonus, customers such as myself don’t mind buying music 1 song at a time for 99 cents or so. Digital Rights management protects the songs and compensates artists and the music industry equitably.

So the moral of the story as far as I am concerned is the following –

Turn ink & paper over to the Digital world and make it cheap for customers a la carte just like iTunes did for music.

Put online advertisers at ease by incorporating the ads at the beginning of the article. The caveat here is to target the client with their own shopping preferences as a condition. Make the ads simple, quick and no brainers. After all the TV medium that made so many couch potatoes reach for the remote and stay on the couch enduring commercial after commercial is an obvious model to build some sort of logic flowchart out of what works and what doesn’t. If the ads are creative, fun and interesting they will engage potential customers.

Lastly, we cannot expect to turn things around in a matter of months or even a few years to get this right. Change is the order of the day until something tangible works. That’s the price to pay in the Digital Frontier. Remember that the pioneers of years past from the papyrus would have been awestruck with the printing press. Never mind the Digital World and all it’s infinite possibilities.

Finally, my guess is that the advertising financial model will probably have to work something akin to the Google ad model. It’s a start, from there work your local editions to target client bases.

It’s going there whether or not you like it, so the faster the model is embraced the less pain in the end. Just don’t forget to let people in the loop know. Afterall, it’s all about people, whether employed directly or indirectly that makes a difference to businesses. The longer the procrastination, the faster you’ll be 6 feet under.